Tasmania 2014

Hobart, 3-6 October

		About halfway between Strahan and Hobart, we followed a sign into the village of Tarraleah to look for some lunch. The settlement was built in Art Deco style in the 1920s for workers on a hydro-electricity project, and has now been turned into accommodation with rooms and cottages available. It is very well maintained. *
		The pipes of the electricity project. *
		The evening we arrived in Hobart, we walked down to the waterfront for the view and to have a meal. †
		The next morning, we were down at the waterfront again to enjoy one of the most attractive parts of Hobart. †
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		Usually it is Lynn that takes the arty reflection photos. †
		Decoration on a boat. †
		Sculpture on sale in Henry Jones Design shop, by Christopher Edwards and called Fringe Benefit. Unfortunately, we did not have $9000 to spare. †
		Our second day in Hobart, we visited MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). It is some distance up the Derwent River, and the most pleasant way of getting there is by ferry. †
		Mount Wellington seen from Hobart harbour as the ferry started off. †
		The Tasman Bridge. †
		Inside MONA. †
		This is one of the new works. Drops of water are released in such a way that they form words as they fall. It is intended as a comment on the information overload that exists today. You can judge the effect best in this short movie. */ †
		The most impressive work is Snake by Sidney Nolan, consisting of 1620 separate images created in 1970-72. The design of the building had to be changed to accommodate it. *
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		When you look closely, all the images are different. *
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		Some of the exhibits are just fun. †
		This is one of the old works. †
		There were two facing statues of Buddha. This is the permanent one, made of lasting materials ... †
		and this is the temporary one, made of ash that gradually disintegrates. *
		MONA is the brainchild of David Walsh, a multi-millionaire who made his money from gambling. He has his own way of indicating reserved parking. *
		And MONA has its own way of indicating what rubbish should go in each bin. †
		This interpretation of a concrete delivery truck sits out in the open by MONA's entrance, quietly rusting away. *
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		The stairs from MONA down to its ferry wharf. We got down them to take the ferry back to Hobart, but when we arrived we had to use MONA's golf cart to get up from the river. *
		That evening, we dined at Mures Upper Deck on the waterfront. The food was good, but the service was appallingly amateur. *
		Our last day in Hobart, we visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. This is Dawn Survey by Martin King. †
		Banks, which one's mine? by Rew Hanks. †
		Lynn examining adDRESSING my Muses 2 by Katina Gavalas. †
		Theatre Party by Charles Blackman. †
		Memories of an Old Town by Lloyd Rees. †
		Four carved panels by Sarah Squire Todd. †
		A statue of Medusa. Note that the little finger is missing from the statue's left hand. †
		Letter to the sculptor asking for a replacement finger. †
		A painting by Rupert Bunny, but we neglected to note the title. *
		On both our first and last nights in Hobart, we ate at Smolt, an excellent restaurant on Salamanca Square. *
		The list of dessert wines at Smolt. How can one resist? *
		Flying back into Sydney, the flight used the east-west runway so that, for once, we approached past the city instead of over water. *

That's it for our brief journey to Tasmania. Go back to our home page for more travels.