serfty

Aha! There is that I guess ...

matthandy

Well I tried to visit places that I've either been to before and enjoyed or haven't visited at all on the basis that I may not return. I am visiting Sydney in April this year. I can't see myself visiting for a holiday now and again.

I definitely had second thoughts, but wasn't sure if that was just the fact that I was enjoying the two months off work!

Thanks very much vbh812!

Have to agree with you. Sydney definitely needs to sort out it's public transport. For me though the harbour is such a significant feature. I think I'd get water withdrawal if I lived in MEL.

Certainly worth a visit!

Thanks OttoMH.

It's all about timing and everything is well signposted. Sharks aren't really a problem to be honest. Some beaches have shark nets and patrols. Jellyfish are another matter. I wouldn't venture into the water with them around, but some people do. Mostly down south you are fine it's the tropical areas that have a bigger issue.

Thanks worldtraveller73. They are a must do if you are in Victoria.

You are so wrong eightblack . Who drinks Tooheys in Sydney? Craft beers are the way forward now. No Dim Sum? How about China town, or the fact that Din Tai Fung (the world's tastiest dumplings apparently) have their only Australian restaurants in NSW? Rugby? How about the start of the Sydney to Hobart.....

I did thoroughly enjoy the flight back in F, so we'll agree on that .

Such praise from a master! Thank you Seat 2A. hopefully I don't disappoint.

More faith please . I was only Oneworld Sapphire at the time, unfortunately.

Thanks Jailer.

matthandy

Tasmania – Bay of Fires and Hobart

The morning was glorious. I had a rough plan of where to head to and started at Binalong Bay. I had no idea what to expect, what was this ‘Bay of Fires’? Where did that name came from. I was soon to find out.

I randomly chose a spot to park, a couple of spaces near to a beach area and then headed down the small path to the water’s edge. Wow, just wow. A beautiful beach with soft white sand, a bright blue ocean, beaming sunshine, a crystal clear flowing water from the stream, beautiful greenery and stunning red topped rocks. I’d never seen anything like it. The best part was, the place was pretty much deserted.

Wow – Binalong Bay


Crystal clear water


The water meets the ocean

After picking my jaw up off the floor I went back towards the car to explore the rest of the coastline around the area. All of the rocks in the area were covered with lichens which gives them an amazing orange hue. It’s quite something. I couldn’t stop taking photos. It really was stunning, certainly of the same order of magnitude as the Twelve Apostles, different though obviously.

See for yourself.

Stunning


Rocky outcrop


The beach


Rough weather


Tannin stained lake


Tannin stained lake


Beautiful


Orange outcrop


Beautiful view over the beach

After pretty much using up all of my camera battery on taking in the scenery I got back into the car and made my way down to Freycinet National Park. The plan was to visit Wineglass Bay lookout. However, after the 100km drive I got to the entrance to the park and found out two things that made me turn around. One, there’s a large entrance fee (around $25) and the walk to Wineglass Bay is around 3 hours return. I didn’t really have the time and the weather had turned anyway, so I gave up and carried on down to Hobart. This was another two hours drive.

I had booked into the Hotel Grand Chancellor for the night. I parked the car and made my way to reception I was informed that I’d been upgraded, however the way that the receptionist framed up was as if I should be eternally grateful. I was grateful, but if she was going to have an attitude about how ‘lucky’ I was then I would have rather not have been.

Anyway, the room was really good. It was a suite, with views over the harbour. I was only staying the one night so I didn’t really make full use of the room or the facilities of the hotel but it seemed rather nice and somewhat upmarket.

Lounge area


Bedroom


View over the harbour

Before finding somewhere for dinner I took a wander around the harbour area. It was quiet but there were a couple of bars and restaurant around that seemed rather lively. I ended up eating the Drunken Admiral which as you can guess, is a seafood restaurant. The food was ok, not particularly amazing. I’m not sure that I can fully recommend it.

The next day was my last day in Tasmania. I’d planned to visit the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in the morning and then wander around Hobart in the afternoon before heading to the airport for my flight at 7.35pm.

I’d not heard much about the museum other than it looked rather ‘cool’. The museum is located a short distance from the city and the easiest way to visit is by ferry. This takes about 25 minutes and tickets can be bought on the wharf near to my hotel. This was no ordinary ferry for no ordinary museum. There are two classes available for travel. One gets you to the front and access to the free with included drinks. The other, cheaper, allows you to sit at the back and gives access to the outside deck. I went for the cheaper option. There’s still a bar, if you fancy, you just have to pay.

View over the harbour - daytime


By the water’s edge


The ferry


Quote of the day – by the bar

The ferry journey was great and upon arrival we made our way into the museum. From the outside, there’s not a lot to see. The museum you see, is almost all underground.

I don’t mind the odd museum but usually I get bored after an hour or so. Either too much reading or it’s just too big. This place was something else. I’d describe it as the Bond bunker of museums. It’s dark, intentially so. Exhibits are hidden and sneak up on you. You can hear noises but can’t fathom where they are coming from. A dark red curtain hides a room that you never knew was there. In short, this is literally the most stunning, the most surprising and the most entertaining art museum that I’ve ever visited. It’s a destination in it’s own right.

Some of the exhibits that took my fancy included a water feature that spells out political topics as droplets falling from the ceiling, a spooky room full of empty arm chairs and TVs, a massive hall filled with huge screens displaying randomly changing code as if the machine has a mind of it’s own and a reproduction of the human digestive system, complete with a distinctive pungent smell.

Water feature


Masks


Spooky TV room


Smashed


The digestive system


Machine code


The white room

After sensory overload I ended up back up top and decided to grab something to eat. There’s a nice cafe with an outdoor lawn with views over the water. I went for the traditional pie and then took a wander around outside. There was some sort of music event going on and it was clear that this was a popular place for cultural events in Hobart. There was art outside too, although not as spectacular as inside.

I watched the ferry arrive and then took it back to the city. I still had a good few hours to burn and spent the time walking around the city, mostly around the old part, near Salamanca Place. There was an outdoor market going on and I treated myself to a nice ice cream.

Yummy pie


Bit tight


Here comes the ferry

The drive back to the airport was straight forward. I dropped off the car with the friendly guys there and then went to check in at the Jetstar desks. Self check in done, bag dropped and through security which was quick and easy. There’s a lounge but as I was travelling on Jetstar my BA status didn’t count for anything so I ‘slummed it’ in the main departure area.

The flight ended up being delayed for technical reasons and actually when we got on board, a fire engine was parked next to the wing, never a good sign of course. After about an hour we made our way to the runway and then my Tasmania adventure was over.

Check in


view from the wing




Up Next



My last few days in Sydney including a visit to Fort Denison and Cockatoo Island.

red duster

Great TR. love MONA too, our son works there so have been the past three years.^

Jailer

I'm bloody going. You have reminded me that Tasi is on my short list for a walking holiday and there's also my quest to find the reclusive and believed extinct Tasmanian tiger. We only get over to Oz during our summer/their winter and need to find a way to reverse that: kids and their school/sports' commitments can be such a travel-kill.

Genius1

Tasmania is now firmly on my to-visit list. Spectacular images matthandy ^

OldFruity

Great reports. Tnx Matt . Good luck with the Pong back to UK. As someone who has Ping Ponged and Pinged again I hope you find your Karma in the UK. We didnt. Family couldnt cope and I now commute PRG - MEL regularly. Lifestyle v family.... An interesting conundrum and one which most never face in their corporate, take family for granted, stay at home lives. Oz - once visited never forgotten. Good luck shutting that gate. Look forward to a @life in the Uk report' down the track. My advice - Dont watch SŁy news or consider the UK weather as important; both consistently boast the same depressing message - move to Australia.

amaroo

Exquisite TR ^

You've captured the spirit of Australia in those photos - brilliant!

Looking forward to your F trip. We're doing QF F SYD-LHR-SYD in April ... making our way to IST for the 100th ANZAC Service.

Best of British.

Cappuccino

Great report and photos Matt. I was in Tassie last year and did a similar trip to yours but over a longer period - your photos bring back great memories. Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

mad_atta

Great report! I completely agree about MONA as a destination - and about Melbourne lacking Sydney's 'wow factor'. In fact that's a phrase I have frequently used myself. Don't get me wrong, I think they're both fantastic cities. I'm always delighted to hop on a plane to Melbourne for the weekend... and equally delighted to hop on a plane home to Sydney.

My chief complaint with Melbourne (apart from the lousy weather) is that although it has some fantastic neighbourhoods with very distinct characters, there's way too much empty, featureless suburbia in between them. Sydney is much denser in the centre, and most of the places you need to be are close together: of course the city spawls for miles in every direction, but unless you need a fix of a different beach, wooded cove, national park or ethnic foodie enclave in the name of variety, you can safely ignore them all. And as for transport, I find it thoroughly lacking in both cities.

It's true Melbourne used to have an unassailable lead in terms of shopping and nightlife. The shopping one probably still holds true, but Sydney's bar scene has really closed the gap a lot of late. To the Melbournites, you live in a great city, and one I might be tempted to live in myself... if only Sydney wasn't just up the road luring me with its gorgeousness...

bgriz18

Amazing trip report!

My girlfriend was lucky enough to study abroad for 1 semester in Melbourne and visited the Sydney area as well and loved everything in Australia. We always talk about going... Now the only questions is for how long....

Shuttle_Endeavour

Great report Matthandy. Was in Melbourne last year and loved the place, disappointed I didn't do the Great Ocean Road. Looking forward to hearing about your return flights.

matthandy

Thanks red duster. It must be a very interesting place to work!

^^^ I had a great time and can definitely recommend it.

Thanks Genius1.

Thanks for the advice OldFruity. I've been back almost a year now and it's been generally pretty ok. I do miss Sydney and I miss my friends there but I can't see myself moving back there. Having said that, in a couple of weeks time I'm visiting for a two week holiday so we'll see what my thoughts are after that!

^^ Thanks amaroo. That'll be a great trip. The flight home was excellent although the DXB lounge was somewhat underwhelming.

Thank you Cappuccino. I think that it's a pretty common routing, for good reasons.

Totally agree mad_atta. When I originally travelled over to Australia to work I was offered a choice of Melbourne or Sydney. It had to be Sydney, there was no other option as far as I was concerned. That still holds true for me. I can see how Melbourne is an easier city to live in though.

Agree, the transport is terrible, compared to other major cities at least.

Do it!

Ah, you missed out. You definitely need to add that to your list for your next visit.

TravellerFrequently

Great trip report. Thank you.

Lots of excellent photos inspire me to visit some new parts of Australia.

Loose Cannon

Thanks for the Trip Report, looking forward to seeing the rest.