Touring Tasmania – Hobart
Salamanca Place in Hobart
Our tour of Tasmania starts in the state’s capital city, Hobart, in the south east. This coastal city is situated on the estuary of the Derwent River and set against the picturesque backdrop of Mount Wellington.
Hobart is a beautiful little city, the second oldest in Australia, and was founded in 1804 when it grew as a result of the penal colony based here. Although the population went up and the town grew, Hobart never became a huge city and I think this is one of the main reasons why it really appealed to us. If asked to compare Hobart to another city, I would have to say that it really struck me as a smaller version of Vancouver, in Canada!
We decided to stay in Hobart for a couple of nights. There are dozens of hotels and other accommodation in the Hobart area which you can choose from; we personally chose to stay in a hotel in Hobart’s historic centre.
What to See in Hobart
There is plenty to see and do in Hobart to keep you occupied for at least a couple of days, and if you have longer to spare it’s the kind of city which you can just sit back and relax in!
Historic Hobart
We really enjoyed wandering around, admiring the old Georgian and Victorian buildings of the city, particularly around the riverside area. If you can plan it so that you’re here on a Saturday, Salamanca Place really comes alive with the Saturday morning Salamanca Market. The market and the surrounding streets are a great place to soak up the atmosphere and have fun drifting from one craft shop to the next or sit down and enjoy a great meal in one of the many restaurants here.
We joined a walking tour as we felt this would be the best way to get to see and hear about the most interesting historic places in Hobart. A variety of tours are available with Hobart Historic Tours and their essential one is the Hobart Historic Walk Tour. Once you’ve enjoyed this one you can then choose from some more specific tours such as Battery Point Walk Tour or the Old Hobart Pub Tour!
Museums in Hobart
Hobart has a couple of museums – The Maritime Museum of Tasmania details the maritime history of the island including the whaling industry, shipbuilding, shipwrecks and more, whilst the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery takes a more general look at Tasmania’s history and, amongst other things, you can see a stuffed version of the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
About 15 minutes walk or a quick drive from Hobart city centre, are the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. The walk is really nice as you go across the Queens Domain, an area of hilly bushland, to reach the botanical gardens at one end. The gardens were established in 1818 and feature many native Tasmanian plants. One of the most popular attractions here though is the Subantarctic Plant House! This is the only one of its kind in the world and houses plants from subantarctic islands. Make sure you bring a sweater, as it’s climatically controlled in here!
Other attractions in Hobart and the surrounding area include a trip up Mount Wellington, cruises on the Derwent River and Hobart harbour, the Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory and the Wrest Point Casino, all of which will be covered in our next entry!
“Hobart – Touring Tasmania” by Claire Bolgil
