Hobart – and that’s a wrap for Australia
After having toured beautiful Tasmania for two weeks it was time return to Hobart to round up our 10 weeks in Australia.
Our first stop on our drive from Queenstown to Hobart was the Nelson Falls. Although they only had a limited amount of water the nice setting made up for it.
The next highlight was Donaghys Hill which provided an absolutely breathtaking view of the pristine forest around. Once again nature at its very best.
Later on, we reached our great Airbnb including a fantastic view of North Hobart. Tasmania’s capital has quite a bit of a food scene and so we had some nice Japnese ramen for dinner.
Funky MONA
The next day we visited MONA – Museum of Old and New Art. It was quite an experience. The museum is home of the private collection of David Walsh – gambler and multimillionaire. Yes, you read correctly the whole thing belongs to one guy (not bad).
The museum is what in German you would call ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ – a piece of art by itself. It looks at art in a different way, often with a pinch of salt and a good amount of humour.
Some call it art for adults – given some of the exhibits definitely not untrue. In any case, it was an excellent experience and one of the best museums we have seen on our travels. Go visit, if you are in the region.
Last Day with a View and a Steak
The next day was already our last day in Australia. We drove up to Mount Wellington which offers a stunning view of Hobart and its surroundings. It was also windy like hell and about ten degrees colder than on the bottom.
We warmed ourselves up in the small but fine Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery which came with another exhibition about the Tasmanian Tiger.
By chance, our last day in this great country was also our four-year-wedding-anniversary. This we celebrated with a very nice steak dinner at Ball and Chain.
The choice of the restaurant in a way reflects what makes travelling so great. A few weeks earlier while waiting for some fish and chips in Esperance in Western Australia we had a chit chat with a local. He told us that he is originally from Tasmania and that if we went there we should try this restaurant – indeed a very good recommendation.
Good Bye from the Land of Plenty
When we think of Australia often the song Down Under from Men at Work comes to mind. In this old 1980 song, one guy asks ‘Are you trying to tempt me // Because I come from the land of plenty?”
And it truly is a land of plenty. Be it plenty of nature, friendly people, endless beaches, beautiful sunsets, fantastic diving and of much more.
As you hopefully can see from our blog entries we had an absolute blast of a time in our two and a half months down under.
We were really privileged to have seen all the fantastic nature, wild animals you otherwise only see in zoos, astonishing landscapes and to have met many friendly people along the way.
It’s time to say thank you and goodbye to Australia (at least for the time being). Next stop New Zealand – a country as great.
Practicalities
In Hobart stay with Keira, a superhost with a fantastic Airbnb.
Elisabeth Street has a great selection of food and last but not least try Ball and Chain for a great piece of meat and fantastic value for money.
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