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Tasmania....the Final Recount! (That Means 'Part 3' If You Are Keeping Track!)
After a night in Hobart, we set off to Port Arthur. It's actually quite a pretty hour and a half trip to visit the convict ruins. Once there, we settled in for the day, listening to the guided tour, visiting the restored structures and taking in the scenery.
One highlight of our visit was a small cruise across the bay to the 'Isle of the Dead'. The 'Isle of the Dead' tour costs extra on entry to Port Arthur but is well worth it. Here we walked around the isle and listened to our guide telling stories of the former inhabitants, whose graves we stood beside. To be honest, it wasn't spooky at all, but rather very very fascinating! Oh, and on our way back across the bay, we saw a lone seal swimming in the water!
Unfortunately, in more recent times, the media reports from Port Arthur have focused on sadness and violence. The tour though is all about its convict history and if, like me, you are a history buff then you will find it an interesting place. The old buildings have been lovingly restore and you do get a real understanding of the life that prisoners at the time had to endure.
After a stop at the museum and gift store at Port Arthur, we headed north. This was probably our longest drive on the holiday so it was nice to do a few stops, including the Tessellated Pavements just north of Port Arthur.
Our stop that night was the beach side, eastern-coast township of Bicheno. We were fortunate enough to do the Penguin guided tour. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to use flash photography, so my picture below relied solely on the guide's flashlight to get any sort of light on the pitch-black night.
Day 8....after a night in Bicheno, we ate a quick breakfast at the local bakery and drove around to see the Bicheno Blow Hole. Unfortunately, we were there at low tide, so we didn't get very exciting 'blows'! But the rock formation on the beach is fascinating.
After Bicheno, we headed north and stopped at Natureworld to glimpse some Tasmanian Devils. These little creatures look so cute in the real, however, I've been told that they can be very vicious! Luckily, they were on the other side of the barrier from us!
At Natureworld, I couldn't help taking this photo of the inquisitive ostriches! Do you think they are ready to have a chat with Miss Nine?
After this, we headed back to our relative's house for some rest and family time before heading back to Brisbane. I have so many reflections of this holiday that it's hard to put it all into words. To be honest, there were so many places in Tasmania that we didn't get to see, however the whole week was so jam-packed that I was exhausted on my arrival back in Brisbane. There were many highlights (including just catching up with my wonderful relatives!) and there is nothing that I would change. Perhaps, we might even head back there again in the not-so-distant future!
After a night in Hobart, we set off to Port Arthur. It's actually quite a pretty hour and a half trip to visit the convict ruins. Once there, we settled in for the day, listening to the guided tour, visiting the restored structures and taking in the scenery.
One highlight of our visit was a small cruise across the bay to the 'Isle of the Dead'. The 'Isle of the Dead' tour costs extra on entry to Port Arthur but is well worth it. Here we walked around the isle and listened to our guide telling stories of the former inhabitants, whose graves we stood beside. To be honest, it wasn't spooky at all, but rather very very fascinating! Oh, and on our way back across the bay, we saw a lone seal swimming in the water!
Unfortunately, in more recent times, the media reports from Port Arthur have focused on sadness and violence. The tour though is all about its convict history and if, like me, you are a history buff then you will find it an interesting place. The old buildings have been lovingly restore and you do get a real understanding of the life that prisoners at the time had to endure.
After a stop at the museum and gift store at Port Arthur, we headed north. This was probably our longest drive on the holiday so it was nice to do a few stops, including the Tessellated Pavements just north of Port Arthur.
Our stop that night was the beach side, eastern-coast township of Bicheno. We were fortunate enough to do the Penguin guided tour. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to use flash photography, so my picture below relied solely on the guide's flashlight to get any sort of light on the pitch-black night.
Day 8....after a night in Bicheno, we ate a quick breakfast at the local bakery and drove around to see the Bicheno Blow Hole. Unfortunately, we were there at low tide, so we didn't get very exciting 'blows'! But the rock formation on the beach is fascinating.
After Bicheno, we headed north and stopped at Natureworld to glimpse some Tasmanian Devils. These little creatures look so cute in the real, however, I've been told that they can be very vicious! Luckily, they were on the other side of the barrier from us!
At Natureworld, I couldn't help taking this photo of the inquisitive ostriches! Do you think they are ready to have a chat with Miss Nine?
After this, we headed back to our relative's house for some rest and family time before heading back to Brisbane. I have so many reflections of this holiday that it's hard to put it all into words. To be honest, there were so many places in Tasmania that we didn't get to see, however the whole week was so jam-packed that I was exhausted on my arrival back in Brisbane. There were many highlights (including just catching up with my wonderful relatives!) and there is nothing that I would change. Perhaps, we might even head back there again in the not-so-distant future!
