Tasmania

 Professional gambler and Hobart native David Walsh, first opened Moorilla Museum of Antiquities on the the Berriedale peninsula in 2001.  In 2007 it was closed to undergo a $75 million restoration and was reopened in 2011 as the Museum of Old and New Art, or MONA for short.  It is a major tourist attraction and is the largest privately funded museum in the Sothern Hemisphere.  To say it is fantastical is an understatement.   We approached the museum by Mona Roma, a ferry that takes you to the bottom of 99 steps that lead you to the top of the museum entrance.  Upon entering your directed back down to the bottom of several levels to begin your adventure.  The modern works often take on a theme of sex and death while the antiquities tended to be ancient Egyptian.  The works are intermingled and also have several pieces of video art.  There are no windows which gives it an air of mystery.  It’s obviously cut into the rocks of the cliffs ex...

 The cliffs that surround Port Arthur are on visible by boat, so we took what appears to be a very popular tour this morning around the point.  The geology around these rock formations is fascinating and varies as you head down the coast.  You can see where the rock was forced into the air, mostly at an angle, which gives the impression that the water is not level.  Caves also pocket the walls.  Monoliths jut into the sky which are a popular climbing destinations although not easy to get to.   We ran across a pod of seals laying on their backs warming under the sun.  Our guide told us they have fat that warms in the sun which explains their position in the water.  We also saw other seals while out sunning on the cliffs not really minding our intrusion.    Because it was a calm and sunny day we were able to go out and around the island that housed the lighthouse for the cliffs.  This sounded like a horrible assignment for the four or...

 The prison at Port Arthur housed inmates that were not model prisoners from mainland Australia.  We started in the large, well appointed visitor center.  Our ticket came with a thirty minute harbor cruise where we circled the small island that served as the burial grounds for both prisoners and the people assigned to run the facility.  It was a nice way to view the facility from the water. Back onshore we took a tour of several of the buildings.  Some just had walls remaining although it was apparent where the rooms were and others are close to their original shape.  We toured the commanders house which was a nice house for the time period.  Probably the most sobering facility was the insane asylum.  The prisoners were not allowed to talk and were constantly watched.  On Sundays, their one day of rest, they attended chapel.  Each prisoner had a standing ‘cell’ with walls between each of them so they could only see the minister.   W...

 We left mid-morning to head to Port Arthur for two nights.  We had all day, so if something catches our eye we could stop. Our route today took on dirt roads and narrow paved ones.  We were traveling down the coast to a former large prison facility. But first, we stopped at an interesting phenomenon called Tesselated Pavement.  This geological outcropping of rocks is distinguished by lines carved in rectangular patterns by nature.  Among the rocks are kelp and a large patch of small shelled creatures.  It was very interesting. Part of the reason a prison was built in Port Arthur was the difficulty of escaping.  A very narrow piece of land called the dog line connected the main land with the smaller piece of land that was home to the prison.  The reason it was called the dog line is that an actual line of very mean dogs were lined up to stop any escapee’s. It didn’t look like a very pleasant life for the dogs. We stopped for a quick lunch along th...