Drive to Hobart via Richmond

7th February 2018

After a good nights sleep it was time for breakfast. Already impressed by the quality of the room, breakfast was another triumph. Absolutely no chance of leaving this place hungry as their cooked breakfast included everything imaginable, including optional haggis and black pudding (we declined the extras).

We were so full after breakfast we needed to go for a walk before getting back in the car to continue our journey.

Freycinet Waters, our B&B

First we headed down to the waterfront, where there is a large boat ramp and jetty complex, obviously for the local fishing enthusiasts.

We could see the restaurant that we dined at last night from the jetty.

Saltshaker Restaurant (with the red umbrellas), overlooking Great Oyster Bay

Next we walked the length o the main street just to stretch our legs and 40 mins later we were loading the car and ready to embark on the next leg of our trip to Hobart. We decided we would go via Richmond as it has been a lot of years since we were here last and hear that tourism is booming.

Arriving at Richmond certainly confirmed that tourism has picked up. It is very difficult to find a carpark anywhere, and the streets are full of tourists. We soon discovered that it wasn't just grey nomads but there are 2 cruise ships in port at Hobart and several busloads of passengers are enjoying their shore excursion to Richmond.

Richmond's main street

No trip to Richmond would be complete without a visit to Australia's oldest bridge that is still in service. There was no shortage of tourists with the same thought in mind.

Richmond Bridge

The town has been given a real facelift since we were last there and it looks very smart. There are coffee shops and cafe's everywhere and the usual handicraft centres/galleries. Overall the town looks quite prosperous compared to our last visit. Tourism really does seem to have increased significantly.

The pub was very popular

Old buildings are being given a facelift

Back on the road to Hobart, we decided to go via Sorrel and call in to the Tasmania Golf Club to see if we can book a tee time for tomorrow. They manage to slot us in between the end of the Women's Comp and a large social group booking, so we need to be there tomorrow at 9.45am.

We are now only about 15km North of Hobart and a bit ahead of ourselves timewise, arriving at our accommodation for the next 2 days by 12.45 pm. Fortunately our room is ready, so we can check in early. We have booked at a Red Awnings Boutique Apartment Hotel at Battery Point, very close to the city centre but far enough away to be out the main activity. The suite is terrific, with a large lounge/dining and kitchen area, a good sized bedroom and huge bathroom/laundry.

Red Awnings Battery Point

Lounge /Dining area

Once settled in, we went for a walk in search of lunch. We ended up having a light lunch at the Prince of Wales Hotel, just a few hundred metres further down the road from our unit.

After lunch we continued on down Hampden Road towards the point and the waterfront. As we approached the waterfront it was clear that the Wednesday afternoon twilight races were on probably from Royal Hobart Yacht Club. There was a turning mark quite close to the shore where we were standing, so we stayed and watched the fleet round the mark in a fairly brisk breeze.

We continued on and discovered why there seems to be a lot of people around. Both the Celebrity Solstice and Holland America Noordam are tied up at the cruise terminal in town. Injecting 3000+ people into this region in a day makes a huge impact.

Opting for an easy dinner option tonight, we walked down the road from our unit to Magic Curries, a local Indian Restaurant.

Having seen the advertisement that the restaurant is recommended by the Indian Cricket Team, how could you not give it a go. I reality, the food was very good.

Talking to the owner after our meal, it turned out that he used to have 2 restaurants in Sydney, one in Newport and the other in Turramurra, before moving to Hobart 17 years ago.