Out and About: Cultural Excursions
As much as this trip was focused on engineering, many of our excursions were purely cultural. Looking back on the whole trip to Tasmania, I’d recommend three culturally-enriching things to do: Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Port Arthur, and the Gordon River Cruise.
About a week after arriving in Hobart, our professor arranged us to go on a tour of Port Arthur. Located in the southeast region of Tasmania, Port Arthur was bustling with history. For the first portion of our morning there, we roamed the area where prisoners once worked. There were large structures being supported by metallic beams across its whole campus. Port Arthur was a prison for second-time offenders. We got to see what it was like living here just by walking around, but there was a guided tour later that gave us more details as to what went on inside the prison’s walls. The tour guides here were really dedicated to the work that they did. Really getting into what he was saying, our guide made it seem like we were there during prison times. Going to Port Arthur was a great way to build a foundation of understanding Tasmania’s history, which for a long time was all about its prisoners.
About halfway through our program, we took a trip to MONA. This museum was incredibly contemporary, displaying a range of art. The whole museum was started by a man who decided to begin collecting every unique and interesting piece of art he came across. After he had collected a decent amount, it was time to build the very structure that would house all of it. Building two of its floors underground, the architecture of the building was brilliant. Art inside covered a plethora of topics: sci-fi, cars, portraits, space, racism. They were all also done using varying mediums: paint, sculpture, photography, electronics. Everyone in our group said that they loved this museum, expressing that it really brought a new perspective on different topics. I highly recommend going here if you’re in Hobart. Upon arrival, it seemed as if we’d be finished going through the museum in just a short afternoon; however, to our surprise, it took us a little over 4 hours to go through the whole thing.
One of the last cultural excursions we did was the Gordon River cruise. Not only did this cruise take us on a breathtaking ride throughout Tasmania’s infamous Gordon River, but it was jam-packed with information about the island’s history. We were taken from the bay in Strahan (a very small town), and brought out into vast waters that quickly turned rough. Majority the time we all spent outside on the front deck, soaking in what we could. The Gordon River is famous for its incredibly still waters, so still that it resembles a mirror-like reflection. Now I know most of you probably think you’ve seen a mirror-like reflection before, but they aren’t kidding when they say they’ve got the best one. It was stunning. The sun was shining so strongly with large amounts of wind hitting our faces. Every now and then, the boat would slow down a little to point out a lighthouse or significant landmark, but otherwise it was full speed ahead. As we got to the actual river, it would slow down, allowing us to enjoy the view. There was small half-hour tour around an island about halfway through the trip. It was called Sarah Island, a punishment destination for the worst of Tasmania’s criminals. Here, prisoners were brought to isolation. There was a large industry that was built amongst the criminals here, their labor being used to build boats. Our tour guide showed us around the island and its history. Eventually through a revolutionized industry, the island brought prisoners education, hard work, and determination. It’s one of Tasmania’s biggest pieces of history.
These three experiences were very educational and fun!
