Hobart
Plus Mt Field and Bonorong
February 13, 2026
We decided to take our car out from the hotel and go to two locations outside Hobart today. First we drove about 90 minutes west to Mt. Field National Park. The drive took us along the Derwent River, where we saw lots of fruit orchards and fields (raspberries, strawberries and cherries) as well as many plots growing hops.
This is a map of our travels from Hobart (zoom in for a closer look).
From the Park Headquarters, we took a walk to two waterfalls. First we walked to Russell Falls along a flat path through a deep forest with large ferns. The waterfall has several beautiful cascades. Since it took us just 15 minutes to walk to it, we decided to walk farther. From the falls, we climbed 250 steps to another waterfall, Horseshoe Falls.
Photo on the left shows the path in fern forest. Right photo was taken at the bottom of Russell Falls.
A different view of Russell falls,
left, and Horseshoe falls, above.
We then retraced our steps to the Visitor’s Center, for a total walk lasting between 45 minutes and an hour. After refueling with coffee, we drove a short distance farther into the Park and took a short loop trail called Tall Trees. The forest here is made up of the tall myrtle and gum trees and several types of large ferns. Some of the trees appeared to be well over 200 feet tall. Here are three photos.
From there, we drove about an hour (plus time for a lunch stop at New Norfolk) to our next destination, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. We arrived in time for a 30 minute guided tour, which showcased four animals: sugar glider, wombat, Tasmanian devil and echidna. Here’s the latter animal.
After the tour, we spent about 90 minutes wandering through the facility. We saw lots of kangaroos and very pretty birds. We still did not manage to get a good picture of a quoll or to actually see a possum. Bonorong also has an impressive veterinary facility for rescue of injured animals in Tasmania, akin to the Oakland Zoo, that they allow visitors to tour.
The emu, above, and kangaroo
were in the area of the park
that allowed visitors to mingle
with the animals.
Here are some birds from around the park, the yellow and black ones being cockatoos. The lower right photo shows some “visitors” to the park, not part of the displays.
We drove back 40 minutes back to the hotel and spent a few minutes walking around the downtown area near the attractive Tasmanian Parliament Building located close to our hotel, below. Tomorrow we will tour more of central Hobart.
February 14, 2026
Today we decided to spend our time in and around Hobart without using our rental car. After several cool and blustery days, the weather improved; today turned out to be mostly sunny.
After breakfast, we walked out the door of our hotel and found ourselves immediately immersed in Hobart’s Saturday Market called Salamanca. The market covers four city blocks and we were told there were at least three hundred vendors. There was less fresh food than we expected, though there were a few stands selling produce.
We saw many artisan food products, such as chocolates, honeys, breads, cookies, beer and spirits. There were many other local products, such as woolens, jewelry, soaps and leather. And of course there were many stands selling coffee, plus food to eat from seafood to donuts to sausages.
The market draws a large crowd to central Hobart on Saturday mornings. Here’s one stand—sourdough bread is very popular and was excellent throughout Tasmania.
After walking through the market, we walked along the waterfront past Brooke Street Pier, Franklin Wharf and Constitutional Dock. We then walked through Franklin Square past the Town Hall and the old Post Office to reach the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
A photo from our walk along the waterfront and the central
business district, very close to our hotel.
We were extremely impressed by this museum, housed in a historic 19th century building. The museum traces the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European discoverers and colonizers. The museum pulls no punches in describing the havoc created by the settling invaders from Europe (on the land and wildlife) and their horrible treatment of the indigenous people, including committing several massacres.
One more of these displays is shown to the right.
A final interesting bit of information:
“Tasmanian tree ferns (Dicksonia Antarctica) were considered particularly desirable because they added a sense of drama and beauty to the garden. The trunks were commonly sent to England as ships’ ballast. Once in port, the trunks would be sold to gardeners. English botanists were equally excited by tree ferns. Robert Brown was so pleased with the trunks he received that he put them on display in the great hall of the British Museum.”
Another exhibit focused on natural history and includes a taxidermied Tasmanian tiger, which is now extinct. We had heard a lot in our travels about this former predator and it did not look like we expected. The last one died in 1936.
Below is a drawing of the animal.
The displays about how the settlers affected the environment are fascinating. One is shown to the left, and another said this:
“Agricultural animals and crop plants were a valuable commodity and essential for survival.
Passengers brought other animals as pets, sometimes picked up at stop-over ports on the journey from England to Van Diemen’s Land. Many species were introduced deliberately and just as many accidentally. Some, like trout, sheep and bees, have become the basis for valuable industries. Many, like rabbits, cats, and ornamental plants have been an environmental disaster. Others, such as monkeys and koalas, failed to thrive and disappeared.”
Above is the preserved animal.
Other exhibits had some modern arts and crafts work, plus a few paintings, as well as a gallery dedicated to the culture of Tasmania’s indigenous people. Finally, there was a large gallery dedicated to Australia’s explorations of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. It has an incredible film we watched with amazing footage of the animals and the land in Antarctica. We spent about two hours in the museum.
After that, we walked around the central shopping area, which includes the pedestrianized Elizabeth Street, and then found a spot for lunch.
We next took an Uber for a drive of 20 minutes along the Derwent River to the suburb of Berriedale, where we visited MONA, the museum of old and new art. The owner originally had a small museum displaying his collection of old works, including many Egyptian artifacts and other antiquities. In 2011, the new facility opened containing a much broader array of works, including many Avant Garde and challenging works. The museum building is completely underground. Visitors descend by a three story circular stair case or on a circular glass elevator. There is no natural light or signage. Visitors can only learn about the works by using the Museum’s phone app. The works were displayed in no particular order. An Egyptian statue could be next to a Picasso sculpture next to a contemporary piece!
Above is the lowest level of the museum.
To the right a Picasso vase. There were
many pieces by Picasso, but no paintings.
The video shows one art work, and the photo above
shows the central corridor with the elevator just visible.
One of the exhibits is a molten metal work entitled “in the end, the beginning” which has molten steel heated to 1,500°C dripping from the ceiling in an otherwise pitch dark space, very cool so to speak. Check out the link! After wandering through the labyrinth for an hour or a bit more, we were overwhelmed and went back up to the surface. We spent some time enjoying the lawn area that had several outdoor restaurants, ice cream, and bars with a hard rock band playing from a shelter.
It was about 70°F, and there were views back down river to Hobart. Here is the lawn area.
We then took an Uber back to the city and enjoyed an outdoor beer among the old buildings of the Salamanca district, near where the market had been this morning.
Tomorrow, we will head out of Hobart again, to the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur.
