Convicts and Kangaroos - Shore Tour From Hobart

At the Bonorong Wildlife Park

With the southern hemisphere cruising season about to kick off next month, many ships will be calling into Hobart, Australia as part of their Pacific intineraries. I thought I'd tell you about a Princess Cruise shore tour we did from Hobart.

   History and native animals - two of my favourite things - combined on this bus trip that went to the convict-built town of Richmond and the Bonorong Wildlife Park.

   Richmond was beautiful. The little town was built by the earliest settlers, convicts exported from England in the early nineteenth century for often petty crimes, to a life of hard labour in the young colony. They quarried the sandstone with pickaxes to construct the Richmond bridge in 1834, and many of the town's buildings. In the sunlight, the sandstone has a golden glow which reminded me of villages in the Cotswolds in England.  Pete toured the tiny jail and learnt more about convict-era history while I browsed the craft and gift shops. I would liked to have spent longer in Richmond.

   The Bonorong Wildlife Park was a chance to get up close and personal with some Aussie natives. The kangaroos and wallabies roamed freely and were unafraid of visitors. A koala bear posed for photos. The Tasmanian devils were fascinating to watch. About the size of cats, they were hyperactive, chasing each other around and scrapping over food. With their jet black fur, ears that glowed red and ultra-sharp claws, they looked like vicious little beasties. Perhaps they could be hired out as extras in a vampire movie!