A traveller's reflection: 03 Tasmania: Hobart

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Saturday, 2 September 2023

03 Tasmania: Hobart - Port Arthur

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined..." - Henry David Thoreau

(The historical site of Port Arthur)

Day 03: 22 August 23 (Tuesday)

Route: Hobart - Port Arthur - Eaglehawk Neck
Distance: 100 km
Hotel: Lufra Hotel, Eaglehawk Neck

(Ready for our road trip on a cloudy day)

Breakfast was cereal, coffee and fruit juice. Checked out by 8:30 am and headed towards Hobart Mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque was locked. Hobart mosque was first located at Proctors Rd then Fitzroy Rd before it moved to the present location at Warwick St. The mosque was officiated by Tan Sri Effendi Norwawi, the then Minister of Agriculture of Malaysia in October 2021.

(A brief history of Hobart Mosque)

(The mosque is perched on higher ground)

(The entrance to the prayer hall)

(The mosque was locked)

(The mosque minaret and signage)

We drove to Elizabeth Mall to purchase another Optus starter pack for A$15 and got it activated on-line. Elizabeth Street Mall is a pedestrian street mall in Hobart. It is located on Elizabeth Street between Collins Street and Liverpool Street. Elizabeth Street Mall is well known as a popular congregation and performance area within the city. It has 64m2 of sheltered, level paved outdoor space.

(A red Combi on the roof)

(A fish out of water)

(Looking for the Optus outlet)

(Taking a rest with a pet dog)

Drove to Port Arthur, about 100 km from Hobart to visit Port Arthur Historic Site. The direct drive was about an hour and half in normal traffic. It was a straightforward route with clear signages the whole way. We drove on the Tasman Highway then in Sorell we drove on the A9 all the rest of the way to Port Arthur.

(Beautiful scenery along the way)

(Beware of wild animals)

(Tasmanian Devils Unzoo Sanctuary)

The entry tickets was A$47 per pax inclusive of the Harbour Cruise. Port Arthur is a village and historic site in southern Tasmania. Sitting on the Tasman Peninsula, it was a 19th century penal settlement and is now an open-air museum.

(Port Arthur Historic Site)

(The briefing area and a small museum)

(Catching the convict and solving the puzzle)

Ruins include the huge penitentiary and the remaining shell of the Convict Church, which was built by inmates. Solitary confinement cells in the separate prison building were used to inflict mental punishment in place of floggings.

(A 19th- century penal settlement)

(An open-air museum)

(A huge penitentiary remains)

(Buildings were built by inmates)

(Feel the past and experience the present)

(The prison colony was closed in 1877)

(Beautiful meticulously kept landscape)

(Best preserved convict site in Australia)

Every admission ticket to Port Arthur includes a harbour cruise. We had a 20-minute ferry ride around Mason Cove and Carnarvon Bay. A walking tour of either Point Puer Boys’ Prison or the Isle of the Dead will be extra. It rained cats and dogs when we went on the cruise.

(The complimentary harbour cruise)

(Vibrant flowers in the gardens)

We had a light lunch at the Cafe before we drove to Eaglehawk Neck and checked in Lufra Hotel. Lufra Hotel offers direct access to the beach and is in the historical district and within a 5-minute walk to The Tessellated Pavement and State Reserve. There are many attractions around the area.

After solat we drove to Tasman Blowhole and Fossil Bay lookout. The Blowhole is where waves passing through a tunnel in a rocky point and spray up like whale spouts. Above the Blowhole, we hiked a short distance to the lookout point of Fossil Bay to enjoy the views of the dramatic coastline.

(Bushwalking a short distance to the Blowhole)

(A brief description of the Blowhole)

(Waiting patiently for the water to spout)

Fossil Bay Lookout stands beside some of the Tasman Peninsula’s most visited geological formations. The lookout is renowned for its sweeping ocean views and impressive dolerite cliffs. When the seas are rough, huge swells pound the coastline and create impressive displays of white spray.

(A beautiful sunset at the Tasman Peninsula)

(Fossils deposited to create stunning set of cliff)

(Observing cliff's rock strata up close)

We missed visiting Tasman Arch, a tunnel created by waves and the Devils kitchen, a 60m deep rugged cliff where the Great Southern Ocean crash and swirl around the base. It was sunset when we hiked to the life-size bronze replica of one of the infamous ferocious dogs once guarded the Tasman Peninsula from escaping convicts. The statue is located near the local Community Hall.