We have only been here a few days but we are quickly learning that Tasmanian weather is really quite extraordinary. We have seen extremes of summer-time temperatures with blast-furnace-hot, dry winds one afternoon, followed by a cool morning with the humid marine layer creeping over the hills of North West Bay.



A marine-layer of low cloud/fog hangs over the east coast of North West Bay beyond SV Silhouette

It was furnace-hot again on Friday afternoon, only to be cold enough on Sunday night (2nd February) that we considered starting Tregoning's heater, and the web-cam on Mount Wellington showed a light dusting of snow on the summit. And this is the start of February, the equivalent of August in the northern hemisphere!



Mount Wellington seen from the marina with clouds tickling the summit

I have already commented on how quickly the winds can change from near calm to 30 knot gusts, and this is often accompanied by a complete change in direction. We will eventually get used to this but it still catches us by surprise. Around noon today, we noticed calm winds so we started to raise the mainsail because it needed to be re-stacked and the cover put on. Within two minutes of starting to raise the sail, we were engulfed in strong winds coming from the opposite direction to earlier in the day. So we had to dump the sail and wait for a calm morning...if that ever happens again...

Other contrasts in Hobart are not so different from some of the other cities we have visited in Australia, with a mix of buildings that are old and new, grand and utilitarian. The Prince of Wales Marina is relatively new, dating from 2004 with more recent extensions, and it is very pleasant and well-managed. It is attractively cheaper than the marinas closer to the center of Hobart and only about 5 nm upriver. However, it is immediately surrounded by a rather industrial area, directly next to huge sheds where parts for large power-catamarans are manufactured, and just upstream from a massive fertilizer plant. Across the River Derwent and visible further inland are forests and parklands, so the wild-side of Tasmania is not far away.



Passing the fertilizer plant on the way to the marina

We have made a couple of brief trips to the City Center with Dina, Malcolm, and Phil. Like Sydney and Melbourne, Hobart has plenty of modern buildings scattered between many built of sandstone in the Australian Colonial architecture of the Queen Victorian-era. Some have been re-purposed such as the warehouses at Salamanca Place which were the hub of Hobart's commerce, built during the whaling days in the 1830s. Now, most house trendy (and often expensive) restaurants, bars, galleries, and shops.



The Salamanca Place warehouses from the 1830s

Other colonial buildings are still serving their original purpose but have been much gentrified. For example, the cottages lining the streets of the old maritime village of Battery Point are now only likely to house a single generation of a family, whereas three much poorer generations probably used to live in each.



Looking towards the bottom of Kelly's Steps from Salamanca Place under a curious in-fill of rooms or passageways between two sandstone warehouses

We will return to Battery Point for a more leisurely walking tour when we have some of our guests with us. In the meantime, we made a quick trip with Dina, Malcolm, and Phil to climb Kelly's Steps which lead from Battery Point down to the waterfront. Actually, the steps themselves were somewhat underwhelming but the cottages on Kelly Street were very attractive. We also found a pub at the end of the Street that served good meals at much more reasonable prices than the fancy restaurants we had passed in Salamanca Place. For a group of thirsty, tight-fisted yachties...it was perfect!


P.S. In case you are a little shocked that this was a fairly short blog-post, do not worry. I have finally caught the blog up-to-date so if you are interested you can go back to read longer posts about Eden and the bushfires (19th January), orcas helping whalers in Eden (25th January), our transit of Bass Strait and around Tasman Island (28th January), and Phil's really bad day and being thwarted on our way to the marina (2nd February).