Touring Tasmania - Finally We Arrive

November 23, 2006

MELBOURNE & HOBART – Monday 13th Nov.   I didn’t get much sleep last night—just a couple of hours.  The internal alarm clock is a funny thing.  I wake every hour, on the hour when I know that I have to be awake early.  It’s actually quite annoying.  I’d much rather grab a couple of extra Zzzz’s and feel fresher in the morning.  My brother-in-law sent us a text at 4:45am asking “are we there yet?”, which I thought was rather amusing, although at that hour of the day, its difficult to be too amused.  That was it.  After that the whole house woke.  The dog was first, followed shortly by the kids who were jolted out of their sleep with the realisation that the day they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Georgia asked me “is it still night Daddy or is it morning?”
“It’s morning.” I answered.
“Really?  Are we going to Tasmania?”
“Yes darling” I replied.
“YEAH!!!!!”  Georgia yelled excitedly.

Now everyone really is awake.

I’m a nervous flyer.  It’s totally irrational I know, and I’ve spent a LOT of time in the air so you’d think that I’d be more comfortable.  I’m not.

We’re boarding.  There’s a mad rush of excitement and frenzied activity to get to the departure gate, as if the plane will leave any second now, without all it’s passengers.  I’m not in so much of a hurry.  I want to leave the hustle and bustle behind me for a week—starting now!

The Plane is taxiing now and the hostess is running through the emergency procedures.  I never watch them anymore.  I probably should but I figure that the amount of times I’ve seen this routine performed, I should be able to conduct the demonstration myself blindfolded.  Oh, good.  I just happened to pop my head up to see where the emergency exits are.  I have all the information I need now—I know where to go to get out.

We can move around the cabin now as we’ve nearly reaching cruising altitude.  I feel a little more comfortable now—the takeoff is always a bit nervy as you experience the sensations of speed and increased cabin pressure.  The air is clear up here above the clouds.  It was typically overcast in Melbourne this morning when we left.  It had been a balmy, almost tropical morning and I was expecting that it might be a little bit rougher up here.

An announcement.  “Portable CD Players and other electronic equipment must now be switched off”.  They really need to update this announcement and bring it into the 21 century.  Perhaps it should be “Personal Media Devices”?  Has the iPod and other mp3 players not yet become pervasive?

We’re staying at South Arm about 35km south of Hobart.  The house we’re staying in has five bedrooms and two bathrooms, so there is plenty of space for the nine of us.  The accommodation is modest—it’s certainly no Tuscan Villa. The amenities are very basic but adequate.  We have all that we need, which is somewhere dry to sleep and warm running water for showers.  The rest is a bonus.

We just went on a tour around the Cadbury Chocolate factory, which was really interesting.  We had to book in before we left, and the only time we had free on our itinerary was the afternoon of the day that we arrived here.  When we told the kids where we were going, Georgia asked “will there be Umpa Lumpa?”  Donna and I were floored with laughter.

The tour itself was great.  The guy running the tour was fantastic with the kids and they all had an absolute ball.  Geez, did that dude love his job!  And who can blame him?

In the lobby they were running reels of the old TV ads of Prof. Jullius Sumner Miller.  Remember that giy?  I’d forgotten about those ads, or at lease not associated them with the tour.  What a legend.  That guy popularised science, or at least made it accessible to many, many kids.

“Sand in a funnel”
“Supported by String”
“Slight push”
“A pattern is formed”
“Why is it so?”

Poetry.

At my excitement about the ads, Donna commented, “You’re like a kid in a candy shop”.  Well duh!

I’m beat.  It’s been a long day after such an early morning.  We’re pulling up stumps early and retiring in front of the fire for the night, rejuvenating before further adventures tomorrow.

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