Hobart

Hobart, Tasmania, April 25 and 26,

Because this is Anzac day there is a sunrise service of remembrance at Dawn. It is conducted by the captain.

The ship pulls into Hobart at noon and we have a tour. We grab a quick bite of lunch and then head for the Wharf. We are supposed to meet at 12:50 so we go at 12:30. Better early than late we say. Well when we get to the dockside there is our bus and it is already half loaded and it is full and pulls away at 12;45.

It is a nice modern bus. Our driver is Adrian and out tour guide is named Dianne.

We are given a short tour of the city and then we head for the gardens

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical gardens were established in 1818 and so they are the second oldest in Australia.

There is a diverse collection of temperate climate plants, including the largest conifer collection in the southern hemisphere. There is a Japanese garden, a sub aortic house, a rose garden and many more collections.

We are treated to a guided tour by a passionate volunteer named Pat. She obviously loved what she did and her enthusiasm showed.

We left the gardens around three and we were driven to battery Point and Mount Nelson. The history of the area with its ups and downs was told to us.

We arrived back at the ship in lots of time for dinner. It was a good day. The ship will overnight in Hobart as scheduled.

The next morning we decided to explore after breakfast.

We ended up at the maritime museum.

It was a trade off. Yesterday ken spent time looking at flowers because I wanted to and today I visited the museum because he wanted to.

But all in all it was a great port of call. There was so much to see and do. The city is about the size of Abbotsford and like Abby the homes are climbing higher and higher on the hill side.

This is our last port

Tomorrow we pack.