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| Apples - Salamanca Market |
What
a memorable weekend! If you get the chance to do so, I would highly recommend
you make the trip to Hobart for a weekend.
You will not regret or forget the experience. If you love art, different things, markets,
food, fresh produce, you will have a great time.
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| Mona Ferry Departure and Ticket Office. |
We
travelled to Hobart on a Friday night after work (we had a 7.40pm flight and
arrived by about 9pm). We stayed in one
of Sullivan’s Cove Apartments
– a three bedroom apartment with a view of the harbour (there were six of us
travelling together). It was great
accommodation and very close to Salamanca place, the markets, great restaurants
and Battery Point (we walked everywhere).
On
the first morning, we enjoyed breakfast at Machine Laundry in Salamanca
Square. I ordered the porridge, which
was delicious. Others ordered eggs with
the works and everyone was very happy with the coffee! I was a little disappointed with my Chai
latte as, to me, it tasted more like white earl grey tea… Would recommend this
place as a pre-market venue though!
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| Salamanca Market |
We
headed to the Salamanca markets
and strolled around for over an hour before catching the ferry to
Mona. The markets were great.
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| Fresh Bread at Salamanca Market |
Lots of different stalls, including: fresh
bread; coffee; fruit and vegetables; jewelry; vintage clothes; and other
goodies. Definitely worth a look!
The
ferry to Mona was the
most luxurious ferry I have ever been on!
There are two bars/café’s on board and the interior is very comfortable
indeed (ferry is $20 return per person, which we booked through the
accommodation). The trip was about half
an hour and was very picturesque and informative (yes, there are sheep and
cattle on-board, but don’t worry, they wont bite and you can sit on them). There are other ways you can get to Mona (you
can drive, bus, taxi, etc) but the ferry was great and it runs every hour and a
half (we departed Salamanca at 11am).
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| View of Mona from Ferry |
When
you arrive at Mona, there are 99 steps that take you up to the museum and gorgeous
grounds. There is so much to see! Now, it is “modern art” so it is not at all
boring, might be confronting, smelly, or interactive! Take an open mind to Mona and expect the
unexpected!
We booked our gallery entry tickets ($20 per person) and lunch through Mona. They were very helpful and there are several
packages you can choose from. Just have
a look on the website or give them a
call! Oh and yes, you can stay out there in their luxury apartments… Click here for more information.
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| Antipasto Platter - The Wine Bar |
We
enjoyed a delicious lunch of antipasto and cheese platters ($32 per person for
as much as you wanted), petit four platters, salad and locally produced wine at
the Wine Bar (there is a
vineyard and brewery at Mona and you can do tours of the winery if you like). You can eat a le carte if you like or you can
take your cheese platter and glass-of-whatever onto the lawn outside with you.
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| Tuna - The Wine Bar |
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| Cheese Platter - The Wine Bar |
And, of course, there is a gorgeous restaurant
on the grounds – The Source
– if you want something a bit more special.
With full stomachs, we took a little time to lounge around in the sun on
the hot pink beanbags before heading back in to the gallery for another few
hours. Perfect! We left Mona at 5pm.
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The Grounds of Mona - Beanbags
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| Mona - Art Outdoors |
Dinner
was at Lebrina. It was about a 10 minute
taxi ride from where we were staying and it was totally worth it. This restaurant was perfect. We had a private room and the food, wine and
service were all impeccable. Everyone was impressed!
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| Slow Eggs & Braised Beef Breakfast - Pilgrim Coffee |
The next
morning we had another amazing breakfast at Pilgrim Coffee - just a short walk from
our accommodation. The food was so delicious
and the menu was different, but varied.
Around our table was a “Paleo” breakfast, a Mexican feast breakfast,
slow cooked eggs and braised beef, braised lamb on mixed grains and bowls of
steaming porridge. The coffee was great
and the chai was better than I had tried the day before.
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| Mexican Breakfast - Pilgrim Coffee |
We
stopped for a mid-morning coffee at Jackman & McRoss Bakery in the
historical Battery Point (you could have lunch there if you wanted to). And a late lunch at Daci
& Daci Bakers back near Salamanca place and Parliament House.
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| Battery Point |
I
could go on and on about our fantastic experience, the great food, art, unique
shops and historical buildings and architecture, but it would result in a
ridiculously long blog post. I wouldn’t
have changed a thing about our weekend (except maybe catching a slightly later
ferry to Mona to give us more time at the market). All I can say is GO TO HOBART for a weekend
(I have heard of people going for a day).
Special occasion, romantic weekend away or a weekend away with friends
or family – it’s perfect for every occasion! It’s an hour on the plane from
Melbourne. Too close not to go, don’t
you think?
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Gardens at Parliament House
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NB: All photographs my own.
When assembling the cake, place the first cake on the serving plate with the uneven surface face down. You might like to fill the cakes with raspberry jam and cream or passionfruit, strawberries and cream. Whatever you like! I always put the fruit or jam on first and then add cream. Make sure you don't spread the cream too close to the edge or it will ooze out over the edge too much! Place the second cake on top of the first. Top with cream and fruit. Enjoy!!
