Tassie Weekender - Day 4

I went up to the park again briefly this morning. And just outside our door, the sun was hitting this spot beautifully.

This is the drawing room, just lovely.

And the location is perfect - literally down this short hill...

..turn the corner and that is Salamanca Place, where the market is. Just up the hill and around the corner is Battery Point. So perfect location and perfect hotel.

But it's time to pack the car and head off. Through town - it's a well laid out town with one-way streets. This bridge interests me for some unknown reason.

 The traffic is light - but it's probably their peak traffic! We're off - first stop Oakland. It's one of the historic towns and was recommended by one of the concierges. It's a bit historic, maybe 5 or 6 on ye olde-meter. We stop on an amazing cafe for coffee. Someone really likes Marilyn and Errol. There is memorabilia on every single wall space. It's amazing. And just for fun, The Morning Show is on the TV. So it's just like being at work. But the cafe is pretty unique.

Then into a wool shop that we saw the signpost for. Mum can spot a wool shop seven miles away! This one was really lovely - fantastic designs in bright colours. Mother was quite tempted but didn't do more than take a catalogue and plan to sign up for mail outs and stuff. Back into the car (reluctantly) and to the next stop - Ross. It's only about half and hour up the road and an 11 on ye olde-meter. Just the most perfect little town. 

We stopped first for breakfast, in a bakery, so poached eggs on thick buttered toast - yummy!

Then wandered back and Mum headed off in the direction of - yes, a wool shop. I headed down to look at the ancient bridge and surrounds.

I finished up at the wool shop, some great stuff here too, until Mum said, "Take me out of here!" And we set off. Thankfully we realised we didn't have the map before we left town - we had left it at the bakery.

Then it was driving through for the next couple of hours. Straight through to Penguin. The landscape isn't as pretty as down south and it looks more like Victoria. This is an example of the road down south...

Lovely yellow trees along the road.

The weather is - again - perfect. Every day has been perfect weather. It's blue skies, barely a cloud, the only thing is a bit of a breeze. And there was a scattering of rain on Sunday 

I have been a bit obsessed with Penguin since driving through here on a trip a few years back. But it seems it's not quite as I remembered it! I think I remembered the Penguin Road, not the town itself. On the ye olde-meter, this doesn't rate too highly...

So we stop and have a coffee and a bite then head off to Burnie. At least I never packed up and moved to Penguin, as I used to think I wanted to!

At Burnie is the other main item on our Tassie itinerary - the Makers Workshop - which we eventually find. 

It's got an amazing foyer with the most incredible paper sculptures.

Then there's the large area where there's the shop and then lots of little workshops where the craftsmen and women are working. Today there was a painter, a miniaturist and a guy making paper frames. You could also take a paper making tour. 

The is a lady who made glass bead necklaces and jewellery but it didn't seem like her things were here now, which was a bit disappointing.

We bought some cheese and I had Devonshire tea - which was yum!

Though I don't look too pleased about it!

Then it's back down the coast road towards Devonport.

It is a lovely drive along the coast road and I'm thinking that's why it stuck in my mind the last time - not the town of Penguin.

As we're approaching Devonport, some lights flash on and a little alarm sounds. It's the petrol gauge saying you've got 59 kays until no petrol. Which is a tad alarming. When I look down next, ( not that long after) it says you've got 49 kays until no petrol. This was even more alarming as it didn't take long to go down 10 kay. The next time, it said 63 kays, it's moving all over the place. We turn down the road to the Spirit of Tasmania and are very relieved to see a petrol station. As I pull into that, it beeps again and the numbers flatline - so we tined that well!

Fill up the car, drive to the port and there's no rental car office. There's two other companies but not Avis. So that was confusing. Went into the ferry terminal and there was the outlet there. So we parked the car and dropped the keys into the drop box, lifted the phone receiver and told the girl the car was there and that was that. It was a Nissan Micra, which was a really comfortable and nice little car but had no guts to get up a hill. Also, I was meant to have a three-door manual and this was a four-door automatic. It did the job and was really great to have.

So we're at the terminal...

..there's a short wait before we board and find our little cabin.

We have a meal at the buffet, good food and lots of veggies. Then I watch a bit of Into The Woods in the little cinema and it's off to bed for a night at sea.

Tassie Weekender - Day 3

ELast night I ventured out to get a look at the hotel at night - lovely!

Then, party girls that we are, I was in bed and asleep by 8:00...

We headed off early for breakfast and we went to the fabulous place I scouted out yesterday in Battery Point Village. It was great - huge and varied selection of really good and cheap food. The joint was jumping - even at 7:15! 

I got poached eggs with spinach, aioli and caramelised onion, which was delicious! Beautiful old building...

Then it's off to drop off Mum to meander about for the morning and I'm heading off to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary for the Feeding Frenzy encounter. I had gone to reception at the hotel to confirm directions and the lovely guy gave me a map - which is very helpful - Google maps is always a bit difficult to decipher. I mentioned to him how friendly the people are and he thought it might have something to do with the smallness of Hobart, and Tasmania in general.

I was on the right road but started to doubt the way I was going so I pulled into a convenience store that had the most unhelpful person behind the counter. I'm starting to wonder if Mum is the cause of the friendly factor as I have only encountered them when on my own! He couldn't even direct me to somewhere I could go to to ask someone who could help! 

So back in the car, I consulted the big map and worked out it WAS the right road and to just keep going. And I soon arrived...

I meet Rob, who is my guide - a tour with just me and Rob - perfect! He reminds me a lot of Uncle Bruce. He's a retired volunteer who is very passionate about the animals. He's chock full of information and anecdotes. There are some photos but not a stack, coz it was more about feeding, patting, holding and watching.

Our first stop is to the kangaroos. As with most of the animals we visit, they know that his arrival means possible food and they come to greet us. 

So we are quickly joined by one, then another and another. There are a couple of young ones, a couple in pouches. You tale a handful of food and hold it down to them. They nibble it out of your hand and sometimes hold onto your hand as they do. This is my kangaroo selfie!

We went past a couple of rescue birds - one is a 100-year-old cockatoo who is quite the grumpy old man. A woman received him for her first birthday. When she died, at 80, he came to the sanctuary. He won't be moved to a larger cage or have any friends in with him. He likes things just as they are. And he has a crush on one of the keepers - a young female keeper!

Next were one of the breeds of quolls. They're nocturnal and shy and so were hiding at first in their boxes. But one came out when Rob brought out the KFC for quolls - a baby chicken that had died of natural causes. Apparently they work with a chicken farmer and get all the chicks that die naturally - they are all environmentally sustainable.

Next to the little-known bettongs, who have to be hunted for coz they dig burrows and camouflage themselves.

Very cute. We only found two of the many that are in the enclosure. Had to watch your step as it would be easy to stand on one!

The next had a log and as you walked up, there was three little faces, dozing. The sugar gliders. They woke up as Rob brought in a little plate with some sort of banana mash up on it. The three little faces became four and they clambered down to have breakfast. I got to hold this one and the feeling of their little feet on your hand was great! As was the wee that came with it...

A quick was of the hands and then off to the wombat baby - so very cute!! Apparently they need to,be babied for a lot of their infancy and then all of a sudden, they're grown up and snarly. They are then released into the wild. We sat on the pine bark and played with her for a while, I did hold her and rock her but the camera didn't work!

Rob told the story of Mavis the wombat who he had at his home for a while and who came back to visit him after she was released. She could open his sliding door and would come in and smash the furniture around. She disappeared but came back a while later with her baby, to meet Rob and his wife.

This whole while Rob is giving me so much information about all the animals. Like the bettong is an actual fungivore - they eat fungus. And apparently I am the first person ever to not say, "so they eat mushrooms?" I said, "so not mushrooms." And that the wombat and Tassie devil and a few others have backwards pouches - so they don't drag dirt in as they are close to the ground. The other one that has a backwards pouch is the koala - coz they are stupid. Very funny.

Next to the Devils - I am very happy to see the Devils. There are three sisters in this enclosure. They all come up, ready for breakfast too. 

Rob has the leg of something - I'd rather not know! He holds it over and into the pen and miss devil grabs a hold and doesn't let go. They have amazing strength in their jaws. When he lifted the bone up, she just hung on and lifted with it.

Amazing!

Then I got to have a go. Loved it! Though you had to be careful not to move your hand in too far....

Then to the koalas, who sleep for 20 hours a day and have two thumbs. We woke this guy up and had a bit of a pat - actually quite a good scratch, then he got fed up and tucked his head down again and back to sleep.

Next to the koalas is the little echidna. I go to feel his spines - they're made of hair! And there are plenty of ants in there for him and they are supplemented by ant porridge. Yum!

Around to the albino possum who is here because he is rejected by all his fellow possums. He comes down from his treehouse to feast on peanuts and corn. And he is nice and warm.

Then the other species of quoll. This guy is one of a very endangered species. I know the Melbourne Zoo is working on survival of this species. And he's very aggressive and cunning. Rob reckons he's got a chalkboard down the back of his enclosure where he makes down when he nips on a keeper.

He clambers up the cage when he hears Rob's voice. And it's KFC for him too and I get to feed him too.

The cute tawny frogmouths were next. They got chicken mince held in tongs and coming from above. You could see their frog-like mouths as they opened up for their food - no photographic evidence to show this...

Rob told how he loves it when he has Americans in a group because he can spin tales of how they determine when the frogmouths are ready to be released and they have scientific studies to check their flight. The flight studies apparently intrigue them. When all it is is you bring them out, throw them up into the air - if they fly, they're okay. If they don't, they don't release them yet.

The last of the animals is the blue tongued lizard. She was dozing in the sunshine when Rob brought her out to say hello.

She's ready to get back down to the ground!

That was the Feeding Frenzy and it was fantastic! There was a stack of information that Rob gave me and the animals were great and obviously well cared for. This is a place where it's all about keeping the animals safe and happy. They strive to release them back into the wild and those that can't be, they are cared for for the rest of their days - even if it is 100 years, like the cockatoo! Rob was great too. 

He gave me a fridge magnet and oven mitt - both of Prada, the Devil. I had seen the oven mitt at the market yesterday and was tempted by it. I didn't get it then and I'm delighted to get it now!

Back to Hobart and collect Mum and we go back to the breakfast place to pick up something for lunch - I got a red pepper, asparagus and tomato frittata and Mum got a port, sage and apple sausage roll. Both were delicious!

Then I left Mum with the footy (shudder) and head off to the Penitentary Chapel. I was a bit early so went to have a look at the lovely Theatre Royal - unfortunately not open on Sunday's.

Grabbed a coffee and then back the to the Tench for a tour.

This was also a fascinating place. There used to be a prison here and they built the chapel when the people of early 1800s Hobart complained that the prisoners were going to their chapel. 

The chapel has undergone a number of transitions. When it became less a convict prison and a prison for actual prisoners, they removed two of the arms of the chapel and brought in a couple of courtrooms. And a gallows was added and 32 prisoners were executed, including one woman.

The door just on the left in the above photo was to a tunnel that was where they would bring the prisoners up from the prison - so they didn't have to go onto the street. We went down through the tunnel and into the old chapel (what's left of it)

Under the chapel areas were the solitary cells and the gallows were outside. 

Again, lots of information and really interesting stories. 

After the tour, back to the hotel for a coffee. Then a walk down to pick up some pizzas and back for MKR. 

Tomorrow we leave our lovely spot here and head for the other side of the island!