Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I

If you had asked me if Tasmania was on my bucket list a few years ago, I might have said no, or at least not been sure. But since I started to have more to do with it at work, I was more than sure I wanted to go – all those photos and that nature I had been talking about to journalists was something I definitely wanted to experience myself. When the chance came along to accompany a press trip to Tasmania, I was thrilled that I could join.

One week in Tasmania

Sunday morning, 9:00 AM in Munich – way too early for a weekend, but I am already checked in and ready to go. And to be honest a little nervous about if I will have problems finding the group at the airport in Abu Dhabi before boarding the next flight to Melbourne. Luckily, none of the two flights is very crowded and I figure quickly that finding the group is not a problem at all. When we arrive in Melbourne, we are super happy to get to spend one night at the hotel before boarding the flight to Hobart as it has been a long day for all of us.

Day 1 – Bruny Island & Hobart

When we arrive at the national airport in Hobart, we meet our guide Lorraine for the upcoming week. Luckily, the jetlag is not too bad as we already got one good night of sleep in Melbourne, so we are ready for the first stop: Bruny Island! A good spot to see some wildlife such as wild wallabies (and apparently the only place in the world where you get to see wild white wallabies). After a short busdrive and a trip on the ferry, we are on the island and drive to Adventure Bay where we will do a boat trip. Unfortunately, the waves are pretty high (about six meters), so the guides there tell us to not join if we get seasick easily – two of our group decide, to go for a walk instead. The rest of us enjoys a pretty bumpy but beautiful boat trip with some very good views of the coast of Bruny Island. However, we need to turn back earlier than expected because of the high waves and one passenger (nobody from our group though) getting sick. This gives us some time to explore the island by foot. We decide to go for a short walk, on which we spot the first wallabies and even a white one!

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - BrunyIsland 3

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - BrunyIsland 4

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - BrunyIsland 2

When getting on the bus again, we decide to go for another short stop at a view point which is super nice, too. All in all, this was the perfect first day! After we get off the ferry, we all get super tired due to the jetlag and almost all fall asleep. When arriving in Hobart, we decide to go for another short walk to see some part of the city and get an idea of it, before heading to the hotel.

Day 2 – Mona

The second day in Tasmania starts early for me due to jetlag. Instead of doing nothing or watching some series, I decide to try the gym at the hotel. Good start of the day! After a really good breakfast, we visit a whisky distillery close to Hobart. We learn a lot about the history of whisky in Tasmania, and about how distilling was forbidden for 150 years. In the afternoon, we visit the Mona, which is one of my highlights in Tasmania. The Museum of Old and New Art is the biggest private art exhibition in Australia, and let’s put it like this: founder David Walsh has a…special taste in what he wants to put on display. From the artificial cloaca that gets fed and poops twice a day to a guy who’s sitting there a few hours a day to show visitors the tattoo on his back…it’s fascinating. I loved an indigenous artwork the most which consists of over 1,600 individual paintings and so big it has to be displayed on a purpose-built wall. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos to show here, but have a look at the website to get an impression.

Day 3 – Wall in the Wilderness & Strahan

On day 3, we have to leave Hobart to drive through to the west of the country. When boarding the bus in the morning, the next stop is going to be the Wall in the Wilderness. It is an unfinished artwork, a big wooden wall showing the history of the settlers in Tasmania. All those details are really impressive, especially seeing the unfinished parts and where the artist started. After lunch, we drive through to Lake St. Clair and visit Pumphouse Point. The old pump house has been converted into a luxury hide away. The view from the rooms and the rooms themselves are super nice and I would love to just stay here for the rest of the day and maybe a night or two.

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - PumphousePoint

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - PumphousePoint 2

When we get back on the bus to continue our tour, everybody is a little sleepy – sad to not look at the nature outside, but at some point we all fall asleep. Good for us, too, because when we arrive in Strahan later that day, we are visiting a theatre play! It’s called The Ship that never was and it tells the story of the former prisoners on Sarah Island and their try to escape the bad conditions. It is funny because the audience has to play along and the two actors improvise a lot.

Travel Diary: One Week in Tasmania | Part I - Strahan 1

Before going to bed later that night, I just have a quick glance to the sky. It is amazing how many stars you can see up there when in Tasmania compared to what I see when I’m at home – barely none. It’s the perfect way to end the day.

Have you ever been to Tasmania? And what did you do or visit there?

Alex

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