Hobart, Tasmania (Part 3)

Tasmania on Day 4 - Hobart

On my 4th day in Hobart, there was nothing much I could do and since I did not make any booking on any day trips, so the whole day was mine. I was regret for not taking another tour, perhaps to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory or to the Freycinet Bay. But thinking that I had to do the laundry, I'd rather do what I was supposed to do, or else, I might ended up nothing to wear or stinky shirts and pants piling up.

After bathing and having light breakfast, I went out heading towards the water to see if there was anything unusual or something nice to experience there. Well, I thought I was doing the right thing when I heard a nice music in the air. Not quite sure whether that was a group or solo musical performance. The music played was one of my favourite type which is fusion music. It sounded modern but having tribal/native/ethnic elements in it. Truthfully, anyone who can compose this kind of music is truly a genius and personally, I feel that this personnel is some kind of mysterious and special in some ways. I love instrumental music rather than lyrical musics because I prefer to blend-in my mind with the musical composition. Other artists which I do love their musics are Kitaro, Enigma, Richard Clayderman & Kenny G. 

So I approached a canopy at the Brooke Street Pier, where a guy with s straw hat and white-framed sun glasses was performing with his marimba, didgeridoo, guitar & saxophone. I sat at a bench under a tree and enjoyed his music. For the first time, after several years, I decided to buy his CD. It costed AUD 25 for a CD (considered expensive if in Malaysia) but I did not mind to by this authentic and impressive piece of music. Additional info of DidgEra (artist is Dave Johnson) can be read from Didgera - Dave Johnson.

Salamanca Square

Next, I headed to Salamanca Place which was just opposite the pier to have a look there. Behind the buildings was Salamanca Square, a small, cosy place for those who would want to sit and relax. There are several cafes and bistros for those who would want to have social retreat or spending own sweet time alone. A small fountain in the square cooled off the environment. I met a nice and friendly Scottish lady and we chatted about couple of things from travelling to expensive items in Australia.

Salamanca square

Feeling that the midday heat was getting stronger, I bid good riddance to that Scottish lady and made my way to Battery Point, which was a historical suburb within Hobart city. Based on the local map, I walked uphill and downhill to see if there was anything interesting for the day. Actually, I have checked out this area on the Hobart City Tour day trip, but that was on tram and I thought I have missed something. 

Battery Point

Point was not a big area so it did not take that long to complete the navigation. The cottages here were well-tended and neat. Most of the houses compounds were planted with beautiful flowering plants and non-woody plants. Roses and lavenders were the most commonly planted here and they bloom gloriously. This suburb also was known for its extravagant houses and apartments. Mt. Wellington was visible from here and would be at its best in a cloudless sky.There was an infamous bakery among the Battery Point (and perhaps Hobart too) residents, Jackman & McRoss Bakery, which gained popularity for its freshly baked pastries and breads. In addition to that, the bakers used only organic ingredients in each recipe. There was a small convenient shop and a post office too.  There was also an Anglican church (St. George church) in this suburb.

View of Mt. Wellington from Battery Point

Blooming red roses

Do I even know what kind of flower is this?

Orang and yellow...very nice

Salamanca Place

Salamanca place is a very well-known place for its Salamanca Market. From this area, Mt. Wellington can be seen clearly. Oh..and by the way, behind Salamanca Place is where the suburb of Battery Point is. In Salamanca Place, there is also a Salamanca Fruit Market which sells fresh fruits and vegetables, and they are a lot cheaper than in Woolworth? I  dropped by at this market and bought myself fresh peaches and a bottle of mineral water. It came to my attention that bottled drinking water is expensive throughout Australia. Maybe it does not want to encourage buying bottled water perhaps for environmental-related factor. And of top of that, tap water in Australia is drinkable and treated. I was a little in doubt about that but I did drink from the tap (obviously not from the bathroom taps) and I was fine.

Mt. Wellington as the backdrop.

This was where I bought fresh fruits

I did not wish to be out of the hostel the whole day as I have planned to do the laundry and start to pack my stuff for tomorrow. Though I knew there were several places I wanted to visit, but I guess I have to gave that up and do what I was supposed to do. And on top of that, the heat and sun ray were super strong that I could feel my uncovered part of my forehead was about to burn off. So I ended my 4th day in Hobart very early.

Tasmania on Day 5 - Hobart - Launceston

Today, I was accompanied by Lu, another room-mate of mine at Central City Backpackers. We went to Salamanca Market, as early as 9 am. It was also time to check-out from the hostel and I kept my backpack and a bag at the storage room. It was free and I thought that was appropriate. Some backpackers accommodation would charge certain fees, even to the in-house guests, who wish to keep their luggages for couple of hours.

Well, spending half a day in Salamanca Market was really a fun experience for me. It was not just an ordinary market, but it was also a great place to see various product creatively crafted by the locals.   Not just that, street performances by talented individuals & groups were a value added to the environment. 

There was a performance by this gentleman in the pictures below. It was a real, authentic and no trick performance. He was gifted with a very flexible body and the best part was, he swallowed a real, metal sword. That was unbelievable but that was real. He was a really a good performer and funny too. Could it be that he used to be a gymnast before? Or was he practising yoga a lot that he managed to gain such flexibility?

Truly flexible...

Sword swallowing..really bizarre.

Besides the sword swallowing and almost impossible pinnings and stretching and twisting, we were also entertained by the instrumental country music performance by a group of youngsters who happened to be brothers and sister. I really love their performance and there was a moment where I imagined that I was the lady in the middle. Yes, I really admired violinist a lot. I did have a plan to enrol in violin lessons but due to financial limitation, I have to keep that plan aside. Tried to learn that guitar on my own too, but it is more prudent to have my own guitar and a teacher too. My youngest sister would be the best candidate, I think! :p

And there was another gentleman whom I saw performing at the Brook Street Pier the day before, Didgera or his real name Dave Johnson. There were other instrumental performances but I did not take the pictures as visitors were everywhere and blocking my view (I'm not tall enough to see those performances).

Dave Johnson performing at Salamanca Market

Beautiful bunches

It was time to leave Salamanca Market, time to say goodbye to Lu and time to leave Hobart. Lu was planning to check out a place in east of Hobart, whilst I have to return to the hostel, get my things, and head to Hobart transit centre at Liverpool street to catch the Redline bus to Launceston.  Departure time was 3 pm so, good riddance Hobart.

My little friend, Lu Wang

It took 2.5 hours to get to Launceston. The view along the journey was amazing, just like every other parts of Australia, with the yellowish-golden grasses and hundreds of sheeps and cows grazing   gently  in the grazing field. The bus passes several small towns such Oatlands (famous historical windmill and very beautiful in the spring), Ross and Campbell Town. If only I travelled by a campervan, I would be able to make a quick visit to these historical towns.

At 5.30, the bus arrived Launceston bus terminal at Cimitiere street. Launceston was really a quite town. There was not many vehicles on the road and not many people around. Maybe it was Saturday and most of them were out of town for summer vacation. After getting my backpacks, I drop by at the terminal information counter to enquire on the location of Launceston Backpackers. The guy at the  counter showed me the location on a map and the route he suggested was quite a distance. I started walking from the terminal and was a bit confused with the map, until I met another gentleman, definitely a visitor, and asked for direction from him. Thank god he knew where I should head to, or else I would be navigating the wrong way and got lost. So finally arrived Launceston Backpackers at 6.45, checked-in and bathed. Not in mood to cook as the kitchen was busy, so I had granola bars for dinner.