tasmania: hobart

Hobart showed us that any kind of weather in Tassie is possible. Within the space of thirty minutes. Everyone we queried about the conditions insisted it wasn't usually this cold but changeable, yes. So we just packed for every kind of weather when we went out - hot, cool, windy, rainy. 

The changeable weather is not surprising given the mountain behind this beautiful city. I fell in love with Hobart. Again. I was here a few years ago for a cooking day at the Agrarian Kitchen (the first time I'd visited the city) and I was blown away, then, by the way the city seems to worship the Derwent, simply by hugging its edges. 

This time we made the obligatory trip to the Salamanca markets which I wouldn't recommend if you're travelling in a caravan, conscious of weight restrictions. I do love the Salamca Square though with its coffee, book shop & small stores for food and handmade goodness. We came home with six fillets of salmon for $20 too which have been cryovacced & frozen - ready for dinners. 

Dear friends took us to dinner at Smolt (famous for being Katy Perry's choice for dinner during her tour) but a great place for food too! I enjoyed my prawns & the wine was good. They, like so many Tassie restaurants, source bags of local produce. 

My daughter and I really enjoyed our morning walk along the beach near Bellerive. The mountain was shrouded in cloud but soon cleared. 

Hobart's Farm Gate Market is held on a Sunday and you can buy anything from wallaby fillets to mushrooms, bagels to blackberries, pies to cheese. We took home a beautiful Turkish loaf with black sesame seeds, fruit & bagels for lunch. 

We may have picked a day from kunanyi (Mount Wellington's) windiest week to ascend the peak. It was blowing a gale of close to 90km/hr but the view was simply spectacular. 

It seems that many Hobartians have a shack by the beach. We were lucky enough to stay in a friends place at Dodges Ferry which has a beautiful beach. It was busy over the long weekend but I wouldn't call it crowded by Sydney standards!

One morning we tired the kids out at the Hobart Aquatic Centre ($25 for a family). I lost count of the times the kids went on the water slide. They had a ball. 

Another day J took the big kids to the Rock It Climbing Centre. After four hours of continuous climbing and tunnelling they were exhausted! Apparently, because of his height, J had to remove his shoes to get around some parts of the tunnel. (That's my idea of hell!) 

What's a trip to Hobart without a visit to MONA? I won't say much more about this place other than you'll either love it or hate it. Just don't try going on a Tuesday. We had babysitters and arrived to find it closed. We had to go out to lunch instead. How awful! ;)