Fortunately for us, we had arrived in a leisure season in the hotel way,
so that our host was free to devote himself to us in sightseeing, and
thus, with hardly a day and a half to spare, we got a fair idea of
Hobart, including a drive along the Huon-road, in whose shaded valleys
we found as much snow and ice as though we perambulated the Scotch
Highlands in January. This had been, however, an exceptionally severe
winter. On the way to Government House, my eyes were once more regaled
with the gum trees, in the well-accustomed form of open forest, the
ground being covered with grass, on which sheep were depasturing. This
is the pleasing characteristic of much of Australian scenery.