Category: Australia

Touring Tasmania: Hobart – Part Two – A Visit to MONA

Following on from our first day in Hobart. We woke up to another clear day with plans to explore further. First up was breakfast of course, and we walked across the road again to a cafe opposite one of the wharves. We were staying in the wonderful Grand Chancellor as I mentioned before and they did serve a very fancy buffet, but we didn’t want to spend too long over breakfast as they day was fast disappearing.

Our first stop was a walk to Battery Point and then onto Wrest Point Casino. This was a good 45 minute walk with steep hills along the way!

We had a quick pit stop in the casino, so glad we weren’t staying there. For strict gamblers only.

Battery Point was established in 1880 and still retains the winding streets and colonial architecture. There were some beautiful seafarer’s cottages around.

Fancy that! Errol Flynn was born in Hobart, near Battery Point.

Below some amazing sculptures that can be found all around the wharves

  • Bernacchi Tribute – showing Louis Bernacchi and his dog
    Louis Bernacchi (1878-1942) – a Tasmanian Antarctic Explorer
  • Heading South Sculpture
  • Footsteps Sculpture – Women and children convicts arriving in Van Diemans Land – 1800’s

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

No visit to Hobart is complete without a trip to MONA – Museum of Old and New Art. It is situated on the Berridale Peninsula and overlooking River Derwent. We took the MONA Ferry from Hobart for a very relaxing river trip to MONA. We didn’t have enough time to go inside but the outside is still worth seeing, and we had lunch at the Moorilla Wine Bar.

Leaving Hobart behind

\

The ferry is decorated with all sorts of artwork and sculptures on board and also has two bars and a fantastic upper deck. There is also the “Posh Pit” which is that much more expensive, but you get to sit up front with free drinks and nibbles. The journey is only 30 minutes though so not sure how much can you drink in that time!

Arriving at the ferry terminal at MONA you are confronted by 90 steps leading up to the museum, not for the fainthearted or mobility impaired as there is no lift.

Rusted metal cement truck

The Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral, stained glass windows of X-rays!

A huge outdoor structure with very large benches

To appreciate this fantastic museum you would need at least a day here, there is just so much to see.

We caught the shuttle bus back into town and headed back to the hotel for a good rest before dinner.

Things to do in Hobart

Salamanca Market – Saturday only.

Battery Point

Mt. Wellington

Cascade Brewery tour – must pre-book

MONA

Boat trips to Bruny Island

Day trip to Port Arthur

Two or three days is a good amount of time to spend in Hobart to see most of the sights. The Hop on and off bus is a great way to see most things and if anything takes your fancy go back the following day.

With so many restaurants, cafes and pubs in Hobart, there is never a shortage of where to go and what to eat. We had a fabulous time here.

Next up – Port Arthur

Thanks for following our incredible road trip around Tasmania!

Touring Tasmania – First stop Hobart

After almost a year without taking a plane anywhere, we bit the bullet and decided on a road trip around Tasmania. It took a while to persuade hubby but with much cajoling he finally agreed.

We flew straight to Hobart from Perth for the start of our trip. I had booked three nights at Grand Chancellor right on the waterfront. It seemed like everyone in Australia had the same thought. Hobart was buzzing and almost every restaurant was booked solid. Luckily I had prebooked a couple of places before we arrived.

Great views from our room
Up on Mt Wellington

We did the blue bus tour to Mt Wellington with a very chatty knowledgeable driver. On the way back he dropped us off at the Cascade Brewery for lunch and a pint. We then hopped on the red bus back into town.

Click on a photo for slide show
On the top deck with the wind in our hair

This was just part of our first day in Hobart. Posting from my iPad which isn’t my favourite way to post!

More from Hobart to follow!

Monday Mural – Escape Artist

This amazing mural is located in Fremantle and was painted by Fintan Magee. It is dedicated to six Irish prisoners who escaped from a British penal colony in Western Australia in 1876. There are six flying wild geese in this painting and they depict thousands of Irish Men who fought other people’s wars. Source: Fremantle Shipping News, you can read more about the Fenians here.

I saw this mural yesterday afternoon while walking around Fremantle with my hubby, and stood there for ages just looking.

Escape Artist
A closeup of the face

Posted as part of Monday Mural.

The Last Photo of February

Responding to Bushboy’s last photo on your camera, here’s mine.

Taken from a friend’s balcony yesterday evening. Overlooking Leighton Beach, Fremantle. Cargo ships heading out to deliver their wares, I wonder where – not China anyway. The rain is coming and this week in Perth we are having a wet one. Unusual for this time of year, but very welcome.

Challenge your Camera – Sport

This week although Dr. B is hosting the challenge, the theme is from another blogger – Sheree at View from the Back.

I’ve gone with a Kite theme and some are from the archives but some are new for a change!

The featured image is of kite surfers at the Costa de Calma Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain.

Both of the above photos are from our time in Hyderabad, India. In the left photo you can just make out the kite these young boys are trying to fly. It was taken at Paigah Tombs. The photo on the right is again boys flying kites, but I would actually put this in the genre of “dangerous” sports! I was quite far away when I took this with my Canon Powershot and used maximum zoom, hence blurriness.

On my way home the other day, I stopped at Matilda Bay Reserve, Perth, WA to take some shots of the kite surfers. The wind was up and they were going great guns, skimming over the choppy Swan River.

“Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height”

From one day to the next

The skies across Perth this week have been vastly different from one day to the next. We are used to the bluest skies, but with bush fires raging across Perth the sky has turned grey.

We live a good 30 minutes away but there has been ash in the garden and the smell of smoke was very strong.

Over 70 homes were lost in these fires, along with all possessions. The fires spread so quickly that residents had to flee as quickly as possible. To make matters worse, thieves took whatever was left!

Posted as part of Six word Saturday

Smokey skies one day

Red and Pink Skies the next day

In the Mood for Food at Meeka, Subiaco, WA – A review

This restaurant is one that we have been meaning to visit for a long time. I can’t think why we’ve missed this wonderful place, maybe plans got in the way or the dreaded “C” word! Anyway amends have now been made and it was a definite hit for hubby and I.

Meeka’s cuisine is an Australian/Middle Eastern fusion, using local produce to create unique original dishes.

Outside looking in

We were greeted at the counter by the very affable Jack, aka Jacquimo. It didn’t take us long to realise he was running the place almost singlehanded, efficiently and with great humour!

I had a cocktail as usual, this time a Pomegranate Mojito and hubby went straight onto the red wine, and ordered the one below recommended by Jack. I even had a glass and I’m not a red wine drinker! 🍷 A light easy to drink bottle.

Ravensworth Murrumbateman Sangiovese, NSW

While we waited for our food to arrive I asked Jack if I could snap a few shots.

Meeka is very deceptive size wise and seems small on entering, but at the back there is another dining room for around 20 more diners.

Beautiful artwork on the walls and a large array of wines on display.
Through the cubbyhole!

Our Food

  • Popcorn Prawns / Lemonaise / Greens / Radish / Middle Eastern Sambal
  • Pork Belly / Grain Salad / Broccolini / Spiced Plum Sauce
  • Slow Cooked Black Garlic Lamb Shoulder / Smokey Eggplant Puree / Green Beans / Spiced Jumbo Cous Cous / Muhammara

All these dishes were packed with flavour and the exotic ingredients used worked perfectly together. The favourite for both of us was the slow cooked black garlic lamb, melt in your mouth tenderness.

We both enjoyed the atmosphere at Meeka, made all the better for the wonderful service from Jack, obviously compliments to the chef too. It will be added to our favourite restaurants in Perth.

Thanks for reading!

Upset on the Golf Course

I saw this little guy on a walk a while ago. At first I thought it was just a tree stump, but up close I knew better. The mother lay dead a few feet away and when I walked nearer a menacing magpie was flappy frantically around his head. I shooed it away and went to pick up little guy, but he flew away and tried to reach a near tree. Walking towards me were a group of golfers and as I was at the edge of the golf course I decided not to risk my head! I always wonder what happened to little guy.

I hope he grew up to be like the featured image.

For Becky’s January SquareUp

Murals around Perth

Perth is certainly keeping up with Melbourne regarding street art, I snapped a few the other day while in town. I looked up some quotes to go with these images.

“As you climb your ladder of success, reach down and pull others along with you” – Frank Sonnenburg

“I have weathered the storm, I have beaten out my exile.” – Ezra Pound

Feathers appear when angels are near

“You don’t needs words to tell stories, just look into my eyes” – Madhusmita Behera

Enjoying the waves – Swanbourne Beach

It’s been the best five weeks since my son Laurence and his girlfriend Maddy have been back from Melbourne. The time has gone far too quickly. We’ve been lucky that they could spend so much time with us, especially over Christmas and New Year. Arriving on 4 December and quarantining with us for the first two weeks also meant we saw them every day. After that it was go, go go for them catching up with friends and Maddy’s family.

Yesterday we enjoyed an hour or so at one of Perth’s famous beaches. It took me a while to swim in the sea here, 14 years to be exact! But now I’m like a fish in water. It is extremely “refreshing” but once in your body does adapt. Hubby still refuses to go in.

In the distance is Scarborough

I prefer to swim where there are lifeguards for obvious reasons! But they like it here as it is not as busy as Cottesloe. I’ve bought myself a beach tent but have yet to use it, as it is not easy to take down, it pops right back up again!

I’ll continue to embrace the best that Perth has during this “no travel” period. I feel it will be a while before we leave Australia but I cannot complain at all after reading the daily news!

🏖⛱ 🏊‍♀️ 🌊 🏖⛱ 🏊‍♀️ 🌊 🏖⛱ 🏊‍♀️ 🌊 🏖⛱ 🏊‍♀️ 🌊 🏖⛱ 🏊‍♀️ 🌊