Hooray for Hobart

Last September, while visiting New Zealand, Garry and I offered to take my brother Matt and sister-in-law, Shelley, on a tour of our favourite haunts in Tasmania. A few wines that evening may have been a party to the proposal. However, we all agreed it was a sterling idea and made plans for an Easter vacation.

Getting to Tasmania has become much easier for Kiwis since Air New Zealand introduced direct flights to Hobart from Auckland last year. I recall almost two decades ago; the airline briefly operated a weekly service from Christchurch to Hobart. The route was ultimately short-lived and was discontinued in 1998.

I mapped out a week-long itinerary that delivered a full circuit of the island state with plenty of time to rest and relax along the way. Our schedule included two nights in Hobart, a night at Lake St Clair, and three nights at Cradle Mountain, before returning to Hobart for a final night.

 
As luck would have it, we were able to book flights that saw both couples arriving in Hobart within 40 minutes of each other. In the end, despite landing after them, Garry and I made it to baggage claim about ten minutes ahead of the international travellers. We then collected our rental car, went shopping for some decadent wines and cheese accompaniments, and made our way into town.

I decided we should kick off our vacation in style. Hence, I booked us into the MACq Hotel on Hobart’s waterfront. Our rooms featured a bank of windows and a balcony, offering uninterrupted views of the harbour, central Hobart, and the surrounding hills. The weather also played its part. We enjoyed relatively clear skies for much of our stay.

We spent the final hours of daylight on our first day enjoying a late lunch on the waterfront, before making our way to the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery to see its Tasmanian Tiger exhibit. Dinner that night was at the hotel’s Frogmore Creek restaurant. 

We discovered that the hotel's restaurant was operated by a local winery. After enjoying a few of their finest bottles, we decided to pay them a visit the following morning and load up on extra bottles for the week ahead. There's nothing quite like a quick wine tasting after breakfast? I suspect Frogmore Creek's Dry Riesling will become a pantry staple in our household.

Our first full day in Tasmania was devoted to exploring Tasmania’s infamous Port Arthur penal colony. Once again, the weather played its part. Showers were forecast. However, in the end, we enjoyed nothing more than grey skies, calm waters, and relatively mild temperatures  - with just the odd misty drizzle patch. 

Garry and I managed to squeeze in a few highlights that I don't recall seeing on our first visit a decade ago. This included a boat ride around Carnarvon Bay. I found it rather moving looking back at the penal colony's sandstone structures reflected in the bay's still waters. Such a serene landscape seemed at odds with the human suffering that defines this place.

Likewise, it was a moving experience walking through the abandoned shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe. It was here, and in the surrounding grounds, that the Port Arthur massacre took place on 28 April 1996. I recall the rolling news coverage at the time, and recall being stunned by headlines reporting the death of 35 innocent people. The former cafe and its grounds have been converted into a calm, reflective memorial garden. It's hard to believe it's been 17 years since this diabolical event.

Matt and Shelley loved the experience. Both said Port Arthur was a highlight of their entire vacation. Garry and I also made good use of our insider knowledge while on the Tasman Peninsula, squeezing in a few classic tourist highlights along the way. This included a quick visit to the Tasman Arch and neighbouring Devils Kitchen, the Dog Line, and the Tessellated Pavement rock platform. Dinner that night was a superb affair of boat-fresh seafood at Blue Eye Seafood overlooking Hobart harbour.