Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
We landed in Hobart around 10:00 at night, a little too late for a decent meal. We managed to find a pub that was open, serving fine cashews and crisps. With a side of beer, and some fine live music, we were set. In fact we were in heaven. The music was incredible. We had a singer/songwriter who sounded a bit like Jewel, and a bit like Allanis Morriset. The following act was a duet of guys, playing accoustic guitar, creating music that I can only describe as accoustic punk-folk.
The two nights we spent in Hobart were quite chilly. The temperature was getting down below freezing, and the YHA we stayed at wasn’t heated. The room had a small space heater, but the cindercrete walls seemed to just suck all the heat out.
We spent a day enjoying the picturesque harbour, sampling fresh seafood, and dining on incredible Indian cuisine.
We only spent 2 nights in Hobart, but that was probably plenty since we only gave ourselves 1 week to explore the island.
Of course we also found time to visit the Cadbury chocolate factory while in Hobart. Unfortunately it was quite overrated. $24 admission per person was quite high, and since our tour was the last of the day, most of the equipment was shut down for maintenance, and their cafe was closed for the day. But we did try to get our money’s worth by stocking up on chocolates at whole sale prices. Despite my not eating much chocolate when I was at the factory, I got an upset stomach by the end of the tour. I figure it was from overdosing on chocolate fumes.
We were going to visit the famous Candle Mountain area, but seeing how cold we were feeling at the coast, we decided to forgoe the winter wonderland experience this trip. Instead, we rented heavy Gortex jackets, got in our rental car and drove west along the coast towards Port Arthur, where it was supposed to be warmer. It didn’t take too long to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, or using round-abouts, but the windshield wipers were getting well used, and the windshield stayed very clean.
