Tassie-land

Last week, I had the great opportunity to take the short flight down to Hobart!

I gave a short talk at IMAS (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies) and got a chance to hear a fisheries scientist's (or more like a room full of fisheries scientists) view on my research. Apparently, all the marine protected area researchers  (a.k.a supporters) were away at a workshop, so I was left with the guys who furrow their brows the moment they hear those 3 little letters... M P A. It was a far cry from the usual conservation-oriented group I talk to....

   me: "so when increasing the size of a protected area..." 

   crowd: "Of COURSE! MORE protected areas... jolly good!!"  

In a fisheries room:

   me: "So when changing the spatial configuration of a protected area..."

  crowd: "Have you considered whether this is an effective choice for management? It's been shown on numerous occasions that MPAs do nothing to increase fishery gains. Are you modelling a well managed fishery?"

It's always good to hear the skeptics.  

In other news, Tasmania is beautiful. It's like the alps I wrote about, but you can live there! And it has oceans and sailing. The pictures at the top are (on the left) the sandy shore out behind the IMAS offices, and (on the right) a somewhat cloudy view from the top of Mt. Wellington, which overlooks Hobart.

Hobart is one of the oldest cities in Australia, so early 19th century, and all the old sections are constructed form local sandstone. This makes for a cohesive and earthy vibe.

This is an alley off of Salamanca market, the old waterfront where whales would be gutted with remains washing back into the bay, and current home to a gigantic Saturday market! 

I also found a nice whiskey distellary dowtown where I had the odd experience of listening to an American playing bluegrass on a mandolin and singing about John Brown. Apparently it is a small world afterall.

I also saw spiders and devils, and no it's not Halloween. But seriously, how cute is this little tassie devil?

A quick journey outside the city to Mt. Field National Park taught me a couple things. 1) forecasts for the bottom of a mountain do not include the temperature drop and possibility of entering a cloud when you hike to the top of the mountain. 2) There is not a field on top of this mountain

 and 3) Tasmania has some HUGE trees. Here's one of me hugging a tree... and the view from the hug. These are Swamp gums (Eucalyptus regnans) and they are apparently the largest flowering tree in the world. They're debated (at least by Tasmanians)  to be taller than redwoods... well, sometimes. They lose their branches quite frequently and so vary a bit in height. But this guy was about 79m tall.

Other than big trees, devils, and awesome, Tasmania's new claim to fame is a winery/art museum/brewery owned by an eccentric billionaire who made his fortune gambling. Consistent with the previously discussed Australian naming scheme, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), holds in its 3 stories of underground bunker a collection of art that would make you feel awkward standing next to... well just about anybody. The owner apparently defines art as anything that makes you question your own mortality, cry a little on the inside, or just feel generally uncomfortable. Here are some very PG examples:

On the left is a pooping machine. Yes, you put food in on one end and after many hours of digestion in different containers with different enzymes, poop comes out the other end! Magic. Smelly, smelly, magic. Or a statement about society... or something. Anyways, on the right is a fat porsche. Another statement about society? I guess so. By the end of my journey through this museum, I felt like I'd been walking through one of those haunted houses where people jump out at you. My brain was pulling the same sort of ultra-aware defense mechanism, where it's constantly trying to figure out what is going to f*** with it next. Regardless of the crazy billionaire and his art, I still loved Tasmania and would love to explore the rest of it one day.

I'll be back for you....