Through running groups I had heard some great feedback about an event in Tasmania called kunanyi Mountain Run.Tasmania..
That’s a place I have always heard great things about and would love to visit.
So we planned it.
March 2025 a group of us set off headed for Hobart.
In the Summer months AirNZ flies directly to Hobart, we were on one of the final direct flights.
The flight was as expected but coming in to land was quite exciting, outside the aeroplane window was views of golden sand beaches, turquoise waters and a city surrounded by water and bush.
With a lengthy list of ‘would like to do’s’ we woke up early (thanks time difference) and drove to the top of kunanyi/Mount Wellington for ‘sunrise’. We made two mistakes here. First of all expecting to be able to see the sunrise, because the very top was covered by a freezing cloud. The other mistake was not dressing for being on the top of a mountain, just because you can see the sea doesn’t mean it will be warm up there. I had a trio of ladies who were in almost whole body puffer jackets and beanies look me up and down and ask if I was cold. Yes, yes I was. Nevertheless it was a great introduction to kunanyi.
We followed up the summit with a cafe breakfast and this was to be the next learning, that the dining in Hobart is top notch. Everywhere we went we had great food and coffees!
We continued on and drove out to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary which was delightful. They are clearly doing a lot of work to expand and cater to the wide range of rescued wildlife and it’s a neat spot to view and learn about Australian wildlife (and to support the work they are doing).
The following day we headed out to the renowned Mona (The Museum of Old and New Art) which is probably best described as quirky and eccentric. Having a toddler didn’t make it easy to view exhibits so it was a quick scoot around and then we enjoyed the playground, the swings and sandpit and some food and drinks on the lawn whilst a live musician played.
Friday we went and checked out the RunHub which sits at the foothills of kunanyi. The RunHub had a small, grassroots feel with a beautiful Welcome to Country ceremony.
The next day I was lucky enough to jump in with Lincoln the Race Director/Founder and go and visit lots of parts of the course. We drove up to the top of kunanyi and experienced the aid station there. Then off to Fern Tree Aid Station and Mountain River. It was great to see the runners and crew and different parts of the course. It makes you appreciate the scale of the challenge.
On the Sunday it was our turn! We ran the 9km Foothills race and it was great! Some pretty trails and a feel good finish. It was hard to believe our time in Tassie was coming to an end. I felt like we had only just dipped our toes in with all that we could have done, and could really have done with an extra week there. The cup was full though with the kind and friendly people we had connected with, a genuine community feel and some beautiful country we got to experience. We hope to be back again soon.
