Tasmania trip - Part 1

Came home early from gift and CNY shopping today, so I thought I could blog a little about my recent trip to Australia. Been quite some time since I came back, but had no time to write about it.

So here it is, a summary of my trip in Tasmania, just the first few days. :)

Day 1 - Arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine airport. Connect to domestic flight with Jetstar to fly to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. Bear in mind that there are certain restrictions on the interstate quarantine from Australia mainland to Tasmania. They are quite strict with these (I didn't know about this before my first trip to Tasmania back in 2010 and upon arriving in Hobart airport, I had to throw away all the fresh fruits I brought in from Melbourne =.=), so check this out before planning your shopping and trip. :) -Australia Domestic Quarantine-

Arrived in Hobart at about 5pm-ish, got my car rental settled, and since it's the end of spring, the sun sets quite late at about 7-8pm. We head up to Mount Nelson which offers beautiful views over the city and it only takes about 20mins from the city to get up there.

from Mt Nelson

 me & mummy

 views of the city

 the signal station

Had my dinner at Fish Frenzy, Sullivans Cove. "Arguably the best fish and chips in Australia", that's their tagline. This place is open till 9pm.

 views of the pier, next to Fish Frenzy

 Beer battered-fish AUD16.50

 fish frenzy for AUD17

 fish and chips - the chips are separately ordered. AUD14.00 and chips AUD5.00

opening times

the counter for ordering

The fish are really fresh and the portion is big (well, for me and my mum, it is). If you're opting for something less oilier do try their grill fish. I personally thinks that the batter for the fish is a bit on the thick side, but the fresh fish fillet makes up for it. The view at the pier during sunset is also amazing. There are also few other eateries at the Elizabeth Street Pier apart from Fish Frenzy.

Day 2 - Since it's a Saturday, I head down to the famous Salamanca market. There are so many things to see and buy - you'll probably lost track of time. Everything you want to buy from souvenirs to dairy products, desserts, handmade items.. etc are available here.

So many amazing things to see here and the stall owners are so friendly too. Some of their crafts are just fantastic, pretty little things. Had a wonderful time at the market.

Breakfast at Machine Laundry Cafe. A small shop at Salamanca Square which serves good breakfast and coffee. This place is very unique, you'll see why in my posted photos here. ^^

Coincidentally on the same day, Myer is having their annual Christmas Pageant parade, there are so many participants ranging from school children to government bodies like the Fire Department.

cute~

In the afternoon, we head down to Port Arthur Historic site. The journey to Port Arthur took about 1.5hours from the city. It is one of the must-go attraction in Tasmania, where it features the history of Australian convict site. We took the Bronze pass - good enough for a half day tour of the place which include a walking and a cruise tour.

By the end of the tour, you'll get a lot of information on the history of the convicts in Australia, lot of beautiful scenery and get to see the ruins of buildings which remained.

The tickets can be reserved earlier or can be bought directly from their tourist centre.
For more information: www.portarthur.org.au

Here are some of the photos taken:

We stayed about 3-4 hours at Port Arthur which should give you sufficient time to join the walking tour and the cruise plus some additional time to walk around on your own. We went to the Eaglehawk Neck on the way back to the city. Here, we saw the Dogline and the Tessellated Pavement.

A line of ferocious dogs and detachment of military guards once kept a constant watch along the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck. They were on the lookout for escaped convicts from Port Arthur. Any break of the scrub, movement or slightest noise would set the hounds barking and alert the sentries. Dogs were also placed on stages out in the water to detect absconders attempting a sea crossing. They made an impassable barrier. (information from http://www.eaglehawkneck.com/history.htm)

no more dogs there

I cant help but to feel sad for the dogs who are tied along this 'neck' to be on guard at all time.

And at Eaglehawk neck, I also get to see a rare type of natural erosion - a formation of  a regular pattern of rectangular boxes usually called the Tessellated Pavement. These pieces of rocks looked as if they were man-made but it is not. This erosion only occurs near sea coasts and it is found only in very few locations across the globe. One of the popular and accessible one is in Eaglehawk neck.

 amazing creation

There is a walking track with signs leading to Tessellated Pavement and thereafter there are steps leading down to the rock. 

For dinner, we head back to the city and had our meals at Burger Got Soul on Sandy Bay road. A very good place for burgers :)

 I remember added an egg to my Soul burger

 Breezy Brie (AUD 12.90) - chicken breast burger

I think it was Soul Burger (AUD10.50) - beef burger

They used 100% lean beef and their chicken burgers are pure free range. We get to choose the type of bread which comes with out burger - they have wholemeal, Turkish, traditional white and gluten free ones. The burger is big and satisfying - really good. They serve pretty good milkshakes too.

Ahh.. looking back at all the yummy food makes me hungry. ^^ 

Time to catch some sleep.. 

....to be continued.....