Hobart Town

After an easy flight and settling into our "digs" at the apartments on the docks, we wandered along Campbell St. in the footsteps of John Best who was marched along here, in chains, when it was a dirt track, on his way to the gaol 199 years ago. Within a couple of days two of their company were hanged for the crimes they were transported for and we can only imagine the conditions the Minerva men endured and their thoughts and fears after finally arriving in the antipodes.....that fearful place known as Van Diemen's Land.

Many of the descendants of John and Mary Best remained in Tasmania and settled in places like Hamilton, Ouse and Bothwell. Our branch of the family experienced some success as drapers in Hobart and we are here checking out where they lived and worked as well as taking in the sights and delights of our most southern city.

View of the corner shop in Elizabeth St early 1900's

                                                          The new store built in 1904

The old store in about 1890

We found the old Best & Co "Emporium" in Elizabeth st and were impressed, in our wanderings around the city, with the number of old heritage buildings, maintained, restored and valued within the fabric of the modern city. The University of Tasmania has a number of campuses with architecture remeniscent of the Frank Ghery style, wrapped around the more heritage buildings.

We followed up the locations of various family houses over the years and it was quite strange imagining ourselves in their times and locations. We were invited into one home by the current owners in their 80's who kindly showed us around the house and grounds....and it is still in good shape.

We visited Sandy Bay, Battery Point and Salamanca ......touristy, but fine shopping according to the girls!

                                One of the family residences..... in better times!

            Battery Point......quite gentrified after being saved from the bulldozers in the 1960's

      18 Proctors Rd where Mr & Mrs Read invited us in to see the old house and stables.

While the girls were "exploring", Maurits and I took the opportunity to have a closer look at our very own icebreaker and Antarctic supply ship, the Aurora Australis. It is a mighty, working vessel with dents in the bow to prove that it does actually "walk the walk" in that extreme environment of Antarctica. It was being provisioned for the summer exploration season with great containers on the decks and with machinery and gear all around...which has been happening on this dock since the days of Shackleton and Mawson. Australia has a long and distinguished history in Antarctica and Hobart continues to provide a critical role. 

We also found a sculptural exhibition that was opened by the Irish Prime Minister recently, an exhibition to honour the 15000 convict women and children that arrived in the colony between 1803 and 1853. It was a moving tribute to the hardships and hopes of their "wretched lives" and although John Best's family (wife Mary, four children, sister and her three children) came out as free settlers  a few years after John was transported, it is clear that they would have endured the same conditions and hardships as the convict families.

Mt Wellington is a must in any any trip to Hobart and we were not disappointed with this table top mountain standing sentinel over the city. Over 1200 metres high....mostly cold and blowy with tortured vegetation giving an insight to the alpine conditions the summit endures. If it was good enough for Charles Darwin to visit (albeit after three climbing attempts) it was good enough for us to drive up in comfort to admire the view.

We've really enjoyed our short time in Hobart but it's off to Strahan tomorrow for the "World Heritage" part of our visit....but not before a detour to "Hollow Tree" along the way to visit where John and Mary Best lived their lives.....as convicts, settlers and farmers.