Voyage of the Rogues' Scholarship

Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Few More Photos from Hobart

Hobart Harbour

Sydney to Hobart Race boats

Smoked Salmon pizza

Happy New Year!

sunrise over Hobart

setting up for the Salamanca Market

amazing cherries from the market

fresh flowers

Mt. Wellington

watch out!

hanging with Zoe in Millie

The Tasman Peninsula

more gourmet pizza

Salamanca Square


Enjoying the Taste of Hobart

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

On December 30th we had a very intimate wedding on Calverts beach just south of Hobart, Tasmania. Joined by our good friends Helen and Glyn Fricker and their three small daughters, we exchanged vows on a deserted beach under a moody Tasmanian sky. It was gorgeous. We had a wonderful celebrant as well as an amazing photographer (Jennifer Skabo Photography) who captured the moment so completely. More photos soon.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Hobart

After exploring the East Coast of Tasmania we drove south to Hobart, the capital, and largest city in Tasmania. Hobart was settled in 1803 as a penal colony and to this day maintains an air of history. Hobart is a gorgeous and well preserved city of old brick buildings with a charming and vibrant waterfront. This time of year is summer down under, and busy time in Tasmania. Hobart is home to the Taste of Tasmania, a week long celebration of the amazing food and wine of the region. We spent several days sampling all the goodies at the Taste. At the same time, the Sydney to Hobart race boats were arriving at Hobart's Constitution Dock. The race is a challenging 1170 kilometers from Sydney to Hobart. Even though it is summer the weather and seas can be treacherous. This is not a race for the faint-hearted. Our first evening we were fortunate enough to watch Wild Oats the winning race boat enter the harbor from our hotel balcony. It seems a hotel mix up got us upgraded to a three bedroom penthouse overlooking the harbor. Our good friends Helen and Glyn and their three small daughters, who we know from San Diego were visiting family in Tasmania. It was the perfect place for a wonderful reunion.

hanging with Glyn

kangaroos

Constitution Dock

Taste of Tasmania

summer berries at the Taste

our amazing upgrade

race boats

Sydney to Hobart sailors

view of the waterfront

lunch with Millie and Zoe

Wild Oats wins the Sydney Hobart

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Wait, make that Tasmania

The beautiful orange granite of Binalong Bay

Handmade craypots in St. Helens

Binalong Bay, Tasmania

A perfect Bay of Fires parking spot


Bundled up for Summer in Tassie

Tasmania is one of those places in the world with perfect sandy beaches galore. The only problem is that the water is too cold to swim and it's blowing a gale most days of the year. After Bicheno we headed north to St. Helens, the gateway to the Bay of Fires. We spent the next few days exploring the lovely beaches and getting our fill of local and very fresh seafood. It was definitely refreshing to be away from the oppressive humidity of Queensland but 7 degrees Celsius is pretty cold to wake up to in the middle of summer. Next post, off to Hobart.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tasmania, East Coast

A gorgeous sunny afternoon landing in Hobart, Tasmania

Mark settling into our little cabin in Bicheno on the East Coast

Lunch on the windy beach in Wineglass Bay

Overlooking Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet Penninsula

Tasmanian Pademelon

A place we have both always wanted to visit, Tasmania did not disappoint. A few days before Christmas we packed our hiking boots, sunscreen and woolies and headed down to see the beautiful landscapes and unique wildlife. We arrived in Hobart one sunny afternoon and hopped in the rental car to head out to the East Coast. Home to the picturesque Freycinet Peninsula this area is billed as home to some of the prettiest beaches in the world. I would have to agree, and at this point we have seen a lot of beaches!! After some provisioning for the holidays we checked in to a cabin by the sea and fell asleep the first night listening to the cooing of Fairy Penguins. The next day we were out the door first thing to hike the 14 kilometer Freycinet day loop. A sunny but crisp day, were were awarded with amazing views and very sore feet. That night after a signature Mark Haley antipasto platter, we put on all our layers and headed out at 9pm (sunset as it's summer here) on Christmas eve. We were off to the fairy penguin rookery where thousands a tiny penguin make their homes. A tour that is safe for these little birds let us watch as they tumbled out of the icy cold ocean and headed home for the night.