Tasmania – Discover the Devil in You!

Tasmania (home of the Devils!) has a population of 500,000 (about the size of Iceland). And like Iceland, most of the population is concentrated in one city (in this case, two). You’d never think Hobart (the capital of Tassie) is a city, as it has a small town feel. It has a very old-world European essence to it. But it’s a sailor’s town. I quite liked it, very quaint, and pleasing to the eye. Most of the population lives in Hobart, because most of Tasmania, an island-state off of Australia’s South-Eastern coast, is a nature reserve. The feel of Hobart also reminded me of Reykjavik. (While you can probably see the parallels already noted, it’s interesting to note that Iceland is very close to the Artic Circle, while Tasmania is very close to Antarctica, very close, yet very far. Maybe that explains the similarities (am I blowing anybody’s mind yet?) (And now that I think about it, I realize I’ve been to both ends of the world; top and bottom! And side to side, I suppose.) Australia makes my fourth continent. But I diverge. Hobart was an incredible sight, because it is completely surrounded by mountains and water. And cute little houses line the mountains in a colorful array. And every home has a garden, with fresh flowers growing and white picket fences. I had a lovely relaxing time in Hobart. I walked around the “city” for several hours (that’s really all you need), and then I watched There’s Something About Mary and Pulp Fiction in my hotel room (they had a complimentary DVD collection to borrow from.)

Incidentally, the hotel I stayed at in Hobart, The Hadley, was the same hotel that Amundson, the first man to successfully reach the South Pole (we read a play about this in Forms of Drama class) stayed at upon return from the Pole. He claimed the rooms were too small and they treated him like a tramp. After a shower and shave he went to the post office to announce to the world of his victory in reaching the pole/returning alive.

The next day I flew back to Melbourne, because I wanted to see more of the sights, and staying in Hobart was too expensive.