110 Maps of Tassie

An easy day today as we head off to do the two most popular tourist attractions on a Saturday in Hobart, Salamanca Markets and MONA.

The easy way to the markets would have been to walk straight out of our hotel and turn left, but nope we chose right and went for a wander through the back streets of Battery Point past all the glorious cafes and bakeries, through a park and onto getting lost. We were helped out by a parking inspector who was kind enough to tell us he was a local and knew how to get to the markets. I am glad he told us he was a local because you have no idea how often it is that I run into a tourist writing parking tickets??

Of course we could have followed his directions but instead we ended up a few blocks away from the markets, but we got there soon enough. The markets are huge and 99% local produce, arts and crafts. We wandered around the markets for couple of hours and then were distracted away by a pipe band warming up in the park. I reckon these guys and gals were good because their bagpipes did not sound like two Tassie Devils mating.

We also ran into the two people from Cairns from yesterday’s tour and just to prove it is a small world when we got back from MONA we ran into another couple from the first days tour! The biggest problem we had was limiting ourselves to how much we bought there was so much good stuff. Of course Ann saw the perfect gift for one person, which led to buying another gift and so on and so……..

We headed home via Kelly’s steps, which I am lead to believe is significant, and prepared for MONA as there was a 25 minute boat trip and I wanted to be warm.

Even though it was windy the water was calm and the ride giving another great vantage point over Hobart. I stood out the front for a while and straddled the, hopefully, fake missile, Cher style, no singing though.

MONA is an underground labyrinth of exhibitions tunnels and halls carved into the sandstone cliffs. Our favourite was the Pharos Exhibition which is half art and half science, including a psychedelic grotto and a room a metre deep in engine oil, seriously.

We then headed to the main exhibition hall where they wanted to ensure you never got lost, on display were 110maps of Tassie. Well to be honest 110 plaster casts of different vaginas, and it seems the staff get a little upset if you touch them, they are only there for looking at, which seems a bit of a waste, but really 110 vaginas! The best part was listening to the fathers trying to explain to their kids what the exhibit represented.

It turns out we missed one of the highlights, the ‘poop’ machine. There is a piece of art where you put food in one end and out the other end comes poo. I almost cried thinking off all that art Riley had produced and we just scooped it up and threw it in the garden.

Tonight we headed to the New Sydney Hotel established in 1835, and it would appear as though they have not updated their kitchen or systems since then. The meal was good, but the staff disorganised, two of the group that shared our table had finished their meals before the rest of their meals arrived. We had three staff members checking our order with us, seems good but two of them did it at the same time, not together! While one person was checking on what we ordered they were interrupted by the other person doing the same thing, but neither of them stopped they both kept asking the same questions. But the food was good and the fire warm so on a cold wet Hobart night who cares?Read more