We have had an interesting couple of days. On Saturday, we visited the weekly Salamanca Markets in Hobart, and then visited the historic town of Richmond in the afternoon. Today we took the Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise.
I’ll start with the Markets. Shopping is not really my thing, I was amazed at how many vendors there were (over 300) and how many visitors were all crowded into the same area. It was a difficult place to negotiate, especially for a white cane user.
We spent a pleasant afternoon at Richmond. The pastries at the local bakery were excellent and we had lunch sitting in the warm sunshine. We toured the heritage goal, the oldest in Australia, but I feel the $12 admission per person was a bit much for what was there. I wondered how anyone could have survived the cruel and inhumane conditions of the penal system in the early days of the colony.
We wondered around the exterior of St. Luke’s, the earliest Anglican Church in Australia. The stone marker was dated 1834 but some work must have been done and there are improvements to the original structure. From here it was only another hour or so south to Port Arthur.
On Sunday afternoon the rain began. Fortunately, we were able to complete most of the Tasman Island cruise before the rain began. The cruise was three hours in an open sided boat in choppy seas. We were issued with red rain gear and anti-nausea pills, and were told to fasten our seat belts before we headed out to open water.
Lyle enjoyed the cruise, especially the rough water bits, although we did get a bit wet. He saw lots of seals, a variety of birds including two albatross and several eagles, and of course, the whales. I could feel the spray and taste the salt on my lips. Even though I couldn’t see the wildlife, I’m glad I did the cruise.
We are back in our warm, cozy motel. It is still raining as I write this, but tomorrow is another day - a driving day for us as we had north to Launceston.
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| Sue in front of St Luke's Anglican Church in Australia |
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