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| The Crew - Franklin, Tasmania |
For this holiday season, I decided to spend a week “down under” in the Australian state of Tasmania. Last spring, I visited Christian in the Netherlands. After finding out that he was building a wooden boat for a festival in Tassie, I decided to drop in on him again and see a bit of the country.
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| Exit to New World |
The flight to Hobart, Tasmania was, actually, quite pleasant. I had purchased a package deal, flying Delta and Virgin Australia. Charlie had given me a sleeping pill for each way while chatting at the Commons coffee place in Langley. This came in very handy on the flight and certainly helped reduce my jet lag. For international flights, I will always bring something to help me get a few extra winks.
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| Selfie Entrance - Bite of Tasmania |
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| Resting After Race - Hobart Harbor |
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| Working Boats - Hobart Harbor |
Christian’s friend Gordon picked me up at the Hobart airport and took Christian and I to his place. Shortly after arriving, we walked down to the waterfront and had food at the Bite of Tasmania. At that point, I knew that I had arrived at a wonderful time of year. After experiencing a Wallaby drumstick, we took a look at the Sydney to Hobart sailboat race that was currently going on. The evening ended back at Gordon and his wife Anita’s place, helping with a home brew bottling job. They were kind enough to offer a wonderful steak, homemade bread and salad for dinner.
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| The Transfer |
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| Clean Finish |
The following day, Christian and I left Anita and Gordon’s place and hiked the Hobart Rivulet Walk to the Cascade Brewery. We caught up over a beer, then walked back downtown to meet his partner, Cat, who had just flown in from the Netherlands. After welcoming her back, we hauled her bicycle and belongings up to Anita and Gordon’s place. This resulted in quite a lot of sweat, which prompted many stops under shade trees. Later, Nathan, Ginny and David (Christian’s coworkers and graduates of the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building) picked us all up in their van and took us to the shared house they were staying in outside of Franklin, a thirty-minute drive southwest of Hobart.
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| The Drag |
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| Posing |
On New Year’s Eve, we woke mid morning, ate, packed and jumped in the van for a road trip to Launceston. To contribute, I cleaned up the kitchen before leaving. Sometimes. When you’re living in someone else’s space, it can be hard to find ways to help.
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| New Year's Elves - Launceston, Tasmania |
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| Loud Pipes - Irish Pub |
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| Polaroid New Year - Launceston, Tasmania |
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| Late Morning - Launceston, Tasmania |
The city of Launceston was holding its annual Beer Festival. Many local Tasmanian brewers had gathered and sold their current brews. After dropping our things in a shared hotel room, we walked down to the festival. Lines were long, and we struck out for a local pub after trying a few. We returned to the festival after dark to listen to a Daft Punk cover band and watch fireworks explode at midnight. As the night was still young, the group swung back to the Irish pub we visited previously and were delighted to witness a skilled bagpipe band. “Scotland the Brave” certainly caused goosebumps and stirred an ancient feeling. Things went somewhat downhill after the DJ played “If I Could Turn Back Time” and a cover band took over...
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| Doing Something Done (Daft Punk Cover) - Launceston, Tasmania |
The next morning, our drive back to Franklin was somewhat leisurely as we decided to take the scenic route south. Christian and I selected soft rock hits that were composed primarily in the 80’s. Acceptance was appreciated.
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| Swansea Bite |
Mid-trip, we briefly stopped at the seaside town of Swansea, where I walked down to the beach for a snooze. Cat was kind enough to wake me up with a juicecicle. We boarded the van and moved south to Hobart for the Bite of Tasmania. Returning to Franklin, I met Richard, the owner of the shared house, whose home I was staying at. I’m forever grateful for his hospitality.
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| The Drawbacks of Driving |
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| The Wonders of Tassie Link |
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| Relaxed View (Tassie Link) - Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Area 52 (Upstairs) - Hobart, Tasmania |
After New Years, the boat crew went back to work. Cat and I walked and, later, hitchhiked to Huonville. The puppy in the back seat of the car licked most of the sunscreen off the right side of my face. In Huonville, we caught the bus to Hobart where we spent the day. After a lunch at the Bite, naps were taken on the grass at Franklin Square Park. Waking up, I felt just a touch ill from the chocolate mousse I had previously eaten. While Cat shopped on Elizabeth Street, I headed to Area 52, a comic / fantasy / game shop up the street. There, I bought a Dungeons and Dragons book of collected art for Christian. Cat and I met back up and caught the Tassie Link bus back to Franklin. The driver was kind enough to stop us by our road for a short walk up the hill to Richard’s place. For dinner, Nathan made pizza and Richard offered home brew. I cleaned the kitchen after all was consumed.
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| Official Stop (Tassie Link) - Franklin, Tasmania |
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| Forever Searching (Tasmanian Devil) - Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery |
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| What Should Be - Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery |
After spending time with the group for several days, it was time to go solo for a day. I started the morning with yoga, then walked down the hill and caught the bus to Hobart for a little exploring. There, I visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibitions on native Tasmanians and the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) were fascinating. Does the marsupial still exist in the wild?
I searched for a store that sold Settlers of Catan, to no avail. I had hoped to offer this game to the group and possibly play a round.
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| Rockin' (Easy Browns) - The Next Door |
Christian sent me a message that there was live music playing at The Next Door bar in Franklin starting in the early evening. I hopped a bus that let me off in Huonville and walked the eight kilometers to the venue. Christian, Cat and Ginny showed up later and we chatted while the first band warmed up, catching the later part of the performance. Christian brought me a lunch pail of food which I was extremely grateful for. I was particularly impressed by the final act, The Easy Browns. They had a punk feel and would fit right into the Seattle music scene.
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| Warm Wind |
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| Docking - MONA |
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| Deep Interior (Cello) - MONA |
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| Falling Water - MONA |
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| Eating with Turrell - MONA |
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| It's Full of Stars... - MONA |
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| Oil Perspective - MONA |
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| Grotto - MONA |
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| Looking Up (Surprise) - MONA |
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| Bar Perspective - MONA |
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| Collaborative Effort (Novices with Heart) - MONA |
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| Military Exit - MONA |
On my final day, the group took a van to Hobart, then caught a catamaran to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). This experiential museum was delightfully engaging and we spent the majority of the day absorbed in thought. I found James Turrell’s work particularly interesting.
Returning by catamaran, we walked to Anita and Gordon’s place for snacks and home brew. I can’t believe how generous these two were to me on this trip. Later, Gordon, Christian, Cat and I made a short walk downtown to a local pub, then walked back up the hill for bed.
As a final act of kindness, Anita drove me to the airport after offering breakfast and hot tea. Not having to check a bag, I was able to obtain my boarding pass and move directly to the gate.
I loved this week-long trip, and certainly hope to come back to Australia again. There is so much more to explore on this part of the planet.
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| End Memory - Hobart, Tasmania |
