Road Trip to Cradle Mountain

On our second day in Tasmania, we went on a road trip to Cradle Mountain. We left Hobart very early in morning and only had coffee and beef pie for breakfast. According to different travel websites, travel time from Hobart to the mountain is approximately 3 to 4 hours. Ours lasted for 5 hours! We had a total of 3 rest stops. The first one was spent on lunch, the second was for Rudel to rest and the third was unfortunately an unscheduled, unplanned stop. WE GOT LOST. Our GPS (a.k.a. TOM TOM) suddenly went crazy and kept on bringing us to private properties and suggested that we should go inside those properties to reach Cradle Mountain road. That thing almost had us arrested for trespassing!  We decided to go back to the main road after 30 minutes of trying to figure out where inthe world we are!

Meet the ever reliable (NOT!) TOM TOM loaded in iPad.

Tip: Have a back up, use GOOGLE MAP or a real map for that matter. GPS are not always 100% reliable. I’m glad Rudel was aware of this and thus loaded Google map in his mobile phone a few minutes before we started the trip. We had to stop so he could show me how to use the thing. I was (unfortunately for him) his navigator  hahahaha…..

 

Farms everywhere

 

We saw a lot of this along the way and dead animals too! Didn’t have a chance to take a photo of those though (too gross I tell you!).

 

Sheep and sheep and more sheep!

 

I told you, really really great weather!

 

Beds of flowers. Wish I knew what these are.

 

(click to enlarge)

After 4 hours of driving, seeing this mountain was really a big relief for us.  We knew right then that we’re getting nearer and most importantly that we were on the right track HAH!

All pictures above were taken while the car was moving. I was really tempted to ask Rudel to stop in the middle of the road so I can properly take pictures but alas it will just prolong our travel time so I had to ‘improvise’ and tweak the camera a little bit. Looking at the pictures above, I just have to say not too bad, not too bad at all :)
Road trip to Cradle Mountain is really easy breezy. Just make sure you’re well prepared and have enough rest stops. Here are some safety tips from http://www.tq.com.au

• read and obey road signs, for example at waterways or on roads
• drive on the left hand side of the road and obey the speed limit
• always wear your seatbelt
• don't drink alcohol and drive
• be aware of driving long distances and fatigue - plan journeys and share driving
• check weather conditions
  the sun is strong in Australia - drink plenty of water regularly and protect your skin from burning. Cover up with clothing and wear a sun protective hat, sunglasses and SPF 30+ sunscreen.
• tell people of your plans if travelling alone (friends, accommodation provider, police)
• use accredited visitor information centres (yellow and blue i signs) for local and regional information.

 

Also check  Tasmanian Road Rules.

- M

On a High

It’s true what they say “Music heals, inspires and intensifies”.

Last night, I came across Mo Twister’s season finale episode which aired last December. His guest was no other than Rivermaya’s former vocalist, Bamboo Mañalac! I truly enjoyed this episode because it was mostly about Bamboo and his upcoming album. He sang live in the show and my gosh he’s still got it! I’ve been feeling low this past few weeks (PMS!)  and this this just was just all I needed pala!

 

and then this came up on my news feed in Facebook…

ahhh…90s and high school days, i miss it!

Hobart, Tasmania

My initial reaction as soon as we arrived in Hobart was ‘Where are all the people?”

This photo was taken around 11am. Doesn’t it look like a deserted  place? Here in Singapore, downtime only starts at 12midnight and the rest of the day is just pure hustle and bustle! So seeing this really surprised me. Or maybe because I’ve been living here long enough that I’m not used to being in a relaxed place anymore? 

Hobart’s CBD. Notice how the modern are the buildings here? Completely different from the buildings on the above photo.

Elizabeth Street. One of Hobart’s shopping district.

Most, if not all, shops in Hobart closes at 5pm or 6pm (while malls here malls here in SG closes at 9pm, ugh!). We obviously came too late. Look no people! Good thing there’s Woolworths Supermarket at Campbell St. which is open till 10pm, we were able to buy food the next day’s long drive.

 
Taken around 9pm, on our way to Salamanca Place for dinner. I think Hobart has done a good job in preserving that modern Town look.

I took this while crossing the street. The weather was just so good to us on first day in Tassie. Clear sky, no rain. We took it as a good sign for the rest of the trip and it was indeed :)

Salamanca Market

Our first stop upon arriving in Hobart was at Salamanca Market. Although we were exhausted and had little sleep during the flight we could not pass on the chance of visiting this place.

First thing I saw as we enter the crowded street. This would have been so creepy at night.

The market is open from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. We arrived there around 1:00pm and it was pretty crowded. So if you want to beat the crowd be there as early as possible. (Do you see the red-headed girl?)

Fresh produce of the locals. The carrots looked deliciously sweet and fresh. I wish we had this here in Singapore. It would be more fun to cook using fresh ingredients.

These two talented guys juggling a small ball using their feet.

the balls

We saw a lot of wood crafts being sold. I also saw a peppermill made of wood and I really wanted to buy it for myself but it costs a whopping $60 a piece.  I was really disappointed. Too expensive.

homemade jams and preserves

phoenix?

Salamanca Fruit Market

Address:
Salamanca Place
Hobart Tasmania 7000

Well, hello there

I’m officially back from our 3 weeks vacation but I still want more. It may seemed long but I want another week just so I can stay in my comfy bed and sleep like there’s no tomorrow. I also want a few days off so I can edit our photos and post them here. We took hundreds of them and I really really want to share it with all of you.

Here are some random photos from my iPhone

arrived at Hobart around 10am

then went straight to Salamanca Market after dropping off our bags at the hotel

taken around 8pm on our way to a restaurant for dinner

The sun only begins to set at 9:00pm during summer in Australia and the sun rises at around 5am I think. Looooongggg daaay! Literally.  This was something new to us.

After a few days in Tasmania we went to Melbourne to spend Christmas

taken at Flinders Street Station before Christmas day

 
This City Circle tram goes around Melbourne CBD and passes major tourists attractions. The best thing about it is it’s FREE!

Tourists must take this warning seriously I tell you. Incoming trams scares me to death.

‘Melbourners take their coffee really seriously’ said a fellow tourist we met in one of the tours and we agree! Even the cafe latte in McDonalds was great. Makes us wonder, where do they get the coffee beans ?

Our simple Noche Buena.  Bought roasted chicken from the supermarket and cooked Mongolian beef stir fry.

outside the Melbourne Museum

Early morning of Christmas day and this was the first thing we saw in the news. Whoever did her makeup must be punished. I mean look at her!

That’s it pansit! More to come, promise.

Happy New Year!