Today we
arrived in the Australian island state of Tasmania and its capital city of
Hobart. As we flew into the Hobart
airport, I noticed that the area was quite mountainous, with small mountains
ringing the metropolitan area of Hobart.
Hobart’s skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre Mount Wellington. It has a population of 250,000 people, which
makes it the least populated state capital in Australia.
The city is
located in the island’s south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, making
it the most southern of Australia's capital cities. Hobart is also one of the
deepest harbours in the southern hemisphere.
The port was used by the British to offload convicts who were being transferred
to the Port Arthur Penal Colony. It was
also a prime whaling port in the 19th century. Today it is the finishing line of the one of
the world’s most prestigious yachting race, the Sydney to Hobart Race.
Tasmania
was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement for the
British Empire to prevent claims to the land by the First French Empire during
the Napoleonic Wars. Approximately 75,000 convicts were sent to Tasmania, then
known as Van Diemen's Land, before transportation ceased in 1853. In 1901 it
became a state through the process of the Federation of Australia.
The morning
here was cool, but it did warm up to a decent temperature in the afternoon.
We went for
a guided walk around the harbour before supper. 
Because Marg needed shoes more suited to the desert, which we will be
visiting in the next week, we left the tour and went shopping. The downtown was a mix of older Victorian styled churches and museums and late 20th century stores and offices.
Afterwards we went to a harbourside pub,
where I had a “4 Pines Lager”. I really
enjoyed the taste and I think it will be my favourite beer on this trip.
For dinner
we joined the tour and went to a pub/restaurant in one of the older residential
sections of the city. It would not have looked
out of place in a Coronation Street episode.
We are staying in The Old Woolstore Hotel and Apartments. The room is very spacious and comfortable. It is not too far from the waterfront.
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