Richmond Gaol

Richmond is one of those places every school child in the greater Hobart area will visit at least once in their school career, and possibly never again after, or at least until they have visitors who want to go through a maze, pat a wombat and see a 19th century gaol, all in the one village (or town - this is a place with 3 carparks and one street). But it's a lot of fun if you're like me and love history and old stuff. So our history isn't as old as elsewhere, but it's a different kind of history, often cramming 500 years of eccentricity and violence into 150 years.

A friend and I went out there today, just for one of those trips that happens when the weather's beautiful, there's holidays, and a touch of boredom. We saw all the historic things, sat in the sunshine, and bought some lollies (sweets/candy).

This window is in the gaol, and would have been the only means of light. Outside I could see blue sky and an enormous gum tree, calling me out. These buildings are all built of sandstone, with timber floors, ceilings and doors. These are all what a real estate agent might call 'full of character' - mouldy, creaky and very gappy. It's not pretty, but it's very atmospheric.

I had a few runner's up for today's blip, i could have been happy with St Lukes or the Catholic Church which is almost dwarfed by gum tree, but in the end, this one won. Even over the Harry Potter keys.