Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tasmania!

Some Aussie friends of mine were taking a long weekend in Tasmania, and I decided to tag along. Before coming to Australia, I probably couldn't have found Tasmania on a map. Now I know: it's the big island under the right butt cheek of Australia. Just a short, cheap flight from Melbourne, it's perfect for a long weekend get-away.

We flew to Hobart, the biggest city in Tasmania, on the south part of the island. My friends and I drove right onto a ferry and headed out to Bruny Island. For you Seattleites, think of the San Juan Islands, but with better beaches and water you can swim in.

 
On the ferry to Bruny Island.

 
The views in Tasmania are spectacular. On Bruny Island, the coast and the bay are separated by only a hundred meters or so in places. There are penguin tracks all over.

 
I'm a huge dork.

The water was a little cold, but we went in anyway. Lots of surfers on every beach we went to. Unlike us morons, they were wearing wetsuits.

Mostly, we wandered around Hobart and hung out on beaches, but one day we drove into the bush to visit friends of friends for a barbecue. We ate English sausage and drank Tasmanian beer. I can enthusiastically endorse Moo Brew. When the sun set, the pademelons (pronounced "paddy melon") came out. They're like small wallabys, which are like small kangaroos. Sadly, it was too dark for me to get any pictures.

I also didn't take any pictures of downtown Hobart, which is a pretty little English-style town. But Google street view works there, so have yourself a virtual walk-about.

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