Tassie!
Trip Start
Aug 01, 2007
1
91
Trip End
Jan 11, 2009
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
In the morning, we stored our bags then set out for a walk in "Downtown Hobart". Still very sleepy on a Sunday morning! We found a cafe for brekkie, then did a bit of browsing. We chilled out back at the hostel for a bit before making the trek to the bus station, and purchasing all of our tickets from Tassielink that we'd use during our week. A few hours later, we arrived in Launceston for Ash to discover she had left her guidebook at the bus station in Hobart. So we got directions from one of the staff, which were completely wrong, and thank goodness someone else who knew what they were talking about had marked the map and I set us on the right course. We were glad to see both a supermarket and bottleshop in immeidiate vicinity to the hostel, and made a gourmet meal of pasta and sauteed veg, with brie and crackers for dessert, topped off by a few local Tassie beers, brewed right in downtown Launceston!
We had the morning free to explore before bussing to Bicheno, so we walked along the riverside and poked around the "Centre for Beer Lovers" set up at the brewery. We sorted out our other bus tickets, then back to the hostel for lunch and to get our bags. Luckily, since we knew where we were going, the walk seemed much shorter. In Bicheno for the evening, we got a dinner of fish and chips to eat on the beach. I was so content just lying there listening to the waves crashing- there is no better sound to my ears. It was way too chilly to test out the water however, so we called it a night and I caught p on Grey's Anatomy on my iPod.
It was up superearly to catch another bus, this time to Swansea, another seaside town. It was too early to check in, so we suited up and walked to the beach. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be!! Thanks to my brilliant idea of using SPF 6 oil (because I "never burn"- way to jinx yourself!) I got totally fried, but the water was FREEZING so I didn't even notice at the time! We had a tapas lunch, then bought some dinner supplies- minced wallaby, anyone? We made spag bol for dinner, and played "Cluedo" (what we like to call Clue here in North America) and popped our way to Trouble. Back in the room, we chatted to another girl, who like us, was headed to Port Arthur the next evening.
In the morning, we abandoned plans for more beach time thanks to my red skin, and I set a record for myself, by starting drinking at 10am. (Hey, I didn't want to take the beer on the bus!) We played cards reminiscent of our road trip days, it was actually quite fun. Then it was two bus trips and we arrived in Port Arthur, only to find out there was no method of transportation between the camp ground and the historic site, meaning we would have to walk home in the dark after our booked GHOST TOUR for the evening. Then, we walked out and ran into Nancy, the girl in our room the night before. Right away she asked if we were still going on the ghost tour, and if we needed a ride- because she had booked onto it as well, and her friend hadn't, and she needed us as company! What a lifesaver. So we drove early, had a coffee to help pre-warm ourselves, and followed the older man guide whom I had (appropriately) assessed would be the best one.
After Ashlee quickly volunteered to be one of the 3 lantern holders (smart thinking, except it limited our abilities to grab onto each other while walking) , we went up the path to the old church, and heard the first of many stories for the night about spirits remaining. Then it was into the Parsonage House, one of Australia's most haunted buildings. The lanterns were left outside and all the lights were turned off. Luckily it was dusk thanks to daylight savings in the summer! Then it was into the morgue, where they autopsied the bodies. I was especially creeped out since it was drizzling, and he told us sometimes when it rains, rats get in and crawl on people's feet who wear flip flops... LIKE ME. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I definitely had weird feelings in these places! Lastly it was the Separate Prison, where the worst were locked up in solitary, with little noise, light, food, or human interaction. By the time he finished telling us about things that had happened there (both prisoners and tourists like ourselves) we all basically ran down the corridor to get the heck out. Once we were done the tour, we got our certificates of bravery and headed back to the campsite. Can I just say, thank goodness we got a ride- it was all misty, definitely eerie! The perfect end to a creepy night.
In the morning, Nancy dropped Ash & I back off at the historic site before she left town with her mate. We went all in and got the audio tour, had brekkie and joined the intro walking tour before going on a cruise around the Port. Then we wandered around the sight for many hours, and watching all three of the plays put on re-enacting the life of prisoners. We eventually called it a day and walked home, stopping for dinner on the way.
In the morning, it was a super early start to catch the bus back to Hobart at 6:45am. We arrived, found our hostel and stored our bags and hit the town. I bought my Uggs finally! Some nice chocolate brown tall ones. Then we headed to the harbour, had some fish and chips, and topped it off with some Guinness and Kilkenny as our tradition had begun on my last night in New Zealand as well.
Ashlee was gone in the early morning for her flight, but I had the whole day to wander. I headed to the Salamanca Markets for a browse and some people watching. Some more seafood by the harbour, and one more tasmanian beer. Eventually it was time to collect my bags and catch the shuttle to the airport. My time in Australia (other than LOTS of waiting and poor sleeping to come in the Sydney airport) was done.
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