Tasmania (or as the Aussies lovingly call it, Tassy)

Hey All!

Next up in my adventures was a weekend trip to Tasmania.  Tasmania is an island state in Australia (although many mainland Aussies think it should be its own country!) located just south of the mainland.  Being south, it was a bit colder than Wollongong but had beautiful autumn colors!  Here is a map of the lovely Tasmania:  We stayed in Hobart, which is along the south coast.

Our first day there was spent roaming around the Salamanca markets.  They are held only once a week on Sundays and go for about 8 blocks along one street in Hobart.  There was a variety of things sold there including dresses, bone necklaces, Ugg slippers (not the brand name...they don't really have that in Australia), and tons of decorative things for houses.  Below is a pic:

Right next to the markets was this really cute little park that reminded me of NYC in the fall. :)

Being along the coast, Hobart has many harbours.  Here is a pic of one we walked by on our way into town in the morning:
On our second day there, we decided to hire a bus to drive us up the tallest mountain there called Mount Wellington.  We were so high up that we were above the clouds!  (And it was FREEZING!)
On the way back down, we stopped at a natural mountain waterfall for a drink. :)
That afternoon, we headed into Battery Point.  A very quaint little area of town full of parks and shops.  Here is a pic the nearby harbour:
And finally...that night we ended up going on a ghost tour!  As Tasmania is where the convicts were first dropped off at when they were brought over from England, there are many historic buildings in the area.  One was called the penitentiary chapel, where convicts were brought for church and court!  Our tour guide was the creepiest man...perfect for the job!  Also...the lighting in the rooms seemed to be quite strange.  My camera didn't have any waterspots or anything on the lens but ended up coming out with these little light flecks in many of the pics (maybe ghosts!).
The next day was our last day in Tassy, so we decided to go and do a brewery tour!  We visited Cascade Brewery- the oldest brewery in Australia, dating back to the early 1800's.  They taught us all about how they make beer and gave a taste of some of their best!
Finally, we had to say goodbye to Tassy and go back to Wollongong.  It was a quick trip but definitely worth it!  There are so many beautiful things to see in Tasmania, I think I could have stayed a week.

Last but not least, here is a pic of me in my normal travel-wear: huge backpacking pack on, and Lonely Planet book in hand!

Hope you enjoyed my tales of Tassy!

Caitlin