A Day in Hobart

We had two things on our To Do List on this visit to Tassie, the train and MONA.  MONA is the brainchild of a rather successful professional gambler.  

MONA seems to divide people in their opinion of the gallery.  They seem to love it or hate it.  We needed to go and have a look for ourselves.

You are allowed to take photos, but not put them on the web.  Also, because it is so subjective, you really need to see it for yourself without being influenced by someone else's photos.

My opinion?  Some I liked, some I didn't.  Does that sound like I'm sitting on the fence?  Despite my thoughts on some of the pieces, you have to admire the creativity of the artists.  We were told the building is amazing.  It is, but once again I think you need to see it for yourself.  We had not seen anything of the building or the displays before visiting and I think the surprise factor is part of the appeal.

We certainly are glad we visited.

By now it was lunch time, so we continued into the heart of the city.  You could see Mt Wellington, but I think you would have been blown away up on top.

Our destination was Joe's Garage.  We had visited here previously and it is rather unusual, as the sign says.

We were on a mission to buy a T-Shirt as a gift, but they had run out, which was disappointing.  We still enjoyed our visit.

As we still had plenty of the day left we headed to the south of the city to visit the Cascade Female Factory.  I've known about this, but hadn't had a chance to visit on previous visits.  I'm glad now, as since we were last here there has been a major change.  The site is now managed but the same people as Port Arthur and has been granted World Heritage status.  The site was deteriorating so it has now been stabilised.  They have also marked out the footprints of the buildings on the ground.

We arrived in time to take a guided tour.  It was definitely worth joining in.

Only a small area of the original footings are on show, as they erode in the weather.  The remainder are buried under the  gravel to be protected.

Conditions here were appalling, being in a cold damp flood prone position.  Over 5,000 women passed through here with up to 1,000 living there at a time.  No one was allowed to speak.  Some were in solitary confinement in total darkness for 23 hours a day for weeks at a time, others had to wear an iron collar as punishment.  Most women had to work long hours either in the commercial laundry or sewing, spinning or weaving.  At least 1,200 babies were born in the prison, with about 900 of those dying there due to malnutrition or diseases now preventable.

Rather imposing walls surround the site.  The new walls go well with the old.

There was even an installation to honour the Rajah Quilt.

It was a very thought provoking museum to visit.  We are so fortunate to live in these times.

Tassie Day 5

The weather yesterday was supposed to be better than on Wednesday.  However, no one told the weather gods in the south west of Tasmania.

Our plan was to leave Strahan and have a better look at Queenstown before continuing east to end up somewhere to be decided.   This is what lay ahead of us.

It was so bleak and wet in Queenstown that we didn't even stop.  We were thankful that we had taken the very brief walking tour the day before, so we at least saw something.  I really wanted to take a picture of the stark moonscape, which is now becoming covered in vegetation, but there was no where to pull over to get a pic.

To our delight, there was a very brief break in the rain when we saw the turn to Iron Blow Lookout.  This was one of the first copper mines in the area.

Them there hills still look rather bleak.  Thank goodness for good wet weather gear.

As you come out of Queenstown you climb a a long, steep windy road known as "99 Bends", although it apparently only has 89 bends now.

The further we went through the wilderness the colder it got, getting down to 13.9 degrees.  This is the same day that it was sweltering hot at home with temperatures reaching th high 30s.  I think I would rather be here.

One thing that we like about travelling is hearing about interesting things to see from fellow travellers.  One of those was "The Wall" near Derwent Bridge.

The Wall is a timber sculpture on both sides of a long wall. It has been going for a decade and is still a work in progress.  No photos were allowed, so do a little Google to find out some more.

We had lunch in the brand spanking new coffee shop which was delicious.  Outside the cafe is a courtyard, which would be a lovely place to sit if the weather was a bit better.

As we travelled further east we finally came to flatter, more populated areas.  What we noticed was how dry it is.  There is actually a bit of a power crisis likely to happen as Tasmania relies on hydro power and all the water storage dams are getting dangerously low.  The backup power cable from Melbourne has also been accidently severed, which doesn't help matters.  Bring on more rain.

We started to see some cute buildings as we rode along.

As it continued to rain on and off all day we made it to New Norfolk, just to the west of Hobart, where we set up camp in the caravan park by the river.  We had a quick wander up the street looking at antique shops.  There are no bargains to be had here. 

Last night the rain eased up, however the wind picked up.  Apparently it reached 90kmh in Hobart, so it would have been similar here, being funnelled along the river.  We are parked under some willow trees, so "Wind in the Willows" had a whole new meaning.

We didn't see as much as we would have liked, but there is nothing you can do about the weather.  We still had a good day, catching up with a few other Ulyssians staying here that we had run into earlier. It is turning into a progressive rally, which is nice.

A Day on The Rails

It rains in the south west of Tasmania for about 300 days each year.  Therefore, the odds of us having a dry day were not good.

Last time we visited Strahan we went on a cruise up the Gordon River, so we decided not to do that this tour.  It had been on a wet day, but that just made the trip rather atmospheric.  We didn't think it detracted from the experience at all.

Months ago we booked to have a day on the West Coast Wilderness Railway and of course the weather forecast ended up predicting the wettest day so far on our travels.  However,  that did not bother us in the least, as it meant we were going to have a day sitting in a nice dry train carriage rather than on a wet bike.  We were very pleased we had booked as we heard of several people who had missed out.

Here is our little train before it left it's shed.

We were greeted with sparkling wine and canapés when we boarded.

The only downside is that photos were going to look like this through the window.

Not to worry, we had a rear balcony that we could stand on.

Now, that's much better.

This railway was built to access the copper mines of Queenstown.  It was a huge gamble and extremely difficult engineering feat to build the track.  

The landscape is rugged, through dense rainforest and the climate is unforgiving, being wet and cold in the winter and often blistering hot in the summer.  

There were also many bridges to build.  You can see the remains of one original bridge lying in the river bed.  All the timbers for sleepers and bridges were cut on site.

We stopped at several little sidings along the way where the train drivers were happy to have their photos taken.

The inner working of the engine were intriguing.

At the halfway point we went for a short rainforest walk.  Fortunately, it has stopped raining at that stage.

We had been following the King River for most of the trip so far, but from here the train had to cross a mountain.  The builders took another gamble and installed some brand new technology, the first rack and pinion rail track in Australia and it remains the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere.  They had only read about it in pamphlets before going ahead and ordering enough for seven miles.

The system uses a rack rail in the centre of the track and a cog system under the engine hooks onto it, pulling the train up the hill.  Otherwise the grade would be too steep and the train would slip on the rails.

It is a slow way to travel and apparently when the train was pulling a load of ore it would travel slower than walking pace.

Once we were under way again it was time for morning tea.

We learnt that no explosives were used in the construction of the train line.  All the cuttings were done manually with pick axes.

This is the reason the train track had to deviate from following the river.  King River Canyon is rather stunning and was a popular picnic spot for the miners - once they had scrambled down the steep bank.

At one little station we were able to have a look in an old gemstone mine.

There was also a bridge over the railway.

Which gave us a birds eye view of the drivers getting the engine watered and oiled for the next stage.  It was surprising how much water was needed during our trip.  The engines originally were wood fuelled. Now they use recycled engine oil. 

Finally, we arrive in Queenstown, just in time for lunch.  It had taken us four hours to make the journey, admittedly with plenty of stops along the way.

Here we were treated to a delicious buffet lunch, with the finest Tasmanian ingredients.  I couldn't go past the steamed salmon.  No photos, as we were too busy eating and chatting to fellow travellers.

Before we left Queenstown we joined in a short heritage waking tour.

Like many mining towns, the main grand buildings were pubs, some of which survive, but a couple are looking rather sorry these days.

The Empire, however, is still in good nick.

How flash is the foyer!  The Blackwood was milled locally, before being shipped to England to be crafted into the magnificent stairway.  A process which took two years.

Meanwhile, it was back on the train for our return journey.  At our first stop we had the opportunity to pan for gold.  A couple of people found a speck, while most left disappointed.  Much like the gold rush days I suspect.

For the trip back to Strahan the engine was at the other end of the train, so instead of seeing a retreating rail line we were able to watch the train drivers at work.  Yes, it was raining again.

Now, you can't let us get hungry again.  This time it was a cheese and fruit plate.

As we passed the King River Gorge again we saw a wedge tailed eagle sitting in a tree.  It was weird being at the same level.

It took just under two years to construct the railway line.  Four men lost their lives, three from rock falls, but not while working, and one fell off a bridge. Not bad considering the work involved.

When the train line was built the only other way to travel from Strahan to Queenstown was on foot and the train was still the only access until the early 1960s when a road was finally put in.  Sadly, in 1963 due to the aging engines, increasing repair costs of the line and the road access, the railway closed.  The first engine to run on the line was also the last.  That engine, along with two others are in use now.

After much lobbying, in 2001 the line was rebuilt, being funded by the Federal Government ($20 million), the State Government ($10 million) and private investment ($5 million).  It reopened in 2002.

We had the best day on the train.  We didn't get back to Strahan until 5.30pm, so it was a long day.  I would recommend it to anyone.  There are half day trips as well, which would also be great.

Tassie day 3

We had a huge day today. We travelled 46kms.

After a rather leisurely start we visited the West Coast Heritage Centre at Zeehan.  We visited here 30 years ago and it has expanded somewhat since then.

Back then I took a photo of Mick on a little rail car.  It is still there and I have taken another pic today. It will be interesting to compare.  The hair colour has changed somewhat.

The main thing I remembered from year museum was a huge cross section of a Huon pine tree that was ancient.  At the different rings it has written on it what was happening in human history at that time.  I was sad to see that it was looking very sorry, weathered and broken.

The  centre featured a lot of mining related history, as that is the main thing in this part of the world, but I found some other items to be interesting.

This is a soft drink bottling machine.

The weird cylinder is the machine that makes blue print plans.

A local man made the above machine.  It is a wire mattress making machine.  It was recently restored by local apprentices.

There was a mini bed showing what it can do.

I dare say this will be the only lighthouse I find inside a building.  It is the lens from the Bonnet Island lighthouse.

The Gaiety Theatre is now a part of the complex.  They had silent movies running.

In the entry foyer they had old posters looking a treat.

There was a gallery showcasing some of the pioneer women of the area with a nice collection of old clothes.

Outside there were some more interesting items.  I think this boat would need a little work before setting sail.

This unusual train was used up until the 80s to transport miners down a mine.

What mining museum would be complete without one of these reaching into the sky.

 

Here is the Gaiety Theatre from the outside.

The three above buildings are all a part of the centre.  Well worth visiting.

By now it was lunch time, so time to make the big trip to Strahan.

We are set up in a very busy caravan park, in a nice protected little corner.  There is not a bed or camp site vacant in Strahan tonight.  Thank goodness we booked before we left home.

We had a lazy afternoon.  I did a little stitching before we went for a walk into town.  It is pretty along the waterfront on the way in.

The things you see in the park.

In town we had a general wander around. There was an old saw on display, milling Huon pine.  It was fascinating to watch.  Just a tad slower than today's mills, but definitely an improvement on the pit saws that they replaced.

And that is it for today.  

We had a very social dinner tonight at the cafe at the front of the caravan park, chatting to fellow Ulyssians, travellers we had previously met along the way and others that came along.  A nice way to finish off the day.