Wiki Australia - Your Australian Online Travel and Resort Guide

Tasmania’s capital lies in the south-east of the state, near the mouth of the Derwent River at the foot of Mount Wellington.

The 19th century waterfront warehouses for which the city is famous once bustled with whalers, soldiers, petty bureaucrats and opportunist businessmen. Now they house cafes, restaurants and studios and bustle with shoppers and visitors. Polished glass winks in the windows of settlers’ cottages, in nearby Battery Point, and brass doorknobs gleam in the lofty porches of colonial edifices.

Hobart is a city of warm sandstone, bright spinnakers on the water, fish punts at the docks, the slap of halyards on masts, coffee under the striped sun umbrellas of Salamanca where the famous Salamanca Market is held very Saturday.

Square-riggers still put out on the River, tacking among the yachts and fishing boats. Parliament House looks out on its lawns, once the market garden for old Hobart Town, and historic Government House sits serenely in its park on the city’s northern fringe, where the Governor’s cows graze as they always have in their city-centre paddock.

Hobart’s busy arts scene takes in art, craft, music and theatre at Salamanca Arts Centre and the surrounding warehouses. You can hang out to the sounds of South American flutes, pub rock, street buskers and string quartets, and theatrical performances both classic and contemporary. In galleries and studios, our artists and craftspeople make bold and beautiful statements in pigments, glass, pottery and fabrics.

The city was settled in 1804 by Lieutenant Governor Collins and grew rapidly as the clearing house for British and Irish convicts. Its place on the Derwent River became the perfect protected deepwater harbour, and now every December and January it welcomes weary and exultant contenders from the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Hobart's Harbour

Hobart is shaped by water. The suburbs hug the winding River Derwent and city buildings cluster to the docks. On the sparkling harbour, Antarctic supply vessels and liners mingle with sailing craft. Hobart, Tasmania's capital, with its stunning harbour and historic buildings is one of the most attractive Australian cities. It's the perfect first step for an exploration of the south.

Beyond Hobart

Greater Hobart and its surrounding towns of Richmond to the north-east and Kettering, to the south, is an intriguing blend of heritage and lifestyle, scenery and vibrant culture. It’s a city defined by the river and sea. Take a harbour cruise, or drive to the summit of Mount Nelson or Mount Wellington, and you’ll understand our maritime focus - suburbs hug the Derwent River, city buildings cluster around the docks and the estuary broadens into Storm Bay and the distant sea.

Twenty-five kilometres and 100 years from the busy city is the historic town of Richmond - in the narrow cells of the old Richmond Gaol, Tasmania’s convict past seems just a clink of chains away. Close by are the neat vineyards and wineries of the Coal River Valley, home of superb cool-climate wines.

Hobart is an ideal base for your southern Tasmanian journeys - explore farther afield, then return to relax, unwind and rejuvenate.

Add Your Insight

Share your inside knowledge, whether it be good places to stay or eat nearby, unusual places to visit in the area and any other information about this destination that does not normally appear in brochures or websites.

Hobart Images