Tag Archives: Derwent Entertainment Centre

Either side of Bowen bridge – posting 4 of 9

I decided to walk from the Bowen Bridge around Dowsing Point towards the Derwent Entertainment Centre on the Glenorchy side of the bridge.  A faint track showing occasional foot traffic looked promising and became my guide.

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Early in the walk along this track, easy views to and access to the water were not possible although as time passed the river came into constant view. 20170125_095427.jpg

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Then the pebbled and rocky shore appeared.

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I was delighted when I came across a slight semblance of a track down to the river’s edge.  Soon I was on the shore and walking that rocky ‘beach’.  The wind was fierce but not cold. My sunhat had no chance of staying attached to my head. I lathered on the sunscreen hoping for wind protection. But it was fresh and invigorating. The air was alive and so I felt even more alive. And so pleased that my return visit to Dowsing Point had been able to bring me down to the water of the Derwent River.

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Clearly native oysters grow on the rocks near the shore.  The whitening shells of long dead oysters were thrown up at the high tide level.  I was surprised not to see any Australian Pied Oystercatcher birds looking for a meal.

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I continued walking around the contours of Dowsing Point, thankful that the tide was out and the shore was wide enough, dry enough and had no insurmountable obstacles. But beneath the northern section of the fenced-in defence forces precinct suddenly the ground became marshy and a trickle of water in a swampy like environment emptied into the Derwent. I did not believe this was passable.  Perhaps if the tide had been lower and if I was wearing gumboots, I might have continued.  On another day, this most likely could be a doable section and one I could tackle from the Derwent Entertainment Centre end of the walk.

After searching unsuccessfully for alternatives, eventually I retraced my steps, and climbed a grassy hill for another view of the obstacle – which looks benign in the photo below.

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I have walked along the Dowsing Point suburban streets with paddocks at their ends that extend to the shoreline shown above, such as Park Road and Dwyer Place. Unfortunately high fences,  locked gates and dead ends prevent access to this defence forces land.  Trespassers Prosecuted signs were a deterrent.  20170125_091847.jpg

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From the obstacle preventing my continued shore walking,  I turned back and walked towards the Bowen Bridge.  Eventually I left the beach after reconnecting with the hillside track used earlier.

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Occasionally, next to the faint track through the grass, someone had placed track markers – coloured rectangles on posts. Very thoughtful.  On the way back I found a wonderful confusion of markers; just as we know some mailbox catalogue deliverers dump a pile of undelivered catalogues in drains or over someone’s fence, it seemed the person placing the track markers dumped his/her extras. So there I was, faced with an amusing mini-forest of markers all pointing nowhere and signifying nothing.

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The markers of mankind are always there to be found, and to be puzzled over by those without experience.  But I found my way and soon returned to the Bridge.

Reliving GASP and MONA with a new walk along the Derwent River

On Stages 9 and 10 of my walk along the Derwent River, I passed the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and the Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park (GASP).  Yesterday I had the opportunity to introduce two international visitors to these important arts structures.

Mid-morning I met with a follower of my blog, De from upstate New York and her Arizona cousin Ke as we were chauffeured thanks to Ma, from the centre of Hobart to our starting point near the Derwent Entertainment Centre.

Our excursion started from the Pavilion at the southern end of the Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park (GASP) near the Derwent Entertainment Centre.  Do you remember my photos of that surprise pink glass wall?

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From a distance and approaching this structure, it looks dull, industrial and disused. But just as I had felt during my walk, my two new international co-walkers were amazed once we arrived at the site. Quite delightful and I have no doubt De will be displaying her own photos on https://deescribesblog.wordpress.com/ when she has time.

Then we started strolling and rolling along the bike/pedestrian path towards the slatted walkways with their colourful striped edges.  Many photos were clicked every time we reached a new striped walkway with a different set of colours.

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De gets around in a motorised wheelchair so when she spotted a scooter with its dinghy trailer (see photo below) waiting for its owner to return from their boat out on the Derwent River, she stopped in amazement. We talked about how good security seemed to be locally.  The scooter owner had left his/her shoes, helmet and other personal items, and despite a security strap set up to prevent movement, we all knew that enterprising thieves seem to carry bolt cutters with them these days.  But all was well yesterday.

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Gradually clouds disappeared, the mountain looked sharp and much of the sky was blue.

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Glorious.  After a very cold North American winter, De soaked up the sunshine as the day warmed and we did everything to stay outdoors that we could.

We continued along the foreshore and turned towards the highway when we reached the Montrose High School. Then we were onto the bike/pedestrian track past Rosetta and into Berriedale before advancing up the entrance incline to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).  Along the way we admired the new autumnal colours of the Moorilla grape vines beside the road.

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A visit to the exhibitions at MONA requires descent into cavernous spaces below ground so we decided to enjoy a lunch break first.  Despite the busyiness of the café directly above the museum, De motored through gaps in the visitors and took us outside into the open air where tables and chairs are set on the lawn. We admired great views up, down and across the Derwent River.

Our sparkling Moorilla wines were crisp and delicious, and the food choices were expansive.  De and I settled on a soba noodle with spring peas and pickled ginger salad, and Ke tucked into an Italian summer salad which included a great variety of ingredients dressed with the best local olive oil. Ducks and peacocks were out and about, seemingly comfortable with the thousands of visitors that come to MONA each week.

Satisfied by lunch we returned inside and took the lift to the bottom floor of MONA. Over the next couple of hours we wandered through the three levels of exhibits before De and Ke found the upstairs bookshop. The wonderful conclusion to our visit came when De spotted a spectacle outside.  They left the building and, along with a throng of tourists, took photographs of a huge unblemished and bright rainbow crossing over the entire River.

It was a great pleasure to show non-Tasmanians a small part of where I have been along the Derwent River, and De and Ke’s enjoyment enhanced mine. Thanks for your company and best wishes De for your conference presentation in Burnie tomorrow encouraging people to understand there are few limits other than those we set ourselves.

Denise leaving MONA

Both De and Ke gave me permission to include their photos in this blog.

Towards the Bowen Bridge

I plodded away from the GASP and Derwent Entertainment Centre site by walking between the Derwent River and the Elwick Race Course where dogs and horses race regularly for their owners.  I heard the rhythmical thumping on the turf before two trainers galloping their horses came into view over the barb wired fence.

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Otherwise all seemed quiet in that direction. Obviously it wasn’t a race day – well not then. Possibly it was too early in the day.  I walked along the long and winding Loyd Lane past a Department of Defence enclosure around 9.15am.  This is a little used road and pale green lichens were spreading across the bitumen in Rorschach test like splotches.

Before 9.20am I had reached a bar across the road which I walked around to discover inside the Commonwealth Government property was a Regional Training Centre and the base for the First Military Police Battalion, and the 4 Section 8 Platoon Company.  The gates were all locked and there was no sign of life on the other side of the fences.

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I continued along the road, reached the T junction with Park Rd, checked my map and found accessing the River improbable so I continued the few metres to the next T junction, with Centre Road. But there was no walking possible this way. The Road was strongly gated and locked and the signs indicated the Australian Army Derwent Barracks was inside.  Effectively I was denied access to the Derwent River from the end of GASP.

I did not achieve success with edging that headland which pushes out into the Derwent River and which is split in half by Goodwood Road to the Bowen Bridge. I have an idea that perhaps there is another way and at some future time I will try again to follow the River on the northern side.  I didn’t have much more success on the southern side of the Bridge, but again I am inclined to return and to see what else is possible.

So, on Stage 10 of my walk, I proceeded to the traffic lights intersection of Loyd Lane, Goodwood Road and over to the other side at Howard Road. It was 9.30am.

Images of the Derwent Entertainment Centre

I took over 200 photos during the 10th stage of my walk along the Derwent River, downloaded then sorted those photos.  Alas, I overlooked including my photos taken as I walked past the Derwent Entertainment Centre, in recent postings.

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The photo below is when I was looking back as I was about to leave the area.

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This Centre has seen some extraordinary acts and visitors including the Australian Visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Powderfinger “Sunsets” Tour, “Keeping it Real” Daniel Geale World Title Event, Grease – The Arena Spectacular, Building and other Expos and much much more.

Passing the Derwent Entertainment Centre brought back memories

Years and years ago, when I arrived back in Hobart after being away a while, I recall it was a very hot day and so I found myself sipping a cold beer in the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Davey St, Hobart.

As you do, I got chatting to a man at the bar and we both realised we were out of work and eager to find paid employment. In walked an arrogant man who mouthed off about dole bludgers and how he had lots of jobs but no one wanted to work. The stranger and I looked at each other and chorused ‘we do!’  This put the guy in an awkward position because I could see, in his body language, he did not think either of us would be up to any work on his construction site; the construction of the new Derwent Entertainment Centre. However, he had to save face and couldn’t say no to us.  I remember he threw obstacles at us but we countered each.

It was a Saturday when we met, and on the following Monday morning the stranger and I turned up on the construction site at 7.30am ready for whatever work could be thrown at us.

Mr Arrogant faced us with a new obstacle, one which he thought we could not overcome. He told us that we had to be paid-up union members even though he was only offering 2 day’s work initially otherwise we couldn’t walk any further onto the site. We made some calls and the stranger and I soon found ourselves sitting in the office of a Union boss having a comfortable chat. Accountability and compliance were not so important then, and unions had lots of unregulated powers and sometimes illegal behaviours. It is enough to say that the stranger and I returned to the construction site with our Union passes.

The Derwent Entertainment Centre is built on reclaimed land and eventually more land was built around the site for carparks, roads and walkways. At the time, the construction site was surrounded by water on three sides. Our job was to remove discarded construction material off the rocky shores and load into rubbish skips.  It was hard, heavy and constant work but it was an income albeit for a short while. Since I am female, the workers on the site found they needed to be able to see me all day and wolf whistle and carry on wondering how the stranger had found me and what the story was.  All immensely amusing to me. And the distraction was incredibly annoying for their foreman.

After finishing the two day’s work, we left a pristine set of rocks. We were not surprised that Mr Arrogant was unable to find any further work for us. All of us parted ways and moved on in our separate ways. I cannot remember what I did next. Guess it was not half as exciting as helping with the Derwent Entertainment Centre project.

From Montrose Park to GASP on the edge of the Derwent River

This was the favourite part of the 10th stage of my walk along the Derwent River and still within the bounds of the City of Glenorchy.

The parkland with its majestic gum trees, the few people around, the silvery Derwent, and the wide expanses were incredibly peaceful and attractive.

By 8.30am I reached the first of the four colourfully striped walkways.  The concept was simple and it is probably the simplicity which is so beguiling.  Vertical posts have been painted black on the edge and then coloured inside. Hundreds and hundreds have been so painted. The first walkway that I reached looked as follows:

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And then I turned and looked across the Derwent River towards Mt Direction in the Risdon area.

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The atmosphere of the environment with its natural and man-made sophistication was very exciting.  The photo below shows the curved roof of the Derwent Entertainment Centre in the distance.

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A few minutes later I came across the GASP (Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park) sign which alerts visitors to the different areas.

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Nearby a plaque indicates that The Hon Julia Gillard MP Prime Minister of Australia officially opened these boardwalks of GASP on 3 October 2011.

Not far away a sound installation has been set up within a protective shelter.

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Marvellous mosaic frippery continued to surprise me along the walk.

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Then I had the joy of walking across more coloured walkways and,before long, I had the River on my left and the Derwent Entertainment Centre complex on my right.

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Mt Direction stood prominently over the water on the eastern shore.

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In the far north facing distance, the white buildings of Cadbury’s chocolate factory could be seen vaguely.

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Walking Montrose and GASP parks is an easy and pleasant thing to do. There are opportunities for picnics and barbecues, and kid’s playgrounds.  Water and land birds abound.   And the sense of creativity fills the air.

The meld of Montrose and Rosetta on the shores of the Derwent River

Walking south from Berriedale, a blur exists between the two suburbs of Montrose and Rosetta and I am not sure where either starts or finishes.

Soon after leaving the Strathaven Home and Riverfront Motel, as I walked along the ‘bike’ path beside the Highway, on the right in the distance over the highway I could see an old two storey white painted building. Having just passed the sign indicating the Undine Colonial Bed & Breakfast was in that vicinity, I made what I believe is the reasonable guess that what I was seeing was the developed building that grew from the original Rosetta Cottage of the 1800s.

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It was impossible to safely cross the highway at this point so I walked on.

By 8.06, I had passed the Montrose Park sign, alerting me to turn left towards the Derwent River in the distance.

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Not long afterwards, I walked past the Montrose Bay High School with its whimsical mosaic decorations, and tennis courts.

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Wild hens ran around the bull grasses of the Islet Rivulet.

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Once at the water’s edge I realised, that Montrose Park is the northern end of the Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park (GASP) that extends a few kilometres south and passes the Derwent Entertainment Centre.  Across the Montrose Bay High School Bus Mall, and then across the Derwent River I could see Mount Direction in the Risdon area.

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The white buildings of Cadbury’s chocolate factory were visible in the distance to the north.

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Also in a northerly direction, the dramatic walls of MONA were clearly visible.

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Looking south, the white Derwent Entertainment Centre was in view.

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Then I started walking again. By 8.20 I was walking passed the Montrose Bay Yacht Club (Making a great offer to help me learn to sail) and then the Glenorchy Rowing Club.

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Public toilets were nearby, near a kid’s playground.

I enjoyed looking at other quirky mosaic constructions. The photo below shows the High school and another mosaic figure in the distance, plus the posts for an Australian Rules Football game.

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Continuing along, I passed pontoons and jetties, an immature Dominican Gull standing fluffily on one leg, flowering gums with squawking parrots, an outside adult’s gym with chest presses and other exercise equipment, and the Montrose Foreshore Project sign showing developments since 1946.  The spread of residential development over the years has been substantial.

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Walking next to the Derwent River. The proof.

By accident, I videoed my feet as I walked across the ground near the Derwent Entertainment Centre in the southern extremities of the Glenorchy Arts and Sculpture Park (GASP).  The video lasts 53 seconds, which when you watch seems a long time, and reminds me of the unchanging nature and relentlessness of some of the films of Andy Warhol decades ago.

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