Ten Days in Tasmania

[yflyer]

For my main, I chose the roasted duck breast…



While Mrs yflyer selected the fish: steamed blue-eyed trevalla in shellfish sauce…



Dessert was a choice of kunzea blossom ice cream and gooseberries…



Or strawberries, sheep’s milk yogurt, tarragon, and frozen shortbread…



An ultra-refined and imaginatively conceived meal, and in many ways a unique dining experience.

[yflyer]

We took a car ferry to Bruny Island, at the Southern end of Tasmania, for a boat cruise around the island, starting at Adventure Bay in the south of the island.





This was a wonderful cruise which showcased the jawdropping scenery and rock formations around Bruny Island, and wildlife such as seals and whales.











Some of the natural rock formations could have come out of the set of the Lord of the Rings…







Up close to a seal colony…



I never realized how aggressive seals were, constantly fighting (Playing?) and jostling each other off the best sunbathing positions on the rocks…

[yflyer]

This was also the right season for whale watching…we caught a few glimpses of whales towards the end of our cruise…

[yflyer]

Apart from the cruise, Bruny Island had a cheese factory…





Cheese tastings…







Apart from the hard and soft cheese made here (All delicious, with intense and immediate flavours...), there was also an intriguing day old cheese, named o.d.o., which was exactly that: one day old cheese, still moist and crumbly, almost like doufu, which was marinated in olive oil with garlic and red capsicum...a very different type of cheese.



We also stopped at one of Bruny Island's oyster farms, where you could eat there or take-away…



Notice that in Tasmania, lemons are more expensive than oysters...

[yflyer]

Hobart has a museum which has attracted more than its fair share of acclaim as well as controversy: MONA – The Museum of Old and New Art.



Built in a scenic location a short drive from the Hobart city centre (also reachable by the MONA catamaran from the Hobart waterfront), MONA juxtaposes ancient art, such as Egyption mummies, with modern art works, some with shockingly controversial themes suitable only for adults.

The art pieces have no printed labels or descriptions: each visitor is loaned an ipod touch with location tracking technology and descriptions of each exhibit.



Egyptian mummy below, with modern art above…



This exhibit engaged your sense of smell most of all…



Themes range from the whimsical, to the macabre and sensual…





If you go, prepare to have your mind blown, and your sensibilities assaulted. You will either be thrilled or appalled by this museum – love or hate it, it is impossible not to have a strong opinion about this place.

[yflyer]

As with other trips, I was always keen to look out for good running routes. There were several in and around Hobart.

One memorable route took me from the city centre to the waterfront, then along the waterfront, past the Royal Botanical Gardens, and right across the Tasman Bridge over the Derwent River: 5km there and another 5km the same way back, for a round trip total of 10km.



Hobart is a very runner and cyclist-friendly city – clearly marked walking/cycling paths run alongside the waterfront from the city to the Botanical Gardens and beyond.





Even the Tasman Bridge, a major road bridge, has a narrow bike/running track alongside the roadway.



It was windy in the extreme on the Tasman Bridge…the windiest I have ever experienced, and on a cold day, it was like an air-conditioner running full blast right by the side of your face and body all the way up and down the bridge.



The other running route I enjoyed was along 7-mile beach, a long stretch of pristine beach just south of Hobart airport, which I will cover later in this TR…

[yflyer]

I am a newbie when it comes to whisky. Among my circle of friends and acquaintances, many of my friends have been singing praises (And consuming large quantities…) of Japanese whisky, as well as some of the finer whiskies from Scotland.

I had no idea that in the midst of the intense rivalry between Japanese and Scottish whisky makers, that a Tasmanian Distillery, Sullivans Cove Distillery, a small operation with an all-consuming passion for quality and excellence, had quietly come along and snatched the award for Worlds Best Single Malt Whisky at the 2014 World Whiskies Awards.

The WWA is not a Skytrax-like affair where award results are sometimes met with shrugs of disbelief – these are some of the most discerning folks in the whisky business. And while Sullivans Cove has been winning award after award in different competitions and guides over the years for their excellent whiskies, it was winning the 2014 WWA award for worlds best single malt that really propelled their fame to stratospheric levels.

As a result, it is nearly impossible to obtain bottles of their Sullivans Cove French Oak Single Cask Malt whisky anywhere in the world, except Australia, and even in Tasmania itself, these bottles were quite elusive. And forget about obtaining these online, unless you are prepared to pay exhorbitant prices.

The only place where limited quantities of the French Oak Single Cask are available for sale most (some?) of the time, is at their distillery – walk-in customers only.

Sullivans Cove Distillery is located just a few minutes drive from Hobart.

Mrs yflyer and I headed to the Distillery...



Hourly distillery tours are offered, as well as tastings, at A$25 for a taste of their top 3 whiskies, including the French Oak Single Cask.

Mrs yflyer and I didn’t have time the day we were there for the distillery tour, but we did go for a tasting in their small tasting room, in front of their office and distillery, where owner Patrick Maguire and his team could still be seen busy at work on the premises.





We sat at the counter, as Trent, one of the youngest distillers on their team, conjured up worlds of flavour with his words as he described the different whiskies at Sullivans Cove, and poured small portions for us to taste.



Both American and French oak casks are used at Sullivans Cove, each lending the whisky a specific character.



Their main bottling is the Double Cask, where both American and French oak casks are used.

We tasted the Double Cask, as well as the American Oak, both wonderful to my untrained palate, before being handed a glass of their coveted French Oak Cask.



So this is what a world-beating whisky tastes like, I thought to myself, as I took a sniff and a sip, before handing the glass to Mrs yflyer…



I have not had the opportunity to taste the equivalent top-end Scotch whisky, nor any of the top Japanese whiskies, so I did not really have a reference point for comparison, but what I could make out was that each of these whiskies tasted very distinctive, smooth, rich, honeyed, spicy, with an incredibly long finish.

I had planned to utilize our duty free allowance on this holiday to pick up a few choice Tasmanian wines, including a few bottles of Pinot Noir, but there and then a snap decision was made to consume the Pinot Noir while in Hobart, and use part of our duty free allowance for the French Oak Single Cask Whisky instead…

[yflyer]

When planning a trip to Tasmania, ensure that you spend at least one Saturday in Hobart. That is when Salamanca Place near Hobart’s waterfront transforms itself into what must be one of the most amazing street markets in the world: Salamanca Market.



Salamanca Market operates every Saturday, from 8.30am to 3pm.

On early Saturday morning in December when we were there, the city centre was fairly quiet, except for groups of tourists and locals, all walking in the same direction – towards the market.

There are many street markets all over the world, but Salamanca looks to be fairly unique, in terms of size, scale and setting.



Two long, parallel streets lined with stall after stall, selling all manner of local produce, food, and a very eclectic selection of merchandise and handicraft – mostly locally made and sourced.









Speaking of locally sourced produce…the local wildlife featured prominently on the market menu…







Australians are such honest, direct, people, who tell it like it is...

[yflyer]

This was a great market if you were out for a bite…

A real pizza oven on wheels…





Mouthwatering grills laden with sausages…





Washed down with award-winning Tasmanian chilli ginger beer…



There were groups of musicians too, guitarists, singers, and a very talented bassoon and cello duo…



The musicians were well spaced out so as not to drown each other out, although I think most of them paused for a break when the local bagpipe troupe began a Christmas carol medley, which sounded surreal on bagpipes…

A great way to spend Saturday, the 2nd last day of our vacation in Hobart...

[yflyer]

On our day of departure, we returned our rental car at the Hertz return centre, then took a 2 minute stroll across the road to Hobart airport terminal.



We were on Qantas this time, on their Boeing 717 service to Sydney for a short transit stop before our flight home to SIN.



Good view of the single runway from the departure area...



There was a Qantas Club lounge in the terminal.



This was a lot smaller than the lounges in MEL, SYD or ADL, but it was perfectly comfortable...



...and had superb tarmac views, where you could view take-offs, landings and parked aircraft up close.



The one quirk this lounge had was that, because of licensing restrictions, alcohol was only served after 12 noon.





We arrived in the lounge just in time to catch breakfast, before they cleared it.



The kids were happy to see their favourite pancake making machine in this lounge, and had pancakes for breakfast...



While the rest of us adults in the lounge waited for the clock to strike 12...

[yflyer]

Virgin Australia taking off...



Our Boeing 717 inbound from SYD...



Thrust reversers deployed...



What a beauty...



Very quick turnaround...





But enough time for the pilot to come out for some fresh air...



Note the open cockpit window as well...

[yflyer]

We boarded on time...



I was expecting an all-Y aircraft in the old honeycomb pattern seat, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this aircraft had a very new interior, with two-class J/Y configuration.

2-2 in J:







A very comfortable J offering for this short 1 hour 55 minute sector.

Y was 2-3, which subjectively felt equivalent in comfort and spaciousness to an A320, and more comfortable and roomy than a 737 or a 10-abreast 777.











Decent recline...



Individual air vents...

[yflyer]

We took off to the South, overflying Seven Mile Beach as we climbed out of HBA.

Although this was my first time departing HBA, I felt very familiar with the airport and surroundings, because I had spent a lot of time on this trip walking and running along Seven Mile Beach down below...



Seven Mile Beach is a long expanse of sandy beach on a narrow peninsula just East of Hobart.



Hobart Airport lies perpendicular to the beach, with the end of the runway ending just short of the beach...



A map of one of my runs along this windy beach...



The beach is a wonderful place for a stroll at any time of day...



One of many pathes leading from Surf Road to the beach...



Hobart airport's VOR/DME, just meters from the water at Seven Mile Beach...

[yflyer]

Each seat on the plane came with an iPad Mini, in an attractive orange Qantas cover, and proprietary IFE software and security features to prevent the untethered iPad from being taken off the plane.







There was a slot in the seatback for you to mount the iPad for viewing.





Picture and audio quality were very good.



A very impressive system for aircraft and sectors where in-built IFE was not cost-effective.

[yflyer]

A hot lunch was served by a very friendly and professional cabin crew...



This consisted of a delicious chicken and mushroom pie, and complimentary soft beverages. (Alcoholic beverages available for a fee.)





Coffee and tea...



Overall, a wonderful Qantas flight from HBA to SYD...far more enjoyable than my mediocre Jetstar experience from SYD-LST.