mja blog

  • Queenstown

    Another memorable stop on our way to Strahan was this extraordinary place. After navigating endless bends through a mountainous wilderness we suddenly encountered a ‘moonscape’ of bare hills which eventually lead into Queenstown. The main street reminded me of an old wild west movie.

    Main street of Queenstown, Tasmania
    Artistic depictions of local mining operations on display in the main street

  • New Norfolk

    A little way out of Hobart on our way to Strahan, we made a coffee stop at this pretty place for coffee and it left an impression. It has a paper mill and a spectacular view from the Pulpit Rock lookout.

  • Bruny Island

    One of the highlights of our trip to Tasmania was our visit to Bruny Island. We set out from Hobart and in a relatively short time we were on the ferry from the Tasmanian mainland. We disembarked and followed the island’s main road from end to end, along the way stopping at a chocolate factory, an apiary, the Neck, Adventure Bay and the Cape Bruny lighthouse. We missed seeing the seals and penguins but enjoyed our overnight campground stay, and the many picturesque spots and points of historical interest.

    Photos do not do justice to the amazing view from the Neck Lookout, where there is a monument to Truganini
    The steep climb up to the lookout on the Neck
    Truganini’s monument tells the tale of a very sad and violent chapter in Australia’s history
    A beautiful spot in Adventure Bay called Two Tree Point, where Captain Cook purportedly came ashore to ship water
    A gorgeous view from Cape Bruny at the island’s southern end
    Lighthouses are always fun places to visit. We walked around the base of this one at Cape Bruny
    The Cape Bruny lighthouse was first lit in 1838

  • Hobart

    Thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Tasmania in May 2018 – so much packed into such relative small space. We started in Hobart – a picturesque harbour-side city with the stunning backdrop of Mount Wellington, where we experienced the MONA and the Salamanca Markets amongst other things. Hobart became our base for a few days, from where we set out on day trips to Port Arthur, Richmond and Bruny Island.

    View of Hobart across the Derwent River from Rosny Hill Lookout
    Strange, tee pee type structures at Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
    We watched aircraft arriving and departing Hobart’s skies from the shores of Seven Mile Beach
    Some of the autumn colour at the Hobart Botanical Gardens
    Picturesque cottages surround Arthur Circus Park in Runnymede Street, Hobart
    We made several crossings of the Derwent River via the Tasman Bridge, as viewed from Rosny Hill lookout

  • A Day in the Bunya Mountains

    This place out west of Toowoomba is one that I’d been hearing lots of good things about for years. In my last holiday break, in December last year, I had the opportunity to finally visit the Bunya Mountains on a day trip. It was a memorable outing with Mum, particularly so after we met up with some other hikers who reported a large snake sunning itself on a section of the track ahead of us. Fortunately it had moved on by the time we arrived.

    On the way there, once we got up in the mountains we had to pull over and take in the wonderful view
    Our walk through the cool rainforest was heightened by the birdsong and anticipation from a snake sighting
    Our reward at the end of the walk (and no snake)

  • Butter Chicken

    Jo and I had a great day finishing our Christmas shopping at Orion Springfield, one of the bigger shopping malls in Brisbane.

    My sister Jo, a delightful accompaniment to curry