Our sea crossing was a rather rolling affair, with more than one shuddering crash jolting me awake in the night. The captain clearly took his time as we finally arrived in Melbourne an hour later than scheduled. However, Garry and I were happy to have an extra sleep in. Two weeks earlier, the 4:45am wake-up on our voyage south was a rather unpleasant shock to the system.
Today's late arrival also made it much easier to find a decent cafe in St Kilda. Nothing decent is ever open before 7:00am. By the time we'd parked the car, Rococo, a local institution, was open. We stopped for a hearty breakfast before hitting the road. I enjoyed a smashed avocado and poached egg combination, seasoned with basil and pomodoro tomatoes. After numerous cafes supplying hot breakfasts for weeks, I was keen to try anything other than bacon and eggs. This avocado combination was a refreshing change.
The hotel and fledgling community began construction in 1843. The venture was financed by Scottish entrepreneur Benjamin Boyd. He purchased a large property on the foreshore as a base for his Steamship Company, which operated paddle-steamers between Sydney, Twofold Bay and Hobart.
The first building erected in Boydtown was the "Seahorse Inn", named after one of Boyd's steamboats. The foundations were constructed of sandstone imported from Sydney, and the rest of the building from locally made bricks and hardwood and with cedar and oak fixtures imported from England. The hotel was built with convict labour but was never fully finished.
Boyd ultimately went bankrupt and disappeared soon after in the Solomon Islands. The hotel fell into ruin but was subsequently restored by a local builder in the 1950s. A second renovation was completed in 2007. It's somewhat ironic that the final day of our Tasmanian road trip should find us staying in another hotel with links to the island state and its convict heydays.
One final image. I can assure you, I didn't drink the empties in the background. What you see here are the leftovers from a ruckus crowd that greeted us when checking in. Despite the hotel pitching itself as a luxury boutique hotel, we were greeted on arrival by a rowdy, drunken crowd from the neighbouring caravan park. They'd commandeered every available table and chair in the joint and were having a wild time.
As best I can tell, they'd invaded en masse to watch a football game. Then, minutes after it ended, everyone vanished, leaving behind tables littered with empties that the bar staff seemed disinclined to collect. I've no issue with anyone having fun. However, you can't pitch your hotel as an upmarket venue, charge a premium room rate, and then greet your guests with a scene that's more frat party than charming coastal retreat. Just saying!
Location: Boydtown Park Road, Australia
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