To Tassie!

The alarm woke us early, very early, at 5am. To be honest, neither of us had slept well and were awake well before the alarm.

The taxi arrived about five minutes early and we we whisked away to the delights of Kingsford-Smith Domestic.

For once, Jetstar took off on time and, about two hours later, landed in a large field on the outskirts of Hobart, which purports to be the airport.

While Alicea waited for the suitcase, I went and sorted out a hire car an very soon we were on our way to Port Arthur, the penal colony.

Once we were there, we went on a cruise out into the harbour to hear some of the history and to get a closer look at the Isle of the Dead (where the deceased prisoners were buried) and Point Peur, the boys' prison.

The cruise was about 20 minutes and was included in the price, as was a 40 minute introductory tour.

After the cruise, we grabbed a pie and chips to eat before meeting up for the introductory tour. This tour basically gave a bit of history about the layout of the place and a very brief overview of the reasoning behind its building. We also heard a few tails about the convicts.

After the tour, we had a wander around the main buildings. A lot of the buildings are now in ruins, due to bush fires and falling into disrepair, but it is still possible to get a feel for the place. After it ceased being a prison, part of it was turned into an hotel and part (the asylum) was used as council offices..!

We then went back to Taranna to see if Alicea's brother Mick was at home. Unfortunately, he wasn't so we took a picture and posted it on Facebook to prove that we had been there. We then went to the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Center nearby. It was $32 each to get it, which was extortionate for what was there. There were a few enclosures with Devils in, some Quolls, some birds of prey and som wallabies and Roos. I know that these places cost a fair bit to run, but we did feel a bit ripped off.

We drove back to Hobart and checked into the Collins Hotel. We then went looking for a restaurant that had been recommended to us, only to find that it had shut down. We then went to another place on the docks called "Mures" that was really nice. We shared a huge seafood platter which was lovely and I tried a Tassie single malt which was quite nice but different to the Scotch's I'm used to.

From there, we walked back to the hotel where we retired for the night.