Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, Accommodation, Events, Tours, Articles, Photos, Maps

DESTINATION: Hobart CBD and Suburbs

Most of Hobart's attractions are concentrated in a relatively small area within easy walking distance of Sullivans Cove and Constitution Dock.

Close to the northern end of the Cove, Gasworks Shopping Village has shops and restaurants in restored 19th-century buildings. Tours can be made of Australia's only commercial whiskey distillery here. A stroll along Campbell St takes you to the Theatre Royal, built in the 1830s, and the Penitentiary Chapel at the Criminal Courts, where guided tours (including ghost tours) are conducted.

Opposite Constitution Dock is the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The Museum explores Tasmanian identity with a variety of displays covering history, science and the natural environment. The art collection focuses on colonial art, contemporary Australian painting and changing exhibitions. Hobart's Italianate Town Hall is close by.

Further down Davey St, a walk along Murray St will take you past St David's Cathedral to the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, part of the State Library of Tasmania complex.

Main Attractions

At the southern end of Sullivans Cove, ferries and cruises depart from Brooke St Pier on Franklin Wharf. Salamanca Place is an excellent example of how Hobart's historic buildings have been preserved to play a vital part in city life. Sandstone merchant warehouses from the 1830s are now used as restaurants, shops and galleries. On Saturdays, traffic is blocked off to make way for the Salamanca Market; a colourful collection of 300 stalls selling all manner of things.

Also at Salamanca Pl, Antarctic Adventure explores the fragile ecosystem of the southern continent with a penguin theatre, fossils, weather station, theatrette and planetarium. Connected to Salamanca Pl by Kellys Steps, Battery Point is another historic section of Hobart with heritage buildings such as the ring of houses at Arthur Circus.

Three further attractions in the Battery Point area are 'Narryna' Folk Museum, in a beautiful Georgian building built 1833-36 by sea captain Andrew Haig; the Maritime Museum of Tasmania which displays historic vessels, shipwreck relics, whaling implements, paintings, photographs and models; and Anglesea Barracks, the oldest military establishment in Australia still in use.

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Nearby attractions

Hobart's boundary extends to the foot of Mount Wellington in the west;certainly the city's most prominent landmark. From the top of the mountain the view of the city and surrounding countryside is breathtaking, and on very clear days it is possible to see parts of the south-west corner of the state. Walk, drive or cycle the paths of the mountain to get a dramatic view of the landscape. Walkers should be prepared for sudden weather changes and the peak is often covered in snow in winter.

After an exploration of the mountain views, a stop into Cascade Brewery at the mountain foot is highly recommended. The brewery is known for premium quality beer and, established in 1832, is the oldest in Australia. Tours are available of the brewery and attached museum, as well as the adjoining Woodstock Gardens.

North of the city, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens have many interesting features, including the conifer collection, fernery, Japanese Garden, historic Arthur Wall, Conservatory, Subantarctic House and a Chinese section. The restored National Trust homestead, Runnymede, can be found at New Town and the Cadbury Chocolate Factory at Claremont can be reached by road or cruise from Hobart. Tours offer visitors the chance to see the factory's chocolate-making process and to taste samples along the way. Chocolate can be bought afterwards for those who have completed the tour. Bookings are essential and enclosed footwear must be worn.

Not far away, Alpenrail provides a unique alpine experience with a model railway running through a realistic Swiss model village. At Brighton, 25min drive north of Hobart, Bonorong Wildlife Park has Tasmanian devils, koalas, common wombats, eastern quolls and native birds as well as kangaroos which are free to roam the park.

On the other side of the Derwent River, accessed by the Bowen Bridge, is Risdon Cove Historic Site, where Hobart's first European settlement began. Also on the eastern side are Cambridge Aerodrome, Rosny Hill Lookout and Hobart Airport. Visitors are welcome to the Royal Hobart Golf Course as well as the Tasmanian, Airport and Llanherne courses. There are a number of pretty beaches on both sides of the Derwent and Clifton Beach is a popular summer-surfing destination.

Located south of the CBD in Sandy Bay, the convention and entertainment centre at Wrest Point is the site of Australia's first gambling casino. Wrest Point Hotel Casino not only provides gaming such as roulette, blackjack, poker, keno and electronic gambling, but also offers hotel and motel accommodation, restaurants and bars, nightclubs and shops. Sandy Bay is also home to Tasmania's university and the prestigious Royal Yacht Club, where hundreds of yachts are moored.

In the Lower Sandy Bay area, there are lookouts near Long Beach and at the Mount Nelson Signal Station Reserve with Derwent estuary views. Further south are Truganini Reserve, dedicated to the last full-blood Tasmanian Aborigine, Tudor Court Model Village, and the convict-built Shot Tower, which provides a superb view of the Derwent estuary and includes a small museum. The Australian Antarctic Division is at Kingston.

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Explore Hobart Tasmania with Max Walker

maxwalker | 2008-10-30 | Despite a life rich in experience, I am still, will always be … a slow talking Tasmanian, with the legacy of 5 broken noses from playing football. | read more