DAY 1
Hadley’s Residency begins
- 1 May 2026
Dawn Arrival
5am wake up call on the Spirit of Tasmania as we 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.
Tiles & Tales
Breakfast with Lyndal at the Hill Street café – a Devonport tradition that’s always a hit. Lyndal was a fountain of suggestions and tips for what to do along the way as we headed for Hobart.
Broke out the fabric tiles of a collaborative project I’m working towards. I’m asking everyone I meet along the way (and all visitors leading up to departure) to complete a fabric tile. Made entirely from recycled materials, fabrics and decals from our Sunshine Coast sailmaker. I have 260 tiles ready to go but that maybe a little ambitious.
Gorge & Gallery
Back on the road we headed for Launceston Cataract Gorge chair lift and new Dada Museum (thanks Lyndal for the tickets to Dali). Spectacular day for it and already wishing I’d packed more t-shirts for this unseasonal, balmy, clear blue sky and sunny weather.
Spacious Stay
Arrived Hobart and unloaded the personal stuff into an enormous one bedroom apartment – the scale of which would make a city dwellers eyes water.
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 going to be a fabulous home base for the next month.
Salamanca Setup
Threw everything in and headed off to Salamanca on the waterfront where we met with Sheridan and took possession of my second set of keys for the day – the studio space.
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.
Gallery & Studio Prep
Now you might think as we pushed past 12hours since this mornings alarm that we would call it a day so off to Hadleys we went. We spent about an hour in awe of the gallery space and measuring for my upcoming exhibition. Floors, walls, windows and doorways – nothing missed the measuring tape.
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.
Final Push
No not finished yet – back to Salamanca to install said carpet because it’s market day tomorrow and we won’t be getting a vehicle anywhere near the place.
Finally sat down right next door at The Den for some dinner. Then discovered Woolies was open until 10pm and as we had absolutely no food, off to shopping we went. The 18 hour day was soon to stop.
