Life Down Under (Part 26): Australia's Capital of the South - Hobart!

- November 4-5, 2022, Friday to Saturday.

- What does it feel like to be in one of the world's southernmost cities? Surreal. Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital city - with Tasmania being the southernmost state. Like Launceston, Hobart was one of the earliest Australian cities as well. My first impression of Hobart was like post-war Sydney (60s-80s). Not sure why, but perhaps it's because it resembled Sydney's terrain (steep slopes like San Francisco), not to mention both cities were facing the same direction, and were both near the sea. Apart from that, the vibe was a bit quirky and lively, with many buildings in the center appearing to look like they were from the post-war decades. There were colonial-style buildings too, just like in many cities of Australia.

- I stayed at Narrara Backpackers Hostel, which was a nice hostel, although it was a little bit away from the center. I had no regrets since my stay was lovely, though I may choose to stay at a hostel closer to the city if I would have the chance to visit Hobart again.

- Like Launceston, Hobart was also walkable, just that you need strong thighs and knees because of the streets that go up and down. From the hostel I visited the State Library of Tasmania. The library itself has its roots in the 1800s, though the building itself is quite modern. However, the more interesting thing about the library is the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, which is located at the ground floor of the State Library. Opened in the 1970s, the museum shows the colonial life of Australia. The museum takes visitors to several rooms that show how people back then lived (mostly upper-class.)

State Library (corner of Murray and Bathurst Streets.)

Multiple rooms.

Upper-class sitting room.

Bedroom.

- I had a brief lunch at a local cafe before proceeding to the Hobart Convict Penitentiary. The penitentiary opened in the 1800s and took in convicts until the 1960s! To fully appreciate the penitentiary, one would need to book a tour, and I swear it was worth every penny. One of the creepiest tours I've experienced too! There were only a few of us in the tour, so it was easier to get that eerie feeling especially after understanding how many people died/were executed in the penitentiary. Our guide took us around the cells, courtrooms, and tunnels for around 2 hours, and I was so glad I got to do it.

Court.

Cell.

Noose. (Original one.)

Jail/gaol + church facade.

- I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city, strolling along Elizabeth Mall, and checking out some of the shops and buildings. I also passed by the pier, and took photos with a ship called Windeward Bound. Despite its appearance, it was actually made in the 1990s. It's mostly used to teach people sailing and other educational purposes.

Hobart Town Hall.

Post Office.

St. David's Cathedral.

Cat & Fiddle Arcade, opened in 1962.

The moon, cat, and fiddle move to music at some point during the day.

Elizabeth Mall.

Windward Bound, docked at Elizabeth Street Pier.

- What best way to end my first day in Hobart than seeing a public Diwali celebration at the park! It was quite late for Diwali if you ask me, but hey at least the Indian community was able to get together and celebrate! It was nice to see many non-Indians appreciating Indian music and food as well!

Diwali at Franklin Square.

- The next day, I woke up early to visit the Army Museum inside Anglesea Barracks. Built in the early 1800s, it holds the honor for being the oldest army Barracks in Australia, and is still functioning today! That's why the premises isn't freely open to just anyone. When entering the barracks to visit the museum, one would need to give museum a call beforehand, so one of the army volunteers will open the gate for museum visitors. The museum was small, but I liked it. Visitors are allowed to walk around the barracks, but not inside the buildings.

Look at the roads of Hobart. Tell me you wouldn't get muscular thighs eventually.

Anglesea Barracks.

BY THE WAY, the museum was the former jail. Each jail cell was converted into a small gallery.

This one, well, it still pretty much looks like a jail cell.

War scene.

It is always nice (and heartbreaking) to see these kinds of old personalized items. 

Main hall (visitors not allowed to enter.)

Small memorial park in the barracks.

The museum (jail) facade.

- From the barracks, I walked to the historic suburb of Battery Point to visit the Narryna House. It is a merchant house from the 1830s, and was built by Captain Andrew Haig. He served in the British East India Company for some time before going to Hobart. The name "Narryna" comes from one of Vishnu's names ("Narayan"), which gives a sense of Andrew Haig's time in India. 

Narryna House.

Sitting room.

Children's bedroom. I like how one of the old-lady visitors described the dolls: "alarming." HAHAHAHA.

19th-century style dress.

Bedroom.

- Behind Narryna House is Kelly's Steps. Though the stairs look like ordinary stone stairs, they're special because Battery Point (the higher part of the city) was once a mountain detached from Salamanca Place (the lower area.) The stairs were carved in the 1800s directly from the mountain, and the stones from the mountain were used to build the warehouses of Salamanca Place. 

At Kelly's Steps.

Stairs with history.

- Salamanca Place has always been a bustling area, especially during Saturdays when the Salamanca Market is open from mornings until 3pm. The market has hundreds of shops lined up, selling food, clothing, souvenirs, toys, and other assorted goodies. The market seemed endless!

Salamanca Market.

Tasmanian lavender products.

- After lunch I went ahead and visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, which was established in 1846. It was a nice museum that had the usual suspects in an Australian museum: Australian wildlife, aboriginal art and artefacts, colonial art and decorative arts, and modern/contemporary art.

Dinosaur skeleton replica outside. 

Main hall.

Aborigines.

See me?

Aboriginal gallery.

- I also dropped by at the Maritime Museum across the Tasmanian Museum. The Maritime Museum was built in the 1970s. The small museum does show themes of migration, trade, exploration, and Hobart as a main port area.

Maritime Museum.

It's small but I like the look of it.

Navigation tools.

What the captain's room in a modern ship looks like.

Model ships.

- The highlight of that afternoon, however, was Mawson's Hut Replica Museum at Constitution Dock, just outside the Maritime Museum. The museum shows how explorer Douglas Mawson and his men lived during their expeditions to Antarctica from 1911 to 1914. I think this was one of the more interesting museums that only Hobart has. 

Mawson's Hut Museum.

I am surprised to see how spacious the hut is!

I probably don't want to live in Antarctica, but I sure would like to stay in a cabin as big as this!

Tools.

Some everyday things they had, like books, games, medicine, cigarettes, etc.

Radio communication.

- I went back to my hostel after an early dinner in the city. My first two days in Hobart have been jampacked, but I was happy to have seen so many things. I like Hobart to some extent because of its quirky nature, but my thighs weren't fans of the hilly nature of the city. Despite that, Hobart remains to be a jewel of South Australia!