Then we took a bus down to the waterfront area again and first discovered a wonderful cafe with free wifi (T42) where we sat for a long time catching up with the world beyond Hobart. That was great! We went for a fun lunch at Mure's fish restaurant where we sat outside near the harbor and soaked up the sunshine. I ate a fish called King Morwon and D had salmon. The most popular fish here seems to be Blue-eyed Trevalla, a white fish. We see it everywhere.
After lunch we wandered in and out of galleries, shops, and a wonderful Art Hotel on the waterfront which was made from a very old building, an ice house in its earliest days, then a jam factory. Now it is an elegant hotel with rustic stone walls, hand hewn beams, and 1,000 art works on display throughout, all by local artists. They let us roam around on every floor to look at the art. It is an elegant building and lively place to stay in Hobart.
Next we visited the Tasmanian Natural History and Art Museum which was fascinating. We viewed artifacts of Aboriginal history, extensive information on the native wildlife of Tasmania (complete with taxidermied specimens). There was an amazing section devoted to exploration of Antarctica, Tassie's next-door neighbor. Many of the most famous expeditions either started or ended here in Hobart, and we saw, for example, artifacts from the Shackleton expedition, cocoa tins, boots, and notes in Shackleton's own hand. There were many examples of the gear people wear to go down to Antarctica, and films shot from the crows nest of ice-breakers 75 years ago as they navigated amidst the icebergs. It was captivating!
Eventually we wore ourselves out, so we caught a bus back home where we had a relaxing evening watching a long video about Australian art. Tomorrow it's off to Bruny Island!
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Location:Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
1 comment:
What a great time you're having. Thanks for blogging. Love reading about your travels.
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