After collecting our campervan and shopping for groceries, we headed out of Hobart. First stop: Port Arthur. On the way we went through Doo Town, which Gaby loved. You get a little disturbed in the head, apparently, when your are working on your pHd for years and it involves a LOT of hippo poo. As a matter of fact, if she texts the word ‘hippo’, her phone automatically adds ‘poo’ now.
Tessellated Lava
Our group ~ Gaby,Tanya, Alisa, Steve, and me. Four vets and a winemaker!
Archway
Gulls and coastline
Gaby loved ‘Doo Town’
Then Gaby got ‘doo-ed’ by a bird whilst she was peeing in some bushes.
Potentially the nest of the ‘doo-er’
As most people know, Australia was colonized by mostly British convicts. The convict settlements are are very beautiful locations it seems, but with a terrible history of sordid conditions and brutal punishments.
In some places like Freemantle, the building are still in great condition. In the case of Port Arthur, most are in ruins. The warden’s office was turned into a hotel for a while, and it is well preserved, but is the exception.
Port Arthur
Jail building
Fortification wall
They built ships and bricks
This Island was used as a cemetary
Port Arthur from the water. On the left is the Warden’s house which later was used as a hotel.
Drawings in the Hotel
Hotel interior.
Remains of the old roof
Nice driveway up to the church area
Entrance to the walled-in garden where the warden’s family spent most of their time
Garden
Female fairy wren
French rose
Superb fairy wren male
these little fairy wrens are SO blue !
Actors performing a skit
Church ruins
Tonight is New Year’s Eve! We go to the beach for sundowners, and then back to the campground. I can’t manage to stay up past 10, but then am awakened by the celebration at midnight… long enough to say ‘Happy New Year’ and go back to sleep!
Sundowners on the beach at New Year’s Eve
The next morning, we went on a boat cruise around the south end of Tasmania and Tasman Island. There is a walking track of the area, Three Arches, but it takes about 3 days. We saw heaps of Australian fur seals and New Zealand fur seals. I don’t know which kind of seals are which…
Arches along the Tasman coast
It was sort of a gray day, but not too rainy.
Feeding frenzy!
Sea cliffs
I like the columnar rocks
HEAPS of seals, literally!
Tasman Island
They used to supply this island entirely from the sea, and organized this system of pulleys to transport supplies up and ore down.
(mis)adventures 