Day 2 - Snowy Hobart Town

Today we visited Hobart for the day. The trip was prompted by Heather’s decision to play AFL at Bellerive Oval.

It’s just 2 hours down the Midland Highway past historic villages, Symmons Plains Raceway and lots and lots of sheep. Unfortunately the day was a tad cold (didn’t get past 10 degrees) and pretty grey as you can see from the photos.

It was great to finally get to see the highlights of this city that I’ve only seen in pictures until now.

After a quick look at the outside of Bellerive Oval (there was a 1st grade game following Heather‘s so they were charging an entry fee at the gate), we drove over to the gun battery at Kangaroo Bluff for the best view of Hobart CBD and Mt. Wellington.


Hobart and Mt Wellington


Tasman Bridge

Then over to Salamanca Place and Sullivans Cove in the city. Angus and I braved the very cool conditions and explored the waterfront.


Aurora Australis - multi purpose Antarctic supply expedition vessel


"L'Astrolabe" - French Antarctic Territories support vessel

We saw the Lady Nelson, a full size replica of the original Deptford Built Brig. It was built at Margate Tasmania in 1988.


Lady Nelson replica in full sail (click to expand)

The original Lady Nelson was selected for exploration services in the Colony of New South Wales and sailed for Port Jackson on 18 March 1800 under the command of Lieutenant James Grant. At daybreak on 3rd December 1800 in latitude 38º south, the crew first sighted the land of New Holland (near the present Mount Gambier). A few days later she sailed through Bass Strait, becoming the first ship to sail from west to east through the strait, charting the then unknown coastline. She entered the Heads at Port Jackson at six in the evening of December 16th after a passage of seventy-one days from Cape Town.


Lady Nelson berthed at Elizbeth Wharf

We were surprised to find that Constitution Dock is normally isolated from the Derwent River and Sullivans Cove by a Bascule lift bridge and sitting on the dock next to the bridge was a genuine steam powered crane.


Antique Steam Crane - Constitution Dock


Constitution Dock and snow capped Mount Wellington

We discovered sculptures of Bernacchi and fellow explorers at Sullivan's Cove.

Bernacchi (a Belgium born Tasmanian) was the first Australian to winter in Antarctica in 1898. He was physicist on the Discovery expedition led by Robert Scott (1901-1904) where he was the only man on this expedition who had previously been to the Antarctic. He was invited to participate in Scott’s ill-fated second expedition but declined.


Bernacchi Sculptures


Constitution Dock Swing Bridge