Tasmania: Hobart

We arrived in Hobart - our final stop in Tasmania - pretty tired after our day of hiking and driving. The top priority was, of course, finding some lodging with wi-fi. And central heat that stayed on when you left the room. Anything beyond that was just bonus. =)

But we ended up with a great little place about a 10 minute walk from the center of town. We got ourselves cleaned up and headed out to our first and only nice dinner out in Tasmania.

We ate at Mures, a well-known seafood place in Hobart. The lower floor of Mures is a family place with counter service, but we went for the grow-up upper deck for a relaxed meal. Toby and I had our annual seafood splurge and indulged in some of their sustainably-sourced fish and prawns. Couple that with a bottle of wine, and it was a lovely dinner!

The only thing missing was Scotty!

We were really missing you, Scotty!

Since it was the last night of vacation, we closed it out with ice cream. Of course!

After a night of heat and Internet, we headed out the next morning to check out the shops at Salamanca Place and the waterfront. Salamanca Place is a little harbor-front district where all the old port warehouses have been converted into restaurants, pubs, and shops. All the old sandstone buildings and cobblestone streets have been maintained, so it's a really beautiful area, and you feel like you've gone back in time 200 years.

Irish Murphy's: Drinking Consultants

There are a few modern touches, too, like this cool metal artwork and some fountains.

A lot of the fishing boats actually moor at the waterfront of the city, so you never forget this is a fishing town!

Bitter cold wind and rain drove us inside after our walk around the city, so we drove up to the Cascade Brewery. We grabbed a table in the cafe, sampled the beers & ciders, and watched the rain.

With our last few hours to kill before our flight, we headed back into the city. The sun came out and the wind died down enough that we could have a nice, leisurely tapas lunch along the sidewalk along the harbor. (Under some heat lamps, of course!)

Holly tried to convince Toby he needed a scarf...

And I was there too, looking disgruntled about something.

We hung out at the bar, enjoying the wine and the view until it was time to head to the airport. We allowed plenty of time to return the rental car, which ended up being just as easy as it was to pick it up: the buddy behind the counter just took the keys and asked if we had any damage to report. I said no, and he got back to talking to his friend!

Even though we didn't do too much exciting stuff in Hobart, the relaxing day was the perfect way to end such a busy, full vacation. We were sad to say goodbye to Tasmania, but happy to get back home in Sydney!

Posted with Blogsy