The Spirit of the Sea, Tasmania

The Spirit of the Sea was created by Aden and Corina McLeod and sits proudly on the Devonport waterfront. Facing the mountains, it represents the connection between man, the sea and the land.

The project was officially opened on 1st March 2009.

Goodbye Tassie, thanks for the memories.

Mount Roland, Tasmania

The little town of Sheffield

and their beautiful mountain

Mural Fest Winner 2009, Tasmania

Marc Spijkerbosch


Fire and Life

John Eathorne

Perdition

Marc Spijkerbosch from New Zealand, a talented trompe l'oeil artist won the 2009 Mural Fest Competition and John Eathorne from Tasmania won the People's Choice Award.

Marc Spijkerbosch's winning mural called 'Fire & Life' shows the creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel, Michaelangelo depicts the genesis of mankind... the very spark of life. Beyond, and deep within, Mother Earth plants her random, quantum seed, perhaps a bolt of lightning...a thunderous earthquake...or the sudden surge of molten lava.

John Eathorne's work called 'Perdition' depicts creation to extinction, incorporating the demise of Iconic Tasmanian flora and fauna but still optimistically hoping for salvation of, at the very least, the devil.

It was the first year for the town's Food and Wine Festival and it was a little unorganised. Service was slow on the rabbit pie stall which was so popular, the lady who made 110 pies sold out in no time.

I really enjoyed the event and even picked the winners. This small town of Sheffield with Mount Roland looming in the background, really knows how to get the tourists to come to their beautiful town.

Mural Competition 2009, Tasmania

Mural No 9, Kerry and Malcolm Nicholson, Queensland

Mural No 8 - Cheryl Sims & The Lighthouse Project Team, Tasmania

Mural No 7 - Paul Scott - Western Australia


Mural No 6 - Gillian Robnik, Tasmania

Mural No 5 - Pat Kirkcaldy, Jeanette Edwards and Nadia Mitchell, Tasmania

Mural No 4 - Andrew and Caroline Kruger, Tasmania

Mural No 3 - Marc Spijkerbosch, New Zealand

Mural No 2 - Jose Loza, USA

Mural No 1 - John Eathorne, Tasmania

The weather wasn't kind to the artists hard at work at the Sheffield Muralfest today. Sheltering from the rain behind plastic sheeting, work seems to be progressing well. The artists will down brushes at 1pm on Saturday 18th April and the winner will be announced at the Town Hall at 5pm. There will be a food and wine festival starting at 1pm and a bush dance is planned in the evening.

Their inspiration for 2009 comes from the poem Fire and Life by Cindy Bennett -

Submerged beneath earth,

Molten rock spews forth its fire,

Creating new life.

Oatlands, Tasmania

In Sunshine

And in cloud

Cottage at the mill

Mill interior

When I heard that there was an interesting old building in Oatlands, I had to have a look. In 1837 John Vincent wanted to grind local grain into flour and export it to the mainland so he built Callington tower mill at Oatlands. In 1909 a storm blew the sails away and it was gutted by fire in 1912. Being the only restorable tower mill left in Australia, it was restored by the National Trust with funds made available from Amatil as part of a Bicentennial Gift to the Nation. You can walk to the top for a great view of the town.

The town also has an abundance of beautiful old Georgian sandstone buildings.

Seven Mile Beach, Tasmania

Caravan Park

Looking South

Looking North

Seven Mile Beach Cabin and Caravan Park, 20 minutes from Hobart, is the only dog friendly park we could find close to the city. Some lucky people actually live here and drive to the city every day. Protected by the Parks and Wildlife Service, Seven Mile Beach is still unspoiled and undeveloped with only one general store but Sorell, 15 minutes away, is a thriving town with all services.

Steve Irwin, Tasmania

The Bridge

Helicopter Pad

Captain Paul Watson

Chaser boats

The Mess

Bow Damage

The organisation is called Sea Shepherd started by the radical Canadian Captain Paul Watson and the name of the ship is the Steve Urwin. Notice the damage on the bow from the last encounter with the Japanese whaling ships. She was docked in Hobart today and I took a free tour. All of the crew are volunteers (up to 35 people) with the exception of the Chief Engineer and the helicopter pilot, two professionals unlikely to work for free. At the end of the tour they asked for cash donations or vegan food donations.

"I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species.

If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy."
- Paul Watson

South Arm Peninsula, Tasmania

Opossum Bay

South Arm Jetty looks straight across to Mount Wellington (in cloud)

South Arm Jetty

Half Moon Bay

Salamanca Markets, Tasmania

Fresh fruit and veg

Something for everyone

Excellent Irish Band

Backdrop of old buildings

Tulips

Three rows of stalls packed with people

Beautiful Tasmanian timbers

The magnificent old Georgian warehouses that have been converted into cafes, restaurants, pubs and galleries make the perfect backdrop for argueably one of the best outdoor markets in Australia. Interesting stalls, fabulous food, talented buskers and lots of people make up the vibrant atmosphere that is Salamanca Markets in Hobart every Saturday from 8.30 to 3pm..

Buckland, Tasmania

The tiny rural village of Buckland is worth a visit. They have a beautiful stained glass window and an old pub.

There is some speculation about the origin of this beautiful stained glass window in St. John the Baptist Church in Buckland. However, experts believe it was created sometime in the fourteenth century.

We do know that Reverend F. H. Cox, who was Rector of the church from 1846-48, brought it to Australia when he emigrated from Sussex but it's origin is still a mystery.

It's puzzling to see a church window made in the 1500's in a church that wasn't built until 1846. How could this be?

The pub was built around about 1830's and licensed in 1845. The original bar still exists.

Doo Town, Tasmania

Doo Town

Lookout near Doo Town

Tasman's Arch

On the way to Tasman's Arch is the holiday village of Doo Town. Some of the names on the houses are quite clever. There's Gunadoo, Doodle Doo, Love Me Doo, Doo Us, Doo Me, Doo Nix, Wee Doo, Xanadu, Rum Doo and Doo Little.

Port Arthur, Tasmania

Port Arthur in 1860

1100 people attended church here every Sunday

The Silent Cells

The Settlement


Houses for the Accountant and Minister




The Haunted Parsonage

From 1833 until the 1850s, Port Arthur was the prison from hell. The British and Irish rebellious hard cases were sent here from all over the colonies, men who re-offended after serving their initial sentences. It was described as the ‘final cage for incorrigibles’, and as a place of ‘unvarying and unmitigated misery and desolation’.

Floggings were a regular occurence in this terrible place. You could get 20 lashes for having your hands in your pockets. If you were issued with 100 lashes and you fainted after 20, you would be put into the hospital until your body was healed enough to continue with the balance. The exact amount of lashings issued was always carried out to the letter.

Modern new thinking believed that hard physical punishment such as floggings only hardened the prisoner so the authorities decided to take a different approach and introduced the psychological punishment of the "Silent System" in what they called the Separate Prison. Each new arrival spent 4 to 12 months in the separate prison before being assigned to work outside.

Solitary confinement was particularly cruel. For any misdemeanour a prisoner was locked in total darkness and silence for between several hours to 30 days on bread and water.

For the rest of the Silent convicts, a hood was placed over the prisoner's head when he ventured out of his cell to attend church on Sunday or to go to the exercise yard for one hour a day. The other 23 hours he had to remain silent in his cell without contact with another living soul. The gaolers even wore felt slippers so the prisoners couldn't hear their footsteps. This silent treatment was thought to make the prisoner ponder his bad behaviour which would lead to his eventual rehabilitation but it reality, it sent many inmates to the insane asylum.

People who work here often report strange happenings - a choir singing, ghostly figures and anguished cries of despair. If you are into the supernatural, they even have night time tours that will make your hair stand on end.

Some tales suggested that prisoners committed murder, punishable by death, just to escape the horror. The prison closed in 1877.