Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Van Diemens Land
Well here I am again, back in Melbourne, after a chekey little sentence in Van Diemens land. Spent most of the time in Hobart which, if you look at a 'map of Taz' is near the bottom! (heh heh)*
Hobart is a charming place, a capital city that thinks it is a village, the people are very friendly, I suspect because of the large amount of alcohol they consume, and tourists are much fewer in number here, making you seem more of a novelty!
I flew in to Hobart on Saturday and met up with Alex and Tash (From the South American Trip), and travelled North to Launceston, where Alex lives. They were gamely departing on the famous 6 day Cradle Mountain treck the following day, during what I later discovered was a extreme weather warning. Alex was loaded down with a gas cooker that would be too big for your average car boot, whilst Natasha was carrying enough cocolate to open a tuck shop), They dropped me off to join a bus and I made my way to Strahan on the west coast, only to find there wasn't a single bed there! -Fortunately I did manage eventually to get a last minute cancellation and found myself in a lovley bungalow overlooking the harbour, paying slightly more than I had intended........ (to spend over the next two weeks) still a beds a bed eh?
I saw pretty much all there was to see in Strahan the following day, and caught another bus the following afternoon down to Hobart. Now I remember whinging about the frequency of busses in Sydney, but nothing really prepared me for the Busses in Taz, for a start you are lucky to find one bus a day, the journey from Strahan, to Hobart ended up taking 7 hours, thus arriving long after the hostel I had booked into had closed, but once again I was sparred the indignity of sleeping on the streets by the eventual arrival of a sleepy looking receptonist whom we awoke by phoning the emergency number in the hostel.
I went out to Port Arthur (http://www.portarthur.org.au/about-portarthur.htm), to do the famous Ghost tour, and allthough I did not see a ghost, there is an unquestionable atmosphere about the place that gives it a very dark and foreboding feel. Having been to some reputedly haunted places before including the tower of London, I can honestly say that Port Arthur ranks as one of the scariest places I have been, even more scary than being a singing telegram at Simon Cowells Birthday party!
Anyway, my next plan is to 'do' the Great Ocean Road, then make my way up to Bris Vegas causing as much trouble as possible on the way, hopefully taking time to visit Kellyworld in Glenrowan - something that is apparently so tacky, its can't be missed. I can't get enought of the fact that The great sporting nation of Australia has taken to it's heart, a comedy criminal who unsuccessfully** tried to evade capture by wearing home made armour and sporting a bucket on his head.
Such is Life
Eric
*For those amongst you that are confused by my references to the 'Map of Taz' you should be aware that it is an Australian coloquialism for a ladies tangled triangle!
**He was shot in the leg, having had neither the foresite to consider extending his armour, or to stand behind something.
¶ 5:40 pm
Hobart is a charming place, a capital city that thinks it is a village, the people are very friendly, I suspect because of the large amount of alcohol they consume, and tourists are much fewer in number here, making you seem more of a novelty!
I flew in to Hobart on Saturday and met up with Alex and Tash (From the South American Trip), and travelled North to Launceston, where Alex lives. They were gamely departing on the famous 6 day Cradle Mountain treck the following day, during what I later discovered was a extreme weather warning. Alex was loaded down with a gas cooker that would be too big for your average car boot, whilst Natasha was carrying enough cocolate to open a tuck shop), They dropped me off to join a bus and I made my way to Strahan on the west coast, only to find there wasn't a single bed there! -Fortunately I did manage eventually to get a last minute cancellation and found myself in a lovley bungalow overlooking the harbour, paying slightly more than I had intended........ (to spend over the next two weeks) still a beds a bed eh?
I saw pretty much all there was to see in Strahan the following day, and caught another bus the following afternoon down to Hobart. Now I remember whinging about the frequency of busses in Sydney, but nothing really prepared me for the Busses in Taz, for a start you are lucky to find one bus a day, the journey from Strahan, to Hobart ended up taking 7 hours, thus arriving long after the hostel I had booked into had closed, but once again I was sparred the indignity of sleeping on the streets by the eventual arrival of a sleepy looking receptonist whom we awoke by phoning the emergency number in the hostel.
I went out to Port Arthur (http://www.portarthur.org.au/about-portarthur.htm), to do the famous Ghost tour, and allthough I did not see a ghost, there is an unquestionable atmosphere about the place that gives it a very dark and foreboding feel. Having been to some reputedly haunted places before including the tower of London, I can honestly say that Port Arthur ranks as one of the scariest places I have been, even more scary than being a singing telegram at Simon Cowells Birthday party!
Anyway, my next plan is to 'do' the Great Ocean Road, then make my way up to Bris Vegas causing as much trouble as possible on the way, hopefully taking time to visit Kellyworld in Glenrowan - something that is apparently so tacky, its can't be missed. I can't get enought of the fact that The great sporting nation of Australia has taken to it's heart, a comedy criminal who unsuccessfully** tried to evade capture by wearing home made armour and sporting a bucket on his head.
Such is Life
Eric
*For those amongst you that are confused by my references to the 'Map of Taz' you should be aware that it is an Australian coloquialism for a ladies tangled triangle!
**He was shot in the leg, having had neither the foresite to consider extending his armour, or to stand behind something.
¶ 5:40 pm
