It’s seven degrees outside and we have just returned to our cosy little Tasmanian cabin complete with spa bath and water views. On hand to keep us fortified whilst we watch the upcoming nuptials of Harry and Meghan, we have some of the locally brewed Jansz Champagne for me and James Boag beer for Darryl. Accompanying this is a mouth-watering selection of local cheeses and fudge bought from various roadside establishments on our journey here.
Here is Port Arthur – location of the Port Arthur Historic Site. We have just spent the day wandering the beautiful grounds, ruins and historic buildings that constitute this former penal colony. Once one of the most feared places in the British Empire, today walking amongst the beautiful sandstone buildings nestled amongst the manicured landscape, it’s hard to believe. The day has been rewarding and informative. With the weather somewhat dismal, today’s visitor numbers are down thus we have managed to secure our own private buggy and guide for much of our visit. With our personal escort on hand, we have learnt that this most austere of corrective institutions, modelled on the famous Pentonville Penitentiary in England, broke many men but also enabled some to leave rehabilitated and skilled. We have learnt that whilst only operating for 47 short years (1830-1877), by 1840 more than 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived here at Port Arthur. Most importantly we have learnt that for a successful escape attempt – you would be wise not to disguise yourself with the hide of so tasty a morsel as a kangaroo with hungry guards about.
It’s day five of our fourteen-day sojourn around Tasmania, Australia’s southernmost state. Flying into Hobart last Monday, and it appears that we have travelled back to the 1980’s. Back to a time when shopkeepers had time for a chat, when you made eye contact with the person passing on the footpath and where you could always find a parking spot. We have hired a handy SUV and stuffed full of maps, brochures, jeans and jackets its become a trusty friend transporting us first into the capital of Tasmania, Hobart, then later the Huon Valley, Bruny Island and now here, Port Arthur.
Hobart, population approximately 224,000, fell short of my high expectations, hoping as I was for a city dripping history and old sandstone buildings. Whilst the area around Salamanca Place did deliver said buildings, there were fewer than expected and thus I left thwarted. To counter this a visit to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) was warranted and boy did this deliver. Local lad David Walsh, a professional gambler only six years older than myself, has built an architectural, gobsmacking, masterpiece here in his hometown and then filled it with gossip-worthy artefacts and experiences. From a room where we sat alone in the utter pitch-black dark for five minutes (!) to the Egyptian Mummy whose innards we privately scanned, David and his museum will forevermore be famous for the propitious economic advantages he has provided Tasmania summed up in the term “The Mona Effect”.
We now have family living in Tasmania, with my cousin and his wife recently retiring to the Huon Valley. It was both fun and fascinating to spend time with them as they assimilate into their new life. To walk with them through apple orchards, to pick up fossils from the nearby stark, barren beach, to purchase ‘that hours’ catch from the nearby fish farm. After days spent eating, drinking and exploring their new environs it was time to say farewell and head over to Bruny Island utilizing the hardy and convenient ferry service departing Kettering. Being late autumn most of Bruny Island appeared to be closed however we did manage to secure and devour an incredible cheese platter at the ‘Bruny Island Cheese Company’.
The drive from Bruny Island to here – the Tasman Peninsula, was short and the roads empty, occurrences we are becoming familiar with in Tasmania. Before checking into this cosy little cabin, we passed through Eaglehawk Neck. Here, amazing natural phenomenon such as the Tessellated Pavement, the Blowhole, Tasman’s Arch and Devil’s Kitchen kept us enthralled and invigorated. With the temperature hovering in the low teens, the millpond smooth Tasman Sea to our east and heavy pewter clouds hovering above, we pretty much had the peninsula to ourselves as we undertook our explorations.
