Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 80 - 10th February

Day 80

A few days ago I had put up a couple of new desks for Amy and Alfie and today I was tasked with putting up some shelves to go with them. Well the shelves proved to be far more difficult to put up and with Alfie's help, it took us all day to put them up.

It didn't help that we had to go out to Bunnings once everything was unwrapped because we did not have the correct wall fixings.

Once back we cracked on with it and eventually finished. I must say it did look good on completion. His and Hers workstations.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 79 - 9th February

Day 79

Quiet day at home today after my travels of the last few days but responded to a request from Alfie to pick him up at Milson's Point ferry terminal later in the day.

Milson's Point Terminal

He was on his way back from Paramatta which is a journey of about 90 minures from there to Milson's Point. We arranged a suitable time to meet based upon his leaving and I set out to get there in time to park.

Paramatta

Paramatta Ferry Terminal

The Paramatta Ferry

When I got there I rang him and he told me that unfortunately he had not checked the ferry's timetable and it did not stop at Milson's point but took him straight to Circular quay. 

Circular Quay

From here he had to take another ferry back over the harbour to get back to Milson's Point.

Back to Milson's Point

With an hour to kill I took a stroll and once more enjoyed the best views of Circular Quay and the City on the opposite side.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 78 - 8th February

Day 78

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel I packed my bag and checked out. It had been a pleasant couple of days and the staff could not have been more pleasant. There is no reason not to stop here on future visits to Hobart.

So, I called a taxi and went off to the airport. This airport is very small and after checking in I had a bit of lunch before sitting waiting for my flight to be called.  

I was not aware at first but on looking around I saw Eoin Morgan, the England captain and quickie Liam Plunkett sat on the table behind me.  Looking up I saw that the entire England touring party were there, waiting for their flight to Melbourne for the next T20 match.

 

Eoin Morgan

I had a conversation with David Willie and his wife Caroline about an article in the morning newspaper picturing them with their baby sightseeing in Hobart the previous day. We also had a brief chat about the previous evening’s match before the Melbourne flight was called.

 

David Willey

Soon after, my flight to Sydney was called and I duly took my seat on board. Visibility was good on both sides of the Tasman giving great views of the coastlines on leaving Tasmania and arriving in Sydney.

Just 90 minutes later we were touching down in Sydney and I had to decide which method of transport to take back to French’s Forest. I decided on train to Central, change to train to Chatswood then bus to French’s Forest with the bus stop conveniently positioned opposite the house.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 77 - 7th February

Day 77

Its match day today but as it was not due to start until 7.40 this evening I had plenty of time to do some more exploring.

As I walked down to the cove I could see a massive cruise liner towering over the buildings around the harbor. There are no high-rise buildings in Hobart, so it was pretty easy to spot.  As I walked across to it I saw another one, slightly smaller, berthed behind it. The larger boat was one of the Celebrity cruise ships from the USA and later the harbor front was to be full of tourists.

I walked around the docks area, an area I had not explored before and there were some interesting buildings around there.

I then did some more exploring around the town and visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. This was a fascinating place which gave me a greater incite into the indigenous people than I previously had.  The buildings housing the museum were some of the most significant heritage buildings in the whole of Australia. The museum collections embrace the diverse treasures of Art, History and Science.

From here I moved on to the oldest pub in Australia, the Hope and Anchor Tavern.

The Hope and Anchor Tavern is a truly Australian pub, built in 1807. It is without doubt the oldest Australian pub, having continually operated and held the necessary licences since opening in 1807. It is bursting with antiques and Australian memorabilia throughout.

I had lunch here before returning to the Hotel to get ready to go to the cricket. I got ready and made my way to Franklin square to join the bus queue for transport to the cricket over in Belarive. It was a long but orderly queue and we were soon on our way. I managed to get on the second bus out.

On arriving at the ground, I had time for a look around before taking my seat.  This, I think, is my favourite ground in Australia. Much smaller than the grounds in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth but still a great stadium with a terrific outlook.

The view from the stadium

The match was a cracker.  Won by Australia after many twists and turns but with a grandstand finish when Glen Maxwell won the match for Australia with a six which also brought up his personal century.

I tried to get a bus back after the game, but it was a trifle chaotic, so I took a taxi instead.  Turned out to be a good option as I was back in my hotel by midnight and it would have been much later on one of the buses.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 76 - 6th February

Day 76

An early start today as I was being dropped off at the airport by Alfie on his way into the city this morning. I had a bit of time to kill at the airport, so I checked in and went for a lengthy breakfast. Hot egg and chorizo wrap with a long black coffee.

After I had had a good read of the morning paper I made my way to the Gate and eventually took my seat on board ready for the flight.

It was an uneventful flight and upon arrival at Hobart airport I found the shuttle bus and hopped aboard. When the bus was full we left for the various locations. I was fourth drop off at the Mantra.

My view from the hotel

I checked in and unpacked in my room and had a quick change before going out into the town. After a drink in the hotel bar I wandered over to the waterfront. It was a lovely day and it was not too crowded along the harbourside and I took quite a lot of photographs as I walked around.

One of my favourite places is the Constitution dock off Sullivan's Cove which is lined with fish and chip shops such as the Fish Man and Flippers.

It had been my intention to eat in Mako’s floating fish restaurant, an old favourite of mine, but unfortunately it was closed today so instead I went into a new one on me. Pearls Oyster Bar.

A good selection on the menu and I chose half a dozen oysters (3 each of two different sorts) followed by battered Trevally.  Accompanied by a nice Tasmanian Riesling. Great food and very good value.

From here I moved on to Franklin Gardens to check out exactly where I have to catch the free bus to Blundstone Arena tomorrow for the cricket. This was a very pleasant green area set right in the heart of the city.

I then went further out to Salamanca where I stopped at a nice pub for a few drinks before heading back to the hotel.