Hobart, Tasmania, New Zealand Feb.17,2011

Today we finally reached our first port in Australia, which is Hobart on the island of Tasmania.  I didn’t have a tour in the morning, so I went ashore and using the shuttle bus went down town in search of a beautician that does gel nail fills – my finger nails were beginning to grow out and needed some attention.  This resulted in a very nice walk through this lovely clean city. From the tourist information centre, I was sent to a location where there was no time on their schedule for me, but they directed me to another nail specialist.  There I had better luck and in about three quarters od an hour, my nails looked like new.  In Canada, it is customary to give a tip, but when i attempted to do this, the girl refused to take it, saying, “We don’t do this in Australia – here the wages are high enough and we don’t rely on tips”  What a surprise ! ! !

Everywhere I go I meet interesting and helpful people.  I was standing at an intersection looking at my map, trying to decide in what direction to go, when an elderly gentleman stopped and asked if he could be of help.  We perused the map together and decided on the correct route and then proceeded to have a conversation.  I asked if he had lived in Hobart all his life and he replied that he didn’t live in Hobart at all, but that he was a resident of Sydney, here for a few days in charge of a tour from Sydney.  As it turned out he was originally from Germany.  We proceeded to converse in German and told each other a bit of our life story.  It was a lovely 5 to 10 minute interlude.  There truly are lovely people everywhere.

I had my computer with me and had hoped to get on the internet down town.  They had told me at the Information Centre that in a certain street, I could get free internet.  I didn’t have any luck so I returned to the ship for lunch because I had an early afternoon tour booked to go to the animal preserve.

The animal preserve tour was wonderful – a dream come true ! ! !   I got to hand feed a kangaroo and pet a koala bear.

 

There were hundreds of kangaroos and we could approach almost all of them all if we wanted to.  They are accustomed to having humans around so they we really docile.  Most of them were just lazing around.  Only a few of them did we see running and jumping around.  Some of them had the heads or feet of their babies sticking out of their pouches.  It was really neat to be able to get so close to them. 

We saw all sorts of birds and animals, but one really interesting one was the Tasmanian Devil.  The ones we saw were quite small and they were so busy running around that it was difficult to get a good picture.  We were warned to stay clear of them and not to put our hands or fingers into their enclosures, because they bite and when they do, their jaws lock up and you can’t get away.   They also make a horrible noise.  They look so cute, it’s hard to imagine  that they are so dangerous.  When you see them you just want to pick them up and hug them.

Upon leaving the animal preserve we drove to the town of Richmond, a former penal colony.  All of Hobart was a place where the British sent their prisoners in the early 1800’s.  First they were sent to mainland Australia, but if they were considered incorrigible, they were sent to Hobart.  There they spent their days, cutting trees for lumber to build homes and making bricks.  At night they were returned to tiny cells, smaller than most of our bathrooms.   Richmond also boasts the oldest bridge in all of Australia that is still in use.  It is really a piece of art, built in stones.  Unfortunately we didn’t stop to take photos, so you’ll have to take my word for it.

We returned to the ship around 5 p.m.  After a quick shower I got dressed and had time to go to the pre diner dancing between 7 and 8 p.m.  Our dance hosts are very good dancers and they give good tips and provide practise for those of us who need improvement.  I feel that I have improved a lot since the beginning of the cruise.

After dinner there was a show in the Queen’s Lounge featuring the Hobart Police Corps Piper Band – Bagpipers dressed in kilts.  For anyone who likes bagpipes it was a great show.  This group has performed at Edinburg, Scotland for the tattoo four times already.  They were invited to Nova Scotia, Canada last year but because of other commitments, were unable to come.  They hope to come in the near future, though.  Also on the program was a group of 6 young ladies doing Irish dancing.  They were really good too.

After the show, I finished the evening with more dancing and then went to bed a very tired but happy person.  what a great day it was! ! !