Our last week in Tasmania was filled with so many different experiences. Upon returning to the main land, we stayed in an area close to historic Port Arthur. The Port Arthur penal station was established in 1830 as a timber harvesting camp, using convict labor to produce logs for the British Empire. The structure of the penal system was built on a philosophy of discipline/punishment, religious/moral classification, and training (becoming a tradesman of some sort). As a prisoner, you worked in leg irons that weighed more or less depending on the type of crime you had committed. But you were kept alive as the labor you performed was crucial to the empire's financial well being. After 6 months in Australia, it is clear that while the Empire did not condone the type of slavery used in the US, the convicts were indeed slaves.
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| A view from inside |
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| All prisoners went to church on Sunday |
Day two on the Tasman Peninsula was spent on one of the toughest hikes we've done since being in Australia. The hike to Cape Hauy contained 270 flights of stone stairs which earned both Dan and I a new fitbit badge! But the views were worth every step.
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| Stunning rock formations dot the coast |
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| The Totem Pole |
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| Slippery stone steps made the trek tough |
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| Heading to the summit through gusty winds and clouds |
Another cool experience was being able to see live Tasmanian Devils. They are a nocturnal animal so finding one out in the wild requires some serious night time tramping and a great deal of luck. Unfortunately, Devils are an endangered species in Tasmania these days due to an awful strain of cancer that can be passed like a virus. There is a healthy population of Devils still on the Tasmanian Peninsula. We found this one at a place called the Unzoo where the people are basically fenced in and the animals are free to roam.
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| Devils are almost blind, but have a keen sense of smell to find their carrion dinners. |
Hobart was our final stop in Tasmania. It is the capital city built on a beautiful harbor and up the sides of the surrounding hills/mountains. A comfortable town filled with some wonderful historic neighborhoods, a lovely botanical garden and a distinctly avant-garde museum known as MONA. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) was privately built by an Australian self-made billionaire who earned his fortunes as a gambler. The museum is strange, wonderful and certainly thought provoking. One of the descriptions it gives itself in the brochure states that "MONA is an excavation of the underside of human nature". Surrounded by a working vineyard, the museum exhibits are built on 3 sprawling levels underground. It is a definite must do if you have the chance to visit Hobart.
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| Hobart at sunset |
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| Garden keeper's cottage at the Hobart Botanical Garden |
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| Cheryl's favorite succulent plant species |
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| Contemplating MONA over a glass of wine |
Our time in Tasmania was filled with so many unique experiences. More rural than cosmopolitan, it is a place where one must be comfortable with:
*Drinking water collected in tanks from the runoff of the building eaves
*Driving on roads that suddenly turn to gravel and is the only way to get to your next destination
*Living without the internet and limited cell service
*Using maps instead of Google
*Warming your home with a wood store
*Having all restaurants close by 5:00 pm except for the one local pub
*Falling asleep gazing at skies filled with millions of stars
*Eating fresh oysters from the bay in front of your house
*Losing your breath because the view is so incredible
We're off to Sydney and then on to New Zealand. Stay tuned for more adventures!
Cheryl & Dan
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