We're currently holidaying in Tasmania. We've got a few days in Hobart and since it's a Sunday, Brad (
Hive account@new.things) my partner needed to do a long run. We don't know the city that well so we took the advice of a fellow parkrun tourist and went to visit Queens Domain parkrun. I can confirm that it's gorgeous.
This was the view across the River Derwent from the parkrun course, which is a beautiful but strange Y-shaped, out-and-back (5km) course.
A very handy sign for people like us who are doing a "freedom run" (Read: walking or running the parkrun course at any time or day other than when parkrun is actually held as an event. Note: This parkrun starts at 9 am and is run every single Saturday bar crazy weather events).
There was heaps of wildlife in the bush on either side of the parkrun course. I saw several small mammals while I was walking (and Brad was running). I think this is a pademelon? Kind of like a wallaby or a very small kangaroo but even shorter and stockier, but just as cute!
After a hot shower, a coffee and a bit of catching up on Hive we eventually left our warm little hotel apartment to brave the cold again and go in search of food. Brad was keen to visit the Tourist Information Centre so I looked for the closest, open-on-Sunday, vegan-friendly cafe so we wouldn't have to detour too much. We ended up at "Straight Up Coffee" on Liverpool St and it was awesome. They had so many great options for gluten-free and vegan food. It was rad. Can you tell how happy I was?
With map in hand, I was looking for the shortest way through the city to get the mister to his Tourist Info Centre. Along the way I spotted a laneway full of murals. I particularly liked this one as it's so colourful! Though it does look like people graffiti'd over the bottom of it and so the wall had to be repainted...
A bit dark for my liking, but I appreciate the artwork nonetheless. Far better than I could do!
More murals. More artistic expression.
I really liked this one. It felt... gentle and lovely :)
Me and a lot more murals, clever graffiti and tags than I could possibly look at in a short period of time. Check out the animated character above my head!
Sadly, the Tourist Information Centre was closed today (Sunday) and so the map we'd already been using the navigate the city was the best we had to work with. Thankfully, that was enough along with our strong, willing legs, to see a great deal. One of the most beautiful man-made structures I saw during our city stroll were these guys (seals on the left, penguins on the right). All animals in this photo were statues and not live animals. Unfortunately! Still, they were pretty awesome! It was part of an art installation to share about an Expedition to Antarctica in 1898.
And then around the corner was Battery Point where the famous Salamanca Markets are held each Saturday morning. We did not go to the markets as we were down (south) at Geeveston and Dover doing some parkrun adventuring and beach time down there!
This is probably THE coolest traffic light control cabinet painting I've EVER seen! (This thing controls the traffic lights and in some towns/cities in Australia they paint them. But this one of the local and endangered Tasmanian Devil takes the cake!)
By the time my watch said 15,000 steps my ankles and calves were starting to ache (Brad must have been feeling it too since he RAN two laps of the parkrun course while I was walking it!) so it was time to find the shortest route home. I'm so glad my map reading skills are fabulous. It's a very useful skill to have when walking around a new city! The short cut took us through "Kelly's Steps" and right past this building. A pretty fitting way to end our afternoon, methinks :)
And that's Hobart, for today. There's truckloads more you could explore in this city, but we're only here for a few days and tomorrow we head north to explore the East Coast of this gorgeous island. Keep your eyes open for a new post (by Brad/@new.things probably!) sometime in the next week!
(Btw, all photos--except the first four of Queens Domain parkrun which are by me--were taken by Brad, the photographer extraordinaire).
