Mount Wellington - Hobart

Mount Wellington
It rises to 1,271 metres (4,170 ft) over the city.

It is frequently snow-covered, sometimes even in summer, and the lower slopes are thickly forested, but criss-crossed by many walking tracks and a few fire trails. There is also a sealed but narrow road to the summit, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) travel from the city.

An enclosed lookout near the summit provides spectacular views of the city below and to the east, the Derwent estuary, and also glimpses of the World Heritage Area nearly 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the west.

Challenge enough – Charles Darwin wrote in his record of the voyage of HMS Beagle that Hobart Town “stands at the base on mount Wellington, a mountain of little picturesque beauty”. Still, it was attractive enough for him to spend two days in efforts to climb it. ON 10 February 1836 he set off via South Hobart and the brewery at the Cascades hoping to take a direct route to the top. It was a frustrating waste of time. Somewhere above the head of Myrtle Gully near Crocodile Rock he and his assistant were forced to turn back: “ We ere foiled by the thickness of the wood”.
Second Try - The following day was hot and windy but he tried again. This time he engaged a guide. The climb revealed to him the order of the rocks which he had found so difficult to understand nearer the town. He recorded that some layers were up to 280million years old. The views from the top were memorable. "to the south the intricate outline of the broken land & water forming many bays was mapped with clearness before us".

We saw three seasons in one hour whilst at the top, there was sunshine,

rain,

hail

and always wind!

At Salamanca Place, Hobart there are a couple of eye catching statues created by husband and wife, Gillie and Marc, Australian contemporary artists who collaborate to create art as one, applying the iconic imagery of the dog/human hybrid to celebrate the powerful spiritual relationship that exists between man and animal.

Happy Birthday Mr President XO – 2014
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Marilyn Monroe

Salamanca Square Water Fountain