Exploring Hobart

4 February, 2014

Quaint house in Arthur Circus, Battery Point, built in 1853

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Fairly tired after a long day of travel yesterday, we were not up too early.  Weather was fine, slightly cool.  Drove to the restaurant hub at Salamanca Place and decided to have breakfast at Zum.  I chose Muesli (made with orange juice) and Pete had toast and jam, plus of course our caffeine shot for the day in a skim flat white!  (I will mention the food we eat for the countless foodies who need to know what food is available – and I apologise for not having photographs of every meal!)

It is quite fascinating walking around the Salamanca Place area, investigating the unique laneways and arcades, art galleries, food stores, and an overwhelming number of cafes and restaurants.  Unfortunately we will not be able to sample them all!  Pictured below is the frontage of The Common Ground,  the shop then belonging to Matthew Evans (the Gourmet Farmer) and Nick Haddow (Bruny Island Cheese Company) in the Salamanca Arts Centre, Salamanca Place.  I wish I had known at the time, I would have gone in to say hello!  The Tasmanian produce they stock include cheeses, smallgoods,  jams, honeys, spelt flour and handmade chocolates…all delicious!

Cheesemonger, Artisan Produce, and Wine Bar, owned by Matthew Evans (the Gourmet Farmer) and Nick Haddow (Bruny Island Cheese Company) in Salamanca Arts Centre off Salamanca Square

An amble along the waterfront is a must, we wandered along from Sullivan Cove to Constitution Dock (where the Sydney-Hobart yacht race finishes), packed with yachts of all sizes (mostly very large).

We passed Parliament House and Gardens, wonderfully restored heritage buildings, the yachts Windward Bound and Lady Nelson, and the offices for booking cruises.  MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) is not open on a Tuesday, so we will book for a day in a few weeks time when we return to Hobart. Battery Point was always high on the agenda, so as our parking time was up we returned to the car and drove the very short distance to Battery Point.  My camera worked overtime snapping many of the fabulous and picturesque restored houses, Arthur Circus (2 houses in the process of restoration), then on to Princes Park with views over the Derwent River.  The gardens were a profusion of roses, marigolds, various shrubs and trees.

Had to sample some Battery Point food so we had a Sundried Tomato Tart and a Pastie at Jackman & McRoss bakery (sorry no photo). We decided we had plenty of time to visit the heritage town of Richmond  north of Hobart, so we set the trusty GPS and headed off.  I’m not sure if the GPS had not been updated for some time, or the reason why it kept taking us off the track – but it was very frustrating so we turned off the incessant voice of the woman who was constantly “recalculating” and successfully found our own way to Richmond.

Lovely heritage building houses the well known Jackman & McRoss Bakery in Battery Point

The Richmond Bridge is the oldest in Tasmania, built by convicts in 1823.  Lots of “picture postcard” homes and buildings in Richmond Village, particularly along the main street, also St John church on a hill (of course) overlooking the town. As we wandered along the main street we discovered the Hobart Town Model Village, and decided it was worth a visit – and it was!  The model is of Hobart in 1820 – the buildings are amazing and there are about 400 “people”, it all looks realistic and I was able to get some great photos.

Majestic Richmond Bridge, built by convicts in 1825, and its beautiful sandstone arches

Heading back to Hobart we thought we had enough time to drive up Mt Wellington the pinnacle of which is 1250 metres above sea level.  It is an “interesting” drive to the Pinnacle (about 12 kms) and quite exhilarating to reach it.  The mist had come down, and by the time we got to the top Hobart was nowhere to be seen, and it was freezing cold and blowing a gale!  However as we descended we were able to stop at a few lookouts and take some reasonable photos of Hobart.  If the weather is clear, we will drive up the mountain again when we return to Hobart in a few weeks time.

After such a busy day we thought we deserved a first class dinner, so we went to an Italian restaurant, Solo, in Sandy Bay.  I chose the herb-crusted Trevalla  while Pete had Veal Scallopini, rounded off with Affogato (coffee and a liqueur poured over icecream in a glass) – totally decadent, but we figured we had already walked off the calories during the day!

Tomorrow we head south to Ida Bay Railway – you’ll have to join us for a lot of fun.

Plaque on front wall of “Rosebank”, Battery Point

“Rosebank” in Battery Point, once home to Andrew Inglis Clark, Principal Architect of the Australian Constitution