Part two of our trip around Tasmania. Part one “the North” is here.

Day 4 – road trip to Hobart

We awoke lazily and prepared for the 280km southerly trip to Tasmania’s capital and largest city, Hobart. We set a leisurely pace to enjoy the scenery and visit some small towns along the way. We also planned some stops along the way for morning tea and lunch. There are several options to Hobart. I chose the Midlands Hwy (National Route 1) route. We’ll take the Highland Lakes (A5) route on the way home.

First stop was in 3o minutes at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Café. Scones with their homemade raspberry jam and cream was the go. It didn’t disappoint! Jane and I ordered a serve each and couldn’t finish them. The scones were fresh and the jam delicious.

Back on the road again. Jane had been told that the best pies in Tasmania (perhaps the world) were to be had at the Ross Bakery, In the town of Ross (of course). That was another 1 hour 20 min travel – just long enough for the scones to settle. We arrived at Ross to learn that the Bakery wasn’t open on Tuesdays – bugger! We got out anyway to stretch our legs and found the interesting Ross Female Factory. I made a dad joke saying that “I should purchase a new female while I’m here”. Of course the Female Factory isn’t a jovial place at all. Its the remnants of a Female Convict centre built in 1833. Just a single building remains of a small village to house Female convicts and babies. The place was eerie and reading about the hardships of those women sent shivers up the spine. Perhaps I’ll stick with the female I have.

We left Ross lunchless and pushed on searching for a new place for lunch. 25 minutes down the highway was the town on Oatlands. They boasted a Pancake and Crepe Café. Disappointed to miss out on a pie we settled for a Mexican Beef Crepe to share. It was quite nice and hit the spot.

This left 1 hour 15 min (86km) to Hobart and our hotel for the next two nights, Wrest Point Hotel and Casino. We crossed the Tasman Bridge around 4pm and I recalled the bridge’s collapse in 1975. The hotel was easy to find and we checked into our room for a rest. Because it was Jane and my 16th year anniversary we upgraded ourselves to a King Harbour View room. The view was indeed stunning.

We were invited for dinner by one of Jane’s oldest friends. Working together at Wendy’s in Paranaque, Manila, Lhen and Jane had kept in touch for some 22 years. Lhen and her husband, Aldous, had come to Hobart, via Melbourne seeking permanent residence in Australia. It was a short drive to New Town to their unit. The dinner was nice and Jane and Lhen reminisced about the old days. We returned to the hotel exhausted from the long day.

Day 5 – Port Arthur

Port Arthur is famous and infamous for various reasons. The historical site is a must see place for every Tassie visitor. This was certainly on our list so we set out driving the 98km from Hobart. The route was very scenic and easy to drive. We stopped in Dunalley for lunch at the Cannery Restaurant. We took a chance just going off the road signs. What a hidden gem! Dunalley is famous for its seafood, particularly oysters. Jane had the seafood linguini and I had the seafood chowder. The chowder was superb and the winner of the meal of the trip award. Chock full of seafood the soup was delicious with a side of garlic bread. The linguini was seafood-rich also and Jane loved it.

The Port Arthur historic site is a monument to a convict settlement in1830. Most of the buildings are viewable in various degrees of ruin. Fires and the test of time have affected the buildings but most are viewable and each have their own story. One day is not enough to walk the grounds and learn all there is to know. The day pass costs $45 (AUD) each and includes a harbour cruise and a guided walking tour. The cruise has a commentary and takes you past Point Puer, the boy’s prison. I was surprised to learn boys as young as 9 yo were transported to Australia from ol’ Blighty. The cruise also circles the Isle of Dead, an island cemetery of the last resting place for convicts and free people alike. Convicts were buried in unmarked graves not deemed worthy of recognition for their evil, ungodly deeds. The walking tour centres around the penitentiary, the main prison. Sadly most of the building has been gutted by fire, but you still get a sense of the awful conditions these men endured. It was a cold, windy day and Jane and I were dressed in multiple layers. I was cold, and I could help think of these poor souls working 15 hours a day 365 days a year with nothing but a prison uniform. Some were wearing leg irons. The highlight for me was the “Separate Prison”. This was a building for housing the serious misbehaving inmates where total solitary confinement was enforced. Such an interesting window into the past. Jane and I only had enough time to scratch the surface. I’d love to come back again and explore more.

Port Arthur was also the site for a bloody massacre in 1996 when a lone gunman open fired on the the site’s visitors killing 35 people and wounding 23 others. It was a dark day in Australia’s history and led to gun law reform by the Howard Government. Australia has not had a mass shooting incident since … are you listening America?

We made the one and a half hour drive back to Hobart as the sun set (5pm!). I had booked dinner at the Glass House for our anniversary. As we planed to have a few bevvies we caught an Uber to the restaurant at 8pm. It was situated on Brooke Street Pier in the city. The restaurant had a limited menu, but the oysters were sensational. Jane ordered trumpeter fish dish, but I just settled for the oysters. We had a couple of cocktails and a superb Tasmanian Sparking wine – Bay of Fires Tasmanian Cuvée Brut NV (sadly not available in Innaloo according to Mr Murphy). It was wonderful day around and we retired to bed tired and drunk.

Day 6 – Back to the North

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Hobart. We would have loved to stay longer and explore the city more. Before we made the trip back to Shearwater we took the drive up kunanyi / Mt Wellington to see the commanding view of Hobart and surrounds. The drive was as challenging as the cradle mountain drive with steep hairpin bends. It was a nice clear day and we were expecting good visibility at the peak. No such luck though. It was like a different planet up there. Icy wind almost blowing off our feet, snow on the ground and it was freezing cold. The clouds were moving fast and we managed to get a glimpse of the view from time to time. Time to get out of there into the warm car and embark on the long drive “home”.

As I said earlier we took the Highland Lakes route back. Again a very challenging drive, but worth for the spectacular views. We stopped at the Castle Hotel at Bothwell for lunch. We shared a home made beef pie which was nice.

We arrived back at Shearwater resort around 4pm. Tired from the long drive we watched TV (Jane watched the Johnny Depp trial) and had cheese and crackers for dinner.

Day 6 – Home

We got up late on Friday and packed for our trip home. We drove back to Launceston an delivered the hire car back. Having the car gave us so much freedom and I highly recommend it for touring around Tasmania. The car performed very well and was quite fuel efficient.

6 days
1022 km
11 Destinations

Wow, such a great trip, Tasmania truly is a beautiful place with many things to see and do. Six days is nowhere near enough time to experience it all. Hopefully we can get back there one day.