Another Lovely Day

This morning we left beautiful Bicheno to continue down the A3, Tasmania's Great Eastern Drive, back to Hobart for our last two nights in Oz. This led us across many rivers and creeks. A sign stands beside each respective bridge giving the waterway's name - often (like Hobart's Derwent) bearing a familiar name. An extra hand-painted sign made us laugh out loud in chorus as we crossed the Wye River ... "coz it's bigger than a creek"!

As we approached Hobart our first port of call was the MONA: the Museum of Old & New Art. This is not just an art gallery, it's an experience. Even before you pay to go in, there is so much huge art outdoors to see, walk inside, through, along, touch, become part of - there's even a trampoline for grown-ups (one at a time) to play on - and all with stunning views of the surrounding wide, curvaceous Derwent River. 

Where Mr PP is standing is on a high-sided walkway. If I tell you the installation's title is Reflections in Black Engine Oil by Richard Wilson (b. 1953, London, England), then you will appreciate why staff are on standby before anyone enters, to warn visitors not to touch the reflective surface beyond the enclosure. It was amazing. The collection is quirky, might be offensive occasionally (?), but it's so different, totally absorbing - often literally so. I had a go at drawing a portrait of a reflected image, using a set-up of lenses and mirrors as Caravaggio is supposed to have done. It takes a few seconds to adjust to looking at the "poser" - in this case a photo of the gallery's founder/owner David Walsh (maybe I didn't need those parentheses!*) - but it's a fun experience. (See Extras.) *I'm probably being unfair: I've never met the guy. He does have an extensive library where visitors are free to browse, and employees may borrow books.

There's a lot to see, but we had time afterwards to drive to the pinnacle of Mount Wellington - and follow in great footsteps to survey Hobart and beyond from on high:"The day was splendidly clear, and we enjoyed a most extensive view; to the north, the country appeared a mass of wooded mountains ... to the south the broken land and water, forming many intricate bays, was mapped with clearness before us." - Charles Darwin, 1836. It was clear for us, too, but at 4170 ft, the very, very strong (and bitterly cold) wind nearly knocked us off our feet. See Extras for one view from the top.

Hard to believe that only one day remains before the long flights home. Still, however arduous our journey, it's a lot easier, I imagine, than Darwin's would have been.