Where We Be
Mt. Wellington is seriously windy and cold! When we visited in mid-April, snow
was predicted for tomorrow and the road to the top was expected to be closed.
From the top of Mount Wellington you can
see the city of Hobart spread out below you
Hobart, Tasmania
Be sure to take the ferry there and back. MONA has its own artsy
ferry boats where, instead of cheap seats, they have sheep seats!
Pulling out of Hobart you get a good view of the harbor --
the second-deepest natural port in the world!
Mount Wellington looms behind, right on the doorstep of Tasmania's capital
The ferry ride along the Derwent River takes about half an hour each
way. You can also get there by car but this is the more scenic approach.
One wing of the museum juts dramatically over the river
Even if you're not big on art museums, this one just might be worth your time
MONA doesn't take itself too seriously. You can tell this by
reading any of the amusing pamphlets put out by the museum.
You descend a spiral staircase (or take the elevator) to get to the bottom of the museum
(shown here) then work your way up the three floors. Most of the museum is underground.
Castray Esplanade is the finish line each year for a classic 1200 km
ocean race from Sydney to Hobart. The judges' box is just behind me.
An audio headset lets you learn more about any exhibit that interests you
Macquarie Street and Davey Street in the city center
are home to almost sixty National Trust-listed buildings
Many of the installations focus on light, darkness, and color -- like this hallway
you walk through filled with neon blue or red light (depending on the moment)
We spent one day just strolling around the city and taking in the sights
The museum owner and creator, David Walsh, calls MONA a "subversive adult Disneyland." For example, you can go
inside this "egg"  (for 25 AUD extra) and be completely surrounded with light like a 60'’s acid trip (or so we've heard).
This is the Convict Penitentiary Chapel -- notable
since Hobart got its start as a convict penal colony
The Tasmanian Museum of Art (free) is worth a visit. Shown left is an extinct
Thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial that was once Tasmania’s largest predator.
This wind-driven pen draws art on a canvas based on the strength
and direction of the wind. You can even buy the resulting creations.
The museum also houses beautiful furniture made from Tasmanian huon pine
Tasmania is considered a gateway to Antarctica, which explains why a large exhibit in the museum
is devoted to it. Just down the street are replicas of Mawson's Huts once used in Antarctica.
Climbing up the steps from the ferry dock, you get great views of the surrounding area
Salamanca Place hosts a weekly Saturday market and
offers an atmospheric place to dine, shop, and walk
The museum is architecturally striking in its own right, both outside and inside
The elegant Harbourmaster's House (1829) overlooks the harbor
Saint David's Park offers a nice little escape close to Salamanca Place
An indoor glass observatory lets you enjoy the view without freezing
When passing through Hobart's airport, be sure to check out
this fun sculpture of Tasmanian devils claiming their luggage!
This has been called "the most hostile environ-
ment of any broadcasting site in Australia"
It's worth braving the weather for views like these
Mount Wellington
Museum of Old & New Art (MONA)
Hobart City Sights
This is the "Fat Car,"
a glistening red Porsche
The two best things to do in Hobart, capital of
Tasmania, are: 1) drive to the top of Mount
Wellington, and 2) take the ferry up the Derwent
River to the Museum of Old & New Art (MONA).

Mt. Wellington is cold, windy, and surprisingly
high, and Pinnacle Road is winding and narrow.
You won't forget the drive to the top -- or that
blast of bitter wind when you get out. The views
of Hobart from the glass viewing shelter are
nothing short of spectacular -- and it's free. The
whole excursion only takes about an hour with
a rental car (the easiest way around Tasmania).

MONA is an art museum with a difference. Just
getting there by ferry is half the fun. During the
half-hour trip along the Derwent River you get
good views of Hobart and the strikingly situated
museum itself. MONA is both architecturally
interesting and filled with unusual exhibits. At
50 AUD (~$35 US) each including the round-trip
ferry it isn't cheap, but it really is money well
spent and is the best thing we did in Hobart.
The first "art installation" you come to is a functioning roulette beer vending
machine (9 AUD) with the losing roulette choice being a warm Fosters!
The next installation is a "waterfall" that spells out words  [Not my photo]
Many of the exhibits take up a whole room
Here we're looking down on a vat filled to the
brim with oil that perfectly reflects like a mirror
This place is big. You could easily spend all day
here, although we kept it to about three hours.
Kryptos was one of our favorites: it felt like entering an Egyptian tomb but with hieroglyphs of 0's and 1's. You walk through a
maze to an "inner sanctum" you have to duck into. The eerie humming music changes pitch in here and sounds somehow more
holy. This is as close as we've come to feeling what a computer might build if it were to build a temple to its gods.  [Not my photos]
That includes City Hall, shown above. Most of
the buildings were constructed during the 1800's.
Nearby is Battery Point, home to historic
homes and cottages from the 1800's