Hobart

The photos are finally up!

Hobart

Hobart was great, and the weather cooperated for the most part! I got in Thursday around lunchtime so decided to head straight to the grocery store to get some things to make lunch. But I got distracted and ended up going on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. In its prime, you could eat all the chocolates your tummy and heart desired, but nowadays you view a presentation and a movie, and go to the demonstration counter where you taste the chocolates in their various states of production. But you get a free 200 g block of milk chocolate! It was still worth it and a fun afternoon....but I was hungry and the free samples of chocolate didn't really fill me up. Lucky for me, and some of you back home!, the store at the factory sells their chocolates at a reduced price. I grabbed as many as I thought I had room for in my suitcase, as in they will be replacing the weight of my shampoo/conditioner that I'll throw out before coming home to make room for the chocolate!

Friday I spent the day in the Huon Valley, which is southwest of Hobart, which is in southern Tasmania. The Huon Valley is known for the Airwalk which is similar to the walkway at King's Park in Perth. But this one was anywhere from 40-60 meters up and only had a grated bottom and then vertical wires for siding! A little scary, but gave great views of the temperate rainforests of the area.
I decided to cram in all three bushwalks available in the time provided on the tour I went on. I did the Airwalk and another short hike through the pine forest along the river, and then the Swingbridge walk. I don't know what I was thinking, but the idea that these bridges would actually swing never crossed my mind. By the time I hiked out to the swingbridge, I wouldn't have had enough time to backtrack and make it to the visitor's centre before the tour left, so I had to cross it. It swung much more than expected, but I was glad to cross it and be done with it....until I realized that 15 minutes down the trail there was another one.....

Saturday morning I went to the Salamanca markets and for once felt like I was almost back at the Madison Farmer's Market...but not quite. It was a fairly large market, though mostly selling clothing, jams, wood products, and basic souvenirs. That afternoon I went to the top of Mt. Wellington, the mountain you can see from town, and was surprised at how cold and windy it was at the top of the mountain-there was even snow up there! The views were pretty good-some clouds were coming in from behind us, but the views down to Hobart and beyond were pretty good. This area of Australia is beautiful and just so different from Perth and basically every other part of Australia I've seen. It's not as intense as New Zealand, but it's just as gorgeous in it's own way.

Sunday I did some urban hiking and walked out to Battery Point, one of the oldest areas of Hobart, and then on to the Domain and the nearby Botanical Gardens. Lots of walking again, but the gardens were great and the weather was still nice.

I left Hobart this morning (Monday) and have arrived in Launceston, which is farther to the north of Tasmania, and yet is colder than Hobart! And Melbourne is looking cold and rainy....so I'm looking forward to the hot and humid summers of Chicago!