Tamar Valley

 

 

 

All Things Lavender

Of the many tourist destination in Tasmania, Bridestowe Lavender Estate has got to be our favorite! As we stepped out of the car, we heard the buzzing bees and it they seemed like going crazing over something. And as we turn our heads towards the farm we understood why.

 
So pretty! The fields of Lavender was truly a sight to behold—as in WOW!



Tourists are allowed to stroll through the fields but must avoid walking between rows because bees do not like being disturbed.

 
keeping a relax face while praying that the bees won’t bite me hahahahaha

 

We visited Tasmania around the 2nd week of December and we realized that it was a perfect timing. According to the Bridestow website:

Flowering starts around the middle of November and reaches  full splendor during December and January.  Harvesting for dried flower begins around mid December. Harvesting for oil production and distillation begin in January and continue into February, depending on weather conditions.

 

 
Sausage Roll with Tomato and Lavender Relish: We had two orders of this because it was that good! We even bought a jar of the relish from the Visitor Centre as takeaway. And yes, the tomato and lavender combo was surprisingly good!

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

We’re coming Tasmania!

A few more days and we are off to Tasmania! This will be our very first trip outside Asia and will be sort of our second honeymoon :) Where is Tasmania you say? I’ve never heard of this place until a colleague of mine from Australia asked another colleague whether he’s ever been to the Island. The answer was ‘nope! never been there’ and my colleague’s response was ‘Ugh! you’re missing half of your life!’. I wasn’t eavesdropping okay? Its just that they were talking from a hearing distance (like beside me) so naturally i will hear everything  they say. Okay, okay, chismosa na kung chismosa! hahaha…. So anyway, i thought hmmm… what’s in Tasmania? And so that night, all I did was googled Tasmania and understood why. We’re so looking forward to see and experience the island for ourselves.

 

We decided to plan the trip without the help of a travel agency. Rudel did all the plane, hotel, car (yes, he’s driving!) bookings while I helped with creating the itinerary. We are flying by Qantas to Melbourne and Jetstar from Melbourne to Tasmania.

Here are the sites that helped us with our planning:

www.travelerfolio.com/places/australia/tasmania/
www.discovertasmania.com.sg/
www.tasmania.com/
www.transport.tas.gov.au/licence_information/tasmanian_road_rules
www.puretasmania.com.au/default.asp?pID=28
www.foodrehab.com.au/category/search-by-location/tasmania/

Please watch out for my next posts about this trip. It will surely be filled with lots and lots of photos!