my time in Tassie

Tasmania is known for its natural beauty and historical significance. There is so much to see and learn about in Tasmania and not just from the more well known places, such as Port Arthur. I found that almost anywhere you visit on the island has an interesting history that connects back to its convict past.

One town in particular that I stayed in was the small town of Hamilton. Located about 74km outside of Hobart in central Tasmania, this small, rural town contains large amounts of history that is worth exploring. Hamilton is fairly un-commercialized and un-industrialized, which really gives visitors a feel of what villages of Southern Tasmania were like in the 1800s.

Throughout Hamilton, there are many historic buildings and surrounding farmland. Although Hamilton may not sound too busy now, it was once a hustling and bustling town and transport hub filled with breweries and hotels.

During my visit to Hamilton, I was given the opportunity to stay in the Hamilton Inn. This hotel was built in 1826 by convicts and has had many different visitors and experiences. In 1933, the hotel was completely burned to the ground and was restored by its next owners.

Staying in the Hamilton Inn was an experience I will never forget. The hospitality that John and Gina showed us was incredible, along with the warm meals cooked every night for us. As for the hotel itself, walking inside of it was like immediately taking a step back in time. The vintage paintings and decorations around the hotel were like something out of a movie.

For the first two nights, we slept in cozy rooms on the top floor. For the rest of our time in Tasmania, we got to camp out in the bar connected to the hotel. It was a really interesting experience to stay in this bar because staying there, you could really feel the energy of all that has happened there. In fact, the 1800s, folks used to trade Tasmanian tiger pelts on the floor of the bar before the creature went extinct.

While travelling Tasmania, I learned a lot about the island, its history and the natural resources.

There are so many amazing geographical features located in Tasmania that I had no idea existed until we visited them. John was kind enough to take us to a few places, including the famous tessellated pavements, which is a gigantic flat rock that has been divided into rectangles by fracture. It looks as if someone laid down these rectangular rocks by hand, however, it is a completely natural phenomenon. We also visited a Tasmanian devil sanctuary where we got to learn a lot about the animal, as well as play with kangaroos.

After visiting the pavements and the Tasmanian devil sanctuary, John also took us to the Port Arthur Historic Site. This convict site is one of Australia’s most specific heritage areas and museums. From 1833 until 1853 the settlement was a destination for the worst of the European criminals. It functioned as a secondary form of punishment for those convicts who re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Walking through the ruins of the prison gave me chills.

On this day, I learned so much about the history of the island and really got a sense of what Tasmania was like centuries ago.

I also had the chance to travel to the mountains of Western Tasmania, where we were able to explore a few of the massive forests on the island, where Tasmanian tigers used to roam. It’s amazing just looking around and seeing nothing but mountains and forestry.

On the whole island of Tasmania, there are about 450,000 people. Even the most populated areas of Tasmania, such as Hobart and Launcetown, were itty bitty towns compared to Sydney and any major city in the States. As soon as I stepped off the plane I remember looking around and just feeling like I had taken a step back in time.  Coming from a big city, like Sydney, it felt amazing to get back to nature and really remember why I am doing what I’m doing.

I remember looking up in the sky and realizing I had never seen so many stars before. The environment and the air is so clean and so green, I really was able to take a step back and breathe. I have never been to a place as peaceful and quiet as Tasmania; the rural and unpopulated island truly feels like a whole other world.