In The Big Smoke

We started the day by driving into the city to find the Tourist Information Centre. It was a public holiday so no dramas with traffic or parking.

We walked through Franklin Park on the way to visitor info, so it seemed only fitting to take a photo of this statue. Sir John Franklin. He was a Governor of Tasmania at one time and is apparently a famous explorer - something to do with Canada and the North West Passage (whatever that is :-p )

When we got to the info centre we saw a vehicle that looked like a tram parked outside. We made enquiries and were assured that this was the best way to get a basic idea about Hobart.

It turned out that it wasn't a tram, but an old Bedford truck that had been converted. You had to feel sorry for the driver - no power steering and manual gear change in a very hilly city and with lots of corners to negotiate.

I was unable to take a lot of photos through the windows of the tram/truck, so waited for a stop.

First stop was Cascade Park, just below the Cascade Brewery. Both built by the same man. As the story goes the brewery guy built his factory up on the hill so he would always have pure water as the inhabitants of Hobart were poisoning the water with all manner of waste matter.

After this we went to the Female Factory - a site that has very little left on it, however they have done some archaeological digs and have found very small cells, they know some of the history and are continuing to develop the site and discover more.
This is the story of just one woman........

The Female Factory was in operation until the early 1900s!

There was little to photograph, but we did buy a great book about some of the more unusual crimes that people were transported for.

Next stop was the botanic gardens, only for about half an hour, which of course was not long enough to see very much. We were drawn to the fernery, and just for a mention - they call tree ferns "man ferns" down here!

It was a slightly dull day, so this photo of the pond would have looked much nicer if the sun was shining and the lilies had been fully open.

This plaque below, really took Ray's fancy.................



We were also taken to a lookout. there is stunning scenery around Hobart, you are never far from a hill!
Wrest Point Casino can be seen in the far distance in this photo.
 The Derwent is a beautiful river.

We had lunch right near Constitution Dock, which is where the Sydney to Hobart yacht race ends. It was fabulous fresh fish and chips (of course!) There are several floating shops there, some for fresh seafood and some that sell fish and chips.

We went from there to the Maritime Museum, Ray fancied himself a Sea Captain!