Of course – the other thing that Tassie does well is the cul-cha. History, food, art, you name it, Hobart's got it going on. Went to the Cascade factory which looks as epic as the label illustration, and literally built on rock and the Cascades. Visited Salamanca Place and Battery Point, and you can see the convict rock everywhere, in fact it is very similar in feel to Sydney's the Rocks. We had a day at Mona, as you do, and loved it of course. So amazing, a wonderland for art lovers. Just LOVE how Walshy has turned the former 'arse end of the world' into the biggest art/culture destination. The new Pharos wing, although only half finished, is epic. The James Turrel light tunnel and installation were food for the eye and all colour deliciousness. Speaking of food, Hobart and Tassie are killing it with dining, the food the produce, the wine! Oh my! Just wonderful. Faro in the Pharos wing of Mona was something else (high end Tapas and rockstar river views, but the Hobart dining highlight for us was Franklin. Really exciting food and a space to die for in an old car showroom. Check it out here. We ate a lot of great fish and seafood, and surprisingly some of the best seafood was in the least fancy establishments. The Sealife Centre in Bicheno (an old 80s aquarium converted to a seaside café/restaurant) was a great example. Kooky and neon-lit, with no heating that we could detect! But – the freshest seafood we ate in all of Tassie, and all locally caught. The wine list was not only all Tasmanian, but exclusively east coast Tasmanian. Fabulous.

We visited Richmond and got a glimpse at Australia's brutal convict history with the town itself (still with most of its convict built structures intact, including Australia's first bridge) and the Richmond Gaol. Saw the flogging yards and the leg irons and the isolation cells. You cannot even imagine the hardship for those convicts. Really it was pretty dastardly for all concerned back then. Most especially our first people. Tasmania's – and Australia's – past is not pretty at all, I'm afraid.