SAME, SAME ... COULD BE A BIT DIFFERENT

PEOPLE were asking me why Hobart. Well, I spotted a cheap airfare, had a friend near the city I wanted to visit and found cheap accommodati...


PEOPLE were asking me why Hobart. Well, I spotted a cheap airfare, had a friend near the city I wanted to visit and found cheap accommodation and couldn't really think of a reason why not. I did a lot of walking - much of it in the rain - and hired a car to head up to New Norfolk where my said friend and former landlady lives. The fact MONA was open and I was in town for the start of 10 Days on the Island were a bonus.

PLACES I ATE
Look, I'm not going to lie, I didn't find the food all that good in Hobart. I like to fuel up with an early breakfast and either a late lunch or early dinner when I am on the road and found it near impossible to do in Hobart. Breakfasts started about 8.30pm or 9pm and lunches were done by 2pm and places serving dinners not open until 6pm, some later. If you're on the Apple Isle, it's worth keeping that in mind.

Tricycle Cafe and Bar: This was recommended to me and it is cute. It's in the Salamanca Arts Centre, which is worth a visit in itself. I had a breakfast there but found the choices limited and the coffee inconsistent (I had three there over two days).  
Salamanca Art Centre, Hobart
Mezethes Greek Taverna: Again, the decor was good. I edited an entertaiment supplement for near on six years and I always knew when my food writer had nothing much to say for the food. He'd write about the decor. That's not to say the food was bad, it just didn't sing to me - and I usually love Greek food.
 Salamanca Square, Hobart
Preachers Bar: My standout eating experience (granted that by my fourth night I opted for a selection from a deli and ate in my hotel room) was Preachers Bar, Battery Point. I quite literally stumbled upon this place, soggy and cold after a day of walking around the city and waterfront. A "Beer of the Day" sign out front sold it to me and I ordered a haloumi salad and Tassie born and bred ginger beer.
Knopwood St, Hobart

WHERE TO DROP YOUR DOUGH
Given Tasmania was where, in 1903, Australia's art and craft movement was born, I wasn't at all surprised to find a visible art and craft scene in Hobart. My number one recommendation for finding retail therapy of the bespoke nature is Tasmania's SmART Map. This clever site helps you plot and map cultural experiences.

Hammer and Hand: This is part blacksmith's studio and part retail experiment. I bought a cute pair of earrings made from recycled anodised aluminium kitchenware and fashioned by Ella Knight.
77 Salamanca Place, Hobart
The Country Women's Association: Who couldn't drop a little dough in a inner-city retail outlet for the CWA, of all things. Knitted beanies, jam drops, cakes, fresh flowers plucked from the garden, lemon butter, jam ... all the goodness of the CWA in one homely place. You can even get a cuppa if you strike up a little banter with the behind-the-counter volunteers. I can't begin to tell you how outrageously un-cool the beanie I bought here is. It's a dahlia for the head.
165 Elizabeth St, Hobart

MONA: Yes, there's a gift shop. How could there not be in a place like MONA. The place is smick and if there's only one thing you do when you're in Hobart, go here. Forget the Cadbury factory. Forget a day trip to Port Arthur, go here. There is a wealth of writing online about this place but if I was to add my two cents worth it's Willy Wonka meets Walt Disney. There was something oddly Oompa Loompa about the severly dressed and numerous staff in this place. That said, the gallery has pieces I'd only dreamed of seeing, like Sidney Nolan's Snake, pictured.

My accommodation this time around was Blue Hills Motel, in Battery Point. It was walking distance from Salamanca Place and the quaint village of Battery Point itself. It was clean and more than comfortable and for under $80 a night, you won't find me complaining.
96 Sandy Bay Rd, Battery Point
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