Introduction
In 2004 I visited Hobart and the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Here are a few notes and photos from the trip.
Hobart
Hobart Rivulet
As well as walking around Hobart's historic city center it is also possible to walk under it, along the path of the stream which used to run through the city and which is now in pipes under it. It is curious to look up through grates and see land marks about you.
The Hobart Rivulet is a water course which flows from Mount Wellington to the River Derwent. The tour follows the underground course of the Rivulet beneath the City's central business district where it provides a 'live' theatre for explaining the historical development of the City of Hobart since the early 1800's...a unique opportunity to see some of Hobart's hidden history.
From: "The Hobart Rivulet Tour ", Hobart City Council, 2006.
Semaphore Station
The Semaphore Station is in Princes Park, on Hobart's fashonable side. The semaphore arms on the tower are for an optical telegraph, an early form of the Internet.
A chain of semaphore stations once relayed important. messages between Port Arthur and Hobart Town. Smaller stations, such as the one at Eaglehawk Neck were part of a system which operated throughout the peninsula.
Moveable arms attached to a mast-like structure were positioned to send numerically coded messages. These were deciphered with the use of a code book which listed up to 3,000 phrases.
From: "Eaglehawk Neck Historic Site ", Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service, 2003.
Hobart Waterfront and Derwent River
Waterfront
Unlike many city waterfronts which have become tourst attractions and museums, Hobart's is a working port, with research vessels preparing to leave for Anarcticta and occasionally one of the >Wave Piercing Catamarans built up river, being prepared for delivery to the US military.
Perfect day, perfect way to celebrate 200 years of Hobart's Sullivans Cove. This week, 936 ABC Hobart decided to take Louise Saunders' Drive show out of the studio and down to the waterfront.
There were live performances from the Tasmanian Chorale at the broadcast site, aboard the replica sailing ship Lady Nelson, a panel discussion with Bob Clifford, Peter Barraclough and Pru Bonham, and a chat with the inevitable man and his dog. ...
From: "Louise Saunders Live from the Lady Nelson", Thursday, 19 February 2004
Cruise on Derwent River
One way to see Hobart is from a cruse on the Derwent River. Some include a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory.
A cruise on the sparkling waters of the Derwent River will become one of those images you will find impossible to shake from your memory. It's called total relaxation with a sprinkling of excitement.
Why not join us for a leisurely cruise up the Derwent to the magnificent Moorilla Estate Winery where you can sample the range of wines and taste fine Tasmanian cheeses, or simply stroll through the vineyard
Our famous "Cadbury" cruise will appeal to all the family with a tour of the famous Cadbury Chocolate Factory included. ...
From: " The Cruise Company, Brooke Street Cruise Centre", Salamanca Promotions, 2006.
Stena Lynx III 81m Wave Piercing Catamaran built at the Incat shipworks in Tasmania, in for maintenance (as seen from the "Cadbury" cruise).
US Military Wave Piercing Catamaran under construction at the Incat shipworks.
Huon River
School of Wooden Boat Building
A visit to the School of Wooden Boat Building is notable for the smell of the varieties of wood used for different structural components of the boats in the workshop.
On the Huon River at Franklin, 48km south of Hobart, is a school with a difference. We teach the old traditional skills of wooden boatbuilding to a new generation of craftspeople from all over the world. The Wooden Boat School provides the only course where students create a full-sized, carvel planked, sea-going cruising vessel "from lofting to launch" as part of their program.
From: "School of Wooden Boat Building", Southern Training, Employment & Placement Solutions Inc. 2005
Tahune Forest AirWalk
The Tahune Forest AirWalk provides a way to walk amongst the canopies of the tall tress oif the Tasmanina forest. But you need a good head for heights. While this is a very well engineered steel structure, it is disconcerting to be able to look down between your feet at the ground far below. But trees such as the Leatherwood, with small delicate white flowers used for making honey, cannot be really appreciated from ground level.
This 597m walk amongst the trees gets you 20m above the ground. The highlight is the cantilever that is 48m above the river level, providing fantastic views of the forests and the junction of the Picton and Huon Rivers
From: "Tahune Forest AirWalk", Forestry Tasmania
This photo of Leatherwood flowers was taken from about 20m up in the air on the Tahune Forest AirWalk.
Leatherwood honey is, as its name suggests the honey that bees produce from the nectar of the Leatherwood(Eucryphia lucida) plants' flower. The Leatherwood plant is endemic to Tasmania and is found in the wetter forest regions throughout the Western portion of the state. Leatherwood is the single most important nectar plant in Tasmania accounting for about 70% of all honey produced.
From: "Leatherwood Honey from the Forest", Student, Forestry Department, The Australian National University, 1998