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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Australia: Hobart

A view of Hobart from the bay
Hobart as seen from the bay, with Mt Wellington looming in the background

My visit to Hobart had started off in strange fashion, and it continued to surprise me. The next incident was at a pub called Knopwood's Retreat, where I was sitting outside having a nice, peaceful Cascade (the local Tasmanian brew, which is apparently made from the purest water in the world – it certainly tastes good). These two guys were sitting a couple of tables down from me, and an argument erupted, about nothing in particular. It got a bit noisy, and then one guy threatened the other – who was trying to calm it down, to be honest – and the publican jumped in to calm it down. This failed, so she called the police. Meanwhile the noisy one kicked over the calmer one's bike, and walked off in a huff, and the calmer one got on his bike – a moped, really – and drove off down the road. Just at that moment the police arrived, and the publican pointed out that one of the troublemakers was heading off on a bike. The next thing you know it's all red and blue flashing lights and screeching tyres, and the police car shot off after the bike.

Narryna

Hobart from Mt Wellington
Looking down over Hobart from the viewpoint on the top of Mt Wellington

That night I decided I'd like to visit the Cygnet Folk Festival, a three-day collection of folkies and hippies on the south coast of Tassie; it seemed like a good place to find some real Australian music. However, the coach didn't leave until late the next afternoon, so there was time to kill on Friday. I spent this visiting a folk museum in Battery Point called Narryna. The museum is actually a house built in 1836 that has been restored and filled with lots of interesting historical bits and bobs from the colonial days, and I struggled up the hill to the place carrying my overstuffed backpack.