We had a list of things to do in Hobart that was a mile long. Having our own car with us made the roadtrip so much easier. We were able to bring all our creature comforts from home, like extra items to keep the kids busy, plenty of clothes to suit the changeable weather, our own pillows and our beloved coffee machine.
Fuelled by a good breakfast in our apartment and a couple of espressos, we set off for our busy day exploring.
The
Cascade Female Factory was our first stop. We explored the former convict facility, where more than 5000 women and children were imprisoned in the 1800s. Girls as young as 11 were sent here from England. As a mum of a girl the same age, I can’t begin to imagine how traumatic that must have been for those poor kids and young women.
The self guided tour took us around what remains of the original site. From walled exercise yards to open spaces where buildings once stood, iron sculptures added to the vision in my mind of what it used to look like.
My kids were fascinated by 3 nuns who were also wandering around with us. I’m not sure they had seen nuns up close and had only heard stories of my Catholic school upbringing to make a connection with. Luckily, these sisters were lovely to chat to and seemed much nicer than the ruler wielding tyrants I recall.
The kids completed an activity book and collected a stamp for their history lesson of the day.
Next up,
MONA. As much as it would have been fun to ride on the sheep seat ferry, we had a car, so we drove there.
The carpark had some wacky parking going on…
...and the parking attendants weren’t really doing a great job. It’s so hard to find good help these days.
Inside, we spent a couple of hours wandering around. Some works were a little …um…adult themed “cover your eyes, kidlets”, but we managed to manoeuvre around and see as much as we could of the kid friendly art. Every now and then we would take turns to sneak off, one at a time, to see the rest of the works.
Putter’s Adventure Golf was next on the agenda, with two sets of 18 holes at Moonah’s Mini Golf course. Indoor and outdoor courses, with waterfalls, waterwheels and a lovely garden setting.
A random couple gave the kids a deck of cards and an emoji toy they had won in the arcade games, but didn’t
want. Kids were suitable thrilled with their gifts. We played with that deck of cards many times during our holiday. Thanks!
Having worked up an appetite, we went looking for dinner, which turned out to be a delicious seafood chowder at Constitution Dock.
A day well spent in Hobart town.
P.S we saved a few $ by using the Entertainment Book at Female Factory and Putter's.
P.P.S. I may have spent said savings on a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to go with my chowder. 😆
