Czeching Out Tasmania

You know your city is popular with tourists when it has its own sightseeing bus and being popular with tourists is most definitely something you can say about Hobart. For another recent Instameet we had the pleasure of being tourists for a day and seeing the sights of Hobart from the Red Decker Bus. We were also going to be the first people to ever get to travel over the Tasman Bridge…..not the first people ever ever of course but the first people to be on this new route for the company.

I’ve lived in Hobart since April now and many of the sights on the bus aren’t new to me so I used the experience as an opportunity to play around and do a spot of street photography. But before we get on to that we had a lovely bit of early morning tea at the delightful Lenna Hotel, a beautiful 4 star sandstone mansion combined with more modern structures right next to Salamanca. We had an hour or so to wander around the place and explore the gardens and vine covered pillars as well as enjoy some tasty sandwiches, cakes and a nice hot cup of coffee. Our Instameet was being held as part of the helloworldRelay event which involved photographers from all over the world taking pictures of their country’s top destinations. 

After stocking up on food and tea we made our way down towards the CSIRO facility on the waterfront to board our noble steed of tourism and sightseeing. It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day out so everyone promptly ran straight for the upstairs seats. We began our journey by driving through historic Battery Point before following the Derwent estuary along towards the iconic Wrest Point Casino which can be seen towering over Sandy Bay from many vantage points throughout the area. We passed through the village of Sandy Bay along the way with its coffee shops and boutique stores just a short walk from the city. 

After driving back into the city we continued onwards past the World’s Number One Roundabout, as recently awarded by an international group of experts who just love roads that travel in circles. It is a really nice roundabout though in all fairness and the quiet fountain area in the middle is really peaceful despite the traffic swirling overhead.

From here we ventured north towards New Town and Moonah before doubling back to cross the Tasman Bridge. It was great being able to look out over the city from the open deck of the bus and everyone was excitedly snapping out as we crossed. The next stage of our journey was to be the lookout point in Rosny which offers fantastic views over Hobart city, the Tasman Bridge and the sights further up the Derwent. We had a few minutes to take pictures from the lookout before returning back over the bridge and travelling through the city centre once more before heading to South Hobart and one of the city’s must-visit sights, the Cascade Brewery.

After taking photos of the brewery’s gorgeous main facade it was time to return to our pick-up stop in Battery Point, but not before getting some more reflection shots and sneaky street photos from the top deck of a bus. We always say I’ll never go on a tourist sightseeing bus when we visit a new city but nine times out of ten we end up getting one. They are an excellent way of getting your bearings in a new city and the Hobart Red Decker bus certainly fits in many sights and gives the punters a great introduction to Tasmania’s capital. It helps you pick out the main sights that you might want to take a closer look at if you have the time. 

Big thanks to Hobart & Beyond and Discover Tasmania for putting the day together and to the Red Decker Bus company for taking us around Hobart’s top sites.