2013 Trip to Tasmania - Flowers and The Last Retreat

It was the only time of the year, two weeks around the border between November and December, when we could see both of them. We specifically planned the trip for that time, half a year in advance telling our bosses that they had to adjust their business plans so that their companies would not collapse in our absence. If we arrived two weeks earlier or later we would see only one or another. It had to be the right time of the year, time when both poppies and lavender were in bloom. And you know what - it was a wrong year!

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Laurel Cottage and Frogmore Creek Winery

Port Arthur was our last destination in South-East of Tasmania after which we moved inland. That day we didn't have any more time for sightseeing, so we went straight to our next one-night accommodation, Laurel Cottage in Richmond. We came there ten minutes before the declared arrival time and were gently chastised by the cottage owner for not warning her by phone. Having been overwhelmed by such welcome, we silently grabbed the keys, dropped our bags, and rushed to take a sunset photo of the historical Richmond Bridge, which was found only 50 metres away.

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Day 5 - Port Arthur

Port Arthur... Port Arthur... The name rang a bell but, as it turned out, a wrong one. Port Arthur that I had in mind was a place of the most violent battle of the Russo-Japanese War. Obviously, it's not a good name for a town since Tasmanian Port Arthur also became known around the world for all the wrong reasons. Initially, it was a prison for British convicts popularised in Marcus Clarke's novel For the Term of His Natural Life. However, the locals did not want any stake in such kind of fame and even renamed the town to Carnarvon to disassociate themselves from the penal history of the site. Still, the gruesome past of one of the most brutal convict settlements proved to be a strong tourist attraction, and Carnarvonians were smart enough to realise that they would earn more money as Port-Arthurians, so the original name was restored in 1927. Sixty nine years later Port Arthur earned another grisly badge as a place of the deadliest massacre in the recent Australian history. After such introduction you will understand that we just couldn't miss it.

I can't say that the site itself was beautiful or impressive unless you are impressed by ruins. Come to think of it, what with 20 million tourists coming to see the remnants of Colosseum every year, I probably represent minority in this matter. Nevertheless, even I found a few ways to pleasantly pass the time in Port Arthur.

There were a few scheduled activities which were included into the price of an entry ticket, such as Harbour Cruise. Normally, I would eagerly board a boat, but having survived Tasman Island Cruise earlier that day, I found the phrase "water attractions" oxymoronic and kept my distance from the shore. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed a guided walking tour during which I visited all notable places and learned a lot about the history of Port Arthur, including why there were so many convicts in Britain at that time. It appeared that there were three main factors which simultaneously caused a high level of unemployment, and consequently, crime. Firstly, a lot of soldiers returned home after the end of Napoleonic Wars. Secondly, industrialisation started to pick up and many factory workers were made redundant. Finally, it was the time when landlords found it more profitable to develop the land themselves than to rent it to farmers. All this combined with tough laws, which allowed sentences up to 21 years for petty theft, provided a steady flow of convicts to overcrowded British gaols until the government decided to offshore correctional services.

After the tour I spent an hour in a museum learning curious facts about life in the penal colony and gazing at things made or used by convicts and officers. In that museum I found a particoloured "magpie convict suit" which I remembered seeing before, possibly in some movie, and thinking it was just a regular prisoner's uniform. It turned out that such uniform was reserved only for recidivists and was considered humiliating.

The last place I visited in Port Arthur was Convict Gallery, or as I called it, Card House. At the entrance every visitor was given a playing card which had a convict's name on it and they could find a story of that convict in the Gallery. Of course, I was curious to check why my miscreant was transported to Terra Australis and how he fared here. His story was not remarkable, but what I found interesting was that the harshness of British laws was offset by rather liberal parole rules in Australia. Prisoners were released on parole after serving less than half their sentence even though they committed misdemeanors in gaol. They also underwent training in trades while serving their sentence which gave them good prospects of finding a job upon release.

I found the visit to Port Arthur quite entertaining despite my general dislike of the museums; for me it was more of an educational experience than sightseeing. The convict history in Australia was unusual enough to keep me interested for at least a couple of hours and I would spend more time there had we come earlier. However, I won't go there again any time soon. That place is like a book: once you've read it, it will take some time before you feel like reading it again.

By the way, I've told you a lie. The last place I visited in Port Arthur was actually a gift shop where I was supplied with a piece of clothing. As you can see it's not a magpie suit; I wasn't that bad.

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Day 4 - Convict Station

When my wife told me she booked a room in Norfolk Bay Convict Station I expected to spend the night in a refurbished prison offering to experience the 19th century life of a British convict transported to Van Diemen's Land for the term of his natural life. In fact, it was built by convicts as a warehouse and the Australia's first railway station near the place where ships from Hobart unloaded. Later it was converted to a guesthouse where the owners tried to preserve the period atmosphere. Not being an expert on the convict era I can't tell how successful they were in their endeavour but the place did look anachronic. 

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Cruises

Not all cruises start with a stately

procession through Sydney Harbour on board of a towering white ship. The ones we booked in Tasmania began with donning a red waterproof jacket and strapping ourselves to the seats of a yellow speedboat. However, before we were allowed to lay our hands on those jackets we had to wait in a queue for another day. We came to Bruny Island innocently assuming that on a Tuesday, two weeks before school holidays we would be welcome guests at any tourist attraction. No way, José! The whole cruise, all 100 seats, was sold out and we were only offered tickets for the next day. Well, we didn't book the seats in advance because we wanted to keep our schedule flexible, so we got an opportunity to flex it. This is why I was talking about tasty place rather than sea adventures on Day 3.

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Day 3 - Bruny Island - Tasty Places

Smokehouse was the first place we visited on Bruny Island. Pretty much everything we tried there - smoked trout, salmon, sardines, sausages - was delicious. Unfortunately, most of their products had to be kept in a cool place so we couldn't take them with us. Just goes to show that there are places, like Cascade Brewery and that smokehouse, that you have to visit personally to fully enjoy their produce. They also had an impressive drinks bar to accompany their food - I wished there was a taxi service on the island, or at least my wife had a driver's licence.

The next destination was Bruny Island Cheese Company. Our first encounter with their cheeses was at Sydney Good Food and Wine Show earlier that year. Olga was so impressed by the taste that she made it a mandatory stop on our route (and, possibly, planned the whole trip to Tasmania as a pretext). At the tasting counter we weren't picky, tried whatever was offered and weren't disappointed - all cheeses were good - but if I had to choose the best one I would take soft Oen wrapped in vine leaves. It was so delicious that we ate a whole wheel for dinner. There was also a cafe where we bought and immediately devoured a pizza made with local cheese. Strangely, there wasn't quattro formaggi on the menu, a pizza which could be their signature dish.

Discovery: washed rind cheese is hand-washed with salty water daily during its maturation process. I guess, it explains the prices.

2013 Trip to Tasmania - Day 2 - Bruny Island - 43 Degrees

What with scones and towers we nearly missed the 5 pm ferry to Bruny Island. That ferry was the main reason why we chose Bargain Car Rentals - they were the only company that insured a ferry trip to Bruny. The crossing itself took just 15 min but with boarding and disembarking time it added up to half an hour.

The directions to the hotel were:

After disembarking from the ferry at Roberts Point, drive south for approx. 30 klms...

I wondered which road I should take, but I shouldn't have worried - there was just one starting at the ferry wharf. It was called Main Road. As we were going south we passed many places which we intended to visit later - a smokehouse, a cheese company, a chocolate factory and a berry farm. Finally we arrived at 43 Degrees Apartments in Adventure Bay.