Taz update 2

My feet are killing me, I thought I was fit until I can to Australia, but even here, where there isn’t such an obvious health culture, the locals reckon a short walk is about 4km…

So this morning I took the ‘urban’ walk following the River Derwent tributary, along which the early settlers ‘settled’, taking in the old warehouses and houses, the notorious ‘female factory’-where the female convicts were appallingly treated, and ending up at the cascade brewery, which rises spectacularly above the foothills of mount nelson.

There were blackberries/apples/flowers everywhere and also hills-lots of hills!!

But then, the views were spectacular over the harbour/city.

This afternoon I wandered around the city’s historical buildings. Despite the colonial legacy, I particularly love the thirties architecture which pops up unexpectedly between the older buildings.

Then round to the Traversing the Antarctic exhibition in the Tasmanian Art Gallery, which was fascinating. The history of Hobart/Tasmania and the Antarctic was new to me and its gripping-I hadn’t realised how much originated from here, and how much still goes on in terms of Antarctic exploration/sciences.

The massive Antarctic Southern Explorer survey vessel is currently in the harbour, she’s enormous, and I understand now what Andrew means when he says it’s impossible to walk about on board-it looks as if there is a factory on the deck, with cranes, rigs, etc. Lit up at night she’s so impressive.

As well as the marine history, I love the way this city revolves around art, there are galleries, much aboriginal/tribal displays, and arts and crafts communities/exhibitions everywhere I turn.

I’m still absorbed over by yesterday’s experience-MONA is without doubt the most bizarre and gripping ‘museum’  I have ever visited, and if anyone gets a chance to see the Wim Delouve exhibition anywhere, I’d recommend it-its creatively very different-though whether its art or not is up for debate.
See also  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlpt/5745792839/
and         http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/arts-and-entertainment/article/wim-delvoye-guy-who-made-cloaca-mona

I wandered up to the cenotaph (on top of another hill, of course) this evening to see the setting sun over the Derwent River, every evening the light looks different over the water, captured by the hills on either side of the harbour and reflecting of the islands in the bay.

Like Sydney, its taken time to get a feel for Tasmania and Hobart-it’s far more of a change than I expected (luckily, it’s warming up, the forecast is for hotter and hotter weather,  and it has, fingers crossed, stopped raining!).

There is a genuinely English feel to the place, the sense of history is overwhelming, but also there’s a strong sense that this still Australia.

The passion for the sea, and the Antarctic explorations/explorers, is everywhere, there are moving sculptures/memorials on every corner, from cute huskies to abstract shapes, and in contrast, also beautiful murals/artwork up every road (even the electricity substations are painted).

Wednesday.

Today was what the locals call a ‘lazy sun’ day-which means the sun was stronger than it seems, as I’ve found out-yep, sunburnt again!

I hired a bike, to give my feet a rest …and now all of me hurts. But I’ve seen so much more of the countryside and small town Tasmania. The sense of Englishness vanishes and suburbia becomes increasingly like small town USA, even down to the malls and the trailer parks.

But there are also quaint little beaches, with tea rooms and beach stands, road side fruit sellers, and lots of garden centres and nurseries…

The towns string out along the river as it winds inland, the intercity cycle path links them by following the route of what seems to be a disused railway.

It’s a legal requirement here to wear a helmet-which came with the bike, and proved a slight challenge, but needs must…the police here are very keen on on-the spot fines, so not worth taking the chance-apparently it’s a fine to even cross the road in the wrong place or without a green light, whoops!!

I’m currently chilling out watching Sherlock Holmes-there’s a lot of UK TV here, which is handy for the evenings, and this ‘flat’ feels easier to relax in, I can come in, have a bath/make salad, or even cook-I’m not wasting my free masterchef potatoes-very yummy with the free onion and garlic, bless them.

Thursday

So far, so good-I have driven a fair few miles today, even up and down a windy mountain track.

We, the car and I, didn’t get off to the best of starts-having walked down to the local offices, queued and got my key, it was an automatic…so I went back in and handed them the key back. Luckily, they were very helpful, located one lurking manual at the airport, and gave me a lift out to collect it. And left me there, doh!

So by the time I’d negotiated the highway and Derwent Bridge back, I’d pretty much

got the hang of the roads.

Needless to say, I got lost immediately, but had a very pleasant picnic at Taroona, sitting in the shadow of the famous historical Shot Tower, a tower from the factory originally making shot for firearms. Wonderful gardens, in full flower, lovely views over the bay, no problem.

I then took off on my original destination-the Mount Nelson ‘walking track’ through the Truganini reserve, a wildlife reserve dedicated to the aboriginal people.

It’s very steep!!!!

I fell, stumbled, crawled and clambered up vertical rocks, through bush, past lizards, butterflies, flowers, weird berries-very creepy, if it hadn’t been for the few people I passed both ways, I’d have been even more scared than I was.

And then I drove up the mountain to take some pictures, cos the views were so splendid…yes, I did know you could drive, but I wanted to do the bush walk, as a change to the city/waterfront.