Hi, and welcome to my blog, where I document and discuss my life as a photographer, writer, podcast host, Papa, and partner. Today’s blog is part two of sorts, as I recently travelled to Tasmania (Australia) with my partner, The Doctor. The first half of our trip was spent in Launceston shopping, spending time with family, and getting out and about to explore the city with my clever photography friend, Bruce Moyle. If you haven’t read it yet, please take a moment to catch up with Hitting The Streets Of Launceston With Bruce Moyle. The Launceston blog documents our first few days in the Apple Isle of Australia where we mostly spent time catching with The Doc’s family who all live in Launceston. On the morning of the third day of our trip, The Doc’s Da dropped us at the Launceston bus depot where we caught the coach from Launceston in the north of Tasmania, down to Hobart in the state’s south. The bus ride took around two hours before we stepped off in the middle of Hobart’s CBD. Hobart with its population of around 260,000 is such a different city to Launceston with its smaller populationi of 87,000. While it’s a long way off my home town of Melbourne’s 5.5 million strong head count, there still a level of hustle and bustle in Hobart.

This is not my first trip to Hobart as I have visited the city many times throughout the years. My first trip took place when I was around 12 years, touring around Tasmana with my parents on a road trip. We had brought the car with us on the car/passenger ferry from Melbourne to Devenport in the state’s north. And then, years later I travelled to Tasmania with my wife Isobel, first when she was pregnant with our son and later when pregnant with our daughter. Finally, I have been to Hobart more recently when visiting friends. I have a lot of love for Hobart and Tasmania and recount many fond memories spent with family and friends. But as this was The Doc and my first time in Hobart together, we decided to make the most of the opportunity.

After a Japanese lunch, in the heart of Hobart, The Doc and I made our way to Salamanca where our hotel was located. Salamanca is a gorgeous part of Hobart with an long hsitory. Established in the 1830’s as a maritime and whaling port, many of the iconic harbourside sandstone warehouses are still standing. Given it’s location next to the River Derwent, Salamance is home port to Australia’s Antarctic exploration fleet, countless gift, craft, and sourvenir store, and even more eateries and seafood restaurants – many of which sit on pontoons along the harbour. Our accomodation, Moss Hotel, was situated in the heart of Salamanca skillfully nestled inside one of those original sandstone warehouses. It was a clever mix of old and new architecture. Right outside the hotel door the busy tourist destination buzzed day and night (there is a pub underneath our hotel) but within the walls of our gorgeous modern room, it was all peace and quiet. That first night, we opted to pick up some local goodies from Salamanca Fresh Battery Point, located within the same building, and enjoy a little in-room picnic.

The next morning we rose to a bright and sunny day and made our way to a local cafe (with strong Fitzroy Melbourne vibes) for a great coffee before making our way to Brooke Street Pier for a day of whimsical art and amazing food! We were heading to Hobart’s amazing Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)! Founded and funded by art loving Hobart local, David Walsh, MONA is a a mind blowing artistic statement litterally carved into the earth and packed with some of most amazing art and design you will find on the planet. Us mainlanders had to buy tickets but for Tassie locals, it’s free. While the 16 Hectare site located around 15km north of central Hobart is accessible by car or public (road) tansport, there’s a much cooler way to arrive in style! In fact, MONA encourages you to leave the car at home!

MONA operates a pair of large, fast, camouflagued, (one in gold tones and the otehr in black tones) power catamarans known as MONA Roma 1 and 2. The powered catamrans are so much more than your standard mode of ferry transportation. The inside of each Roma is well furnished and decorated with art while offering travellers unique seating locations including the scale-sized sheep statues intended as seats on one of the rear elevated decks. There are also bars and an exclusive Posh Room space for those that opted to have a private lounge, bar, and access to fancy snacks. The Doc and I wanted to be on the rear deck to watch the vast River Derwent flow behind us on our 30 minute journey to the MONA dock. I took a lot of images of that river journey while we both marvelled at the landscapes and housing lining the hills along the river’s edge. Upon arriving at MONA, the first experience saw us walking (slowly) up the 99 steps cut into the bluff above. Once up on the elevated site, we could freely explore some of the exterior architecture, and large-scale sculptures dotted around the incredible grounds of the museum. It’s a jaw dropping experience just exoploring the exterior spaces of the site – so much thought and artistic intention has been built into the every element of the design, architecture, and landscaping! And we haven’t even entered the main museum yet.

Upon opening, we entered MONA through the giant reflective entrance and opted to first inspect the museum shop with it’s locally sourced crafts, products, clothing, jewellry, and some more expensive art pieces. Once we had earmarked some items we would pick up later, we made our way to the glass elevator, located within a glass shaft surrounded by a spiral staircase, down into the Triassic Sandstone that was cut from the earth to form most of the museum. That’s right! MONA is mostly underground and the design and the construction of the valuted spaces is a marvel in itself. We exited the lift on the lowest floor and begun our exploration of one of the most amazing art spaces on the planet. I’m not going to go into detail about all the exhibitions, space, and experiences. You really have to see MONA and feel it for yourself. But it is fair to say that the massive subteranean spaces offer a unique and whymsical art experience like no other. The Doc and I took our time exploring each space often interconnected to the next space via long tunnels, stairways, and walkways. The lighting was sublime and as such, I documented our time with lots and lots and lots of images.

Given that The Doc and I were on holiday, we pre-booked lunch at FARO Bar + Restaurant, but had little to no expecations. What we experienced was an unforgettable dining experience in one of the most remarkable locations. Again, I won’t go into detail as I belive and support the idea that dining at FARO has to be seen to be believed. But the even the entry to FARO offers a surreal and baffling art experience that toys with your perception of the real and surreal. FARO offers an incredible range of small plate meals expertly designed, prepared, and cooked by executive chief Vince Trim. Each plate, expertly introduced by our wonderful and dedicated wait staff member, was a feast for the senses well before it became a feast for our bellies! Throughout our dining experience we were entertained by live music and a wandering artist useing mime to perform, beckon, and delight every guest in the room. FARO Bar + Restaurant, suspended over the River Derwent, is an architectural marvel with floor to ceiling glass, vaulted ceilings, and a two-storey tall perfect sphere housing an art experience for the willing and able. I was so enamoured with our shared experience that time seemed to stop as The Doc and I delighted in the every element of our time in FARO. Oh and the food was next level amazing, too! Definitely in the top three meals I have ever had!

With our dining experince complete, the Doctor and I completed our navigation of the MONA spaces before returning to the museum shop to pick up a few choice pieces as mementos of our experience. The Doc and I need very little convincing to by art and interesting objects to decorate our home with. Before long it was time to make our way back to the MONA dock before boarding MONA Roma and watching the passing scenery on our return trip to Salamanca and the sanctuary of our freshly made-up hotel room. We were both exhausted by the day of exploring MONA so that night we dined on delviery pizza and recounted some of our best moments from the day. The next day was to be our last in Tasmania and at this point, we both wished we had booked a longer stay! We were finally feeling the benefits of being on holiday.

Our final morning in Hobart afforded us a slow start to the day with a late checkout. Upon leaving our hotel, we stepped into the massive and busy weekly Salamanca Market. I recall attending to the same market years ago with my folks and later with my late wife, Isobel. The Salamanca Market is an art, craft, and food market that spans almost the entire length of Salamanca Place. The day was warm and sunny with the crowds quickly swelling. We walked the length of the market before looping around behind Salamanca and into Battery Point. We walked and talked and pointed out interesting architecture, shops, and public spaces. It was such a relaxing time as we returned from Battery Point (Hobarts oldest intact historical location) to pick up our suitcase from the hotel. We were both tired, foot-sore, and getting hangry so we grabbed an outside table at Customs House Hotel Restaurant where we devoured a seafood meal and watched the world go by.

Before long it was time to jump in an Uber and make our way to Hobart International Airport. Our time in Tasmania had come to an end and we both regretted not booking more time to explore Launceston and Hobart. Next time. Despite only being a handful of days, we had such an amazing time in both Launceston, visiting family and friends, and in Hobart exploring and experiencing all on offer. Our flight home to Melbourne allowed us to reflect on the times we spent together on this trip. I love travelling with The Doc as we both share an interest in amazing food, art, and artistic experiences. In that respect, Tasmania more than delivered. All images were taken with the Fujifilm X-E5 and the Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 R WR LM prime lens. The combo was ideal for travel and paired with the Lucky Straps Slim 30 Leather Camear Strap I carried it at all times ready to document the world around me. Be safe. G

PS. If you’re looking for a premium leather camera strap, head to Lucky Straps and use Code: Greg at checkout for a cheeky discount. G