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Hobart Attractions
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. One of the houses worth looking into is Narryna Heritage Museum, 103 Hampden Rd. (tel. 03/6234 2791; www.narryna.com.au), which depicts the life of upper-class pioneers. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5pm (closed Anzac Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, and all of July). Extended hours operate during summer; check the website. Admission is A$6 for adults and A$3 for children 3 to 15, or A$15 for a family of four. Also in this area is the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, 16 Argyle St. at Davey Street (tel. 03/6234 1427; www.maritimetas.org), one of the best museums of its type in Australia. It's open daily (except Good Friday and Christmas Day) from 9am to 5pm; admission is A$7 for adults, A$4 for children 13 to 18, free for children 12 and under, or A$16 for families. Guided tours cost A$12; bookings are essential.
Hobart Historic Tours (tel. 03/6230 8233 or 03/6278 3338; www.hobarthistorictours.com.au) runs a fascinating 90-minute walking tour of Hobart. It departs at 9:30am from outside the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. A Historic Pub Tour (not recommended for children), departing at 5pm from St David's Cathedral (Murray St.) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, takes you to two waterfront pubs and will enthrall you with stories of alcohol-fueled shenanigans. You even get to meet some shady actor-characters. The company also runs a Battery Point Walk past small artisans' cottages and grand houses. It departs at 11:30am on Saturdays from Kelly's Steps in Salamanca Place. All tours run between October 1 and April 30, and cost A$30 for adults, A$14 for kids ages 8 to 16, A$70 families of four. Kids under 8 are free.
Grayline (tel. 1300/858 687 in Australia; www.grayline.com.au) offers a range of sightseeing tours of Hobart and Mount Wellington by coach. A 3-hour tour costs A$42 for adults, half price for kids.
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.
12 Results
- Zoo/Aquarium
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Tasmanian devils and wallabies are the main attractions at Bonorong (it means “native companion”). Most of the animals have been rescued after injury, and owner Greg Irons is passionate about saving and conserving indigenous creatures. You’ll also find snakes, koalas, echidnas,… - Tour
Cascade Brewery
Cascade Premium is one of Australia’s most popular beers. To see how this heady amber nectar is produced, head to Australia’s oldest brewery and tag along on a 90-minute tour, which includes a stroll through the grand old Woodstock Gardens behind the factory. - Historic Site
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site
Unless you are really into convict history, you may wish to save yourself for Port Arthur. All that is left here are the stone walls of this prison, a memorial garden, and little in the way of interpretation for those not on a tour, despite its important history. The “factory”… - Museum
Maritime Museum of Tasmania
Renowned as one of the best of its type in Australia, this museum explores the influence of the sea on the lives of Tasmanians and the island’s strong maritime heritage. It has displays about aboriginal watercraft, early European explorers and whalers, and how ships helped develop… - Museum
Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
Australia’s largest privately owned art gallery opened in 2011 promising to “shock and offend.” Owner David Walsh wanted his art museum to be daring and provocative—and so it is. But more often, it delights and amazes. This museum of old and new art challenges, informs, and… - Museum
Narryna Heritage Museum
One of the houses worth looking into at Battery Point is Narryna, which depicts the life of upper-class pioneers. Built by Captain Andrew Haig in 1837–40, it was later the home of several Hobart businessmen and women, lawyers, politicians, and bankers. - Park/Garden
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
Established in 1818, these gardens are known for English-style plant and tree layouts—including a great conifer collection—a superb Japanese garden, and seasonal blooming plants. A restaurant provides lunch and teas. To walk here from the city center, partly along a pleasant country… - Market
Salamanca Market
If you are in Hobart on a Saturday, don’t miss this market—it’s one of the best markets in Australia. Some 200 stalls offer everything from fruit and vegetables to crafts made from pottery, glass, and native woods. The market is open from 8:30am to 3pm. Salamanca Place has plenty of… - Cooking Class
Tahune Airwalk
A 2-hour drive from Hobart, the Airwalk is a lofted treetop walkway situated in the Tahune Forest Reserve, overlooking the Huon and Picton rivers. You can take the stairs to the start of the walk, or wait for a shuttle bus that runs by every hour. Once on the elevated cantilevered… Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Come here to find out more about Tasmania’s Aboriginal heritage, its history since settlement, and the island’s wildlife. Traveling exhibitions are mounted from time to time, but always on display are colonial-era paintings, including an impressive collection of works by Tom Roberts…- Historic Site
The Female Factory Historic Site
Unless you are really into convict history, you may wish to save yourself for Port Arthur. All that is left here are the stone walls of this prison, a memorial garden, and little in the way of interpretation for those not on a tour, despite its important history. The "factory"… - Performing Arts Venue
Theatre Royal
Built in 1837, this 747-seat venue is the oldest live theater in Australia. It’s known for its excellent acoustics and its classical Victorian decor and is Hobart’s major stage venue. Tours of the theatre, on which you can learn its fascinating history, are run by the Friends of the…
Hobart Shopping
If you are in Hobart on a Saturday, don't miss the Salamanca Market, in Salamanca Place -- it's one of the best markets in Australia. Some 200 stalls offer everything from fruit and vegetables to crafts made from pottery, glass, and native woods. The market is open from 8:30am to 3pm.
Salamanca Place has plenty of crafts shops that are worth exploring, though the prices sometimes reflect the fashionable area. Pop into the Tasmania Shop & Gallery, 65 Salamanca Place (tel. 03/6223 5022; www.tasmaniashopgallery.com.au). This is a cut above your normal souvenir shop, offering innovative and interesting mementos and artworks by Tasmanian artists and designers, including glassware, textiles, jewelry, and sculptures.
There are plenty of other interesting shops and small galleries here and in the surrounding streets. On Hunter Street, on the other side of the marina from Salamanca Place and next to the Henry Jones Art Hotel, you will find Art Mob (tel. 03/6236 9200; www.artmob.com.au), where you can buy Aboriginal fine art at reasonable prices. Director Euan Hills will happily give advice on what you are looking at, without pressure to buy, and will also impart other tips for your stay in Hobart. The gallery specializes in works by Tasmanian Aboriginal artists, including paintings, prints, jewelry, and baskets.
Hours for most stores are Monday through Thursday from 9am to 6pm, Friday from 9am to 9pm, and Saturday from 9am to noon (though some are open all day).
Book Ends -- The best bookshop in town is a beauty; it sells a large range of new and secondhand books, many relating to Tasmania. Find the Hobart Bookshop at 22 Salamanca Sq. (tel. 03/6223 1803). For some good reading on Tasmania, among my favorites is In Tasmania, by Nicholas Shakespeare, a blend of Tasmania's history and future and the author's discovery of his own convict heritage. For a different take on convict history, Closing Hell's Gates: The Death of a Convict Station, by Tasmanian writer Hamish Maxwell-Stewart gives an insight into life on the notorious Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour. Ronnie, Tasmanian Songman, by Aboriginal elder Ronnie Summers, tells the story of growing up on Cape Barren Island and a life sharing the traditions of Cape Barren music (it comes with a music CD). For those interested in nature, Where to See Wildlife in Tasmania by Dave Watts and Cathie Plowman is an easy to use full-color guide to spotting Tasmania's unique fauna.
Hobart Nightlife
Built in 1837, the 747-seat Theatre Royal, 29 Campbell St. (tel. 03/6233 2299; www.theatreroyal.com.au), is the oldest live theater in the country. It's known for its excellent acoustics and its classical Victorian decor. It is Hobart's major stage venue. Ticket prices vary depending on the performance.
Opened in 1829 as a tavern and a brothel frequented by whalers, Knopwood's Retreat, 39 Salamanca Place (tel. 03/6223 5808), is still a raucous place to be on Friday and Saturday evenings, when crowds cram the historic interior and spill out onto the streets. Light lunches are popular throughout the week, and occasionally you'll find jazz or blues on the menu.
A popular drinking hole in Hobart is Irish Murphy's, 21 Salamanca Place (tel. 03/6223 1119), an atmospheric pub with stone walls and lots of dark wood. Local bands play Sunday to Thursday nights.
If you want to tempt Lady Luck, head to the Wrest Point Casino, in the Wrest Point Hotel, 410 Sandy Bay Rd. (tel. 03/6225 0112), Australia's first legal gambling club. Smart, casual attire is required (collared shirts for men).
