Okaay this seems silly but you know that feeling you get when you’re upside down and all the blood rushes to your head? Well, that’s sort of how I’ve felt ever since landing in the southern hemisphere. I know, that seems ridiculous… but technically we’re upside down, down undaa. Maybe it’s just placebo though? It’s probably just placebo…
Anways, week two – Tassie! Also known as Tasmania, Australia’s southern island state. Don’t let southern island fool you into thinking it’s tropical, it’s actually quite a bit more temperate than mainland Australia. Some say it’s akin to Oregon’s weather and climate.
After a quick week in Melbourne, I decided to hop down to see my sister and her fiancé who live near Hobart, Tasmania’s capital.
Although I’ve done quite a few of the staple “touristy” things last time I was down (check here), I spent some time this week visiting the University Rose Gardens, enjoying the lucrative Seven Mile Beach (which I hadn’t had a chance to visit yet, although I’d been to other beaches on previous trips, see here), and of course, I had to pop into the Tasmanian Museum once again to brush up on some factoids.
University Rose Gardens
The smell of roses permeates the air as I walk around the university’s carefully manicured rose gardens. Shades of red, purple, orange, pink, white, and yellow all bloom in unison as their beautiful blossoms display variable sizes and shapes. It’s a sunny day. I keep sticking my nose in all the different roses, unable to help myself. Some smell stronger than others.
In the centre of the garden is a towering old sandstone-looking fountain with a stem of four ornately carved fish holding-up a large basin with their tails. It gives the garden a feeling of enchantment and historic importance. Makes me wonder how many others might’ve walked these same cobblestoned steps; what were their goals and purpose in life? What troubled them?
I watch as galahs – parrot-like birds with gray feathers and a pink-tinctured breast and face – walked around the sprawling lawns eating whatever they could find among the blades of grass. It was an unfamiliar, funny, sight to me, seeing exotic birds casually grazing, all I could think of was who let you out of the pet store?!
A sudden movement of feathers had a rainbow lorikeet swooping down from above, its bright green coloured wings, blue head, and orange throat flashed in the sunlight. I’ve rarely seen such bright colours on a bird before.
Under some trees were a few masked lapwings guarding their young. They’re a type of plover with tall, skinny legs, a white breast, yellow face, and dark grey back feathers. Their chicks were cute, tiny, little fluffy things running around in the grass.
Seven Mile Beach
With the Hobart International Airport being adjacent to this beach, it’s the first thing you see when you arrive and depart – like a welcoming promise for the adventures you’ll be sure to have once you arrive, and a sore farewell for those leaving this beautiful place behind.
I admired the sea-spiced air and the picturesque ocean views as I walked down along Seven Mile Beach. There’s a rocky hill bordering one end of the beach and from there, it’s one long beautiful spit of sand that gently curves inward to form Tiger Head Bay.
A gently sloping sedge-covered dune borders the beach opposite the lapping ocean waves. Every now and then, I’d pass clusters of towering pine trees that seemed out of place on these sandy banks.
Seagulls squawked and a light breeze caressed my hair. A sigh of contentment, I can see why this beach is a favourite among the locals and visitors alike. It’s a clean beach with barely any washed-up ocean debris – although I did spot some dried-up sea sponges and gleefully prodded a few strands of slimy kelp.
As I wander down along the beach’s long expansive sandy shore, I watch as planes land and take off, coming down low above the beach. Seagulls swoop around between intermittent sessions of wading in the oncoming tide, looking for little creatures to snack on.
This place has me feeling like I’ve landed in a paradise beyond my own imaginings.
Tasmanian Museum
Although I’ve been to the Tasmanian Museum before (check here), I couldn’t help but stop in again. They have a wonderful collection of Tasmania’s natural flora and fauna – ranging from the cutest quolls to the iconic endemic handfish. They also have the bones and pelt of the extinct Tasmanian tiger. Their collections expand beyond natural history to also include indigenous history, pottery, artwork, and an Antarctic exhibit.
It’s been a good second week in Australia. I think I’m starting to get the hang of the Australian lingo. While in Hobart, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Mount Wellington (kunanyi) – the big mountain that watches over the city. I haven’t yet a chance to hike it, despite the yearning sensation in my calves, but perhaps next week? Stay tuned.
Looks amazing. Happy you’re having fun.