I landed in Hobart after midnight. The airport was just one teeny building and there was no baggage carousel - the little truck rolled up and everyone dived for their bags. I stayed at a place called Montgomery's and spent the next day exploring the town.

I walked along Constitution Docks and up to Salamanca Place where the weekly market was being held. There were loads of stalls with interesting stuff: from hippy beads and windchime things to useful bits and pieces to tasty food. It was pretty cold and it dawned on me that my warm clothes (one cardigan and one pair of jeans) weren't going to be enough for a week. I'd packed in the 30 degree heat of Sydney when I could barely remember what it felt like to be cold, so I'd merrily tossed aside all my jumpers and trousers. I ended up buying a cagoule with 'Australia' written on the zipper tags - so I could feel like a real tourist as I got drenched. I went up to Battery Point and then spent a couple of hours in the Museum of Tasmania, which had all kinds of fascinating exhibits, including the only footage of a Tasmanian Tiger (thylacine). The last known animal died in Hobart Zoo in 1936 and it's believed to be extinct, though some people still hope that there are some living out in the wilderness. There was a cool display of giant model animals that were alive during the Pleistocene period. I geekily pottered around all the different sections, reading each of the explanatory labels, then had fish and chips for dinner at Mures.

There were lots of places I wanted to visit in Tassie, and I also intended to do some hiking. Since the public transport system is fairly limited and I was a bit leery of striding off into the bush on my own, I decided to join a tour. I had been on a couple of day trips in Vietnam but had never been on a proper tour before (apart from the trips the Chinese government laid on for foreign teachers when I was in Nanjing - fish farms and sewage pipe factories anyone?) and I always thought they looked a bit naff with everyone being herded on and off buses. But most people I spoke to said that it was the best way to see the state, and a Swiss girl I met in my hostel told me that she was trying to travel around independently and was finding it very difficult and also expensive since she had to stay in places longer than she wanted. So, I booked a 6 day "Taste of Tasmania" trip with Adventure Tours.