Finally in Hobart

Finally, we are in Hobart. We motored a whole mile down the Derwent, under the Tasman Bridge and arrived at the Elizabeth Street Pier mid-day. The port seems warm and welcoming. There was plenty of space for us and we tied up just forward of the Lady Nelson, a square-rigged brig replica of her 1798 namesake … quite a lovely neighbor to have. We had hoped to tie up at the Constitution Dock (ConDock), but our draft is too deep for the ~2m (6.5') depths in the tiny dock area. We're happy enough where we are though ... on the historic Hobart waterfront, smack dab in the middle of Tasmania's capital city. For $127.75AU/ week, it's quite the bargain for this primo location. The plan is to stay here through Boxing Day (26 December) and enjoy the downtown life and holiday festivities for a few weeks and we're really looking forward to it.

We have a long list of to-do's while we're here, some fun, some not so much, but as usual, we'll find time to get all the important things...fun and otherwise, done by the time we're ready to depart. David's list includes buying a new outboard engine (yikes!), finding a chandlery someone told him about and doing several boat chores he's says he's been putting off. (When has he had time to “put off” any boat chores??) I, on the other hand, have researched downtown walks including a self-guided historical walking tour, a pub tour (for research purposes only), a tour of the downtown parks and some community Christmas activities. I'd also like to return to the Botanical Gardens, get a haircut, purchase some new foam for the settee cushions and perhaps do some poking around in the local shops.

The downtown area is all decorated for the holidays. I couldn't help thinking of the lyrics from Silver Bells, “Strings of street lights, even stoplights blink a bright red and green” as we passed through the Elizabeth Street Mall. We managed a few errands our first day in town...post office, Mitre 10 (think Home Deport), Wooly's (supermarket), the Telstra shop.

Being on foot and walking through alleys and up crowded streets, peering in the shop windows as we pass by, all of this is part of the fun experience of being in a new city. No matter how many times we've visited a place by car, it always seems different when we arrive by boat. We think we're really going to like it here. Stay tuned as we tick off the to-do's in Hobart Town.