Mt Wellington

Mt Wellington stands proudly above Hobart, providing a beautiful backdrop to the city

It stands just over 1200m high and as you can see from the picture above it's often shrouded in cloud, and covered in ice & snow in the winter. There are 5 or 6 gates on the road up to the mountain top which are opened when the road is considered safe - there had been a fair bit of snow falling the week before we arrived but luckily the road was completely opened the day that we decided to go up. Even more luckily the cloud that was hanging over the hill when we got onto the bus had cleared by the time we got to the top, giving amazing views in all directions

It was breathtaking up there, and not just because of the cold.

Another reason for going up was to play in the snow. I originally wanted this to be a treat for Liz, who as a Queenslander hasn't seen snow too many times, but as the bus wound its way up the switchbacks to the top fishtailing gently round the corners I got more and more excited. I haven't been in the snow since 2007 and I think I got a bit carried away.

 Liz was a bit more restrained,

 but couldn't help launching the odd surprise attack

  Thanks for the hats Andy! They were a lifesaver, Liz literally didn't take hers off all day

 Although some people weren't so wisely dressed....

We also saw wallaby tracks in the snow

 There were a few bikes around which implies that there are trails down the side of the mountain

Since Hobart is at sea level there is potentially a 1200 vertical metre shuttle run available, and on the way up I noticed a few guys in full-faces gearing up. Brave in that weather, but that must be fun! One to follow up in the summer I think. Road trip anyone?