The motel that we had chosen and booked from the UK was perfect. Our room is on the second floor, with view of the water from our front door and view of Mount Wellington from the window. Literally across the street is Sandy Bay, a small beach, boat jetty’s, ducks and view across the River Derwent estuary.

We woke early and had a leisurely breakfast, with a weekend newspaper, then went out to explore. We walked along Sandy Bay Road, away from the city. Sometimes the road is right on the waters edge, sometimes there are houses on both sides of the road and the properties have the water view.

There was a yacht race out on the harbour, racing out to buoys then raising spinnaker sails on the return leg.

We came to a junction and followed signs to Long Beach. This is a small bay, with waves onto a sandy beach, a promenade with trees and public barbecues, kids playground. We stopped for a drink at the beach coffee shop before heading back to the motel.

We then walked into the city via Battery Point, one of Hobart’s oldest and historical suburbs, through to Salamanca and the harbour. We had lunch and picked up a street map and leaflets at the tourist information centre.

The city was relatively quiet, with most of the shops closed. It was good to walk around and start to get our bearings in a new city.

The roads are set on a grid system, with several main routes running one way only. Some street names were familiar to Aussie Mate but in a totally different order than they are in Sydney. Macquarie Street, Collins Street, Elizabeth Street and Argyle Street. For me, Liverpool Street has a different meaning. We’ll get used to these new landmarks and street layout.

We caught the bus back from Federation Square, had an afternoon nap before going to Wrest Point for dinner. There are a choice of restaurants and bistro at the casino and hotel complex, which we knew would be open on a Sunday evening. The meal was nice with delicious local fresh seafood and fish.

Things I’ve learned …

~ Hobart is beautiful, even on a grey day.

~ Not many shops open on Sunday, but buses do run.