Feb 19: Hobart

After a wonderful fresh fish dinner the evening before down at the wharf, we slept well and awoke to a beautiful day, as seen thru the picture window in the sitting room overlooking the harbour.  

After breakfast we met up with Pip and she suggested that she drive us the few minutes to downtown and that we pick up the Hop On-Hop Off Tour Bus.  We sat on the top of the open air double decker, and drove by the government buildings, and then to the Cascade Brewery, oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. 

 We then walked a bit down Cascade Canyon to the Female Factory.  This was a prison for women criminals, often convicted of trivial crimes in England and sent here.  They were exposed to little sunlight and food, but if they ‘behaved’ they could be selected by a master to work as a servant on his farm to complete their typical seven year sentence. The master could be good, bad, or abusive; whatever his temperament, the woman had not choice but to comply. Not to would mean return to the Female Factory and solitary confinement to a dark cell for at least 6 months.  We watched for an hour as two characters played out a typical story.  We were treated as prisoners, making it very, very, real.

http://www.femalefactory.org.au

Then to another wonderful fresh fish lunch at the wharf. At lunch we imbibed in the Cascade Pale Ale and Stout. Yum! 

https://cascadebreweryco.com.au

Back on the bus and then off in Battery Point for a 15 minute walk to Pip’s.   While walking we met he postman delivering mail.

PHOTOS

Pip had invited 36 people to an informal ‘meet and greet’ that evening.   Wonderful people.   The food (lasagna, curried chicken, potato salad, sandwiches (it was like tea at Harrods’!) was tasty and we took the leftovers with us for the next day. We had in depth conversations with many, and again were reminded of how much we all have in common.  You can tell so much about someone by their friends.  Granny Pip is the best!