Veronika Wild

Boats in the Harbour, people on the beach I am talking about Dover, Tasmania, not the one of UK fame, though there is a tenuous link. It is said that the pier of the original Dover was built from Huon Pine exported from here. Our Dover (pop. 862) is a pretty little fishing village about 81 Km south of Hobart.   It is Australia’s most southerly township and about the last place where you can buy supplies before heading to places such as Ida Bay, Hastings Caves or Cockle Creek.  Begun as a convict station in around 1840- 1844, it became an important timber supplier to the world until the First World War, though one mill survived until the 1970's. Other mainstays of the region such as orcharding and fishing also had their ups and downs. Serious apple growing went into a decline when the UK joined the European Common Market and Dover’s busy fishing fleet gradually diminished as modern technology increased catches and laid waste to the seemingly endless supplies of...

There’s another big stoush brewing in Hobart. This time it’s about the proposal to put a cable car up Mt. Wellington. This mountain (1271 m) overlooks most of the city and is its most distinctive landmark -on a par with Tokyo’s Mt. Fuji or Bali’s Gung Agnung. The main objection by residents is that the proposed route runs directly across its face and across the “The Organ Pipes,” one of its most impressive features, thereby spoiling the view for everyone – tourists and locals alike. I mean would the Japanese tolerate an intrusive manmade structure on Mt. Fuji, despoiling that picture postcard look? I don’t think so. Mt. Rushmore has a chairlift but does it run up the face (s)? No. It provides much enjoyment some two miles away from the historic monument and is no less popular for that. This is our Mt. Rushmore. Views over South Arm and the South East One of the things which impressed me in many places in Asia, was that despite cities being very crowded and devoted a...

Saw this building - the grey green one, from the train in Sydney but couldn't find anyone who knew  anything about it For about a year now, I have been wondering about a green fringed building I glimpsed from the train window on the way back from Canberra last year. It turns out that it is Number 1 Central Park built by French design group Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Sydney Architects PTW and which was voted best tallest building in the world (beating 87 other competitors) by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at Chicago’s Illionois Institute of Technology for its “visible use of green design.”  Here's a better image by Sardaka (talk) 08:28, 8 July 2014 (UTC) [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]  The building which consists of 623 apartments is more than a pretty face.   As well as the 35,200 plants in its hanging gardens, it has a grey water plant which keeps the building green and is expected to save the city one...

Add caption This is in an interesting part of Hobart where the sacred and profane jostle for attention. Breweries and industrial premises make up one part, church buildings the other.

View from St. Andrew's Park Yes I know it’s April Fool’s Day – did you get pranked? This is not a prank, just a bit of fun. I was having a pleasant stroll through St. Andrew's Park near the old Scots Church when I glimpsed another large tower in the Lane below. This is an interesting area where the sacred and the profane rub shoulders. Always intrigued by our industrial history, I zoomed in and was surprised to find barrels in one of the upper windows. Closer inspection revealed it to be the home of Captain Bligh's Brewery, another of our fine craft breweries* which are rapidly gaining as much attention as Tasmanian cheeses and wine.    Close up - a motor mechanic has the premises below A small sign said the brewery was only open on the Third Friday of the month, but when I tapped gingerly on the door, gentleman brewer Steve Brooks interrupted his work loading aromatic malt into a vat and agreed to tell me a bit about the building.  Here’s ...