The first thing that you will notice when arriving in Tasmania, apart from the natural beauty of the place, is the large chip the locals have on their shoulders when the subject of the 'Mainlanders' comes up. The name is openly given to those who obviously come from the Australian mainland by those who do not realise how lucky they are to live in such a  beautiful part of the world. Many of us are very envious of what they have down there. The whole of the southern area in particular is rich in heritage and history which dates back to the very start of Australian history and much of what was created back in those early days of the late 1790's and the early 1800's is still there as evidence to the endeavours and hardships of the settlers.

Pictured above is an aerial shot of the city of Hobart, the Hobart bridge and the River Derwent. When arriving in Tasmania you either fly into Hobart in the south or Launceston in the north, an overnight vehicular ferry also docks in Devonport, sailing from Melbourne. The island is not very big, about 67,800 sq kms in size, it is quite possible to drive completely around the island in one day without undue haste. The topography of Tasmania is varied, featuring very rigged highlands, lake areas and wilderness domains, as well as very picturesque valleys, farming country and lovely country towns and villages. The climate is quite cool on mainland standards because of the low latitudes. Tasmania and Port Arthur was the site selected for the first penal settlement in Australia along with Norfolk Island, Port Macquarie and Moreton Bay. Port Arthur was opened in 1830 the first ships carrying convicts arriving soon after. Please read the associated pages for more about Port Arthur.

 Hobart on the Derwent at night makes a lovely picture. The Derwent River is a natural deep harbour which can accommodate even the huge US Navy nuclear aircraft carriers.

Most of the shores of the river are now established as suburbs and the commuters from the northern suburbs must use the Tasman Bridge to get access to the central business district.

Please read more about this beautiful island on the coming pages.

Like Sydney, the buildings in Hobart were built by convict labour and no better example of the stonemason's art is the original wharf area in Hobart named Salamanca Place. The well preserved buildings built with limestone blocks which were mined locally, much of it around Port Arthur itself. The British Government of the day were very careful which 'Convicts' they sent out to Australia because they wanted skilled labour to create the fine buildings that go into making up a city. Many were unfortunate enough, as to come up before a judge or magistrate who had directions to find the Government the right type of 'Convict' for transport to the penal colonies, no matter how trivial the charge against them might have been.

On weekends Salamanca Place is transformed into a festival type scene, with markets selling vegetables, food stuffs, clothing and all kinds of Bric-a-Brac and novelty items. There is always a lot of food stalls and people playing music and singing, going on. In the main Business area of Hobart there are many fine examples of colonial buildings such as the Town-Hall, the museum and many of the banking institutions, these buildings will last for many of hundreds of years to come and serve as a reminder of those harsh days, and the talented artisans who created such fine structures.