Tasmania cool culture

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024

Sailing to Eden, Australia

Hobart is the capital city of Tasmania, an island state of Australia. Our visit was full of surprises and wonderful cultural experiences. Azamara treated all guests to a magnificent performance of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra superb string section at the performance hall. Simply fantastic!

MONA is the Museum of Old and New Art, an extraordinary place of eye-popping and experiential modern art. Owned by an eccentric, wealthy professional gambler, David Walsh, the place is the largest privately held gallery and museum in Australia. It was an unforgettable experience.

We also learned the stories of the European convicts, both men and women prisoners who were banished to this island in the 19th century. This British penal colony eventually became a vibrant, productive island with plentiful farming thanks to the convict labor. Sobering Footsteps to Freedom statues on the Hobart waterfront commemorates 13,000 convict women, many whose only crime was poverty, and petty theft. Many brought children with them to Tasmania.

Emma McGrath, Concertmaster and incredible soloist at our private performance of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble.

MONA’s entrance to an art-filled extravangza that stimulates and provokes, makes you wonder WTF was the artist thinking? Some of it was entrancing and creative technology, some quite disturbing, but the entire visit was not-to-be missed. The grounds were a super architectural wonderland and using concrete, sandstone, metals, trees and cool scenery in every direction. We were transported to this unique place via a funky, posh high-speed catamaran, all part of the experience.