A Little Trip South

So we went to Melbourne for a bit of a ‘cultural hit’, (Melbourne Festival) and saw some pretty avant garden dance (Hofesh Shechter & Chunky Move), a great theatre piece and some good music. Stayed in an apartment in the CBD (a first) witha ‘delightful view’ over a lane onto blank wall made interesting only by a view into a purple lit, plant-filled apartment on the other side sometimes interspersed with a naked or clothed young woman! Spent time with our besties and visited Cranbourne Botanical Gardens, (a young off-shoot-excuse pun- of Melbourne’s famous old main Bot. Gardens), which specializes in Native plants. It is a real treat of native spring flowerings and sensitive modernist landscape architecture. I include a few Melb. photos. Then headed to Hobart, Tasmania, mostly for a long-overdue visit to MONA ( for those who don’t know it, have a look online) -it is simply astounding. The vision of the founder of this private Museum of new and old art , David Walsh, has to be seen to be believed! The art, the architecture, the setting,the quirkiness. Built deep underground into the rock, it is awe-inspiring. Little wonder it has drawn literally millions of tourists to Tasmania.
Hobart (& surrounds) is a delight built around steep hills with a multitude of charming old buildings, modern architecture in the newer areas, beautiful views, and landscapes, a great art and craft culture, wonderful produce and food. Jon noticed a cafe of Vietnamese Street Food whereupon he quipped ‘fee fi pho yum’ and so it went! And we had an apartment with spectacular views. A few Tasmania photos attached. I am also adding a gallery of photographs of Hobart into TRAVEL WRITING on the main website even though there is not a word of travel writing! Hope you enjoy.