Melbourne
We were only in Melbourne for two full days so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for sightseeing. Having splurged on a hotel room overlooking the city we tended to stay close in the evenings to make sure we got our money’s worth.
We wandered the streets, rode the tourist trolley and went to the Queen Victoria Market.
Of course there was street art here too.
On our last day there we were thrown in jail. Separated into holding cells and left in the dark with about 15 other people and one toilet in the corner. This was all part of the tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol. A taste of what it would have been like to be arrested in the 90’s before they closed the City Watch House and it became a tourist attraction.
The gaol building was quite a different feel with tiny cells and a gallows on the second floor. It was a little creepy to read about the men who were hanged here, including Ned Kelly, the famous outlaw.
Tasmania
We left Melbourne by boat taking the 10 hour ferry over to Tasmania where we rented a car and headed east to the coast then down toward Port Arthur and Hobart.
Our first stop was a lavender farm that we knew would be in bloom. It was quite peaceful once you got away from all the selfie obsessed tourists.
Binalong Bay and the Bay of Fires is somewhere that definitely deserved more time to explore. It was quite spectacular here.
The Tasman Pennisula is ruggedly beautiful and the only access by land is over a 30 meter wide isthmus making it an ideal location to keep prisoners from escaping the nearby penal colonies. The world heritage sites of Port Arthur and the lesser known coal mines are situated on the Pennisula.
The isthmus was at one time guarded by a line of ferocious dogs to alert guards and deter escape. By all accounts, they lived a hard life and it’s no wonder they didn’t care much for humans. A statue is all that remains of the dog line today.
If you didn’t know the history, you might look around Port Arthur and see the remnants of a tranquil little seaside town but this was Australia’s largest penal colony and life was not at all pleasant for the convicts who were shipped here from all over the British Empire. One key difference between the Melbourne Gaol and this site is that no executions were performed at Port Arthur. The prisoners here were much more valuable as slave labourers.
The coal mines were considered a place of punishment for the “worst class” of convicts from Port Arthur. Working conditions both below ground and above were brutal and the fear of floggings or solitary confinement in underground cells very real.
Our last stop in Tasmania was Hobart. We timed it so that we could wander the Salamanca Market that is held every Saturday and it was worth it. There was a wide variety of locally made souvenirs, produce and food items. But it was crazy busy!
We visited the museum to see the Tasmania Devil exhibit and spent the rest of our time wandering the streets (looking for street art of course).
As it turns out, we didn’t even have to leave our room to enjoy some fun art.
Sydney
Our final Australian destination was Sydney. We actually stayed in Kirribilli, three doors down from the Prime Minister’s house. Needless to say it was a pretty safe neighbourhood and the views across to the city were too shabby either.
Public transportation was a great way to travel around and we took advantage of all three forms, train, bus and ferry.
The ferry over to Manly was a nice way to see the harbour and get to explore one of the surf beaches. In the morning it wasn’t too busy but by afternoon there were a lot more people on the beach.
Bondi beach was the same. Not too busy in the morning but lots more people as the day went on.
One of our favourite things to do was actually just hang out on our balcony and watch the wildlife. During the day we saw Rainbow lorikeets, Sulphur-crested cockatoos and Kookaburras.
Evenings brought out the flying foxes and ring-tailed possums. We enjoyed our stay at the Glenferrie Lodge so much I wrote a whole post about it.
It was hard to leave this quiet little neighbourhood, especially since we left on Australia Day. There were lots of festivities going on all around us. Which meant a lot more people and a lot more noise – there was even an F 18 flyby that was screaming loud. Sadly, we had to trudge on to catch our 9 hour flight to Hawaii putting us that much closer to home but with one last bit of adventuring left to do.
Amazing photos of Australia and wildlife and street art…..this has been a once in a lifetime trip for sure. Hope Hawaii is great and landing home is peaceful. xo AT