Tasmania's Wooden Boat Centre

Franklin is the oldest township on the Huon River. It's a tiny little port town about 10km from Kermandie. Situated on Shipwright's Point, it boasts an antique shop, a post office, a cafe and the Wooden Boat Centre. We'd read about the Centre which is “dedicated to preserving the traditional craft/trade of wooden boat building.” They have an interpretive center with viewing windows through which visitors can watch the students and craftsmen at work. Mary Anne had business in that direction and offered us a ride.

Shipbuilding is part of the culture and history of Tasmania and the Wooden Boat Centre proudly contributes to the “celebration of the traditional values around wooden boats, boating, the (Huon) river and its life.” Established in 1990 as a wooden boatbuilding school, the Centre offers accredited courses in the craft and is “the only school in the world in which … students undertake the construction of a full-sized, sea-going cruising vessel built in solid timber as their major learning project.” That made me think schooners and barques, but the boats we saw, though definitely seaworthy, were in the 20-30' range.

The courses offered include building and/or restoring your own wooden boat. A sponsor will either commission a new boat to be built or provide an old wooden boat that needs restoration and the Centre takes it on as a project. That's pretty impressive. We were hoping they had something in the works when we visited and we were in luck.

There seemed to be no classes in session, so we were able to wander through the work shed on an informal tour and get a hands-on, up-close look at the works in progress. Five boats in different phases of completion were awaiting attention in the workshed. A big issue nowadays is access to the rare woods originally used in Tasmania's boatbuilding history...King Billy pine and Huon pine are “rare as hen's teeth”, quipped our guide. Restoring old boats like Clara, a current project, is an excellent alternative to starting anew. At 120 years old, Clara will hopefully be good as new and back to her original self in time for the upcoming Wooden Boat Festival in February.

The rich, distinctive smell of the recently cut wood was wonderful. Planks and chunks of wood stood on end, waiting their turn to be employed. Woodworking and shipwright tools hung on the walls. Feeling the smooth timbers and admiring the boats close-up gave me a feel for the knowledge and patience required for this craft.

I especially liked the clinker (aka lapstrake), a small open boat with overlapping planks, the size of a dory. The guide explained the process of steaming the planks to make them pliable enough to be bent into shape. The beveled planks are so tightly fitted, that the copper nails still used to attach them is all that is required to make the boat water tight. This boat building technique traces back to the Vikings.

We'll miss the bi-annual Wooden Boat Festival in Tasmania, but you can check out their website to learn more.

I also increased my nautical vocabulary with the help of a small quiz I took in the Visitor's Centre. Words like futtock, sny, joggle and trunnel were new to me and will be good for Words With Friends. I had to look them up. Oh...and you were thinking I'd share the definitions? I will... tomorrow.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Rubber Duckie Day

Yup, rubber duckies have become the iconic symbol of bath time since Jim Henson as Ernie on Sesame Street sang Rubber Duckie back in 1970. Or learn about those 29,000 rubber duckies that fell off a freighter and floated around the world.

Top Things to See and Do in Hobart, Tasmania

Tasmania is a treasure trove of sights and experiences and Hobart is a good place to base yourself for a few days while you suss out the opportunities. In October 2012, a writer for the Lonely Planet travel guide series ranked Hobart as number seven of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2013. That's pretty impressive, don't you think? We've visited six of the ten listed cities and we think Hobart should have claimed an even better spot. An historic waterfront town, Hobart, capital city of Tasmania, is small, compact and charming. We rarely have access to a car, so we walk or take public transit most everywhere we want to go. In Hobart, that's easy. Pretty much everything in the greater Hobart area is close or there's a bus, ferry or tour to get you there.

Here's our recommendation of things to see and do in Hobart:

MONA (Museum of New and Old Art), is a world-class, kick-ass, can't miss museum. You can take a bus or catch the ferry to get there. The ferry is more fun and definitely more impressive as you head up the Derwent River under the Tasman Bridge and catch views of the museum ensconced in the hillside.

Salamanca Market and Salamanca Place – a market every Saturday morning, rain or shine, that takes over the entire street. The rest of the week enjoy pubs, restaurants and boutiques in a trendy historical area.

The Waterfront and Constitution Dock (ConDock) – a lovely area to visit. Fishing boats and sailboats tie up here in historic Sullivan Cove. Convict-built sandstone warehouses line the wharves. Catch lunch at one of the floating fish and chip joints along the dock where you have to kneel down at low tide to place and collect your order.

Royal Botanical Gardens – even if you're not the horticultural type, there's lots to see at the Gardens including an awesome, historic carousel and a SubAntarctic species exhibit, the only one in the world. You can walk through the Queens Domain to get there with lots to see along the way.

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary – just north of Hobart, this is a sanctuary, not a zoo, so the residents change from time to time. Touch a wombat, pat a fluffy koala and see lots of Tasmanian devils, not to mention blue-tongued lizards, poteroos and quolls.

Bruny Island – As unique as Tasmania itself, you can take a tour from Hobart or rent a car and take the ferry from Kettering across the beautiful D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Just over 100km long, the island is enchanting, offering views of the Tasman Sea, a visit to the Cape Bruny Light, the Bligh Museum and more. Don't miss a chance to view rare white wallabies near Adventure Bay.

Historic Walk & Battery Point – An easy self-guided walk through the oldest areas of Hobart. Admire the buildings and 19th century architecture, then stop at the Shipwright Arms (Shippies) for a genuine pub lunch and a pint.

Mount Wellington or as the locals call it, “the mountain”, lords over the city. From its summit of 1271m (4,170'), there are superb views of the Derwent River, Hobart and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. It's about 20km to the top from Hobart along a narrow, unmarked, two-lane road. You can rent a car, take a tour, ride a bike or walk (long walk, but many good paths).

Walk, walk, walk ... Hobart offers so many little nooks and crannies which allow you to peek into its historic past. Visit St. David's Park, walk along the wharves or up Kelly's Steps, wander along the foreshore up to Cornelian Bay under the Tasman Bridge to see the colorful boatsheds.

Festivals – If you can plan your visit during the summer months (Dec-February), there are several festivals to enjoy along the historic waterfront including the Sydney-Hobart Race, Tasmania Taste Fest, the bi-annual Wooden Boat Festival and more. Check the Hobart festival and events schedule before making your plans.

Tantalize your taste buds:

• Try Valhalla ice cream – pepperberry flavor – this is something very unique to Tasmania.
• Tassie seafood...smoked salmon, oysters, mussels, crayfish(lobster), scallop pie
• Tasmanian cool climate wines
• Bruny Island cherries...huge and luscious (Dec/Jan) and all other native fruit as it comes into season...apples, pears and apricots were our special favorites.

Souvenirs – if you want something “very” Tasmanian, buy something wooden crafted of Huon pine, blackheart sassafras or one of the many native woods available in Tasmania. The Salamanca Market offers lots of choices although our personal favorite was Kevin “the Bowlmaker” Rayner, Stall #42 (kgrayner@bigpond.com). This man knows his wood and his craft, and his work is absolutely beautiful.

Notes:

• Hobart Information Center provides lots of good information about tours, sightseeing, accommodation plus a good, free city map.
• We don't usually stay in hotels since we live on the boat, but there are lots of hotel choices from hostels to high class in Hobart and nearby. We've stayed at the Hobart Towers Motel twice on our way to and from the airport and found it basic, but clean, friendly and one of the least expensive hotels in the Hobart area ($70/night) other than staying at a backpackers' lodge.
• We've only recommended those activities we've actually done ourselves. We have not taken the Bruny Island Cruise, but it seems to be very popular. We have also not yet visited Port Arthur because it's accessible by boat, so we plan to sail there and report back later. Port Arthur is highly recommended...by everyone...and tours are available from Hobart.
• Day Rover passes on the Metro bus system ($4.80/adult) allow you to ride all day on the buses. You can buy your ticket from the driver when you enter the bus.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A fun list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Epiphany

A Christian religious holiday commemorating the baptism of Christ and the visit of the Magi among other things. Also known as Twelfth Day.

Twelfth Night

This is the 12th night after Christmas and commemorates the official end of the Christmas season. Remember the “Twelve Days of Christmas”...this is the 12th day/night...the drummers should be drumming.

Sherlock's Birthday

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes crime mysteries were written at the turn of the 20th century and still hold their appeal today. Sherlock and Watson first appeared in “A Study in Scarlet” in 1886. You can download one of his 56 stories or four novels for free.

Popping Up

Are you a snacker? I certainly am. If I'm busy working, I can go for hours without eating. Sometimes I forget about meals entirely (rare). But if I'm just hanging around the boat reading or putzing, I'm noshing constantly. If cookies are close, they're crumby history. With a New Year's resolution to eat less junk food, it's important to find and stock a reasonable alternative. Trying to eat healthier on the boat is sometimes difficult if we can't get to a store for freshies. Popcorn seems to fit the bill. That and the fact that it's cheaper and easier to stow than most any other snack, makes popcorn a regular snack item on the boat.

Away from the marina, there's no microwave oven unless we start the generator or the engine and that won't happen...not for popcorn anyway. Not to mention microwave popcorn is very expensive here comparatively speaking. We don't own any other electrical appliances, so a hot-air popper, the healthiest preparation method, is not an option. Nope, I heat a little oil in the bottom of a saucepan, pour in the popcorn. It starts sizzling and exploding and voila...fresh popcorn. Evidently it's the moisture in the corn kernels which gets pressurized and then explodes when it's heated in oil. No matter. It smells heavenly when it's popping and it's not unusual for a passing sailor or two to stop by to check it out and sample the fruits of my labor.

I remember popping corn as a kid. We'd make sticky sweet popcorn balls with corn syrup for Hallowe'en treats and string popcorn and cranberries to decorate the Christmas tree. When a new JiffyPop product was introduced, my sister and I fought over who could jiggle the disposable aluminum popper over the burner. We watched with delight as the crinkled foil expanded and expanded until we thought it would burst. Who cared about the popcorn? It was the whole, fascinating experience.

Popcorn has been around for millennia, originating from Central America. The Native Americans knew all about it. In fact, archaeologists found evidence of popcorn in New Mexico dating to 3600 BC. The English who arrived in America in the 17th century learned about its value from the indigenous people. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, popcorn became popular because it was so cheap and available. During the war years that followed, sugar was rationed and candy was rare, hence popcorn saved the day. Popcorn is the “official” snack food of Illinois. Really?

There's a whole website devoted to corny facts on line which I found quite interesting like:

• October is National Popcorn Month and there's actually a National Popcorn Day coming up soon … January 19th
• Popcorn can pop up to three feet in the air
• The world's largest popcorn ball weighed in at over 2.5 tons in Sac City, IA in February 2009.
• Popcorn comes in two primary shapes: snowflake and mushroom
• And the most incredible tidbit of all...if you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels! (Who the heck figured that out and were they snowflake or mushroom shaped?)

When we were back in the States recently, we noted there are lots of different flavors now: caramel, cheese, kettle corn, light butter, heavy butter, no butter. We're purists … no flavors, no butter, thank you; but sprinkle a little salt on the batch, would you?

Anyone got any ideas for other low fat snacks that are easily obtainable and might be stowed on a boat? I'd appreciate hearing about them.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

The Festival of Sleep

was created to allow folks to get some rest and relaxation after the chaos of the holidays. After the Christmas shopping marathons and the New Year celebrations, it's time to take a nap.