Australia day 4 – Hobart

Helen isn’t working today so the three of us drive into Hobart for a morning’s sight-seeing. We start at Salamanca Place, restored row of Georgian sandstone warehouses dating back to the 1830s and now converted into cafes, craft shops, galleries and restaurants. We wander on round the harbour front which is home to a large number of yachts as well as the temporary berth of the Steve Irwin, the whale defending ship previously known as the Sea Shepherd. We have a quick stroll along Elizabeth Street and Macquarie Street and then turn back to Salamanca Square for a coffee. The square is surrounded by cafes none particularly well frequented and with a modern metal edifice which we think might be a dragon, but could be anything really. Adrian takes a break from his ‘hectic’ schedule to join us as we relax and indulge, in my case in a ridiculously cholesterol-laden iced chocolate heaving with whipped cream, mmmm!

We spend the afternoon researching camper vans and airport transfers for Darwin, but make little progress.

In the evening we pick Adrian up from work, and after a delicious fish and chip supper from a very popular chippie on the harbour front before we make the three-hour drive north to Adrian and Helen’s new house in Shearwater on the north coast. They have just bought a new-build, two-storey house overlooking the Rubicon estuary. It has an open planning living area with an enormous picture window and large balcony with stunning views and master bedroom suite on the first floor. We’re on the ground floor where there are a further two bedrooms, bathroom and sitting room with patio doors onto the garden …oh, and the integral garage. All ultra modern and with a similar layout to their previous home in Blackman’s Bay.

We arrive in Shearwater around 10.30 pm and have a convivial evening with a bottle of wine and sit chatting until 1.30 in the morning.