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.

And Back to Melbourne!

I got lucky with better weather the second time around in Melbourne. This allowed me to see more of the city. This time, I stayed out in St. Kilda (which is even farther removed from the city center) in a Backpacker’s lodging. It didn’t quite have the same charm as The Albany, but it was a roof over my head. Melbourne is known for it’s Tram system, which makes it relatively easy to get to the city from just about anywhere. (Though I’d need more time to fully understand and navigate the tram system.) St. Kilda is past South Yarra, and near the beach. On my first night back, I walked to the beach and stuck my feet in the Pacific Ocean. This is where Luna Park is (an old time amusement park…think of the movie, BIG.) and the Palias Theater, and the Esplanade. That night I also checked out Fitzroy, a popular neighborhood and nightspot.

The next day I walked all over town. I took the tram down St. Kilda Rd. to the Arts Center (giant spire). I ate some shepherd’s pie and took a look inside the arts center; it’s an impressive space. Then I checked out the National Gallery of Victoria, where I saw a cool exhibit on early (English and French, mainly, with a section on Goya) Political Satire cartoons (from the 17-1800s). Right up my alley. I then explored the rest of the museum, which had an impressive 20th century International Art Collection. There was a Mark Rothko (this time not a print hanging in the walls of my hotel); it was a Red one, and it really struck me. This was the first time that a Rothko has really spoken to me. There was a nice Cezanne there, too. You know, any art gallery that has at least one Cezanne is worth going back to over and over again. I could do nothing but look at a Cezanne painting for my entire life and die happy. The gallery had a lot of Rodin sculptures, including The Thinker. And they had this incredible reception hall with a stained glass ceiling and very colorful tapestries to match.

After the Art Gallery, I walked across the bridge to Flinder’s St. Station, walked down Flinders Street to the DeGraves St. Alley, which had cute cafes lining it. I walked through a couple of laneways (Melbourne is known for its laneways and arcades and narrow pedestrian alleys, and a couple places in the city are designated for graffiti art) onto Swanston St. to the Town Center, past the cathedral (around it, actually) to Federation Square, where I took in the crazy architecture. (Federation Square has the funky buildings with the glass roofs; it’s a row of museums; the architectural design was much contested when it was first built.

I listened to a live Jazz Quartet playing in the Atrium of a Federation Square building. I LOVE this about this city! You hear musicians on the streets, everywhere! It makes the place feel slightly more alive.) I went into the Australian Art Branch of the National Galley (this is the Federation Square art museum) and saw their Aboriginal Art collection; definitely worth the trip.

Then I walked all the way down Swanston St., past the National Library, to the RMIT campus, which is also renown for its funky architecture. (RMIT is the Institute of Technology.) I turned onto Victoria St., walked past the Carlton Gardens, took a look at the impressive Exhibition Building (looks more like a State Capitol!), turned down Nicholson St and saw Parliamentary Square/the Parliament building (where a groom was kissing his bride, and pink bridesmaids lined the steps—it was a very cool image set against the backdrop of Corinthian columns.) The Princess Theater was across the street, and The Windsor Hotel.

I made my way back to Swanston St. where I ate at a pub called The Lounge, which was a hip retro bar. (Okay, maybe more like Indie-rock bar.)

That night I watched El Salvador and read some more of Graham Greene’s The Comedians. The next day I flew back to Singapore (via Darwin).

I’m glad I went back to Melbourne, because I saw so much more of the city. With the combined 5.5 days in Melbourne, I traversed most of the city and the different neighborhoods, including South Yarra, the CBD, St. Kilda, Prahran; Fitzroy; and there’s so much I wouldn’t have experienced if I hadn’t come back.