![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/20250713_112302-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n The first few days have been a bit hectic with jetlag and allergies (everything is flowering) making it pretty hard to embrace the summer. Tanja and I have been taking lots of walks around Frösön where we are staying with her parents.
But today we went on a day trip with Tanja's parents around the south end of Storsjön.\n
\n First we had morning tea at summer cafe run from an old barn behind a house. There are plenty of these pop-up cafe's in Sweden throughout the summer. They're often run by young people who sell homemade cakes and coffee to make some money over the summer.\n
\n\n\n \n \n We then explored a cave with a temperature of just 4 degrees (it's 29 degrees outside today!).\n
\n\n \n\n\n Finally we had lunch at a cafe at the top of Hoverberg. It was a pleasant lunch in the sun with views back over Storsjön from the creativly decorated tower.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/20250713_132544.jpg\")
\n \n \n\nWork in progress
This post continues from So…what then.
There are some individuals who do have the power to change the world. The leader of a powerful nation can choose to bomb or not to bomb another country. The leader of a political group can choose to support or oppose attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But these individuals haven’t conjured this power from thin air. If some individuals have specific power it’s because we, the collective humanity, have given over this power.
There are many political and social theories which describe this process.
Previously I spoke about how powerless I feel to improve the state of the world, but that my individual powerlessness joins with others to form an all powerful collective humanity. The conundrum is, that at both the individual and collective level I have no agency to change the world.
At what quanta of people is my agency strengthened?
I stand on the sidelines. I can shout and wave as much as I want but I won’t change the outcome of the game. To do so, I must be on the field.
Social media, letter writing, disconnection = sidelines
Collective action…joining a team, this puts you on the field.
We all need to be on the field.
If you write a list of qualities you expect in a leader, the current crop would struggle to tick off the list between them. They are not our leaders because they are excepetional people. They were either the only option presented, or they were supported by the majority of people who actually played the game.
Distressingly, that majority seem to be entirely self-interested or perhaps evil.
Our* lack of collective action sets the conditions for poor leaders to gain power.
* By ‘our’ I mean particularly those of us in democratic, developed and supposedly enlightened countries.
", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "So...what then?" ], "date_published": "2025-06-29T04:11:24+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-29T09:35:08+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/sowhat-then/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/sowhat-then/", "title": "So...what then?", "summary": "How to begin writing about this. The state of the world right now…well it’s pretty fucked. War and politics. Scary men who seem intent on burning everything down. And then…", "content_html": "How to begin writing about this.
The state of the world right now…well it’s pretty fucked. War and politics. Scary men who seem intent on burning everything down. And then there is the clock being run down on the environment.
I was going to write that it’s depressing, but it’s so much more than depressing. It’s devastating. It’s paralysing. It’s enraging.
The daily horror in the news. The constant need to turn away, and then peek back again. Is it voyeuristic? Am I hoping I’ll get some warning before the end of everything? Am I becoming desensitised? Or am I too sensitive?
How do I make sense of it all? The death, starvation, torture and genocide. The corporate and political gaslighting.
Perhaps with a view of history longer than mine it’s still not that bad yet? Wishful thinking.
I feel a responsibility to be doing something about it. But what? Quite obviously me, Joe, the individual, is powerless to stop any of it. But, me, Joe, is also part of the collective humanity that is all powerful. At some place my individual powerlessness coalesces into the all powerful collective humanity. But where?
My four minute shower won’t save us from environmental catastrophe. Not when our government approves new gas projects with such fervent optimism.
My social media activity won’t prevent bombs raining down on Gaza. Not when the great nations sit idle.
My choice of superannuation fund won’t disarm a fascist state. Not when the worlds richest men grow their wealth by exploiting division.
Letter writing, protest, campaigning, disconnection, therapy. These feel like nothing more than coping mechanisms.
So…what then?
", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "So...what then?" ], "date_published": "2025-06-12T13:51:21+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-29T09:27:17+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/cradle-mountain-our-final-days-in-tassie/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/cradle-mountain-our-final-days-in-tassie/", "title": "Cradle Mountain - Our final days in Tassie", "summary": "From Lake St Claire, we headed further west. We originally intended to camp in the National Park but with fatigue adding up from multiple long walks and poor sleep, plus…", "content_html": "\n\n From Lake St Claire, we headed further west. We originally intended to camp in the National Park but with fatigue adding up from multiple long walks and poor sleep, plus the weather getting cooler and wetter each day, we wanted to find somewhere a little more cosy to camp. However, the further west you travel in Tasmania, the fewer options there are around. The night before our Lake St Claire walk, we camped in a free camp on Hydro Tasmania land around one of the dams. Perched on a tiny rock peninsula on the edge of the water, Tanja and I felt very exposed. Our imaginations went a little wild, and before we knew it we were plotting how we would defend ourselves from a gang of criminals. When the sun sets so early and rises so late, it's a long night in the dark to battle your fears. With this experience very much still fresh in our minds, we both wanted four sturdy walls around us for the coming evening.
So westward we went. Our final destination would be a backpackers in Strahan, but between Lake St Claire and Strahan is the magnificent Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. This drive along the Lyell Highway follows a section of the Franklin River. Then it crosses a huge valley before climbing and descending another mountain range before and finally passing Lake Burburry and winding down to Queenstown. Enhanced by the afternoon sun, this drive is a mesmerising cascade of beautiful scenery and wild places.
On our next trip to Tasmania I intend spend much more time to exploring this region. However, as we were racing to beat the sunset we could not stop to explore this time. For much of the drive I had to have my eyes glued to the twisting road, but the beauty of this place will linger with me for a long time.
I'll mention our experience in Strahan only to say, do not go to the backpackers in Strahan. It was sad and gross. Although the Strahan waterfront has been prettied up for the tourists who can afford to stay in the renovated heritage buildings, if you cross into regular Strahan it's a slightly depressing small town. But maybe the weather and the lack of sleep was getting to me, so I won't say any more. Instead let's turn to Cradle Mountain.\n
\n Tanja and I made the best of less than ideal conditions at Cradle Mountain. We planned a little route based on the walk our friends Connie and Paul had taken on their visit. We began at Ronny Creek and took the Overland Track and Horse Track up onto the plateau. It was a very pleasant start of our walk, with few other hikers, and a fabulous introduction to the mountain environment in this region. We passed small tarns and stands of Fagus. As we climbed higher we moved up into the low cloud. Visibility dropped to a few dozen metres and, as you would expect from being in a cloud, the cold and damp started to seep into our clothes.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/22/IMG_2127.jpg\")
\n \n \n Tanja and I discussed how we would proceed as the weather felt like it could take a dramatic turn for the worse with no notice. We decided to make for Kitchen Hut and shelter while we took lunch. We shared the hut with some other hikers. A father and son were determined to reach of the peak of Cradle Mountain wearing just cotton hoodies. Actually it was surprising how many people we encountered who, despite the many weather warnings and instructions about what to wear and bring up the mountain, were extremely poorly prepared for bad weather. We passed many hikers just in active wear, and some very forlorn looking children with moisture clinging to their jumpers. Tanja and I were almost head to tow covered in layers of wool or technical clothing, and even still I could feel the wind and chill as soon as we stopped for a moment.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/22/IMG_6528_1.jpg\")
\n \n \n From Kitchen Hut we continued our planned route as this took us back down from the plateau, past Wombat pool and to the Dove Lake shelter. There were no views to be had because of all the cloud but we were entertained by the continuous train of Overland Track walkers.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/22/IMG_2167.jpg\")
\n \n \n Throughout our visit to Tasmania, Tanja and I have discussed the impact of tourism on wild places, and the changes the infrastructure brings to the hiking experience. Cradle Mountain is a perfect best case study to explore what over-development of wild places looks like. There is of course an argument for building paths and walkways and providing toilets, shelters and other amenities when areas need protection from high volumes of hikers. However at some point this infrastructure starts to create the problem it is trying to solve. As a wild and often dangerous places, should Cradle Mountain have been made accessible for coach tours of inexperienced tourists? And now as tourist numbers continue to climb must is more infrastructure always the answer? The marketing of Cradle Mountain as a must-see destination creates the perception that it must be accessible, safe and easy, when in fact, even with the infrastructure in place there is real danger. And from my observation many visitors to Cradle Mountain were either completely oblivious to the danger, or to the affects their carelessness could have for Tasmania's emergency services, should something go wrong.
For me, Cradle Mountain was the least enjoyable part of our Tassie experience. It was a hiking themed Disney World with far too many people on over developed paths looking for the perfect Instagram photo of a wombat. And while I respect the contemporary view that we should seek to provide equitable access to our wild places, the bottom line is that most people aren't prepared for a worst case, or even slightly poor scenario while in the mountains. Marketing and infrastructure is driving an outcome where wild places are degraded and trivialised and it feels like funding is concentrated into fewer areas, leaving many less popular (less promoted but no less beautiful) areas to be neglected.
It may sound like we ended the Tassie trip on a low but this definitely isn't the case. Most of these thoughts developed after we returned to the mainland. Our last few days in Tassie were still a great part of the adventure, but obviously there have been some earlier highlights that were hard to top. We did have a great camp near to Cradle Mountain. It was a hipcamp with a campfire so that despite experiencing the coldest nights of the trip so far we could sit out late and enjoy the stars. On the second night we opened a bottle of red and I cooked pizza (or calzone I guess really) using a combination of techniques borrowed from Drift and Paul.\n
![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/22/20250416_165848_1.jpg\")
\n \n \n To conclude this Tasmania blog series: Tasmania was the best holiday I've taken in Australia. Perhaps it was the first holiday in my adult life where I was doing exactly what I like doing - exploring wild places, eating great food and seeking adventure. I'm so incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to go, and so grateful to have experienced it with Tanja. I'm so looking forward to heading back to Tasmania one day and I have a long list of places I would like to explore further. And until then, I want to carry with me the joy of this holiday, and continue to live with it's spirit as I head into more adventures in Sweden.\n
", "image": "https://joesilver.net/media/posts/22/IMG_2133.jpg", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "Travel" ], "date_published": "2025-06-09T13:43:40+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-09T13:55:34+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/the-fairy-kingdom-in-the-clouds/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/the-fairy-kingdom-in-the-clouds/", "title": "The fairy kingdom in the clouds", "summary": "After the beauty of Freycinet, where could we go next? Much of our camping and hiking so far has been along the coast so it was time to head to…", "content_html": "\n\n After the beauty of Freycinet, where could we go next? Much of our camping and hiking so far has been along the coast so it was time to head to the mountains. After a night in Ross to wash ourselves and our clothes, tidy up Fran, and sleep in a real bed, we went west towards Lake St Claire.\n
\n\n\n Lake St Claire is the end point of the Overland Track. As far as trailheads go, it's a comprehensive facility which includes a huge carpark, ranger station, restaurant and hotel. It's a gateway into the mountainous regions that include Cradle Mountain and the Walls of Jerusalam National Parks. I had bought a paper topographical map of the area earlier in Hobart and fantasised about the many possible overnight and multi-day hikes we could do. However as we got closer to Lake St Claire and the reality of carrying our packs into the national park, setting up camp in the rain and the cold long night ahead set in I suggested a day trip instead with the promise that this would not be our last visit to the area.\n
\n\n\n Tanja and I have achieved a lot in our short time in Tasmania. We realised we had been hiking almost every day for two weeks. The previous four days hiking around the Freycinet Peninsula was a milestone for us as adventurers. And I need to remember that not every adventure has to top the last. The long hike had also taken it's toll on my body. I was tired and a little sore. My enthusiasm for another three or four nights in the forest was tempered. So we set our sights on walking the loop to Shadow Lake instead.\n
\n\n\n My goodness I love this trail. From the very start as we began to climb up the ridge from Lake St Claire to Shadow Lake we entered into a new world. This surely is the land of magical creatures. We climbed past rushing creeks and along the edge of quiet tarns. Ancient trees (the largest I have ever seen) tower overhead while every type of moss and lichen cascades over everything beneath.\n
\n\n \n\n\n We paused for lunch at the edge of Shadow Lake on a small beach. For quite some time we shared the lake with no-one. The water and air were still and a silence descended around us as we watched the clouds moving overhead and around Mount Rufus and Mount Hugel that sit on each side of the lake. And as we left the lake we spotted a platypus swimming and diving at the edge of the water.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/20250414_125418-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n On our return walk we passed through the swampy basin that forms the start of the Hugel River, before descending again into the forest and down another ridge towards the trailhead. Here a wombat and I startled each other. \"Kent\", as we named him, was napping on the side of the trail and I was almost on top of him before we noticed each other. Kent scurried a few metres away from the trail and although he was initially wary of us, he soon nodded off again, sitting in the sun with his bum against a tree. This was the closest I have been to a wild wombat, and it was Tanja's first ever wombat sighting. Obviously many photos were taken before we respectfully left Kent to his napping.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/IMG_2096-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n I think it's obvious at this point that Tasmania has many incredible natural places to explore. It seems silly to say how beautiful, peaceful and magical every hike has been. This one did stand out though. The forest is so ancient, perhaps less touched by human activity, logging, and grazing compared to the coastal areas, and for almost the whole walk it felt like we had the forests and lakes to ourselves. I really am determined to return to Lake St Claire and push deeper into this wilderness. I hope until then it remains the less popular sibling to Cradle Mountain.\n
", "image": "https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/20250414_132012.jpg", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "Travel" ], "date_published": "2025-04-15T02:56:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-14T03:43:06+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/freycinet-is-beautiful/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/freycinet-is-beautiful/", "title": "Freycinet is beautiful", "summary": "Watching the last rays of the setting sun play over The Hazards from the Coles Bay campground was a stunning start to our explorations on the Freycinet peninsula. We camped…", "content_html": "\n\n Watching the last rays of the setting sun play over The Hazards from the Coles Bay campground was a stunning start to our explorations on the Freycinet peninsula. We camped here one night before our four day trek around the Frecyinet peninsula. It was the perfect place to acclimatise to the beauty we were about to experience.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/20250408_172847-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n On our first morning we prepared our bags, checking we had all our gear, food and importantly snacks for the next four days on the peninsula circuit. This was to be Tanja and my longest multiday hike (the previous being just overnight hikes) so we were a little nervous about forgetting something crucial. We took our time laying everything out in the sun before carefully stuffing it all into our packs. Then we struck camp, parked Fran in the day visitor carpark and headed around The Hazards towards our first campsite.\n
\n\n![\"Camping](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/20250409_104959-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n We had opted to spend four nights, taking advantage of every campground on the circuit, instead of the usual three nights on the circuit. This meant day one and two were quite easy hikes of just a few hours. We had lots of time for breaks, swims, and enjoying the views and changing forests as we headed first to Hazards Beach for the first night, and then onwards to Cooks Beach for the second. We made the short side-track to Bryans Beach on day two as well. During both days we barely saw another person apart from the Pennicott tour group dropped of at Cooks Beach, and a handful of other hikers at Cooks Beach. I loved being just a duo on the trails. Tanja and I fall into a rhythm, sometimes talking, often hiking in silence and stopping just to catch the bum of animal scurrying into the bush, or pausing to listen to the birds.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/20250410_105558-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n On day three we tackled the long climb up Mount Graham and equally long descent to Wineglass Bay. The trail is a steep and eroded crevice up the mountain. In many places we scrambled up wet slab or pushed through dense scrub. My thighs burned long before we reached the top, and the extra snacks and second lunch we planned for this day were needed. The views though from Mount Graham both south towards Schouten Island and north to Wineglass Bay were exceptional and made every step worth it. This day we spotted much evidence of the fungal disease plaguing mature trees across Tasmania, and found a few spots to pitch a tent outside the designated campsites which would make this route more balanced each day if we were to return in the future.\n
\n\n \n\n\n At our final campsite at the south end of Wineglass Bay we were rewarded with another perspective of sunset on The Hazards. It was an idealic view with boats moored just off shore, white sand and after fending off a curious wallaby and an even more inquisitive mouse (who pooped in Tanja’s cap in revenge) we fell asleep to the sound of wind and waves.\n
\n\n\n For the final day, we woke early in order to walk the length of Wineglass Bay before the day-trippers arrived. It’s a relatively short hike but lots of stairs to reach the pass through The Hazards. Feeling filthy and low on drinking water at this stage, we made straight for our car with the knowledge we had already experienced the best of the peninsula. We took a very quick swim at Honeymoon Bay to freshen up, and made a beeline for a nearby vinyard for a well deserved lunch.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/20250412_101712-2-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n Freycinet, you were incredible and although there are dozens of new hikes I would like to tackle in Tasmania, I can easily see us returning to see you again.\n
\n\n\n \n
", "image": "https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/8947f7c6b0.jpg", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "Travel" ], "date_published": "2025-04-13T12:27:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-13T09:57:09+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/the-tasman-peninsula/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/the-tasman-peninsula/", "title": "The Tasman Peninsula", "summary": "When planning this trip I was very attracted to the Tasman and Freycinet peninsulas in the southeast. I thought these areas jutting from the island would be wild wind and…", "content_html": "\n\n When planning this trip I was very attracted to the Tasman and Freycinet peninsulas in the southeast. I thought these areas jutting from the island would be wild wind and sea-battered places. I thought they might resemble some of what I had seen around the Gothenburg archipelago during my trip to Sweden. For me, the Gothenburg archipelago conjures up the worlds of C. S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader or Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Quartet. Magical, mysterious and wild places of imagination were suddenly brought to life for me here. So the thought of returning to a place like this was exciting.\n
\n\n\n But Tasmania’s southeast coast is remarkable in its own right. The coastline with its towering cliffs, pockmarked with small caves and interesting geological features was totally unlike Gothenburg or anything I have seen before, but it did not disappoint. I was awed by the huge cliffs that form Cape Huay and Cape Raoul and the many fantastic rock formations precisely crafted by millions of years of geological and environmental activity. The forests of the mountains and the low scrub towards each cape are unlike anything I have seen on Australia’s mainland. On the capes, the coastal scrub is beautifully highlighted by rusty red and brown foliage. Absolutely stunning banksias lined the trails and much inspiration for future gardens was found.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/20250405-113224.jpg\")
\n \n \n The trails to Cape Huay and Cape Raoul are busy. Even in April, there were hundreds of people on each trail. Although the locations themselves are spectacular, I could never totally succumb to the wonder and beauty. At the point of each cape, it felt similar to visiting an art gallery as I had to take my turn to peer from the lookout before shuffling along for the next person. It’s obvious why they are popular, they are stunning, unique, accessible (lots of steps, hardened paths, boardwalks and railings) and only a few hour’s drive from Hobart. But with so many other hikers and tourists always within earshot if not in direct sight, I feel like the full emotional impact that these wonderful places offer wasn’t available to me.\n
\n\n\n On the Tasman Peninsula, we camped at Fortescue Bay. It wasn’t our favourite spot. The beach and bay are spectacular and, as it sits right on the trailhead for Cape Huay, it made tremendous sense as a base camp. But the site is mostly used by caravanners (not my favourite neighbours when camping) and a boat ramp brings a steady stream of traffic through this site. So on our final days on the Tasman Peninsula, we moved to Biviouac Bay, a walk-in-only campsite just a few hours away.\n
\n\n\n After three nights hemmed in by vans, we relished the space and isolation. It’s a small bay reached by hiking around a few other small bays and over small headlands. Once we set up our tent and after taking lunch we continued further along the trail, to the east-facing cliffs facing towards the open ocean. Here the trail was just ours. We saw no one and heard nothing but the wind, the sea and the birds. And although the cliffs here aren’t as famous as the Three Capes, this short expedition means more to me than the main walks.\n
\n\n \n\n\n We returned to these cliffs before dawn the next day, bringing our stove for coffee and porridge to welcome the sun. Although delayed by a thick cloud on the horizon, it was still a special sunrise, the first we had watched together in a long time. Greeting the day’s first light, and then returning to our campsite, kicked off our travel day to Freycinet.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/20250407-074134.jpg\")
\n \n \n It’s an incredible walk through stunning moorland and wet forest. There is an unbeatable view towards the mountains in the south west and also back towards the Huon River and the ocean. My favourite walk so far. Much of the early section is boardwalk and formed track, then you do a very steep climb to Hartz Pass before a boulder scramble to the peak. We were also blessed with amazing weather.\n
\n\n \n\n\n We stayed with our friends Connie and Paul in their 100+ year old home in Geeveston. I fell in love with their backward filled with fruit trees, vege gardens and a super old eucalypt in the back corner. All that was missing were some chooks!\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/7/d681980b28.jpg\")
\n \n \n After Hobart we headed for wilder adventures south to Bruny Island. Our target was a campsite and hike on the Labillardiere Peninsula. Although I had been worried about the weather in the lead-up to the tassie trip, we were spoilt with a beautiful day to walk around Labillardiere Peninsula circuit.\n
\n\n\n Although some parts of this walk are remarkable, the views north west towards the Tasmanian mainlane (we walked clockwise) are fantastic. As a shorter walk on a stunning day we opted to take it a bit easy. At the far end of the circuit we stopped for break at Hopwood beach, firing up the hiking stove for a warm lunch in the sun.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/8/443226ca5c.jpg\")
\n \n \n We then rounded the corner for the return walk along the coast. This section, with calm clear waters, steep banks, boulders, moss and low brush, reminded us both of Bynäset, a small peninsula near Tanja's family home in Sweden. All that was missing were the pine trees. There are also some more beautiful beaches on the return leg. We saved our swim for the home beach which was just as beautiful.\n
\n\n \n\n\n You can't complete this walk without noticing the salmon farms. These industrial constructions dominate the views east from the Labillardiere Peninsula. Coloured all black with imposing fort-like vessels anchored in the centre, the facilities seem more like the lairs of a Bond villain than a farm. With the environmental and ethical issues that come with fish farming at this scale dominating the news, I think it was on this walk I made the decision not to eat any more farmed salmon.\n
\n\n\n Also visited but not pictured during our two nights on Bruny Island: Get Shucked, the bread fridge, Bruny Island Cheese and The Honey Pot. The oysters from Get Shucked were freakin' good and so was the bread which had been recently delivered and was still warm.\n
", "image": "https://joesilver.net/media/posts/8/443226ca5c-2.jpg", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "Travel" ], "date_published": "2025-04-03T03:28:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-07T08:50:12+02:00" }, { "id": "https://joesilver.net/the-tassie-adventure-begins/", "url": "https://joesilver.net/the-tassie-adventure-begins/", "title": "The Tassie adventure begins", "summary": "Our adventure in Tasmania began with a few days in Hobart. It might seem a little silly to drive across the entire island in one day when we had three…", "content_html": "\n\n Our adventure in Tasmania began with a few days in Hobart. It might seem a little silly to drive across the entire island in one day when we had three weeks to explore, but it just happened to be a weekend when three different markets were happening. As I was planning the initial days of our trip, it felt like the perfect place to start. Sometimes, when faced with a blank page, it’s helpful to set some constraints. In this case, having a fixed date to be in Hobart gave me a framework to plan the rest of the trip around.\n
\n\n\n For our three-night stay, we chose the Alabama Hotel, a charming, retro-styled hostel in the heart of the city. It was an affordable option, with the trade-off being no private bathrooms. However, the friendly staff, lively bar, and sunny balcony to enjoy a drink before heading out made it all worth it.\n
\n\n\n We were spoiled with an abundance of delicious food from the markets, restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. My personal highlights included the congee from Rough Rice at the Hobart Farm Gate Market and the blueberry Danish from Pigeon Whole Bakery.\n
\n\n\n Meeting (or at least catching a glimpse of) my food idol, Adam from Rough Rice, was a definite highlight. I’m a huge fan. The congee is absolutely superb, and it’s something I’d love to incorporate into our own food repertoire. There were many tasty toppings, including a rich slow-cooked wallaby gravy.\n
\n\n\n Mountain biking down Mt. Wellington / Kunanyi was definitely not on my 2025 agenda. Neither Tanja nor I have much experience with mountain biking, but I wanted to explore the city in a unique way. Sometimes cities can blur into one another without anything to make the memories stick, and challenging ourselves physically was the perfect way to make it memorable. We both loved it. We took it easy and, thankfully, avoided any crashes. However, the adrenaline definitely kicked in a few times. The Pipeline Track, which we followed, runs alongside an old pipe that likely once supplied Hobart with fresh water, weaving its way up the mountain to Wellington Falls.\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/10/20250328-111323-2.jpg\")
\n \n \n We also visited Mona. It’s obligatory I guess when you visit Hobart. A weird and surprising place. We enjoyed the experience, but I’m not sure if I loved the art.\n
", "image": "https://joesilver.net/media/posts/10/20250329-111928-2.jpg", "author": { "name": "Joe" }, "tags": [ "Travel" ], "date_published": "2025-04-02T11:29:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-07T12:30:23+02:00" } ] }![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_113313.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_111040.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_111156.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_111543.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_120203.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_121042.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/31/gallery/20250713_121135.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/gallery/IMG_6511-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/gallery/IMG_6512-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/gallery/20250414_115507-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/13/gallery/20250414_110350-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/gallery/20250411_110822-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/gallery/20250411_121850-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/4/gallery/20250411_112930-2.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/gallery/20250406-115713.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/gallery/20250406-163547.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/gallery/20250406-130138.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/6/gallery/20250407-100619.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/7/gallery/a232420b7d.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/7/gallery/df08315cf7.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/7/gallery/ad36f0fb0c.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/7/gallery/4989341ce0.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/8/gallery/c3e4643389.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/8/gallery/dcd2077abf.jpg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"https://joesilver.net/media/posts/8/gallery/405c0c302e.jpg\")
\n