A Paddle with Mountain Gypsy in the dark underworld of Hobart

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Adventure with a twist! Pete and I decided to go on a mission to packraft under the city in Hobart, Tasmania. We just wanted to put our new little sporty Alpacka Packrafts to the test. We walked with our lite little packrafts on our back via the Rivulet which feeds under the city from beautiful Mt. Wellington, our backdrop to the city. As we approached the grafiti was uplifting.

Wicked Street Art

Then we neared the tunnel of pitch blackness. I could almost feel the Hobyahs watching me as we left the sunny day, traffic and city folk behind.

Lil Apprehension

Torches became essential so as not to stumble into the water or each other, not to mention keeping an eye out for sneaky Hobyahs. Once we inflated the rafts we were away. Just enough water.

The Underworld

Too much and it becomes a game of Russian Roulette, not enough and your bound to be dragging your raft along. We had to portage around a couple of spots as the flow was ebbing. I quite enjoyed the exhilaration of paddling with the torch off and just listening to the water take me. The glow of the torches along the tunnel walls brought the amazing street art to life and absolutely blew me away.

A Paddle with the Hobyahs

So if paddling isn’t your thing then a stroll under Hobart on a super dry day might just be the thing your looking for. It takes on a life all its own, but be aware of Hobyahs.

Photos by digitalhippie67