Down Down Under

Hi peeps! This is a repost. This entry first appeared in March 2009. We're gonna be busy with some "moving" business so there'll be some more reposts and scheduled entries. Bear with us, OK, while we sort out our life....

My Mama went overseas again. Well, she didn't actually leave the country. She and Dad went to Hobart, Tasmania. You see, Tasmania is a smaller island than Australia, named after a Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman. It used to be called Van Diemen's Land but was changed when it was thought the first name brought bad connotations.
Hobart is small, much much smaller than Sydney. Less than 500,000 people live in Hobart while Sydney has 4 million. Mama likes Hobart as she likes it quiet. No traffic jam, no toll, she said. Dad says it's freaky that it's too quiet. Not a single bus or taxi on Sunday morning, he complained.

Mama stayed in a quiet hotel in a quiet suburb in Hobart

A typical day in downtown Hobart, not really....these musicians were in the same flight as Mama and Dad.

The harbour in Hobart

Salamanca Place - don't ever miss the Saturday market

The blue yonder...amazing scenery from Rosny Hill lookout point

Enjoy a cup of coffee and some hot donuts while watching the cat fiddles with the huge violin on the hour...

What a pretty animal hospital...

So, Mama and Dad did a lot of walking as the public transport was non-existence on a weekend. They ended up renting a car and went driving on the Convict Trail. They went up a hill called Rosny and looked at the scenery. Must say that Tasmania is so so blue...blue sea, blue sky, even the tree tops looked blue from afar.
Next stop was a little town called Sorrell. It has sort of a flea market on Sundays. Many people were selling old stuffs there. About 2km from the market is the Sorrell Fruit Farm. Mama and Dad went fruit picking. Dad said Mama went berserk over strawberries and apples. Instead of picking and putting them in the buckets, she put more of the fruits in her mouth!!! Must taste first, then decide which ones are good to take home, she said. It was good exercise as the apple and pear trees were up the hill while the strawberry fields were on a lower level. Mama complained that Dad didn't help her with picking fruits. He spent more time taking pictures of the fruits. Which I like...You'll like these pictures too.

Small yet very tasty nashi pears

A row of fruit laden apple trees

...more red apples

...more and more apples...green not red though

The pear trees were right on top of the hill but the fruits were worth the climb

Junior strawberry picker!

Strawberries straight off the farm...yum...

The day's bounty...apples, pears and strawberries

After a hard day's work at the orchard, a cup of tea and scones are just what you need...

Fancy a cup of cappucino? Come to Sorrell...

Sunday market at Sorrell, Mama bought me a nice quilt there

After a pot of devonshire tea and some shopping at the orchard shop, Mama and Dad drove further south towards Port Arthur. On the way, they stopped to take more pictures at the Eaglehawk Neck and the Tasmanian Devil Park in a place called Taranna.
Port Arthur is a tourist attraction now. It used to be a huge jail complex. Some years ago a man shot dead many tourists here. Scary!

Meet the devils...the Tasmanian devils...

The convict trail leads to Port Arthur, a large complex of ruins

A lonely blue gum tree in Port Arthur