The Oz in Australia

The Oz in Australia

On Monday we flew from Melbourne, in the Victoria state, to Hobart in the Tasmania State. Melbourne is a beautiful city and is deservedly billed as the cultural center of Australia. We kept busy racing from one area to another, but didn't have nearly enough time to do the city justice. The St. Kilda pier was special - the sea is an ongoing draw. The rocks and huge boulders, that form part of the breakwater, is a nesting site for the Little Penguin. We were lucky to see penguins in their natural setting.
Australia bid good-bye to Oprah on Wednesday. She taped two shows at the Sydney Opera House (which the media has started calling the Oprah House

We did a walking tour of downtown Hobart - very like a Medieval British village Franklin Park was interesting. It had been a cemetery before being converted into a city park. The headstones were placed on display on a wall on the east side of the park. Most of the graves were left intact, therefore as you strolled over the grounds you were visiting the dead. Standing guard over all was a statue of Sir John Franklin -　yes the very explorer who went missing searching for the North West Passage. I had forgotten that he had been a governor of Tasmania.

Next day we drove to Port Arthur, the historic site of the former penal colony. It is felt that there are many restless souls wandering about. Past visitors have sent back copies of their photos that show unexplained orbs, shadows, and white streaks. One little girl is standing perfectly still but her hair is blown to the side. The most compelling story was told in a letter from a past visitor. It hung on a wall beside a small piece of brick sitting on a shelf in the main prison. He stated that while on his honeymoon, he had stolen a piece of brick from a prison cell (the bricks were manufactored by the prisoners - they often left their thumbprints in the bricks). Shortly after returning home a series of accidents befell him. The clutch in his car went, costing him $800, a few weeks later his front end went, costing him $1200, and shortly after that, his garage caught on fire. It was when he, previously in good health, had some blood work done and found this was no longer the case, decided he better return the brick. Makes you wonder.

Two other towns we visited that retain many buildings from the 1830s were Oatland and Ross, both located on the Heritage Highway which weaves it's way between Hobart and Launceston. We stayed at the Oatlands Lodge built in 1834. During breakfast we ended up lingering over tea and talking to the host for over and hour. He took out an atlas and gave some interesting Tasmanian history. And of note, in Ross was the Ross Bridge, built by two convict stone masons who were granted their freedom upon completion of the bridge.

What is always interesting about travel is observing the differences in culture. The Australians have a passion about saving their breath and shortening words whenever possible. So Aussie (Australia), Tassie (Tasmania), mossies (mosquitos), cossie (bathing suite), only to name a few. Another usage that took a while to sort out was bottle shops which we finally figured out are liquor stores. And rivulets are streams. And my favourite expression, "G'day Mate", which beats "Have a good day", hands down. Also of note, are the public washrooms that are found in every town and dotted in easy to find sites throughout the larger cities. Not only are they readily available to find, they are clean. That alone is a good reason for adding Australia to your 'bucket list' of places to visit.). 　These shows will air in Canada in January. During the taping, Hugh Jackman was involved in an accident. He was strapped into a chair waiting to make a dramatic entrance onto the stage, using a zip line. When he finally got the wave to come on down, he sailed onto the stage but didn't brake sufficiently. He crashed into the lights and almost put out an eye. Such is the price of celebrity.