Hobart, Tasmania, Australia February 17th

Welcome to Hobart, Tasmania.  Our first stop in Australia.  Hobart is the capital of Tasmania which is Australia’s smallest state.  We arrived in town just in time for the crew practice in the harbor.

The harbor was also the home to a number of tall sailing ships.  This is just two examples of what we saw.

We haven’t mentioned it yet but there are a number of war memorials around the various places we have visited.  Here is one dedicating the port area in Hobart.

We walked around town a bit.  At least long enough to realize that prices are about 1 1/2 to 2 times more for everyday products than in the US.  We decided to go off and do a walk about with some of the local critters.

All the Kangaroos you see in these pictures are alive….really.  It was just nap time. There is no separation between the Roos and the visitors.   Noreen wanted to feed a Kangaroo so off we went.

They have a rest area.  And they use it.  I guess it is tiring putting up with all these tourists.

They even lie down on the middle of the trails.

Here is Noreen with a Mom and her “joey.”  You can see the baby by the mom’s legs.

Then it was on to Koalas.  This is the way you usually see one.

And then there is Banjo.  We met him.

Noreen met with Banjo privately.  The keeper told her he didn’t like his shoulder rubbed, to rub his back.

When Noreen walked away Banjo got upset and went into his mating call.  This is very unusual for a Koala.  You can see Banjo in his glory at

I’ve been trying to upload the video for two ports.  I give up.  I’ll post to YouTube when I get a chance.

After the cute & cuddly we went over to see the Tasmanian Devil.

This was unlike an American zoo in that the pens were open and accessible.  You could step over into the enclosure or reach your hand inside any time. They advised you not to and assumed you are smart enough to listen.

Tasmanian Devils are scavengers and don’t attack live prey.  Their reputation for aggression is very overstated and there has never been a reported attack by a Devil on a human.  However they are very vicious in protecting a meal and have a very strong bite.  No pictures of us holding or petting a Devil.

Finally on to a Wombat.  This is Murray who I believe is 10 months old.  He is a little grumpy because he was woken from his nap.

One last pat from Noreen and we were headed back to the boat.

We had a great time in Hobart meeting all the animals.  Now on to Port Arthur.