We sailed in early this morning and docked at Sullivan’s Landing promptly on time. I spent a few hours just walking around Hobart. I discovered some trivial things here – Woolworths still exists – as a downstairs supermarket. I bought chocolate bars….
Of note, like most harbor towns, there is a fair bit of up and down. The streets are all carrying classic UK names (some English, a fair number Scottish) and I see no evidence of renaming.
If you are ever coming here – it is worth noting that if you want to tour the Synagogue – it has to be arranged ahead of time. (the link will take you to their loading page). The history of the building is actually what you would expect given the attitude of that time and governance. Like many historical records – I don’t think ignoring or coloring it over does any of us any good.
Since I wasn’t exactly organized (or did any research ahead of time)… I moved on to the Tasmania Maritime Museum – which is located closer to the harbor. It is a two story building which provides both an incredible old detailed hardwood stair case as well as a lift for those who might not be as mobile.
I spent more than an hour looking at the exhibits which detailed exploration, had some fascinating maps, and a replicated captain’s cabin from an Australian Navy Vessel decommissioned in 1994. Amazing amount of space considering all…
Only other thing of note in the morning – there was a bit of damp and the occasional mist/rain drop. All the locals were carrying umbrellas. Really? There wasn’t enough moisture in the air or coming down to make anyone from the US Pacific NW think it was anything other than a lovely day. I decided to skip the Tasmanian Museum of Art & History. I just wasn’t up for finding out how much of the ugliness of the colony and genocide was recorded.
Since my evening was spent out with wildlife – that is in a separate post.
How many Synagogues in the world do you reckon you can knock on the door and be granted a tour?
Often there is information on the door as to when/where tours are offered in many older European Synagogues. Providing a website might work for anyone who has phone/internet. But that can not be safely assumed. What would have been nice would have been information available from tourist information….
We can offer you two synagogues – neither of them of any great interest in architectural terms – and a maritime museum (also an aircraft museum and a railway museum and a motor museum (in another location) …) Or did you see the maritime museum last time you were here?
Cat, Hobart Synagogue is 1845 and Launceston 1846. Both have a distinct Egyptian Revival Architecture. Excuse me but who are you to say “neither of them of any great interest in architectural terms”
who am I? a tourist who could see the outside of the synagogue but not whatever the inside of the building looked like. I am entitled to say that I didn’t find the outside all that interesting. Perhaps that is more a comment on me and what I like, than any historical style that someone else might appreciate. I found the same thing in many of the older synagogues I visited on my last trip to Eastern Europe. Often the outside was plain, unassuming but inside features were amazing.