Tigers & Devils & Scenery, Oh My!

[Lejays17]

Amelia's dispatches from Becky & her trip to Tasmania this year.



"Okay, have I got everything?  Camera, check. Notebook, check. Snacks for the trip, check. Games, check.  Becky, make sure you pack warm clothes!  It's colder down there than on the mainland."


Here we are in our cabin, ready to sale to an island full of devils & tigers.


It takes an awfully long time to sail to Tasmania.  So Becky & I are whiling the time away with a friendly hand or two of cards.


Further adventures to come once we we sort more photos!

[Alliecat]

Yay! Looking forward to the girls' adventures. I complain about 'our' ferry, but it's not long enough that you need a cabin. I hope the girls were good sailors

[Elfy]

Yay!  Looking forward to the girls' adventures.  I complain about 'our' ferry, but it's not long enough that you need a cabin.  I hope the girls were good sailors

It is a fair way. You can take a day sail, or a night sail, we take the night trip and take the car as well.

[davidd]

What a fun beginning to the adventure! I love that the girls have everything they need for the trip in their scale! Those little bags and suitcases are just the cutest!

And an overnight trip by ship! That sounds like so much fun! Especially if you have a private cabin!

Devils and tigers, huh? I know about the devils... and, as of a few days ago, about the Drop Bears... but are the girls going to track down a thylacine?

[neon_jellyfish]

That first pic is so cute! Can't wait to see more of their adventures!

[werepuppy]

Yay, looking forward to hearing about their adventures! The pictures are so cute!

[Elfy]

This is the second leg of the Tasmania trip as faithfully photographed and recorded by Amelia.



Tasmania is best known by us mainlanders, apart from the devils and the tigers, for eorting things like apples, beer, wool, AFL footballers. It's also full of history. It was one of the earliest places in Australia to be settled by Europeans, being known as Van Diemen's Land until the mid 19th century, when it's remote and inhospitable location made it an ideal penal colony. The picturesque town of Ross is an example of this. I'm in the bakery (more on that later) here, looking out into the township.



A selfie by the famous convict designed and built Ross Bridge.





The bridge goes to both of Tasmania's two largest cities; Hobart and Launceston.



Taking pictures and seeing new things builds up an appetite, so I rewarded myself with one of the bakery's self proclaimed best vanilla slices in the world.



We dressed up a bit, because our suite at Hadley's Orient hotel in Hobart was seriously swanky.

[davidd]

The name alone, Hadley's Orient Hotel, sounds swanky! And a suite, no less! The girls are travelling in high style!

The Roman numerals on the bridge indicating the distance to Hobart brings to mind the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure:

"If you guys are really us, what number are we thinking of?"

"Sixty-nine, dude!"



(Sorry, juvenile and irrelevant, I know!)

[Alliecat]

It does sound like a fancy hotel! Is it the hotel in the first photo? That looks like such a nice setting, with the greenery outside & the lace curtain. The "old world" style bridge seems surprising at first until one remembers that yes, there is a lot of history there.
The girls look dressed for a nice tea.

[Elfy]

The place in the first picture was the bakery at Ross, which is probably about 200 years old. Mind you, the hotel is also approximately 200 years old. I didn't initially realise it was so swish when I booked it. I really only booked that particular hotel because of it's proximity to Salamanca Market, and that will appear in the next round of photos.

[dargosmydaddy]

So did the cake live up to its billing?

[neon_jellyfish]

Yay for history and vanilla slices!

[Elfy]

Another perfect day in Tasmania




Becky ready to shop!



Becky and I went to Salamanca Market this morning. Its a big deal here and thousands of people turn up every Saturday morning to buy and sell. Becky wanted yarn. I just wanted to enjoy the ex-perience.





Hobart is quite proud of its history, the first European to find the island was Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman (picture above) in 1642. He called it Van Diemens Land, and it would later bear his name being changed to Tasmania in the mid 19th century.



Becky saw a platypus.





After the market we looked at an ex-hibition of classic cars in the park across the road. I bet Bea and Jo-Meg would love these.

[Lejays17]

The vintage cars were amazing, to link back to a different discussion about the qaulity of dolls, they certainly don't make them like they used to!
My favourite was the green in the last picture - that's the one I gave my ribbon to.

A couple more pics of my favourites:

Classic fire trucks


A red Austin


A front view of my favourite car - it had a wooden steering wheel, and the back lamps detached. The only thing that threw out the classic feel of it was the modern fire extinguisher in the front seat

[neon_jellyfish]

I remember the cars! And I love the fountain with all that statuary!