Our 3rd wedding anniversary snuck up on us quickly and with a busy schedule we decided to take a 4 day weekend and head to Hobart. We managed to get a good deal on flights and used our holiday club accommodation. We booked a car packed warm clothes and set off to just chill out for 4 days.
We had a early flight Friday morning and arrived to a very cool 4 degrees at 10am. We had our car and were driving towards Hobart in no time flat. We ended up with a 4 door automatic corolla, it was nice to be able to just drive without worrying about gears or a big car for a change. As we crossed the bridge all the roads became familiar and with ease we found our way down to Salamanca. We found a cafe and sat back to enjoy a quiet late breakfast. We spent the next few hours strolling through the shops and around Hobart just enjoying the beautiful old buildings and trying to stay out of the very cool wind. About 2pm we turned and headed north to find our accommodation for the weekend. Our room was not quite ready so we headed to Sorrel to stock up on some basic supplies for dinner and the next few days. Once we got back we checked into our unit and again were taken back with just how nice the accommodation is and how it just has everything we needed. James was feeling very unwell coming down with the flu so we had soup for dinner and just had a very quiet night in.
After a wonderful long sleep in we talked through what we wanted to explore while we were here. The road from Sorrel to Bicheno was one we had not driven so with a basic road map and GPS we hit the road about 11am. The drive was just wonderful and though James slept through most of it I enjoyed the changing of scenery and drives along the coast and through the paddocks. Swansea is a beautiful town and I can see why it is so popular. The rain had been anything from very light to the heavy pour all the way from Sorrel but when we were just out for a drive it sure didn’t bother us. We pulled into the visitors information centre in Bicheno and had a look at their road map. It was then we decided to head back up Elephant pass and stop at the Pancake Palace for a late lunch. We again had wonderful food in a great atmosphere and would recommend it to anyone heading to Tasmania as a must stop. From there we continued north west along the Esk highway and drove another road we had not been on to get to the Midland highway to head south. We came out at Conway and drove from there down to Campbell town and pushed down to Hobart. We managed to drive on roads almost all day on which we had never been so we were very happy with our exploring for the day. We had heard about a special festival that was being held at Salamanca called the Festival of the Fire. It is a celebration of song and life and fire. A large congregation of choir groups are lead by 4 leaders carrying fire sticks and all singing in unison head down the road and then around a large fire pit which has a tepee of sticks ready to be lit. There are people in balconies signing and on stages. It is a wonderful thing to see so many people all united and peaceful there to just enjoy the evening. After it was lit and we had soaked up the atmosphere we ventured out and found a fantastic restaurant to have dinner at. We wondered back past the fire and then made our way back to the resort for another peaceful nights sleep.
Day 3 again we enjoyed a sleep in and this time decided to head south to explore more. James was still feeling unwell so just being in the car and exploring was the nice easy thing to do. We drove the coastal road from Hobart around to Woodbridge and then onto Middleton and then into Cygnet for a late lunch. Our very good friend Marcus had talked and talked and talked about Curried Scallop pies and how we really should try one while in Tasmania. So once we arrived in Cygnet we found a great pub that had a cafe attached and just happened to serve home made Curry Scallop Pies. We both ordered one and were very surprised at how nice they were and we too now can tell people to go and try one while in Tasmania as they are good and worth a try. We drove onto Huonville and then took the Huon Highway back towards Hobart. One of the best things to do while in Tasmania is just read the signs and stop when you get the feeling that something is worth having a look at. James had again fallen asleep and I was enjoying the drive when I saw a sign for a lookout at Mt Nelson. A quick turn left and we headed up to what was probably the highlight of our trip. Once we stopped James woke and we climbed out to enjoy the view. As it turns out Mt Nelson is the original flag signal station set up when Hobart was first being settled. There is still a large flag pole and a lookout point with history plaques and photographs and memorabilia from the era to look at and ponder over. We took photos and then decided that the call from the cafe was too hard to ignore so in we went. The original Signal mans house has been turning into the most delightful cafe with large glass windows closing in the verandah to provide a seating area with views over the water all the way to Eagle Hawk neck and even the top of Bruny Island. With book in hand we enjoyed a shared muffin and scone and cup of coffee and hot choc. With sun on our backs and the French music playing we could have stayed for hours but unfortunately the venue was only open until 5pm so we were asked to move on as they were closing. We will be back for lunch next time we are in Hobart. On our way back to the resort we picked up some yummy chicken and vegies and headed home. The resort is well set out with many facilities so we had a turn in the games room. We played a game of pool and then many games of table tennis. Just outside was a heated pool and 2 spas there was a fully equipped gym we could have tried though we were taking it easy so we did just that and kept it to games.
Monday morning we had a owners presentation to attend. After that we packed our things and checked out. We will be back to stay a Seven Mile Beach it was a very nice place to visit. We headed into Hobart to find the Putt Putt golf we had a brochure on. We played 2 rounds of 18 holes and had a wonderful time. Oh and just for the record I kicked BUTT...lol. After lunch we decided to visit Richmond we had heard lots about it and seen heaps of signs so again we followed our noses the signs and the GPS and drove through the mountains to find the wonderful Historic Richmond. We wondered through town and found a wonderful wood shop which makes many things in Huon Pine. We bought ourselves a few little souvenirs and then packed them into our bags and made our way back to the airport. We were early but we just read and played games on the ipod till it was time to head home. We arrived home late and exhausted but very relaxed and having had a wonderful time away. We will be visiting Tasmania again it just has so many possibilities and things to explore.
Us2martins 3rd Honeymoon in Tasmania.
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