We were not too impressed with what Launceston had to offer.  We visited the Cataract Gorge, rode the chairlift, and went on a short hike.  It was nice but not worth going out of your way for it.  On our way back to Hobart, we stopped at two of the most adorable historic towns called Ross and Oatlands.  In Ross we stopped at a cute coffee shop and in Oatland we visited the historic windmill.  These stops made the drive to Hobart pleasant.

Oatlands as seen from the windmill

The Rough guide said that entering Hobart from any direction is exhilarating, which it is not.  It is a plain city with a boring skyline.  We went for a walk around 7:00 and it was totally dead, except for a few restaurants around the harbor which appeared to be where people went to have a nice dinner.

We drove to Coles Bay to go on the hike to Wineglass Bay Beach since it is not accessible by car and a small mountain has to be crossed. It was chilly outside so it was good hiking weather but not so good swimming weather.  We wanted to go swimming anyway, to say we did in Tazzie, but the water was freezing and we could only stay in for a few minutes.

Wineglass Bay

After experiencing the views from the hike and the beach we did not want an experience of hunting for accommodation so we thought we better reserve something.  We found a pay phone in Coles Bay and I was parking when I backed right into a pole next to the road which had been in my blind spot.  Ironically it was the sign with parking rules.  It felt like a tiny bump so I didn’t think much of it, but when we looked at the back of the car, there was a gapeing hole right next to the bumper because with my luck I had pushed the plastic which was right next to the bumper and the bumper split the plastic.  The pole was fine.  We called Cosy Cabins and got a spa room.

My parking job

Unfortunately, when we arrived in Launceston, the Cosy Cabins were rather dumpy cabins instead.  We were disappointed by the second half of our day and went out in search for an internet cafe.  We had forgotten that everything closed super early here, and so it was 7:00 and everything was closed.  At least there was a Coles supermarket which was open until midnight so we were able to buy some food for dinner.