| Submitted by: David Stybr United States |
| Submission Date: 14 February 2005 |
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Our friendly Aussie companions were delighted that we were Americans, and a great time was had by all. One Aussie asked, 'You probably think our Australian accents sound rather strange.' Not at all, we replied, because we're the foreigners with the American accents. 'No,' he replied with a laugh, 'you sound just like the cinema.'
Incidentally, on the tramcar we asked our Aussie companions to explain the big deal over The Dog on the Tuckerbox which we had seen surrounded by busloads of Australian tourists at Gundagai, New South Wales. Almost immediately, everyone in our compartment began to sing in unison about 'The dog sat on the tuckerbox five miles from Gundagai'. Yes indeed, every Australian knows this ballad from earliest childhood. Finally we understood just what a cherished national icon it is.
The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was a unique way to celebrate New Year's Eve in Melbourne. Later we also enjoyed the midnight fireworks along the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay. As at the Telstra Tower Restaurant in Canberra and the Wrest Point Casino Restaurant in Hobart, we had expected a meal that was secondary to the splendid panorama or experience, but in all 3 cases we were delightfully surprised that the food was equally splendid.
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Reminiscences of Australia: VI. Tasmania.
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Tasmania: 4 days, 1 - 4 January 1997.
General information.
Launceston.
Tamar River.
Cataract Gorge.
Penny Royal World.
Midlands, Ross: historic buildings and bridge.
Hobart.
Derwent River.
Waterfront: harbour, docks etc.
Salamanca Place.
Battery Point.
Mount Nelson.
Wrest Point Casino.
Mount Wellington.
Port Arthur.
Port Arthur Historic Site.
Tasmanian Devil Park.
Richmond: historic buildings and bridge.
Departure: Hobart / Sydney / San Francisco / Chicago.
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Tasmania:
Area: 67,800 square kilometres (26,200 square miles)
State population: 500,000
State capital: Hobart, city population 200,000
Tasmania is the only island state in Australia, and this has been a major factor in its historical, cultural and geographical development. It is also the smallest state in Australia. The island was discovered in 1642 by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, who named it Van Diemen's Land after Anthony van Diemen, governor of the Dutch East Indies. Later European explorers visited the island in the 18th Century. It was colonised in 1804 as a penal settlement separate from Sydney, and its seclusion has since helped to preserve its colonial heritage and most of its wilderness areas. Tragically it did not preserve its Aborigines, who were exterminated after only 75 years of European colonisation. Recently Tasmania has played a major role in world environmental and conservation issues. The state is encircled with excellent beaches, dotted with remarkably well preserved historic villages and filled with some of the finest wilderness areas in Australia.
Tasmania (TAS) is an island shaped like a shield 250 kilometres (115 miles) south of the southeast coast of the Australian continent. It is separated from the mainland state of Victoria by Bass Strait and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (Indian Ocean) to the west and the Tasman Sea (Pacific Ocean) to the east. Nearly 1/4 of Tasmania has been set aside as parks, more than any other state in Australia. The green Midlands region is very reminiscent of the English countryside, but the west coast contains rugged and virtually pristine mountain forest regions. Most of the population are concentrated on the north and southeast coasts.
Hobart, Tasmania: Population: city 200,000. State capital, founded 1804, 2nd oldest and most southerly state capital in Australia. Latitude 43°S, longitude 147°E (analogous to Milwaukee, Wisconsin or London, Ontario at 43°N). Early January sunrise 5:35 AM, sunset 8:52 PM; average January temps. 11 - 22°C (52 - 72°F).
Hobart, Tasmania is the most southerly and 2nd oldest state capital in Australia and it surrounds one of the finest and most scenic harbours on Earth. It is also the smallest capital city, which gives it an atmosphere much like a large town. Industries include processed food, textiles, chemicals and glass. Located on a busy harbour on the beautiful Derwent River, the surrounding mountains offer splendid views of the city below. Hobart has elegant Georgian buildings, and even the harbourside warehouses are picturesque. Careful preservation of its early buildings gives Hobart a deeper sense of history than most other cities in Australia. The relaxed atmosphere, numerous parks and attractive homes make Hobart one of the most enjoyable cities in Australia.
Hobart was founded in 1804 at the mouth of the Derwent River, a year after Tasmania's first colony was settled at nearby Risdon Cove. Hobart was named after the British secretary of state for the colonies. It began as a collection of tents and huts, with a population of 178 convicts, 25 marines, 15 women, 21 children, 13 free settlers and 10 civil officers. The colony's location on the Derwent River and one of the finest deep-water harbours on Earth spurred rapid development, and Hobart was proclaimed a city in 1842. Hobart has a wealth of old buildings, and more than 90 are classified by the National Trust. As a relaxed and easygoing capital, Hobart exudes a cheerful atmosphere that is unsurpassed.
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Tamar River.
Cataract Gorge.
Penny Royal World.
At the end of our stay in Victoria we had originally hoped to take the ferry Spirit of Tasmania, an overnight ship which crosses Bass Strait between Port Melbourne, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania. We saw it in Port Melbourne one morning and it is an impressive vessel, virtually a small ocean liner. However on 1 January when we wanted to cruise to Tasmania, it was scheduled to cruise the opposite direction to Victoria, so we flew to Tasmania instead. As we flew south from Melbourne over Bass Strait, we looked west and for the first time saw the Indian Ocean, which is also called the Southern Ocean where it extends south of Australia.
Most sites that interested us in Tasmania are in the southeast near Hobart, but we also wanted to see some other parts of the island. We needed to fly anyway, so we optimised our time and flew from Melbourne to Launceston in the north instead of Hobart. The Ansett Australia flight from Melbourne, Victoria to Launceston, Tasmania was 1 hour, 335 kilometres (208 miles). This let us spend the afternoon in Launceston and then drive through the picturesque Midlands in the interior.
Launceston is a pleasant city of about 70,000 people, the 2nd-largest in Tasmania and the 3rd oldest in Australia. It is best known for the magnificent Cataract Gorge, whose nearly vertical cliffs line the banks of the South Esk River as it flows into the Tamar River. Pathways follow both sides of the gorge, and we spent much of the afternoon in admiration of the serene beauty of this gorgeous gorge. Near the entrance of Cataract Gorge is Penny Royal World, a re-creation of a 19th Century village with watermills, windmills, gunpowder mills and boats. The Lady Stelfox paddle-steamer departs from here for a 3/4-hour cruise partway up Cataract Gorge. Later we strolled around the city centre of Launceston. Brisbane Street Mall and Civic Square are pedestrian malls, and Yorktown Square features restored Victorian buildings which have been converted into shops and restaurants.
Leave it to engineer me to note that Launceston at 42°S is at precisely the same latitude in the Southern Hemisphere as Chicago at 42°N in the Northern Hemisphere. The motion of the Sun on 1 January was therefore just like our 1 July, except of course in reverse. Yes the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, as it does everywhere else on Earth except the poles. However at noon in the Southern Hemisphere the Sun shines from the north, so it appears to move in the reverse direction. The reason clocks run clockwise is because they mimic the motion of the shadow on a sundial, which is clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. The shadows definitely move anticlockwise in the Southern Hemisphere which I carefully noted in order to plan when to take photos in different directions at different times of day for optimum light.
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C. Midlands, Ross: historic buildings and bridge.
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After our afternoon in Launceston, we drove south 200 kilometres (125 miles) to Hobart through the interior of Tasmania on Route 1, the Midlands Highway. This road is not as spectacular as a coastal or mountain route, but it is much more direct. The Midlands have some beautifully peaceful countryside with rolling hills and kilometre after kilometre of lovely green landscapes in the southern summer. The early settlers planted English trees and hedgerows all over the Midlands, which gives it a definite English appearance. The fertile land became a rich agricultural area, which contributed to the rapid settlement of Tasmania. Numerous towns and small rural communities sprang up as a result.
About halfway between Launceston and Hobart we stopped in Ross for ice cream and soft drinks. Magnum ice cream bars, a local brand, were some of the best we have ever tasted. Ross is one of the most picturesque and historic of the many picturesque and historic small towns in Australia. Ross Bridge across the Macquarie River was completed in 1836 and is noted for its 184 detailed panels. Convict stonemason Daniel Herbert was pardoned in recognition for his detailed stone work, which is based on Celtic symbolism.
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Derwent River.
Waterfront: harbour, docks etc.
Salamanca Place.
Battery Point.
Mount Nelson.
Wrest Point Casino.
Mount Wellington.
As we approached Hobart our drive took us through the Derwent River Valley, a stunningly beautiful region. Central to Hobart is the waterfront, the site of the Summer Festival every January. Constitution Dock is the centre of attention when competitors in the Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race arrive in late December, while Elizabeth Street Pier receives competitors in the Melbourne-to-Hobart Yacht Race. Salamanca Place is a row of beautiful sandstone warehouses on the quayside which date back to the whaling days of the 1830s and were the centre of Hobart Town trade and commercial life. Today these sandstone warehouses contain galleries, shops restaurants, cafés and nightspots.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) visited Tasmania in November 1895 and wrote about Hobart: 'It is an attractive town. It sits on low hills that slope to the harbour - a harbour that looks like a river, and is as smooth as one. Its still surface is pictured with dainty reflections of boats and grassy banks and luxuriant foliage. Back of the town rise highlands that are clothed in woodland loveliness, and over the way is that noble mountain, Wellington, a stately bulk, a most majestic pile. How beautiful is the whole region, for form, and grouping, and opulence, and freshness of foliage, and variety of colour, and grace and shapeliness of the hills, the capes, the promontories; and then, the splendor of the sunlight, the dim rich distances, the charm of the water-glimpses!'
Battery Point is the old port area, and its name was derived from the gun battery that stood on the promontory which is now named Prince's Park. The area pubs, churches, houses and winding lanes have all been lovingly preserved and are a real delight to wander around. We stayed at the Battery Point Guest House, a cosy Gothic style home built in the 1880s as the coach house for nearby Lenna Mansion and converted into a bed & breakfast in 1992. Peter Gordon was our gracious and efficient host.
Outside of Hobart city centre, nearby Mount Nelson at 340 metres (1115 feet) offers superb views above the Derwent River Valley. Mount Nelson Signal Station was established in 1811 to announce the arrival of vessels into Storm Bay. Another excellent vantage point is in Wrest Point Hotel and Casino, a high-rise building along Sandy Bay. The casino was great fun, and we ended up AU$6.00 ahead! The complex also includes a pleasant walkway along the Derwent River lined with small eateries. Atop the tower is The Point revolving restaurant with marvellous panoramas of the mountains and the harbour, and where we had a lunch of prawns with plum sauce that was simply delicious. As at the Telstra Tower Restaurant in Canberra and the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant in Melbourne, we had expected a meal that was secondary to the splendid panorama or experience, but in all 3 cases we were delightfully surprised that the food was equally splendid.
Joke: An ocker (Aussie hillbilly) from the hinterlands of Tasmania visited Wrest Point Casino. He looked around the casino for a while, then walked over to a soft drink machine, deposited some coins and received a can of soda. Then he deposited more coins and received another can. This went on for some time and soon he had a whole armload of drinks. Finally someone asked what he was doing. In a thick Tasmanian drawl he replied, 'As long as I keep winning, I'll keep playing.'
For the most spectacular views of the area, Mount Wellington at 1270 metres (4170 feet) offers views of Hobart, the surrounding countryside and the irregular coastline with its many bays, channels, coves, peninsulas and small islands. Mount Wellington is often shrouded in clouds, but the panoramas are worth the wait for a clear day. Bring jackets because the summit is usually cold and windy even in the height of summer in January. British naturalist Charles Darwin visited Tasmania in March 1836, and his account of the views from Mount Wellington is still vivid: 'The summit of the mountain is broad and flat, and is composed of huge angular masses of naked greenstone. The day was splendidly clear, and we enjoyed a most extensive view; to the north, the country appeared a mass of wooded mountains, of about the same height with that on which we were standing, and with an equally tame outline; to the south the broken land and water, forming many intricate bays, was mapped with clearness before us.'
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Port Arthur Historic Site.
Tasmanian Devil Park.
Port Arthur Historic Site is both lovely and unsettling. It is located 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Hobart, but allow at least 2 hours to drive each way because the road passes through numerous small towns, and it twists and turns like a corkscrew over the rugged terrain. This is one road where the speed limit seems far too high: 100 kilometres (61 miles) per hour. Port Arthur is one of the most peaceful parks in Tasmania, but with a most brutal and inhumane history. The Tasman Peninsula is connected to the rest of Tasmania only by a narrow isthmus, and in 1830 Governor Arthur selected it for a penal colony for the worst criminals in colonial Australia. Port Arthur thus became virtually the British equivalent of the French Devil's Island. Between 1830 and 1877 about 13,000 convicts served sentences at Port Arthur. Then the colony was abandoned and fell into ruin.
A modern tragedy occurred in April 1996 when a lone gunman opened fire on visitors and staff at the Broad Arrow Café and elsewhere in the park. Eventually he took hostages at a local guesthouse which he burned, and he was captured as he ran from the flames. A total of 35 persons were killed and many more were injured. This was one of the worst shooting sprees in history. At the time of the tragedy I had just received tourist brochures from Port Arthur, so when the news was broadcast the buildings seemed strangely familiar. I spread out the tourist maps and saw exactly where the tragedy unfolded. It was an eerie sense of déjà vu even though I had not yet set foot in Australia.
Now the ruins of Port Arthur Penal Settlement are preserved as a lovely park, filled with picturesque ruins in beautiful natural scenery. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Tasmania, and the many happy holidaymakers and picnickers amongst the romantic but eerie ruins were in stark contrast in my mind to its history as one of the most cruel and horrible prisons on Earth. After we strolled amongst the ruins for a few hours, we stopped for some ice cream. As we sat at a picnic table I looked up and saw the gutted building which had been the Broad Arrow Café and which was being demolished. Port Arthur is definitely worth a visit. Admission is AU$12.50 per person. For an excellent insight into what conditions were like when Port Arthur was a penal settlement, read For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clark, a classic of Australian literature.
Also in Port Arthur is the small Tasmanian Devil Park, which is one of the best places in Australia to see Tasmanian devils. This park also has many other native animals, including a pademelon (a small relative of the kangaroo) that was so friendly it hopped over to us and wanted to be petted. This was one of the most magical moments of our entire holiday in Australia. The park is well worth a visit, and the AU$10.00 admission supports the rescue centre for orphaned or injured animals.
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F. Richmond: historic buildings and bridge.
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Richmond is one of the most picturesque and historic of the many picturesque and historic small towns in Australia. The photogenic Richmond Bridge of 1823 is the oldest road bridge in Australia. The town itself has more than 50 19th Century buildings, and a number of fine shops where we bought a few final souvenirs. Richmond is only 24 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of Hobart and it was an excellent stop for some final Australian souvenirs.
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G. Departure: Hobart / Sydney / San Francisco / Chicago.
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Saturday 4 January was our longest day ever, 41 hours in all due to the 17 time zones between Australian Eastern Daylight Time and North American Central Standard Time. We left the Battery Point Guest House about 5:00 AM for our 6:30 AM Ansett Australia flight from Hobart, Tasmania to Sydney, New South Wales: 2 hours, 729 kilometres (453 miles). At Sydney Airport we finished some last-minute duty-free shopping and relaxed in the Red Carpet Club. Then we boarded our 1:00 PM United Airlines flight to San Francisco, California: 13.5 hours, 7417 miles (11,941 kilometres). Once again the comfort of Business Class made the 13.5-hour international flight rather enjoyable. During our stopover in San Francisco it also entitled us to a free hotel room for 3 hours and a free brunch so we could shower, change clothes and generally refresh ourselves. Finally we connected with our final flight to Chicago, Illinois: 4 hours, 1846 miles (2972 kilometres). In all, we travelled 9716 miles (15,642 kilometres) on our return from Hobart, Tasmania to Chicago, Illinois.
We crossed the International Date Line en route, so we regained the day we had lost a few weeks earlier. This meant that we left Syndey on Saturday afternoon and arrived in San Francisco 13.5 hours later (and 19 time zones earlier there) that same Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, northern California was in the midst of record floods due to heavy rains and snows in the mountains. The weather was clear during our stopover, but the airport and airlines still had a large backlog of cancelled flights and stranded passengers. This plus some mechanical problems on our aircraft increased our stopover in San Francisco to 10 hours, so we finally reached Chicago and home just before midnight. However we felt much more lucky than many travellers in San Francisco who had been stranded there for 2 or 3 days due to their bad weather.
Thus ended one of the finest holidays we have ever had.
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Reminiscences of Australia: VII. Epilogue.
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We knew that Australia would be fabulous, but it turned out even more fascinating and wonderful than expected. Our advance research let us accomplish almost everything we had intended and still have time to relax. We also made several pleasant surprises along the way, and encountered very few problems along the way. This was our first holiday which we researched via the internet. By happy coincidence many tourist bureaux in Australia had recently established web sites, such as the Australian Tourist Commission. We received invaluable advice from other travellers and especially from friendly Australians, and we thank them for their help. Books and brochures are invaluable, but personal advice is without equal. We learned about more than a few wonderful attractions which we might otherwise have missed.
Even though we concentrated on only the small southeast corner of Australia, it is the most highly populated and varied region of the country. This made it an excellent choice for our first visit to Australia when we had only a limited time. The large number of attractions there are relatively close together, which let us see what we wanted in some detail without the need to cover vast time-consuming distances. We'll see the rest of the country some other year when we can devote even more time to it.
This was our first journey south of the Equator. For comparison our previous most southerly point was Barbados at 13°N in January 1996. Exactly 1 year later our most southerly point leapt to 43°S at Hobart and Port Arthur, Tasmania. This record will remain until we eventually visit New Zealand or Chile or possibly Antarctica. For comparison our most northerly point was Anchorage, Alaska at 62°N in July 1986.
Almost all of my photos turned out beautifully, which is probably because Australia is so unbelievably photogenic. They are now assembled into a photo album which is only slightly larger than an unabridged dictionary, which is so heavy that it could cause serious injury if it fell on someone. We were a bit worried about the film because we went through at least 10 X-ray machines in all the airports plus Parliament House in Canberra. However, I brought my 4 small lead-lined boxes, each of which holds 4 rolls of film, and they protected our film very well. On the other hand, the rest of our luggage now glows in the dark. Usually I just bring 1 box of 4 rolls of film on our holidays. However Australia was special, so 1 box each for New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania seemed appropriate.
I'm still amazed that I took 16 rolls X 36 frames = 576 photos. Why on Earth didn't I round it up to an even 600 photos?
The premiers of the 6 states of Australia, like the premiers of the 10 provinces of Canada, are much more prominent in national politics than the governors of the 50 states of the United States. We noticed an intense rivalry between New South Wales Premier Bob Carr and Victoria Premier Jeff Kennett who quite often overshadow Australian Prime Minister John Howard. One joke has a reporter ask Victoria Premier Jeff Kennett if he wants to move to Canberra, the national capital. His answer, 'No, I'm happy to rule the world from here in Melbourne.' This rivalry is fine as long as it works to the benefit of the country.
This was undoubtedly the best holiday I have ever had, and I hope to return in 5 years or 10 years to see some of the rest of that magnificent country. It may have been a bit too hectic for my wife Denise, who prefers holidays on cruise ships. Oh well, I can probably 'suffer' through those, ha ha. Too bad we can't levitate a ship through the Outback to please both of us. Hmm, that gives me an idea for a television series: 'The Love Bus soon will be making another run...'
Now we have seen New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania in southeast Australia. Perhaps one year we will have enough time to explore the 3 states and 1 territory in the rest of Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. New Zealand awaits too, but it's worth a visit of its own.
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Rec.Travel Library
The World
Pacific
Australia
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| Copyright © - "David Stybr" |
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