Round-About Australia 2023

Tasmania is named after the Dutch explorer Tasman who sailed past the island and left a plaque on a tree as a claim for ownership on behalf of his country.  We learned on our walking tour in the afternoon that the Dutch never followed up on his claim - leaving the British unchallenged when they colonized the island. The walking tour was in the afternoon so we went to the Salamanca arts area and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in the morning.   The Salamanca area included a building that once served as a United States Consulate during the sailing ships and whaling era.  We were surprised by a sign telling the story about Americans held in prison at that time.  They tried to stage a rebellion in Canada to overthrow British Colonial rule but it failed, they were arrested and then sentenced to imprisonment in Hobart. Afterwards, we went to the museum.  Their col...

Today was a travel day but we took advantage of a free morning to visit a museum in Sydney before our afternoon flight to Hobart.  The Powerhouse Museum is located in a former electric tram power plant.  It features some unique objects including one of the first electric cars in the world. The car was built by the Anderson Electric Car Company in Detroit in the 1890s and early 1900s - and even Henry Ford bought one!

Today we left Sydney for an all-day wine and cheese tasting tour in the Hunter Valley.  We visited three vineyards and one cheese shop.

We began the day with a pillar-to-pillar walk across the Sydney Bridge.   Then we took a guided walk of the "Rocks." This is where the first British fleet to Australia decided to establish their headquarters for the penal colony.  They chose this area because it had a source of fresh water and Botany Bay where Cook landed did not. Then we took a ferry to Watson's Bay for lunch and a walk along the cliffs above the ocean. In the evening we had dinner at a Bistro with a live jazz performance.  After dinner we took a moonlight walk around the Sydney Opera building.