BAD EXPERIENCE

While we were totally mesmerized by the natural beauty of Tasmania we ran into a few incidents that dampened our enthusiasm. One area is service attitude. As a family we are 'low key' travelers, we are always conscious, and we always respect the local way of doing things. During our 4-day visit we were treated poorly in a few places. We cannot help but get the distinct feeling that while the locals welcome tourist revenues, they may not welcome tourists. I can only use the word 'rude' to describe these unfortunate encounters, one of them is at a small eatery in the town of Swansea.

The Lonely Planet named 'The Ugly Duck Out as one of the best spots for Fish & Chips' according to a survey by either a Sydney or Melbourne paper which I forgot. We found it, on the way to Freycinet. I do not want to bother you with details, the bottom line is; the fish must be 'fresh' out of the freezer right before it was cooked, and their service attitude was obviously in an even deeper freezer. I think Dora paid A$10 or $12 for a single serving, and that did not include ketchup or tartar sauce, at another A$1.5 extra. Hello? This was 2-days after Mures so I knew exactly what Fish & Chips standards should be. The Ugly Duck Out should try duck, instead of fish, in my view.

As a vegetarian Adrea was the lucky one, she passed. As for me, I will double if not triple check Lonely Planet eatery recommendations from now on.