Of Pageants, Markets, and Ferry Rides.

Good morning from the Hobart waterfront 

Hobart turned on a party for us; the Christmas pageant paraded past our front door and the Salamanca markets were in full swing just a block or two away. When I went for my early morning walk I observed Hobart denizens dressed as elves, Santas, reindeer, and other less christmas-related themes such as fairies and princesses. By 0900 the street was closed and families started to gather with picnic blankets and chairs, settling in for an hour or two of chalk drawing and calming impatient children before the parade arrived. We thanked the lack of other options that ended up with us booking our accommodation in such a fortuitously central spot such that we could have morning coffee on the comfort of our own couch and then wander downtown just as the first police car heralded the approaching parade. 

I'll spare you a blow by blow reiteration of the following 55 minutes of floats. Suffice to say that bands piped, drummed, and tooted their way along the route; Chinese dragons did dragon dances;

Energetic children danced and skipped; Bluey marched to rapturous applause from anyone under 1m tall; and finally Santa made his way  through the crowds and then it was all over and we made our way home through crowds of fractious children and parents wielding last-resort snacks.

That wasn't the end of the day by a long shot, oh no not at all! We spent a couple of hours at the Salamanca Markets, perusing all the handmade goodies that Hobart had to offer.

and then we jumped on the ferry to Bellerive which was quite exciting because the ferry that runs between Brooks Peir and Bellerive is the only public transport ferry in Hobart, so in one fell swoop I got a tour of the Derwent River and  rode the entire Hobart City Council ferry system! And all for the princely sum of not quite $5 each (return).

I suspected the ferry had an alternate existence as a party cruiser: the comfortable lounges and bar in the interior spoke more of parties than public transport. Out on the front deck Roger sat next to a talkative lady in a red Christmas Pageant hat. "I work for the Council!" She informed us happily. "I worked the pageant this morning and I was stuffed! So I decided to spend the afternoon chilling out on the ferry because I live in Bellerive and had to catch it anyway." She clinked her champagne glass with that of her friend, who wore a matching cap. They filled us in on all the things to do and see in Bellerive, which to be honest wasn't a lot, and when we got off the ferry they waved a cheerful goodbye and settled in for the ferry ride back to town, fortified by another glass of bubbly.

We walked along the path to Kangaroo Cliffs and back, with views over the river to the city and Mt Wellington behind. 

The red boat on the right is the RSV Nuyina, the Australian Antarctic Program's state of the art icebreaker 

The main street of Bellerive was unremarkable save for a pub boasting an artifact from the SS Kosciusko, which was once a Sydney Ferry and came to Hobart to help out in the wake of the Tasman bridge disaster.

The ferry duly arrived with our two red-capped friends aboard. It was the last ferry of the day so they executed a happy and ever so slightly wobbly disembarkment and were met in the car park by a grandson sent to chauffeur them safely home.

Without our friends the ferry ride home was quieter and far less entertaining although with more opportunity to savour the views of the river and city. 

The markets had all packed up and the last bits of debris from the pageant had all been swept up by diligent Council employees (the ones who weren't getting happy on the ferry).

After all that excitement there was nothing left to do but take my tired feet home for the night, to rest up for tomorrow's adventures.