We arrive in Tasmania

On Tuesday, November 2 we headed to the airport, but while waiting for our driver in the hotel lobby, we watched people leaving for the Melbourne Cup. Today is a holiday in Melbourne in honor of the last day of the Melbourne Cup horse races. Much like the Kentucky Derby, people dress up for this event in fancy dresses and hats for the women and dress suits for the men. Our driver told us that tickets for the Cup go for about $2000 this day. Ouch!

Our flight to Hobart Tasmania was uneventful and short...only 1 hour and 15 minutes. We were out of the Hobart terminal with our rental car within the half hour after landing. We headed out of town traffic and toward the Tasmanian Pennisula, which was good as Terry is now driving on the left side of the road in a car that has the steering wheel on the right side. We made it through the first roundabout with no problem. I kept whispering, "bear left, bear left" and Terry did a great job.

Highway sign to watch for kangaroos and wallabies

We stopped for lunch in a small town called Sorrel and ate at the Wok & Roll Asian Cafe. Our waitress was the spitten image of our niece, Missy, but with an Asian twist. Both Terry and I remarked on the similarities. By the time we finished lunch, it was raining! The rain followed us all the way to our destination in Koonya, just a few miles north of Port Arthur at the tip of the pennisula. Tomorrow's forecast is better so hopefully the rain is moving out.

We are staying at the Cascades, a delightfully renovated Colonial Historic Accommodation. We are staying in an individual stone cottage from the early 1800's. It is part of the old Penal Probation Station. The cottage is an authentically restored and renovated convict building with colonial decor and period furnishings. Our cottage was once the 'workhouse'. This is in a beautiful location right on the water's edge of a bay. It's very unique and a fun and different place to stay, but no internet available so this posting will have to wait.

Our hotel room.  We have the entire building to ourselves.

View from the ocean of our hotel

Our living room.  Also had a kitchen, dining room, foyer, bedroom and 2 bathrooms.

 Tonight our host took us up on the hills above the property for a nighttime expedition to see wildlife. Instead of walking we drove in a truck through the fields as the grass was long and wet from the recent rain. We saw possums, wallabies, and wombats. Pictures were hard to get in the dark, though.