This journey signified eight whole months of travelling on a trip that was only supposed to last only four. Here I was in a country I'd never dreamed of being in about to embark on an adventure I'd never imagined I would be going on.
However since I had come to Australia, I'd set my heart on venturing to Tasmania and here I was finally fulfilling that wish.
In a few short hours I had landed in the new state of my choice and the anticipatience of what may lie ahead was exciting. I now really was in the realm on the unknown. I had no idea what I was doing now. Little plans or ideas. This was the type of backpacking that I had tried to do the whole of my trip so far. Travelling without knowing or planning. Well ok, without planning maybe thats not wholley true. I had made some vague plans to do something that is called 'WWOOFing,' however what I would actually be doing- who knew!\
WWOOFing or 'Willing Workers On Orgainic Farms' is a kind of volunteering organistation that is actually in action all over the world. You exchange your time and energy and get some memorable life experiences, food and board in return.
Another bonus of this scheme is that if you complete three months or eighty-eight days of work (which can also be done on paid farms,) you can then qualify to apply for a the much prized second year visa.
Its a great way to see some of 'The Real Australia,' and experience life with an Australian family or host and do things you've never dreamed of doing.
I had already been in contact with a women who lived in the north of Tassie and arranged to stay with here later in April and another yoga retreat in the south of Tassie in the beginning of April.
With time to kill before those arrangements I wanted to see a bit of Hobart and the surrounding areas and and perhaps see if i could find some others to volunteer with.
The day I arrived in Hobart I was wiped. The late night and early morning start had used up all my energy, so after a short wander around I ended up falling asleep on a green in front of the parliament building in an area of town called Salamanca. Determinded to do something with the day I booked to go on a tour to the famous 'Wineglass bay' in Freyinet National Park later that week and went for some dinner at Muirs Fish and Chip restaurant which Debbie from Sydney had recommended to me.
The food was nice but being a girl from grimsby I'm not easily impressed by forgein fish and chips especially as the fish in Britain tends to come as big as your face with huge mound of soft steaming chippy chips. It was good fish but the chips were not up to standard. Sorry but GY fish and chips win handsdown everytime.
I spent the rest of that evening and the following day hanging out at the Central City Hostel back in Hobart. It was a lovely atmospheric place to be. The weather outside sucked- cold and windy- so I took some much needed lazy time and watched tv and films.
I got chatting to a lovely German guy called Dennis in my dorm room and his friend Martin, although Martin spent all his time with his head in book and barely said two words. They'd just come back from a seven day trek across the Cradle mountains which sounded pretty awesome, although had completely stunk of the whole room with their walking gear that was spread out across the floor. Dennis apologised profusely about but as he was so nice I told him it didn't matter.
The following day a german girl moved into the room too full of energy and life which certainly brightened up the place. She'd too been on some tour of Tasmania and had her washing drapped over every possible bed post avaliable.
On the Thursday I'd booked to go on a tour to the famous Wineglass Bay. Whenever you see pictures of Tasmania, its more than likely you'll see a photo of Wineglass Bay, I certianly got dozens of images of it when I googled Tasmania. In fact it was one of the reason I decided I definetley wanted to come. It was a kind of 'I want to go there!' moment and minutes later I booked my flight.The tour wasn't the greatest. A bit overpriced for what was actually included but I enjoyed it all the same. All the places we stopped at were truely stunning and really made me gush about how amazing Tassie was to all my friends and family back home.
It really made me feel saying 'Excuse me Tasmania, the rest of the world called and would like some of its beauty back!'
It was a nice day and I saw some lovely places but the best part of my day (although a close second was the friendly wallabies at Freyinet NP!) was probably meeting a young Phillapeano guy called Ken. His wonderfully boytorus and fun character really made the day. We just acted like children taking hundreds of photos and messed around all day. When we got back me and my new best friend went and grabbed some dinner at Fish Frenzy and chatted the evening away.
Friday was spent being lazy too. I really was loving this not working malarky! If you don't want to do something then don't! I could deffo get used to this!
got a call from Ken about 7 asking me if I wanted to go take photos of the lit up city skyline. I figured as I hadn't done anything more or less all day, apart from hang out with a dutch guy I'd met called Sander and talked about my travels through Asia, I would go. We (unsuccessfully!) took some pictures of the city and then played about with our cameras taking pictures in the shadows and street lights and ended up with some pretty interesting photos!
In the afternoon I headed back to my hostel and got talking to a Russian/Candian girl named Polina. Funnily enough she had just come from the WWOOF host that I'd spoke to the day before and was about to go stay with, had moved into my dorm and was even in the bed above mine!
I was getting hungry by now and being lazy and not wanting to cook for myself I was just going to head out and see what I could find. Me and Polina ended up going to an Thai restaurant with an English guy- Phil- and his French friend Adrian, which Polina had met earlier that day. We finished off the evening back at the hostel with a box of goon (bag of wine, to the English ones of you) and chatted the night away.
It was one of those nights that you would just like to chill out and have some pleasent conversation, however Phil's idea of fun was intense conversation analysing peoples beliefs. We had gotten into an extremely deep conversation about Yoga Ashrams and his views were the polar opposite of mine. I think he felt my feelings of my time in the ashram were naive and that i'd been sucked into what they wanted me to believe and feel. In the end he said he was interested in my arguments and we agreed to disagree on the whole matter and to be honest I was just glad that it was over as I found the whole ordeal exhausting!
In a pleasent end to the evening though I spoke to my best friend in England and it was so nice to hear her voice and here all about normal life back home!... Even if it was interupted my running out of credit and a women telling me to be quiet!
Sunday came. My last day for the time being in Hobart and I finally got the energy to go to MONA- The Museum of Old and New Art, after failed attempts every other day of the week, Man, that place is weird. If you know me, you know I love art. I love all types of art. Historical painting, modern paintings, colourful paintings, b;ack and white paintings and 'i don't know if thats actually classed as a painting 'paintings. Drawings, sculptures and photographs- I enjoy them all. But boy this place was something else.
There is such a bizarre collect of things in that place I don't even know where to begin. There were things I loved. There was David Shrigley videos and art, a room filled with tv screens of people singing and dancing to Madonna songs and a huge head on the floor that you look into and see all the things whirling around its brain. But there were strange, strange things too. A poo making machine room- which smelt like sick and looked worse, a video of a person squeezing zits and a really eerie room containing a mummy on a island surrounded by black water accessible only by a stepping stone path that went around the side of the room.
I'm glad I went, but it definetly hasn't knocked London's Tate Britain of my art gallery top spot.
To finish off the evening me, Dennis, The german girl, Polina and another German girl who moved into our room went in search of a pub. It sounds like a simple task, but trying to find a pub in Hobart on a Sunday night is harder than it looks. In the end we were in luck and found one open which even had a band playing... to a massive crowd of four people! We sat and had a couple of drinks and then headed back after our crazy night. Wow Tassie is just... wild! I'm guessing that the Sunday night lack of entertainment isn't a great example of Tassie nights but you never know. This place does seem pretty quiet!
Hobart was a lovely welcome to Tasmania and I couldn't wait for what the rest of Tasmania held!
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