We had both been to Hobart before but only for work, or a day stop as part of a cruise. So it was great to be there with the word “tourist” stamped across our foreheads. There is so much to see and do in Hobart once again we found ourselves not able to do a few things because of time constraints. Mona was incredible – a monument to imagination. The fine Georgian style buildings are wonderful and we saw some fantastic looking homes. Memories of the Cascade Female Factory will stay with us for a very long time – sobering. All in all, Hobart, and nearby Richmond, are great places for the tourist.
We visited the Hobart (incl Richmond) on 20, 21, 22 & 23 October 2019
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
Getting There
White Beach> Sorell (80kms) > Richmond (13kms) > Hobart (26kms) ~ total of 119kms.
History
A short history of Tasmania, from pre-colonial times, to the arrival and growth of British colonial development, to the decimation of the First Nation Tasmanians, can be read here.
The town of Hobart was established by the British in 1804 at the mouth of the Derwent River making it Australia’s second oldest city. It began as a penal colony and defensive outpost against the possible French claim on the island, with only a collection of tents and huts. Its first British population consisted of 178 convicts, 25 Royal Navy marines, 15 women, 21 children, 13 free settlers, and 10 civil officers.
The first decade of the settlement on the Derwent River was a difficult one. Its geographic isolation, even from the other Australian settlement at Sydney, soon became apparent, and led to an air of despondency. The settlers initially struggled to come to terms with their new environment, finding the summers hot and unbearable, and the winters nearly as cold as England.
The settlement was plagued with problems such as a shoddy workforce (mostly unskilled convict labour, and unwilling Marines pressed into work duties), insufficient supplies and neglect by imperial authorities, disease and constant threat of First Nation reprisals, difficult terrain, and quarrels amongst settlers. There were also insufficient tools, and timber-cutting was slow going in the thick forests, making it difficult to supply timber for permanent buildings. At times disaster hovered, but never became absolute.
By 1817, an increasing number of female convicts were arriving in Hobart town, and there was not enough room to keep them in the first gaol. The building of a separate gaol for female convicts was approved, but the construction took nearly eight years. It wasn’t until December 1828 that the first female convicts began to be transferred to the Cascades Female Factory, in the foothills of Mount Wellington.
The opening of penal settlements at Maria Island (1825) and Port Arthur (1832) on the Tasman Peninsula, 111 km from Hobart Town, concentrated activities on the island’s East Coast.
Gradually a town developed. The port grew, home to sealers and whalers. By 1811, Hobart boasted hotels and shops, a church, hospital, quarry and newspaper, and some substantial houses. Local industries were established, such as milling, brewing, tanning and shipbuilding. The 1820s saw better development, with more efficient administrators and some energetic free settlers and ex-convicts. Merchants developed trade, with Hobart a major port for wool; shops grew; and fine Georgian sandstone buildings were erected.
The first land grants at Richmond were made in 1823, however the township began to grow much more rapidly after Port Arthur was founded, as it soon became an important stop on the highway to Port Arthur.
Recreations gradually developed: cricket, an annual regatta, and yachting on the Derwent. The busy port and the preponderence of convicts in the population meant that Hobart was still ‘wild and unruly’ with a high crime rate. By the 1840s, it began to take on the guise of a town, and it was declared a city in 1842. When it became a municipality in 1852 it had 24,000 people, the third largest city in Australia.
Day 1 – Sun 20 October – To Richmond
The drive north and then west from White Beach was a repeat of the drive in of just a few days before. Still it is always good to see things from a different direction – the lakes, the rolling hills and farmlands, vineyards, lovely homesteads and always distant hills and mountains. It was a quick trip to Sorell, then on to Richmond via the Coal Valley.
The first settlers explored the Coal River Valley in 1803. Coal was found, and the river so named. Explorers also found fertile land suitable for crops such as wheat. Large Land grants were released from 1808 which were mostly to upper-class men, with ex-convicts and non-commissioned officers receiving smaller land grants. By 1820, all available farmland had been claimed and was farmed.
The Coal River valley had been exporting wheat to NSW since 1816 and became known as ‘the granary of Australia’. To make the crossing of the Coal River easier, construction of the Richmond Bridge was completed in 1825.
Driving into town we arrived right at the famous bridge. And it is a fine looking bridge at that. It is claimed to be the oldest bridge in Australia – and is amazingly elegant.
In 1825 the Richmond Gaol was constructed housing the convicts that were transported between Hobart and further east . These convicts also served an important role in building many key buildings in the new village. Convicts were chained together and often had a ball and chain attached to their leg. A brick court house was constructed next to the village green, also in 1825. By 1835 Richmond was the third largest town in Tasmania, after Hobart and Launceston.
We visited the Gaol, but after both Maria Island and Port Arthur we were a bit gaoled out.
After that Kerry found her favourite Christmas shop, where photos are absolutely forbidden. Favourite Australian Christmas Shop – 3 floors packed with goodies… I had to restrain myself as we are flying home and any decorations must be hand luggage…. So only one small item…. unlike a few years ago when we were here and I bought half the shop as we were on a cruise to Sydney.
We then walked through the town looking at the many fine buildings there. There are so many – it is a pretty little town.
Out B&B looks really lovely as we drive up to it. The place has three cottages with lovely gardens and our cottage – Reid – dates from the 1830s – one of the oldest homes in town. It has been lovingly and tastefully restored by our hostess Maureen and her partner. Not only is the cottage brilliantly restored, but the gardens surrounding it are very very pretty. They have an innovative “pellet fire” in the living room – like a wood-burner but little pellets of wood are automatically fed down a shoot as needed to maintain the fire…. Great idea and it kept us lovely and cosy. Unfortunately we were only staying here one night.
Day 2 – Mon 21 October – To and at Hobart
We went in for breakfast a little after 8 o’clock and found another couple already there. Shortly after a third couple arrived. The first couple were on holidays from the US and we spent some time talking about their travels and some of the places they could visit before they leave. The other couple were from Melbourne and were travelling home that day. Our lovely hostess Maureen put on a delightful breakfast including some freshly cooked cakes and fresh berries to have with these – absolutely delicious. Definitely one of the best places in which we have stayed.
We got away from Richmond at about 8.45 and we are soon driving through rolling hills towards Hobart. It is a very pleasant drive.
We crossed Bowen Bridge and shortly after we realised that Kerry and Siri were not on the same wavelength.
We were being taken in the wrong direction by Siri. Kerry quickly corrected her and we were back on track for Mount Wellington. Our aim was to go to Mount Wellington first and then walk through the botanical Gardens, followed by a walk along the waterfront.
Hobart is well and truly built upon water and as we drove into the city we were looking at water almost the whole time. The Tasman Bridge is quite Impressive, but then we came to a bit of a grid to get through the city itself. As we passed through South Hobart we saw some lovely homes and decided to stop there on the way back and have a look around.
It’s 20km out to Mount Wellington, but it felt much more as we had been mistakenly diverted by Siri to the north west part of the city. At the turn off to the lookout, there is still 10km to get to the top. About a third of the way up we stopped at a lookout to get a preliminary taste of what might be ahead.
The road takes you right up to the lookout at the top of Mount Wellington. As we get out of the car we realised it was bitterly cold up there with a very strong wind that would blow right through you. The views from the lookout are excellent, and it is a great way to see how the city is set out. I hadn’t quite realised how high Mt Wellington actually is – you can literally see for miles and miles. Magnificent but freezing.
From the main lookout I walked around to the eastern side where the transmission tower is to see if there were views in that direction. Views were not so good but I did get to an amazing rock formation near the tower – little spikes of rock sticking up in the landscape.
Around at the Western lookout they were good views in that direction as well as a distant view to the south of a snow capped mountain.
It was really cold up there and we were pleased to get back down to warmer temperatures. We stopped at South Hobart and walked around to look at some really beautiful homes.
They botanical Gardens are really lovely. They’re not as big as many we have been in other cities, but they are well laid out, with a great variety of plants, and have a really good feel to them.
The orchids in the conservatory were beautiful, which reminded us that all of our gorgeous orchids at home will have dropped all their flowers by the time we get back and will be done for another year. In the conservatory we met up with the American couple from the B&B we had stayed at. In fact we bumped into them a few times as we walked around the gardens.
Unfortunately the roses were not out but we could see that in a couple of months time the rose arch will look quite magnificent.
There are so many gorgeous flowers out, and we were lucky to be here in spring time. So many rhododendrons and camellias in full bloom – and the inevitable lupins. The Blue-bells were everywhere and the bearded irises were fantastic too.
The water fountain is very different. It is made of timber with water pouring down half logs of timber that came from the Huon Valley.
We really enjoyed the Japanese gardens and are getting to really appreciate how calm and soothing a good Japanese garden can be. We really liked the gardens in Toowoomba, and although these were much smaller, they were equally as impressive.
Surrounded by lovely yellow-leaved trees, and beds of colourful flowers, the rotunda is very impressive.
The little lake is lovely, with the reflections of colourful trees around its banks and the little white bridge. The nearby commemorative arch is also impressive.
Back at the B&B will left the car and walked into town via St Davids Park to the tourist information office. Very nice park.
We got heaps of good advice there, especially for our few days on Bruny Island. From there we walked down to the waterfront and enjoyed a lovely stroll admiring all of the old timber masted rope rigged small ships that seem to linger in this area.
Near Constitution Dock are a number of interesting sculptures in honour of Douglas Mawson. In January 2012 Mawson landed on the Antarctic continent after a 36 day journey from Hobart. The expedition stayed there the winter of 1912 and seven men also spent the winter of 1913 there. Mawson and two others left the main base in November 1912 to retrieve equipment. Both his companions died leaving Mawson to struggle alone for 30 days arriving at the main base in February 2013.
Close to that we saw the footsteps exhibition – life-size statues of three women, one carrying a baby, and a boy some distance behind them. This display is to honour and remember the 13,000 convict women who were transported to the Van Diemens Land between 1803 and 1853, bringing with them 2,000 children.
We continued walking through the area and then turned up into the shopping parts of the town. There are so many lovely old buildings in this place, and the camera shutter is seldom silent.
We found a Woolworths and stocked up with a few supplies and something for dinner. This was followed by a walk through the government part of the city with lots more photo taking. There are so many lovely old buildings.
We were very impressed with St Davids Cathedral especially the delicate fret work around the altar entrance.
Day 3 – Tue 22 October – Cascade Female Factory and beautiful homes
We started the day with a tour through the Cascades Female Factory – a sobering experience.
In 1823, 20-acres – including the area where the Female Factory now stands – was allocated to a Mr Lowes for construction of a distillery. However, Lowes’ plans failed. Meanwhile, the conditions at the Hobart Gaol/Female Factory were unsatisfactory, not least because the two establishments were separated only by a brick wall, and the building was in a terrible state.
The Cascades Female Factory was purpose-built in 1828 with the government buying the building from Mr Lowes. This operated as a convict facility until 1856. Its aim was to remove women convicts from the temptations of Hobart, and also to protect society from what was seen as their immorality and corruption.
The Factory was located, however, in an area of damp swamp land, and with overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate food and clothes, it quickly became notorious for lack of industry, overcrowding, disease, and high birth and mortality rates. The appalling living conditions and excessively death rate were the subject of numerous inquests and government inquiries. By 1838, 208 children had died in the Factory out of the 794 children admitted to or born in there.
Despite this, it is recognised that women convicts played a significant role in colonial society as wives, mothers and domestic servants. At first the authorities considered them as an asset as their presence was regarded as contributing to social cohesion and stability. Reform through work and constant supervision offered female convicts the opportunity to rejoin respectable society, something they could never aspire to at home. This was particularly important in Tasmania where men outnumbered women by 10 to one. The miracle of their story is that the vast majority of these women went on to become loving mothers and grandmothers. They became the founding mothers of modern Australia and 22% of Australians today are descended from these remarkable convict women and men.
The Cascades Female Factory is the only example with physical remains and documents that give a sense of what female factories were like. It is included on the Australian National Heritage List and was also inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2010, along with ten other Australian convict sites.
We took the 45min guided tour which was excellent, but sobering. How these women were treated was appalling, even for back in those days. After an introductory session next to the Hobart Rivulet, we went into Yard 1. This was the original entry point for all of the convicts.
The displays are very simple with clear floor markings to show what had been where and a good guide to talk about it. There are no ruins or crumbling walls as such. You really need to do a tour to understand it all. We liked the simplicity of the displays and metal sculptures around the sites. It is all very well done. Today only yards 1, 3 and 4 are on the site. This is a summary of what we learnt.
On arriving in Yard 1 convicts were bathed and dressed in the uniform. Well behaved convicts and those considered suitable to work outside of the female factory were kept in the assignment yard until they were sent to work for the free settlers.
The probation yard was where second class convicts were kept. These were considered not able to work outside the factory and often worked in the kitchen or laundry.
Convicts were sent to the crime yard if they misbehaved during their sentence. Third class convicts were sentenced to hard labour or were locked in solitary cells. In the early years the convicts slept in large dormitory rooms with all convicts sleeping in hammocks cramped together. In the first photo below the dark grey areas are the dormitory areas for the different classes and these were chockablock with hammocks. Our guide showed us where the solitary confinement cells and the chapel had been – religion was seen as a really important part for the reformation of the convicts.
There was also a nursery yard here, for the babies who came to the factory with their mothers or who were born here. Sadly, we were told, that once a child reached the age of three, he/she was taken away to a home. Convicts were not told that before they left Britain and decided to take their children with them. Mothers could only be reunited with their children if later they married a free settler. Even then, their request was not always granted.
Yard 2 was known as the washing yard. It opened in 1832 and the factory made money from washing clothes and household linen from around Hobart town. At the back of the yard were two blocks of working cells in which the women were confined to sleep, eat and work at tasks such as picking apart old rope or carting wool. Our guide showed us an example of the rope, which had been coated in tar after set into a knot. The women had to pick the tar out and free up the strands of the rope. A wonderfully satisfying job we thought. NOT
Yard 3 opened in 1845 and was designed so that convicts were kept separate from each other at all times as it was believed that separation encouraged better behaviour. Each cell block contained 56 separate apartments where the convicts would sleep, eat and work. They were only allowed out of their cells for one hour a day to walk up and down the exercise yard. Today this yard is actually quite attractive with lots of trees and plants growing along one side. But in the middle there is a display which shows the size of the cells.
Yard 4 was opened as the nursery yard. At the front of this yard was a cottage for the matron. Today the cottage is still there and was in fact used as a residence by a family for many years. In one room there is a display of bonnets made by local women to commemorate the female convicts – each bonnet bears the name of a convict. The convict buildings housed 88 women and 150 children.
Below is a photo of one of the bonnets. The convicts would have worn this style of bonnet.
Yard 5 (no longer there) was built in 1853 to house increasing convict numbers in a more modern dormitory. Upstairs were bunks for 212 women.
Scattered around the site are one page summaries of some of the convicts who came to this factory. They do make very interesting reading.
After leaving the Factory we went to Sandy Bay and walked around looking at some wonderful homes. Here is a selection.
We drove down to the beach and jetty area of Sandy Point with some good views across the water.
We then drove up to Battery Point and saw some more fabulous homes. Many are difficult to photograph as the gardens are large and there are many trees. Here is a selection.
We left the car back at the B&B and walked down to the Salamanca part of the waterfront. Here all of the original waterfront buildings have now been converted into various shops and restaurants, and it is a really vibrant place. Then we walked up into the town as Kerry has some shopping to do.
In one of the courtyards we saw a Marlyn Monroe tribute.
Later in the evening we went down to this area for dinner. We choose an excellent Greek restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed sharing 4 entrees. Fabulous food.
Day 4 – Wed 23 October – the fabulous Mona
We are going to Mona, taking the 9:30 am ferry. It was a really enjoyable ride up to the museum on one of the large catamarans owned by Mona. On the way out was saw the distinctively orange Aurora Australis. Then the Tasman Bridge and Government House.The Aurora Australis was about to head off to the Antarctic on its very last voyage down there.
The layout of the boat is really unusual and on the top deck at the back people were sitting on model sheep, and out front others were sitting on pink torpedoes.
The Mona from the water.
In the forecourt of the museum are some excellent metal sculptures representing a truck carrying a concrete mixer. There is also a big dome, which looks like the loudspeaker of a very old gramophone. These set the tone for what lay ahead.
Mona is one of the most amazing places we have been to. It is more an exhibition than a Museum but so many of the exhibits really challenge the mind. You start on level 3 and work your way up. Here are just a few of the exhibits. One of the first we saw was amazing – words made up of water drops falling from the ceiling. The is best seen in the video as it is hard to synchronise the camera with the falling works – click here. Not for the first time, we asked how did they do that.
Most of the rest of the ground floor was made up by a large exhibit triggered by either your mobile phone on the Mona app, or on the interpretive gadget provided by Mona. It took a while to get used to, but then we could see it was explaining the relationship between the extraction of mineral resources and the role of future automation.
We walked along a pink corridor after one of the attendance had told us to absolutely stay on the black pathway and not to step off it, as there was a drop off we just could not see.
At another exhibit we were asked to draw a bicycle from memory and then went into the rest of the exhibit which showed some of the drawings by other people as well as some very weird looking bikes.
Quite amazing was the display of recycled oil. One at a time, people walked into a room on a pathway with steel walls on either side and at the end, at about waist high. Inside this up to the level of the very top of the steel frame, the room is full of recycled oil. But it forms a perfect mirror and you just cannot see the oil. Another one to challenge the mind.
There are many interesting walkways between the exhibits – nothing here seems ordinary. In another exhibit we simply sat in a silver cushioned dome covered with all manner of reflective coloured decorations and tinsel and whatever.
We queued up, electronically of course, to get into another exhibit. Our gadget let us know when it was our turn to get in. This was a walk in pitch blackness in an increasing spiral until we got to a small enclosure. There, when we talked it sounded kind of squeaky and we could hear mumbling in the background. We realised that this was people talking at the gramophone-looking metal sculpture on the outside.
We saw a very ancient coffin, the crazy red car, and an ancient mummy. The crazy red car was a porsche that had been completely covered with something to make it puffy…. waste of a good porsche.
When we left the museum I walked down to where the chapel was – another amazing structure made from metal. It really is quite striking.
For the trip back to the city we got the second of the two Mona boats – this one painted out in camouflage. On the top deck they were tigers instead of sheep to sit on – what else?
To see photos from our post, click here
To see video on Mona, click here