Tag Archives: Travel

Visiting Hobart, Tasmania — photos of The Taste Festival and Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

My family stayed in Hobart over the New Year period in 2010. We had a great time visiting the The Taste Festival, watching the boats arrive from the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, and watching the New Years’ Eve fireworks over the Derwent River. We also took a day trip to Port Arthur Historic Site, but that is the subject of a separate story. Hobart was our second base that we used to explore Tasmania. Our first … more »

Tasmania Zoo in Launceston, Tasmania — photos

We took our children to visit Tasmania Zoo in Launceston, Tasmania. The zoo has a large variety of wildlife — apparently the largest collection of native and exotic animals in Tasmania. While my photos do not show it, birds are a large part of the zoo’s collection of animals. The animals of interest to my family were the Tasmanian Devils. The zoo has a breeding program aimed at combating the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), which … more »

Visiting Platypus House and Seahorse World — photos

We decided to drive from Launceston to Green’s Beach, taking in some of the local tourist attractions along the way. Several people had told us that we just had to take the kids to see the echidnas at Platypus House located on Inspection Head Wharf in Flinders Street at Beauty Point. We joined a tour and saw the platypus. I did not manage to get any photos of the platypus. We then entered the Echidna Garden. We were all … more »

Cataract Gorge Reserve in Launceston, Tasmania — photos

Being a couple of thousand kilometres from home for Christmas day had certain advantages — we did not need to spend Christmas with family! Instead, we packed a Christmas lunch of turkey sandwiches, fruitcake and some drinks, and made our way to Cataract Gorge Reserve. This is a lovely location and very popular with the locals. The water in First Basin is deep and very cold. However, there is always the heated swimming … more »

Visiting Launceston, Tasmania and Bridgestowe Estate Lavender Farm — photo

After settling in to our accommodation, we went for a walk around the Launceston CBD, including The Quadrant and The Mall. My three year old and six year old easily managed a leisurely stroll around the CBD — Launceston is a small city. A recurring theme in Tasmania is the lack of children’s play equipment in parks. There was a play ground in Queens Park and a few swings in another park, but apart … more »

Camping at Devonport Discovery Holiday Park — on the edge of Bass Strait

My most memorable night camping on my Brisbane to Tasmania road trip was spent in the Devonport Discovery Holiday Park. The holiday park is situated on the edge of Bass Strait at the mouth of the Mersey River at Devonport. I arrived at the Devonport Discovery Holiday Park after office hours. The park management are obviously used to people arriving after office hours off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry — my booking information and site location was placed … more »

Crossing Bass Strait from Melbourne to Devonport on the Spirit of Tasmania

I was looking forward to crossing Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania from Melbourne to Devonport.  Bass Strait has a reputation for being rough. I was disappointed to find that on the day I crossed, Bass Strait was an effective mill pond with tiny one metre swells. Even so, several people became queasy with the slow rocking motion of the boat. The boat had obviously been through some storms over the years … more »