Australia’s southernmost capital, Hobart is also its second oldest, and it differs from all the others because of its small-town feeling and colonial charm. With its 19th century heritage buildings, Elisabeth Street Mall and Salamanca Markets in Battery Point, Hobart looks like a big country town. To its beauty add the towering Mount Wellington and the beautiful Tasman bridge. In the town centre there are som interesting museums like Narryna Heritage Museum and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Outside are the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, the famous Cadbury Factory and Mt Field National Park. Here is some Hobart travel information, Tasmania accommodation and Hobart festivals, and in the end of the page is accommodation, and an interactive map of Hobart.
Things to Do in Hobart: City Centre It’s easy to get around in Hobart. The city centre is around Elisabeth Street Mall, and east of it is the Franklin Square, the Government offices, Town Hall, Maritime Museum and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery - across the street from which is the beautiful Constitution Dock and Kings Pier Marina with Elisabeth Street Pier. South of it are Franklin Pier, Brooke Street Pier and Watermans Dock where the Derwent Explorer leaves to Cadbury Factory in Claremont where Tasmania’s famous chocolate is produced and can be sampled on a tour.
Things to Do in Hobart: Old Hobart South of the city centre is the historical Old Hobart - Battery Point. It is fun to wander along the winding streets with lovely 19th century houses and cottages, and the pretty St George’s Anglican Church, and Arthur Circus – a circle of cottages. If you are interested in the history of Battery Point, there is the Narryna Heritage Museum in southern Battery Point, and National Trust offers guided tours on Saturday mornings.
Things to Do in Hobart: Salamanca Square The central square of Battery Point is Salamanca Square, or Salamanca Place which is lined with beautiful sandstone warehouses – the finest Georgian dockside warehouses remaining in Australia. They were the centre of Hobart’s trade and commerce 1830s; today they house shops, galleries, cafes and outdoor restaurants.
Things to Do in Hobart: Salamanca Markets On Saturday mornings, the lively Salamanca Markets are held on Salamanca Place, with street performers, food stalls and a range of local products. And don’t be surprised if you run into Princess Mary – she is known to visit the markets when on a trip to her home town from Denmark.
Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens and Cascade Brewery On the south-western edge of the city centre is the Cascade Brewery where you can taste Australia's best cider on guided tours. North of the city, next to the Tasman Bridge, is the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens - established in 1818 – with the largest collection of mature conifers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Things to Do in Hobart: Mount Wellington Tasmania South of Hobart is the 1270-m high Mount Wellington with some great walking tracks and lovely views over the city. It is not a dormant volcano as many believe. Like many other Tasmanian mountains it is an igneous intrusion of dolerite – a rock not found on Australian mainland. It formed when Gondwana broke up 175 million years ago and the weaknesses in the earth’s crust where filled by magma (it was a vertical intrusion called sill). Once the magma cooled it formed into rock and when it was exposed to wind and water, sediments around it eroded. You can get to Mount Wellington by buses no 48 and 49, and there is also the Mount Wellington Shuttle Bus Service departing from the central Hobart.
Things to Do in Hobart: Hobart Festivals There are also some festivals worth going to: In February, there is the Australian Wooden Boat Festival and Royal Hobart Regatta, in March or April there is the Ten Days on the Island, and in December and January, the most enjoyable time in Tasmania’s cold climate, is the Hobart Summer Festival.
Kingston beach, Mt Field National Park and Richmond Tasmania South of Hobart is Kingston beach, and 89km northwest is Mt Field National Park with some great bushwalking in nice scenery. Richmond, 24 km north-east of Hobart, is a lovely historic town with many buildings dating back to 19th century and makes a nice day trip from Hobart.
Here's a map of Hobart, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
