Vignettes of the World
Generous sunshine blessed our last day in Tasmania. We were on our way to Port Arthur. However, we detoured and stopped by a number of interesting natural sites. The Tasman Arch The Tasman Arch began as a small sea cave. Constant sea waves formed …
You don’t know what you got till it’s gone, and that is the story of the China Café. I visited this old-schooled, Hong Kong styled café on December 28th, 2019. This is one of its very last days before saying goodbye to Hong Kong. …
In our last full day in Tasmania, we visited the Wineglass Bay lookout. Note, though, that we did not visit the beach. The tour guide told us that the hike down the beach was very rigorous, going more than two to three hours each way. Most people just hike up the lookout and take pictures. In that way they can claim to have seen it. Fine by me, for my mother and my aunt at their age could not have done a rigorous hike.
The Wineglass Bay has been voted the most beautiful beach in the world. It was in a curvature resembling a wineglass, as its name suggests. The hike up the lookout took us between one to one and a half hours each way. We kept at a reasonable pace until at one point the incline steepened significantly. The very last part of the hike up was rigorous. We climbed a long set of high steps.
Once up at the lookout, we only needed to take one five-minute look at it—Wineglass Bay had pristine waters and impeccable sand. Since I did not want to fuss with renting a car and making a whole-day trip to see it, that was as good as it gets.
Overall the visit to Wineglass Bay was a nice walk in the nature and a nice view at the finish. On our way back we also visited the Swansea area, which is a seaside village famous for its oysters. We saw reports of pollution and its effects on oysters, and therefore all of us passed on having any. But if anyone were to have some, they are freshly shucked and slurped on the spot.
Particularly worthy of mention is the famous Kate’s Berry Farm. All the fruits in the jams were the produce of Kate’s own farms. Tasmania’s cold climate made it possible for the jams to feature all kinds of berries. My favorite was the raspberry jam. There was an interesting texture from the raspberry seeds in the jam. Unlike the regular jams on the supermarket shelves, Kate’s berry jams really, and I cannot emphasize more, really tastes miles better. They taste like fresh fruits, rather than the sugary preservatives. Finally, the strawberry ice-cream there was fantastic. The milk must have come from the farm as well. I do highly recommend a visit there.
We finished the evening at Solo. According to reviews, this would be one of the very best restaurants in Hobart. It was reasonably priced with excellent service. We enjoyed our food:
Here are some of the scenery on this day tour:
The Jackman McRoss was a local bakery just a stone’s throw away from the Montacute. We decided to get our breakfast there, since all tourist sources recommended it. It clearly was a local favorite. We felt the energy of the place as soon as we …
The Hong Kong UNESCO Global GeoPark remembers Hong Kong in a way that none of us does. Hexagonal rock columns line the slopes at the Eastern Dam of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung. They span a total area of 100 square kilometers including …
Hobart was a kind of place that opened up your mind. We arrived into ample sunshine and a blue sky that spread wide and far above us. The city was vast, and as the second oldest city of Australia, retained much of its antique character. Yet it was not like Launceston, which was compact and inward. In Hobart, the city stretched and reached toward a large pier area off of the sea. We felt the gentle breezes as we walked along. Hobart surely was more cosmopolitan.
The Montacute Boutique Bunkhouse was our first stop in Hobart. It was known for its cleanliness, great location and hospitality. Our trip from Launceston to Hobart was easy and comfortable. The shuttle dropped us off close to Elizabeth Street, then we made our way to Montacute, upwards on a rather steep street.
Lunch was at the Retro Café. My aunt ordered a hamburger. The meat patty was inch-thick. I ordered a veggie burger. My mother ordered a curry, but she did not like her food. I thought the Retro Café was good.
After lunch we made our way to the Ferry Pier on Brooke Street. We were looking to visit the MONA, which was located off the coast on an island, but the last ferry would leave us too little time to see the exhibits there. We made a quick decision to visit the Royal Botanical Garden.
The Japanese and French Courts at the Royal Botanical Garden showed the significant effort it took to manicure the landscape. But I was particularly keen to see the Antarctica Greenhouse, possibly the only such display in all of Australia, if not the world. The Greenhouse maintained a subzero temperature. We saw mostly green, low-laying growth, at the most some short shrubs. There were not too many species of floral on display, and it was not surprising to us. We enjoyed the greenhouse very much. We then visited the conservatory with an amazing display of orchids. They were in all color spectrum and shapes. My mother was very pleased.
Dusk hour was quickly approaching and we must find our way back to the city. At the main entrance we saw some visitors embarking on their return journey on foot. By that time all of us could not stomach a long walk, but the last tour bus has also departed. There was no choice but to head back to the public bus stop. We had to rush across a very busy freeway and it was dangerous. However, we did find the public bus and the driver told us to get on—for a free ride! We were very glad.
I had originally planned on Flippers’ Fish n’ Chips for dinner, but other tourists voted for a cheaper joint further down the pier. It seemed to have been owned by some Asian people. The sun was setting, and we felt the nighttime chill upon us. The sea gulls were eyeing our food, so we quickly finished. Before we headed back to the Montacute, we savored the serenity of sunset at the pier.
The first day at Hobart worked out well.
On day 3 our journey would take us across the city into the Cataract Gorge. The Cataract Gorge is where the three rivers of Launceston meet: the Tamar, the Northern Esk and the Southern Esk. We took the Tiger Bus on our way to the …
For centuries, the villagers of Kat Hing Wai lived in contentment. The Tang clan settled in the Yuen Long area as early as the Song dynasty. The Tang villagers were the first settlers in this area of the New Territories. When the last Emperor of …
Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia after Syndey (1st) and Hobart (2nd). That explains why the city retains a distinctively Victorian vibe. Much of the character of the late 18th, early 19th century is well alive in Launceston today.
Charles Street is the oldest street in Launceston; Brisbane is the main thoroughfare, and Balfour is the steepest street. We walked through all these wonderful streets in full view of Launceston’s preserved antiquity during our stay there. Indeed, Launceston is a very walk-able city.
In the morning we had nice scrambled eggs for breakfast as we looked out the city soaking in generous sunlight and crisp air on a winter morning. We walked two minutes from Batman Fawkner to the City Park. Originally named the People’s Park, the City Park was first developed as gardens by the Launceston Horticultural Society. In its over-a-century of history, the City Park has served as a primary venue for community events. The Festivale is a popular annual food festival held every February and it continues to this day.[1] The stroll along the park was very nice. There were the War Memorial, the John Hart Conservatory, the Rotunda and the Monkey Enclave to welcome us, each landmark came with its own stories. There were no animals during winter time, however.
In the afternoon we took our last look at Launceston. We followed the blue route onto the heart of the town. There were many antique buildings, including the Quadrant Mall on Brisbane.
It took us some time to find the Old Umbrella Shop. It has a fascinating history as one of the last surviving retail stores from the 1900s. Generations of the Shott family made and repaired umbrellas here. Now it sells a large varieties of umbrellas, as well as hand-made crafts of Tasmania.[2] It was really too bad that the Old Umbrella Shop was closed when we visited.
[1] Carol Harberle, Launceston City Park: Fun For All, June 28, 2013.
Where there is no time and nothing matters. We were slow to start, because the spring-like atmosphere was very pleasing to our senses. The Cradle Mountain’s snowy heights glimmered under the gentle sunlight. The scene was absorbing, and we took our time. We also made …