From Hobart To Bluff.

Southland Times, Issue 18057, 29 January 1903, Page 4

From Hobart To Bluff.

By Arthur A. Faape. One of the most beautiful spns south of the line is Hobart. This is conceded by the many passengers who. travel by \ our up-to-date inter-colonial eieamers, and by those who come to our shores by the Home liners. Perhaps the reason of the latter passengers going into raptures as they almost invariably do, at the first glimpse of the city, is that it is the first, port of call after the long Journey from the Cape, and no doubt any port, no matter how bleak and barren, would possess its charms, more especially- to those who endure the quadins of seasickness. To arrive in Hobart during the tilg-ht (which is rendered possible by the depth and spaciousness of the harbour) and to be astir early enough to see the sun rise over Mt. Wellington, revealing the city itself at its base, is tin experience never to bo forgotten, and only to be equalled by viewing the sunrise from the summit of the Mount. So much ia said and written of Sydney harbour that it is only necessary to refer to the many and long discussions that inevitably take place whenever a New South Welshman and a Tasseyite meet as to the merits and demerits of their respective harbours. To gain some small idea of the beautiful Dcrwent it may be said that these arguments have been going on for years, and thus far neither party will concede one iota, for if one .harbour has some special attraction the other has a something which more than equals it. It can be safely said that " Sydoeyites " and -" Tassyites "- inky continue to argue, but there the question will remain . One of the sights of the harbour is the very large", humber of sma'U sailing craft used for the purpose of bringing from the. Huon and other districts all the timber, firewood, fruit and other articles of produce. There being an abundance of water, full advantage has been taken of it. There are also numbers of fishing craft; which provide not a small supply of fish for the Melbourne trade. The city itself is very quiet and reminds one somewhat of "Sleepy Hollow" in -Rip 4 Yan TVinkle.- Nevertheless, being so quiet, : it has its advantages, for in the summer months the numerous hotels and boarding houses -are weltfilled by business people and tourists from Australia, ' who take full advantage of the mild Climate, and hero rest peacefully from the din, bustle and «-orry of life in the larger cities. On. leaving the city the beautiful fivtmiles of river possess many attractions for those who have any appreciation for scenery. Soon after the I>oat swings from its moorings ai«l when the last flutter of handkerchiefs from the friends and acquaintances of passengers have been seen, there are many points of interest to keep the passenger busy— the steep sandstone cliffs forming the banks on' either side ; the hills which at one time were with dense bush and scrub, but' are now partly cleared and adorned " with beautiful houses, picturesque orchards and gardens ; and $ '.ill further in the background the towering mountains presenting a scene which almost makes the onlooker feel that he has been transferred to fairyland. 'The most noticeable points of interest are vhe biig- : naJ Station on Mt. Nelson, from which point the boats are sighted off Ore Roual some 40 aniles away. Iho old shot tower is built on a vvy 1 igh point and stands close to M>e 'i^utiful white road leading to lito-xn'a r.\er beach— one of- the_/ principal rc'J^ny resorts. -.-■■■'•■'. Bellereive is a suburb on the oppos te side of~the river, to which an up-to-date line of ferry boats ply at regular intervals. The De Entreeaustix channel . separates the Island of Burney from the mainland and forms the entrance to the principal fruit-growing district in the Huon.- About a mile; from the channel is the" "Iron Pot." Derwent lighthouse is built ■ on ; a -small of sandstone, which at one time was. connected with point the river narrows, and soon we are out of the Derwent into Storm Bay. the mainland, as can be seen by the reef over which the seas break. At this point -tne river narrows; and soon uv are put of the Derwent into Storm Bay. The now awakes to the fact that he is not in Fairyland, for the boat begins to pitch" and toss, reminding those who are -victims to seasickness of what is about to follow, and. not a few seek the seclusion of their cabins and there remain for ah indefinite period. To those who are privileged tq remain on deck a sight well worthy of notice is Cape. Roual which is the last point of the i" mainland. But a little further on is Tasman Island, and through the passage between is Port Arthur, made familiar in the history of the old convict days. The cape itself presents a. very great contrast to the scenery just passed. There -is' not the slightest sign of life or vegetation— just -one mass of rock formed into pillars towering one above the - other like the pipes of an organ and similar to the " organ pipes " on Mt. Wellington. A few minutes before reaching this point, the decks were crowded •with passengers, but now this is not so. A change has come about, -and for the - moment it seems as if some mysterious thing has. happened, and the" majority have been swept overboard. But before one has the chance to let such strange _ forebodings . grow, from the cabins come the.' noise- . arid turmoil of some poor souls. Though, unpleasant for the .sufferers it -usually affords an opportunity for passengers to open up a conversation with those who until now were strangers to comment on their own good fortune or pass some remark at the expense of the -unfortunate sufferers. This is always the case, for there is selcfom any sympathy extended to anyone seasick, which is accounted far by the fact that at one time or another everyone has . a "turn. It ia surprising how very quickly friendships are, made at sea, and as a rule all question of social -superiority so noticeable no land are ruled down, and- as a rule before the boat is 24 hours from the starting point the ship's company resembles qno big happy family. ManyXare the jokes that take place between the, intervals of deck- games, etc., which help to pass the long hours' away so pleasantly. One old traveller, . who /after commenting on the many passengers below, .related that in all his voyages to almost .every corner of the earth, he did hot know the feeling of - seasickness. A rather hearty beam sea was running at the time, and he had scarcely finished the narrative of his experiences when he made one rush for the bulwarks, followed by aT roar of laughter. This could not have met with his approval, for during the remainder of the journey he kept his own counsel and no doubt came to the conclusion that there was something in that old adage, " Boast not at all." In the evenings a few hours are usually spent in singing, and very often a first-class entertainment is provided by passengers. There are generally one or two persons who are of a funny disposition, and on this ship we had one such person-. The gentleman in question was a, very tall "fine" fellow in every sense of the term, and possessed very sharp features, set off with a large pair of gold-mounted .." pinchers." He was christened and known only as Mr BlobbS; Our friend, was under the impression, that he possessed a remarkably fine tenor! voice, aid^ firmly believed that he could command a high figure by singing at concerts and oratorios, for he wa9 told that the colony was' sadly in need of a good tenor singer. At first he was a little backward, but when once j prevailed upon to sing and after he had Tjeeri whetted, with a round of applause. there was no stopping h/un. His repertoireconsisted 7of r 'about two songs— " Come^ ijitpthe-Gatrd^n Miiud;'' -and -'My Pretty Jane ''—which were repeated >"time without number* and . which will long live in the memories of those' wha heard them sung. Not only^w*f ; 3tfr : Blobbs under the Impression that i'/lie) could :he also believed he -was ah elpcutionistv;of rip small standing. His master piece was "This is the" "House that .Jack Built," recited with musical .eflects— th» ,musician, by the way, being; a gentleman with a keen sense - o f humour. "-This- continued for two days, but the crowning part -was the last night before reaching Bluff. By special request '.''Mr Blobbs 'T consented to (five a lecture on 'thfl:'^ lndian Jlutl»y.' r Tht^«u^jepV was ■;■:s -'.QKMft pMU.U tt r

on* for an evening's pntortainment, but It was quite impossible to resist the temptation of seeing and hearing " Mr Ulobbs" is his new role. The nows of the lecture traversed the Bhip from stem to stern, with the reeult tlfat when the time for the lecture arrived the saloon was packed. As usuul one young fellow took his place on a lounge and when" Mr Blobbs " commenced his discourse our young friend commenced to snore audibly. Between the snoring and the lecture (which was road from a book) some of the passengers found it a very difficult task to restrain themselves from laughing outright, but they managed to preserve their decorum with the aiU of cushions and surplus music, while others unfeelingly interjected with shouts of " hear, hear," and " O-o-h !" when they were told of the horrible massacre of the women and children and other incidents equally heart-' rending. It might seem absurd, but it really could not bo helped. Passengers were on a holiday, and were in J.o humour for "dry as dust facts" nnd unpleasant ones at that. What they wanted was pleasure, ami, moreover they got it. When the lecturer had concluded his reading one and all heaved a sigh of relief, and the snoring abruptly ceased. Xot to lie heutcn " Blobbs " rendered ihe irresistible "Maud" and "Pretty Jane " several times. At a convenient interval our hero was presented with an address signed by some fifty passengers. U was beautifully worded and brimming over with sarcasm very cleverly veiled. The musician made the presentation, referring to the way in which "Mr Blobbs " had helped to pass the time so pleasantly with " Music, Song and Story." Ho asked " Mr Blobbs " not to accept it for its intrinsic value, but as a slight memento of his trip on the s.s. Mokoia. and concluded by wishing h m every success in New Zealand. Several other passengers also spoke. Poor Ulobbs could scarcely find words to reply. He blushed and looked quite pleasfd with himself. lie thanked everyone for their great kindness, and .-aid Unit he would alw/ys treasure the address in remembrance of his " first voyage from home." The ordeal was a very trying one for our snoring friend returned to his usual practice when " Blobbs " came on the scene, but evidently he thought that he showed his appreciation differently to other folks as he did not notice anything wrong. "Blobbs" heartily enjoyed himself, and so did the passengers, who, I feel sure, will never forget l his eventful voyage.