xenith | Hobart Trip: Day 2 Night Part I

There's a cool photo in this post. Literally cool. It was, according to the BOM, 1.8oC. I don't know if that's right, but my hand (I had to take glove off to take photos) was numb from cold. So cool photo :)

So, in our last instalment we were just the Skywhale at the Regatta Grounds and heading across the waterfront in search of food and a bus.

That is the waterfront.

That red strip is our destination

Inside, it was very crowded. All the tables were full. All the walkway space was full. You had to squeeze through people to get anywhere. There was this constant roar of voices. It was not good at all in there.

Something like this

We grabbed a cookie each at a place that had this little display. It's a bad photo but they were cute.

Outside, it is still busy but crowded-stupid-noisy like inside. Also, note the blue line.

The fire burst things which I didn't quite catch. Again.

We head out the front in search of the bus. And I find a seat, because I'm tired. Or my feet are. Or I'm tired of crowds and people. Something like that. Anyway, I sit down.

But then the bus appears. OK it's a coach but it's also a bus. A 54-seater bus that is going to take us up the mountain in the dark. Because that's what you should do on Solistice night. (As long as the mountain doesn't wake up.)

Our start is delayed by the start of the light show that's part of the Winter Feast. It goes off every couple of hours or something, and they stop all the traffic in the area for safety reasons. While I wait I take some photos from the bus.

Mt Wellington is 1.2 km high, and the summit is about 20-30 minutes drive from the city centre. The road sign at turnoff at the base (the bus had to go past to turn around and then come back) says it's a 12 km drive to the top. It's also very dark :)

The bus driver entertained the passengers by talking about David Walsh (Mona's owner) and Hobart in general. It was rather interesting but I can't remember any of it.

And there, cool photo!

Casino on the far right. Tasman Bridge left of center (the black patch in front being the Domain). Orange lines of the main roads. That bright white patch to the left of the Domain must be the hockey fields.

Cool photo again at slower shutter speed.

In the other direction.

Cameras shouldn't be expect to take photos of dull things like mountain rocks at night, but if you really insist and use the flash, they might make an attempt.

I couldn't actually see those rocks without the flash. It was rather dark. There was moonlight, and some light around the nearby locked lookout room. That was about it.

You can make out the shore/water better there, including the causeway (leading to Sorell) behind Spectra.

Bus!

It's 11oC inside the bus. 1.8oC outside.

Back in the city, after another travelogue from the bus driver, and we head out looking for the night tents! Through Salamanca Square, where the restaurants and cafes are doing a good business.

The talking Antarctic tents from this morning are now glowing Antarctic tents.

I didn't look at these photos until I came to edit them today. This one surprised me. I rather like the effect.

Kellys Lane at night, just in case you ever thought "I wonder what this place looks like at night". It needs to be a setting for a murder mystery or ghost story, or both.

The tents are through the doorways to the left. The doors are closed, but you can look through them, or over the wall at the top of the first flight of stairs.