Visitor Information

Tourism Tasmania (www.discovertasmania.com.au) is the official tourism body and operates visitor centers in more than 20 towns throughout the state. The Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre, 20 Davey St. (at Elizabeth St.), Hobart (tel. 1800/990 440 in Australia, or 03/6238 4222; www.hobarttravelcentre.com.au) can arrange travel passes, ferry and bus tickets, car rentals, cruises, and accommodations. It is open daily 9am–5pm (closed Christmas Day).

City Layout

Hobart straddles the Derwent River on the south coast of Tasmania. Salamanca Place and nearby Battery Point abut Sullivan’s Cove, home to hundreds of yachts. The row of sandstone warehouses that dominate Salamanca Place date to the city’s heyday as a whaling base in the 1830s. Behind Princes Wharf, Battery Point is the city’s historic district, which in colonial times was the home of sailors, fishermen, whalers, coopers, merchants, shipwrights, and master mariners. The open ocean is about 50km (31 miles) down the river, though the Derwent empties into Storm Bay, just 20km (12 miles) downstream. The central business district is on the west side of the water, with the main thoroughfares—Campbell, Argyle, Elizabeth, Murray, and Harrington streets—sloping down to the busy harbor. The Tasman Bridge and regular passenger ferries cross the Derwent River. Set back from and overlooking the city is 1,270m-tall (4,166-ft.) Mount Wellington.

When to Go

Hello, Sailor!

The Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race, starting in Sydney on December 26, fills the Constitution Dock Marina and harbor area close to overflowing with spectators and partygoers when the yachts turn up in Tasmania. The race takes anywhere from 2 to 4 days, and the sailors and fans stay on to celebrate New Year's Eve. Food and wine lovers indulge themselves after the race during the Hobart Summer Festival, which starts on December 28.

Getting Around

Simply strolling around the harbor and popping into the shops at Salamanca Place can keep you nicely occupied, but don’t miss the lovely colonial stone cottages of Battery Point. This area got its name from a battery of guns set up on the promontory in 1818 to defend the town against potential invaders (particularly the French). Today, there are tearooms, antiques shops, restaurants, and atmospheric pubs interspersed between grand dwellings.

For magnificent views over Hobart and across a fair-size chunk of Tasmania, drive to the Pinnacle on top of Mount Wellington, about 40 minutes from the city center. Take a warm coat; the wind in this alpine area can bite. An extensive network of walking trails offers good hiking. You can order a copy of the Wellington Park Recreation Map and Notes and other day walk maps for A$10 or less online from Tasmap (www.tasmap.tas.gov.au). The website also has other free maps for download, including street maps of Hobart and Launceston.

Central Hobart is very small, and most of the attractions are in easy walking distance. Metro Tasmania (tel. 03/6233 4232 or 13 22 01; www.metrotas.com.au) operates public buses throughout the city and suburban areas. The buses operate on an electronic Green Card system, or you can just buy a ticket on board. Single tickets cost from A$3. Day Rover tickets can be used after 9am daily (or all day on weekends) and cost A$5.30.
Tasmania’s Tricky Roads

Driving in Tasmania can be dangerous; there are more accidents involving tourists on Tasmania’s roads than anywhere else in Australia. Many roads are narrow and bends can be tight, especially in the mountainous inland regions, where you may also come across black ice early in the morning or any time in winter. Marsupials are common around dusk, and swerving to avoid them has caused countless crashes. In fact, you may be shocked by the amount of road kill you will see here.

Getting There

By Plane

  Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com) flies from Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne to Hobart. Virgin Australia (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginaustralia.com.au) flies from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Adelaide to Hobart. Tiger Air (tel. 03/9034 3733; www.tigerair.com/au) flies to Hobart from Melbourne.

The trip from the airport to the city center takes about 20 minutes and costs about A$40 by taxi. The Airporter Shuttle Bus (tel. 1300/385 511 in Australia; www.airporterhobart.com.au) meets planes and delivers passengers to hotels in the city and farther afield for A$17 one-way or A$30 round-trip to the city center for adults and A$13 each way for kids. Book at least 2 hours ahead for departures, and if you are on a flight before 9am, you need to book by 6pm the night before.

Car- and camper-rental offices at the airport include Avis (tel. 03/6248 5424), Budget (tel. 1300/362 848 in Australia, or 03/6248 4183), Europcar (tel. 13 13 90 in Australia or 03/6248 5849), and Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227 in Australia or 03/6248 5678). You might find better bargains in town, with lower-priced rental companies such as Lo-Cost Auto Rent (tel. 03/6231 0550).

By FERRY 
Two high-speed ships connect Melbourne and Tasmania. Spirit of Tasmania I and II can each carry up to 1,400 passengers and up to 500 vehicles. They make the crossing from Melbourne’s Station Pier to Tasmania’s Devonport (on the north coast) in between 9 and 11 hours. The twin ships leave both Melbourne and Devonport at 7:30pm and arrive at around 6am the next day. During busy times, there’s also day service leaving both ports at 9am and arriving at 6pm. Accommodation ranges from reclining seats to comfortable air-conditioned cabins with Queen-size beds and en suite bathrooms, and four-berth cabins suited to families. Reclining seats cost from A$126 adults, or you can upgrade to an inside (no porthole) twin cabin from A$178 per adult. Fares for an inside four-berth cabin start from A$158 adults and A$76 children aged 3 to 15. Prices depend on the season and whether you have a porthole or not. Transporting a standard car costs A$79 to A$89, depending on size, year-round. Facilities on the ships include a la carte and buffet restaurants, a cinema, gaming lounge, and four bars.

For reservations tel. 13 20 10 in Australia or 03/6421 7209 or book online at www.spiritoftasmania.com.au. Special offers are regularly available. Tasmanian Redline Coaches (tel.1300/360 000 in Australia or 03/6336 1446; www.redlinecoaches.com.au) connect with each ferry for transfers to Hobart. Driving a car from Devonport on the north coast to Hobart on the south coast takes less than 4 hours.

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