We decided to base ourselves in Snug for a few days - and quickly established ourselves in the caravan park by punishing the washing machines with several loads of our washing!
Snug is a delightful little community about 25 minutes south of Hobart - and whilst it might be a snug cove for ships - it was nothing of the sort for us in the caravan park with howling gales and sideways rain marking much of our stay here.
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| Boys loved water front camping |
No trip to this area is complete without a visit to Salamanca Markets on the waterfront of Hobart. Jo found some delicious sourdough bread, and dukkah, whilst I wandered around the docks looking at boats. For those who haven't been to Hobart, the waterfront is a special place indeed and well worth exploring for at least half a day.
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| Not everyone was into the markets |
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| Salamanca Markets - very geared for the tourist these days |
We made our way to the former IXL jam factory (now part of the Henry Jones Hotel) on the northern side of the waterfront precinct, and enjoyed a delightful cup of coffee and scones in the former courtyard turned architectural showcase, now called the
IXL Atrium.
We then visited the Maritime Museum - (I might have been dragged away from the Larks Distillery across the road)... where we enjoyed learning more about Tasmania's maritime heritage, including that of Australia's oldest vessel afloat, the May Queen, moored across the road in the docks.
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| At the Maritime Museum... and yes - the bell still works my son! |
We the raced to the top of Mount Wellington during a break in the weather. It was around 18 degrees in Hobart, so we each took guesses on how cold it would be at the summit. Of course, the Meteorologist of the family remembered the dry adiabatic lapse rate and got within half a degree. Yes 6.5 degrees and 50 knot winds is uncomfortably cold. At least the sun shone for a few moments - before the sleet set in! Hobart at its finest :)
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| Lucky to keep their eyes open in the sleet pelting into their faces! |
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| Dolomite at the summit of Mount Wellington |
The following day we headed south - to the Tahune Air Walk - and we are so glad we did. The Tahune Air Walk takes you up into the forest canopy. We have spent the past couple of weeks learning to recognise trees from their trunks. At last we could get up close and personal to the trees we had seen from the forest floor in their canopy. It was fantastic.
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| Getting close to the canopy |
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| The junction of the Huon and Picton Rivers - and the Airwalk's Cantilever arm |
We then took the Swing Bridge Circuit upstream and over both the Huon and Picton Rivers. This walk was through some spectacular forest - oh and the swinging bridges were a lot of fun!
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| Are we there yet? |
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| Bounce it again Dad |
On the way back - we (I) indulged at the Franklin Wooden Boat Centre. This is where you go if you want to learn how to construct a wooden boat - and it must be said that the boats they're building here are works of art. From clinker hulled dinghies to carvel hulled yachts, the attention to detail required to construct a vessel is on show. The vessels each require thousands of copper nails, all hammered by hand to form rivets, let alone the selection and shaping of each piece of timber, it is fantastic to see that old skills are being kept alive - producing magnificent vessels.
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| A clinker hulled dinghy |
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| And you can get up close and touch them! |
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| The attention to detail shows the dedication of the shipwrights. |
So we had a couple of full days in Snug - the only problem was that when we got home on afternoon, the strong winds had caused our awning to come down - right onto the kitchen that yours truely hadn't put away. A 30cm rip in the awning put it out of action... thankfully we have a second smaller awning that we can rig to keep the worst of the weather off us.
The following day was back to work for everyone. It reminded me of a quote from The Wind in the Willows:
"After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much as to be resting yourself, as it is to see all the other fellows busy working." Kenneth Grahame.
It was also time for Rocky to have a service - so we decided to have an admin day, drop the awning off for repair and catch up...yeah right!
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