DAY 1
Hadley’s Residency begins
- 1 May 2026
Ferry Arrived Before Sunrise
5am wake up call on the Spirit of Tasmania as the ferry motored into Devonport. Off the boat by six we hit the lighthouse lookout to watch the sun rise. Surprisingly not too chilly and the sun did not disappoint. Eye raising to see three people enjoying an early morning swim is what could only be freezing water.
Yep the photo here doesn’t match the Tassie arrival (and I can’t work out how to change it) but I wanted to include my Sunny Coast friends and trail blazers who were my original guinea pigs for the collaborative art piece I intended to tackle during my residency. I cut an ambitious 260 sail fabric tiles 13cm x 13cm each. The pile in the middle is sticky backed sail and decal fabric, offcuts from sailmaking. Looking good ladies and you set the bar very high for the Tasmanian contingent.
Artwork update
Tiles & Tales
I touched base with Lyndal as we drove off the ferry and into Devonport – nothing is far apart. She must have broken speed records on her travels from Burnie or hopefully at that hour traffic was light. We met for breakfast at the Hill Street café – a Devonport tradition that’s always a hit.
Breakfast was followed by fabric tile construction. The aim was to collect creative contributions along the way to complete my ambitious 260 tiles. The conversation was energetic for this hour of the morning and Lyndal was a fountain of suggestions and tips for what to do along the way as we headed for Hobart.
Gorge & Gallery
Back on the road we headed for the Cataract Gorge Launceston. We started with the chair lift and then every walk and climb we could find. The weather was simply spectacular and both Michelle and I were questioning our winter woolly loaded packing – wish we had t-shirts instead of thermals.
Dropped by the new Dada Museum (thanks Lyndal for the tickets to Dali). I believe it’s a local collector of all things Dali who has created a gallery to share.
Enjoying the unseasonal, balmy, clear blue sky and sunny weather.
Spacious Stay
Wow what a journey – this is it, we have arrived, let the fun begin, as we rolled into Hobart with a loose plan for Friday afternoon.
We unloaded our personal luggage and some creative projects into the enormous one bedroom apartment – the scale of which would make a city dwellers eyes water. Plenty of space to have artwork projects at both venues.
Had a chuckle at the spare bed against the wall and the suggestion that Michelle would have to sleep in an upright position.
Honestly the space is massive and is going to be a fabulous home base for the next month. What an amazing prize. Short walk along the harbour foreshore to Salamanca.
Salamanca Setup
Threw everything in the apartment and hot tailed it to find Salamanca Arts Centre on the Hobart waterfront. This is one insane experience as we met with Sheridan and took possession of my second set of keys for the day – the studio space #238 to be exact. It seems like a lot of rushing because we arrived on a Friday and I was super keen to have the keys to the studio before the weekend.
It took three of us multiple, giggle filled trips to unload the car (because sometimes it was easier to wear it than carry it) and to think there is still more to come. Michelle and Sheridan helped to make light work of the stairs and lift. The funniest thing was working out which doors went where on day one.
Gallery & Studio Prep
Now you may expect that we would call it a night as we pushed past 12hours since this mornings alarm went off on the ferry – yes it was still that same day. But there were things to be done and if I wanted carpet in the studio we had to first head to Hadleys Hotel to measure the gallery space. Measure the carpet for the exhibition and install it temporarily in the studio space.
We spent about an hour in awe of Hadley’s Hotel and the gallery space. We measured floors, walls, windows and doorways – nothing missed the measuring tape – and yet still I would return on many occasions to double check things. The walls were grand to say the least and nothing is square which kind of adds to the character…… I was already beginning to doubt I’d finish everything in time – yep on day 1.
No time for dinner yet we were off to bunnings to organise carpet to fit ‘the dark side’ of the gallery. The plan was to instal the carpet firstly in the studio for warmth during my teenier and make it look amazingly pretty … and then move it to Hadley’s for install day. Bought a little vacuum so I could keep it clean. The studio space is huge, with exposed rafters and a tin roof. The first time a branch fell I wondered who or what was coming through the roof.
Final Push
So we finished our Bunnings shop and loaded the car with laughter and tears of exhaustion. I think the carpet measuring was a little generous (but we won’t discovered just how generous until gallery install in the weeks to come).
But the day was not yet finished…..this is when you understand who your friends are and just how crazy an envelope they will push……no dinner and loads of trips up and down stairs…..what else would Michelle be wanting to do on her holiday to Tasmania?
No not finished yet – back to Salamanca to install the carpet and realised we would really need a second. A little local knowledge is handy because tomorrow (Saturday) is market day which means we won’t be getting a vehicle anywhere near the place. So any unloading needed to be finished tonight.
Finally sat down for a drink and bite to eat at ‘The Den’ – this little place is right next door to my studio – the live DJ was pumping some tunes ohh and did I mention Friday night is also live music night in the Arts Centre courtyard – not tonight we were both stuffed.
Then just as Michelle finished her second drink we discovered Woolies was open until 10pm and as we had absolutely no food back at the apartment…..hi ho hi ho it’s off to shopping we go. The 18 hour day was soon to stop as we were unceremoniously evicted, with groceries in hand, out the back door of the underground woolies LOL….We have arrived
