WAITING FOR WAYNE

25^th January, 2014

Our house sit at Taroona ended one week earlier than planned as our home owners had to return from their Italian skiing trip due to the fact that Joe had fallen while skiing and broke his shoulder … OUCH!  Our nephew Wayne was still travelling down the west coast of Tasmania (we’d intended to meet up with him in Hobart) so we adjusted our plans and checked into New Norfolk Caravan Park (30 klms north west of Hobart) where we enjoyed some quiet walks along the Derwent River while waiting for him to arrive.

Looking up the Derwent River to New Norfolk from Pulpit Rock

Looking down the Derwent River from Pulpit Rock

When Wayne did arrive earlier than expected we managed to change his site to one closer to ours

Our campsite on left - Wayne right foreground

and then spent the next few hours catching up with each other’s goings on.

Relaxing at Wayne's campsite

The next day we commenced our sight-seeing.  First on the agenda was a visit to the historic town of Richmond.  As we arrived right on lunchtime a pub lunch seemed in order and the Richmond Arms Hotel fitted the bill quite nicely.

Richmond Arms Hotel

We wandered along the main street where many buildings dating back to the 1820’s still stand and then took a tour through Richmond Gaol where convicts (men and women), bushrangers, aboriginals, criminals and gaolers were incarcerated.

Wayne and Wok read the information board at Richmond Gaol

Farms in the area were assigned convicts who acted almost as slave labour.  What better form of discipline than a ‘stretch’ in a convenient local gaol, or the lash, to keep them in order?  Escapes were common but many were recaptured and harsh sentences were imposed.  Leg irons and solitary confinement were two of the least severe sentences.

Wayne is not so sure that leg irons in solitary confinement is necessary

The following day we continued along the convict trail and visited the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart.  From 1828 to 1856 the Female Factory operated as an institution intended to reform female convicts, some as young as 11.  Women were sent here as punishment, to be reformed, or while waiting to be assigned.  Inmates provided laundry and needlework services, offsetting some of the Colony’s penal costs.  With staff, women and babies, up to 1,000 people lived here at any one time.  It was a harsh existence with tragic consequences.  Many did not survive.  We booked onto a tour titled ‘Her Story’ – part history lesson, part roaming theatre show.  It is a depiction of the life within Yard One of the Female Factory in 1833.  The story is performed by two actors.  One portraying the parts of an overseer and a doctor

The 'Doctor' at the Cascade Female Factory

and one portraying the woman whose story is being told.

The convict 'Mary'

‘Her Story’ is but one story amid the thousands that could be told but does help us to understand the significance of the Site and what happened here.

Not far from the Female Factory is Cascade Brewery

Cascade Brewery

Built in 1824 the brewery is still operational and we book an afternoon tour.  There is a restaurant at the brewery visitor centre so we have lunch and the boys sample some of the beers on offer before we take the tour.

'The boys' - Wok and Wayne - beer tasting

The tour would have been a lot better if the factory had been operational – it was Friday afternoon and the workers were nowhere to be seen.  Apparently they were having an extra long ‘long weekend’ for Australia Day.  However the boys did agree that the beer tasting was really really good.

The following day is Saturday, so we head off into Hobart and park Wayne’s Prado in a parking station and catch the free Saturday Hobart Shuttle to Salamanca Markets at the waterfront.

Robyn and Wok at Salamanca Markets in Hobart

These outdoor markets have been operating for many years and are excellent.  There are lots of different stalls and what we thought would probably only take us a couple of hours ended up being closer to five hours.  There were buskers that played interesting music

Didgera

and others that had us laughing.

Wayne and Wok laugh it up

There were lots of food stalls such as the Bratwurst sausage grill

The Bratwurst Sausage Grill - Just look at all those sausages!

which the boys just couldn’t pass by without sampling.

The 'boys' do their bit in trying to get rid of all those cooked sausages ..

There were lots more sampling to be had – wines, whisky, beer, chocolate etc. etc. After more than four hours on our feet we finally left the market carrying a few bags of goodies - gifts, fruit, veggies and Wok even bought a new hat. 

Wok and Wayne exit the markets

As we could see the 1271 metre high Mount Wellington quite clearly from the markets we decided to drive up to the lookout for a bird’s eye view.

We walk down to the lookout at Mount Wellington

Even though it was a little hazy we could still see the Tasman Peninsular and the waterways leading to Hobart and follow the Derwent River as far as Bridgewater.

The view over Hobart from Mount Wellington

Every bit of Hobart and its suburbs were spread out below us – it is an excellent viewpoint and even though it was quite warm down at the markets it was freezing on the top of Mount Wellington with a bitterly cold wind coming straight from the Antarctic.  Safely back down at sea level we stopped off at the Shot Tower for a look see.

The Shot Tower

Built by Joseph Moir in 1870 with the help of two men the 58 metre sandstone tower was commenced and completed in 8 months.  Quite a feat!  The purpose of the tower was for the production of lead shot for the muskets and rifles of the day.

Spiral staircase inside the Shot Tower

While Wayne climbed to the top of the Shot Tower (we had climbed up the many steps twenty years ago) we partook of a Devonshire Tea in the cosy tea room at the base of the tower.  MMMMM … scones, strawberry or blackberry jam with lashings of fresh cream … yummmm.  Luckily for Wayne he managed to join us before we had eaten all the scones and shared his photo of the view from the top of the Shot Tower.

View over the Derwent estuary from the Shot Tower at Taroona

By the time we got back to the caravan park everyone was worn out so we decided a takeaway pizza would finish off the day quite nicely.  It was unanimously agreed that tomorrow was going to be a rest day and no-one was going anywhere.  Yippee!  We get to sleep in …….