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In December and January there is no where in the world I would rather be than in Hobart. It's Hobart Summer Festival time, when the city buzzes with life and spirit and there's always something to do. The Taste of Tasmania opened yesterday, an annual food festival that grows every year, and a group of us went along for dinner (possum, halloumi burger, chocolate frozen yoghurt and a Lost Pippin Wild One cider), sitting out on the lawns taking in the atmosphere of families, friends, buskers, bands, seagulls and sailors.

This is also the time when the Sydney to Hobart (and Melbourne to Hobart and Melbourne to Launceston) yacht races are run, so the wharves are buzzing with the excitement of freshly finished boats and the Taste shed rings out with announcements of imminent arrivals. These guys grabbed me and my friend to take a photo, and told us a little of their story. The crew includes wounded returned Defence Force personnel who are finding civilian life a challenge (SMH article). Their achievement in finishing the Sydney to Hobart is incredible, and you can see the joy in their faces here (especially if you look at it in large). The photo wasn't my best from the evening - the light was dwindling, but I don't care, these guys deserve a large round of applause.

There is no place like Hobart around New Years. It buzzes with life, joy and celebration, and there's no place I'd rather be.