Day 6 - Richmond to Huon Valley (via Hobart)

13 March 2023 - Today was my Hobart Day. 

First I cruised up to the Rosny Hill Lookout and got a bit of an overview of the city and surrounds.




The above shots are overlooking the Derwent River and the Tasman Bridge, and south towards the ocean. Apparently in 1975 some of the supporting pylons of the bridge were severely damaged when a ship went off course while navigating under the bridge. The captain then tried straighten up and go through one of the narrower gaps, and proved that there was a good reason for the instruction to only use the central widest gap... The ship took out several of the supporting pylons and caused some sections of the roadway above to fall. 12 people lost their lives... 5 were motorists who failed to notice the gap in time to stop (it was a dark and foggy night) and plunged into the river. The other 7 were crew members of the ship. They were trapped inside when the ship sank.

Anyhoo... The bridge was quite intact when I drove over it, although a huge gust of wind came through and threatened to tip the camper over. I have noticed several times during the week that it can be quite susceptible to high winds!

Once over the bridge I took a quick turn into the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. I didn't have heaps of time, but I bought a coffee and had a wander.







I had a chat with this guy on the way out. He didn't contribute much... the strong, silent type.


After the Gardens it was time to go and check out MONA (the Museum of Old & New Art). A couple of people had recommended MONA to me, but I was still sceptical. I'm not a big fan of modern art (or most other art to tell the truth!). The place was like a 3-level maze (intentionally, I assume). The experience starts before you even get to the entrance...



The method of describing and attributing the art here is purely digital. There are no plaques on the wall or audio tours... You have to download the app and join the MONA wifi network, then send out a signal and it will come back to you with exhibits that are nearby based on your location. I found it to be annoying and cumbersome. Instead of stepping to the side to read a description on the wall, people stand directly in front of things for as long as it takes to find it in the app and then read about it. It sometimes took two or three attempts at sending out a ping before the relevant exhibit showed up. In the end I dumped the app and just wandered through looking at stuff. I had no idea what much of it was about, but it didn't bother me. 

It was apparent throughout the whole facility that it was aimed at a multi-sensory experience, not just visual. Much of it involved sound and movement, as well as sight. For an introvert like me who craves quiet, alone time, parts of MONA were quite overwhelming. I especially noticed it with the exhibits that incorporated sound.

I'm just going to dump a bunch of photos I took and let them speak. Don't expect any information because then I would have to get the confounded app going again! Feel free to download it for yourself... It is titled 'The O' in the App Store.

















Despite my reservations and the overwhelm, it was definitely worth the visit and I would go again.

Next I headed into Hobart proper... and straight into a one-way system. To get where I wanted to go I had to go about four blocks past it and find a way around and back. 🙄 However, I got there. It was a day of museums. Next up I headed into the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. As far as museums/galleries go, it was pretty bland. But maybe it only seemed that way because I had just been in MONA which is anything but bland, even visually and audibly challenging at times. 

It was a nice, quiet space to be in though. Just a few pics...






After leaving there I drove around and checked out some of the historically significant streets and spots in and around the city. Then it was time to head to my next home for the night in Huon Valley. I had a gorgeous spot right by the river. I was told that you can often see platypuses (platypi?) around dusk and dawn so I had a good look but all I saw were ducks...



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