When we arrived in Hobart, Tasmania mid-day today (Oct 30th)m we new that the Tasmanian Devill was iconic Tasmania. However, we were a bit surprsed when we discovered a Tasmanian Devil sculpture in the baggage claim (luggage arrival) area. No real marsupials in sight however.
Hobart is a city of about 260,000 on the southeast coast of Tasmania. The whole island has a population of 520,000 which isn’t surprising considering the ruggedness of the terrain and the location. The city is as far south as Portsmouth, NH and hilly as the Adirondack Mountains. We really just had time for a walking tour of the city today, but what we saw was fascinating.
This really was a penal colony for criminals from England and Ireland in the 1800s. Rumor has it that after the American Revolution, The UK had to find a not drop off point for their criminals, and hey… they had this new place called Australia. Hobart was isolated and made a great penal colony. Murder dictated a life sentence, I guess that was reasonable. Burning down a house netted fourteen years labor. Lesser offenses such as theft of turnips, bread or a woman’s handkerchief warranted only seven years of labor.
The harbor is beautiful with many original buildings still standing. The city has done a great job of repurposing building over two centuries. The sandstone buildings are in remarkable condition and have reportedly never needed cleaning. (The facades… not the insides) This is the result of high-quality sandstone available in Tasmanian quarries, the climate, and lack of industrial pollution and the resulting acids. These sandstone buildings are original warehouse from the early 1800s.
Today they are taverns and restaurants.
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