COME DOWN FOR AIR
Hobart offers a contrasting blend of heritage, scenery and culture, with world class activities and attractions nearby. Nestled amongst the foothills of kunanyi / Mt Wellington, Hobart combines heritage charm with a modern lifestyle in a setting of exceptional beauty. It’s no wonder Lonely Planet has called Hobart one of the top ten spots to visit in the world right now.
With its captivating history, picturesque waterways, rugged mountains and gourmet experiences, the city has something for everyone.
Award-winning restaurants offer fine dining experiences using the best Tasmanian produce recognised by the world’s best chefs, while on the waterfront punts and fishmongers sell the freshest seafood straight from the Southern Ocean.
Enjoy the contrast of elegant heritage sandstone alongside modern architecture. Explore Salamanca Place, a short walk from the waterfront, with its galleries, theatres, craft shops and restaurants in 1830s Georgian warehouses and on Saturdays enjoy the food and entertainment of Salamanca Market, Australia’s best outdoor market.
Take a walk along Hobart’s iconic waterfront, explore the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery or take a ferry up river to MONA for an out-of-this-world modern art experience.
No idea where to begin? Fear not, we’ve compiled some of DiscoverTasmania’s best itineraries to help you get the most out of your trip to Hobart.
Hobart itineraries
Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), Hobart, Tasmania © Rob Burnett, Tourism Tasmania
Start your morning with a stroll along Hobart’s pretty working waterfront toward Salamanca Place, where rows of Georgian sandstone warehouses have been converted into galleries, theatres, restaurants and cutting-edge boutiques. On Saturday mornings you can wander around more than 300 stalls at the Salamanca Market (8.30am-3pm) for fresh local produce, handmade arts and crafts and antiques. Or browse the works of designers and artists at the Spacebar Gallery in Salamanca Arts Centre. Enjoy lunch at Jack Greene in Salamanca Square and dine on gourmet burgers and craft beers.
Leave two to three hours to explore the provocative collection at Mona (Museum of Old and New Art), Australia’s largest privately owned museum. The Mona ferry departs from Brooke Street Pier and takes roughly 25 minutes. The cavernous galleries are filled with controversial, thought-provoking works, and information and interviews with the artists is available via The O, a unique device available for all visitors. Head back to Hobart for a waterfront dinner at Frank, dining on Argentinean-style dishes such as fire-roasted oysters, Southern calamari and charcoal-grilled meats. Afterwards catch a performance at the Theatre Royal, Australia’s longest-running theatre, or taste Tasmania’s finest tipples at Lark Distillery. Rest your head at Moss Hotel, which is housed in a converted warehouse on Hobart’s waterfront.
Mount Wellington, Hobart, Tasmania © Tourism Australia
Tuck into sourdough crumpets or a chilli omelette at Room For A Pony, before the 30-minute drive up to the summit of Mount Wellington, 1,270 metres (4,167 feet) above sea level. From the lookout you can take in sweeping views over Hobart, Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula. Wellington Park is threaded with tracks and trails for bushwalking, bike riding and horse riding. Hike to Silver Falls along the Pipeline Track (40 minutes return) or follow the Lenah Valley Track (45 minutes return) to Sphinx Rock.
Back in Hobart, join a one-hour Historic Cruise up the Derwent River to see the city's notable landmarks, including the Botanical Gardens, the Tasman Bridge and Government House. Or visit TMAG (Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery) to delve into Tasmania’s Aboriginal history and see objects from the country’s oldest scientific society, the Royal Society of Tasmania, established in 1843. The museum also houses an extensive collection of colonial and contemporary art. For dinner, book well in advance for the 20-seat restaurant Templo, where chef Matt Breen delivers a tasting menu of Italian-inspired dishes.
Get Shucked, Great Bay, Tasmania © Tourism Australia
Drive 40 minutes south from Hobart to the sleepy seaside town of Kettering. From here you can catch the 20-minute ferry to Bruny Island via Sealink Bruny Island and explore the wild coastline, tall forests and gentle green hills on foot in your own time. Climb the stairs to the lookout above the Neck – a narrow, sandy isthmus connecting north and south Bruny Island – to take in 360-degree views over Adventure Bay. Cross over to South Bruny Island, where you can walk along the coastal track to Penguin Island and Fluted Cape (2.5 hours return), or stroll along the white sands of Sandy Bay. For a more in-depth experience, choose one of the many tour options available. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys offers a three-hour wilderness cruise where you can spot Australian fur seals, dolphins, migrating whales and sea birds, or opt for their Tasmanian Seafood Seduction tour.
Bruny Island is renowned for its food and wine. Sample artisan cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses at the Bruny Island Cheese Co. and freshly shucked oysters at Get Shucked, both at Great Bay. Call into Bruny Island Providore at Adventure Bay to stock up on chocolates and handmade fudge, then visit Australia’s southernmost vineyard, Bruny Island Premium Wines in Lunawanna. To round up your culinary adventure, head back to Hobart and enjoy the final meal of your stay at Dier Makr.
Credit: Australia.com
Friends don’t let friends miss a road trip in Tasmania. Grab the crew for a whole lot of fun and feasting in the island state.
Sawtooth Lookout, Derby Mountain Bike Trails / Flow Mountain Bike
Surrounded by 125 kilometres of custom-built trails scribbled through rainforest and bush, the former tin-mining town of Derby is mountain-biking magic. Plummet off the Blue Tier through dense forest to Weldborough and beyond, or descend the Tier’s other side on the 42-kilometre Bay of Fires Trail, finishing on the cloud-white sands of Swimcart Beach. Finish the day with a restorative session at the Floating Sauna Lake Derby, alternating between the heat of the sauna and plunges in the chilly water – a bake and a lake.
Take the car ferry to Bruny Island for superb scenery and walks, whether heading past a beachside arch of rock at Mars Bluff on the way to Cape Queen Elizabeth, or wandering the wild shore of Cloudy Bay to East Cloudy Head. Then satisfy the resulting appetite and thirst at Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co, Get Shucked oyster farm, Bruny Island Premium Wines and the Bruny Island House of Whisky.
Tasmania’s whiskies are world-beaters – in recent years they’ve been named world’s best single malt and world’s best single cask single malt. Appoint your designated driver and follow the Tasmanian Whisky Trail to more than 14 distilleries, including Shene Distillery, a grand 1819 colonial estate where you can craft your own single malt. Gin lovers should head to Southern Wild Distillery, the Devonport maker of premium Dasher + Fisher gins.
Huon Pine Walk in takayna/Tarkine / Stu Gibson
Set out by car and foot to discover some of Tasmania’s wildest natural scenes. Ferry across to Maria Island National Park to climb Bishop and Clerk – bristling dolerite towers at the island’s northern tip – or to stroll between the contrasting coastal wonders of the Fossil Cliffs and the Painted Cliffs. A former logging tramway near Rosebery on the west coast leads to the state’s tallest waterfall: 104-metre Montezuma Falls. Nearby, stride out on a series of rainforest walks from Corinna Wilderness Experience in the takayna/Tarkine – the short Huon Pine Walk will introduce you to Tasmania’s most cherished tree species, while the Savage River Walk heads to Australia’s furthest inland shipwreck.
Wine tasting at Jansz Tasmania / Adam Gibson
The Tamar Valley Wine Trail connects more than 30 cellar doors through Tasmania’s oldest and largest wine region. Appoint your designated driver and head to Pipers River for bubbles at the likes of Jansz Tasmania, Clover Hill Wines and Delamere Vineyard, and call ahead to Glendale Vineyard, with its cellar door inside an old apple shed, to arrange a picnic among the vines or on the shores of its lake.
With four courses that have been rated among the top 10 in Australia, Tasmania is prime territory for a round of golf. Barnbougle combines two stunning, dune-top links courses – Lost Farm and The Dunes – plus a new 14-hole short course on a potato farm in the island’s north east, with a luxury lodge, restaurant, bars and day spa. Just an hour’s drive north of Hobart, Ratho Farm is Australia’s oldest golf course, and the oldest remaining outside Scotland, with accommodation sprinkled among convict-era farm buildings.
Willie Smith’s Apple Shed / Samuel Shelley
These days the Huon Valley’s orchards turn out as much cider as eating apples. Settle in for a session in the cider garden at Willie Smith’s Apple Shed and keep an eye out along the way for roadside stalls selling local produce, including those apples. The Little Black Fridge is a roadside stall in Geeveston selling freshly baked goods.
Forage and then feast with Sirocco South, harvesting the likes of seasonal wild asparagus, mushrooms and saltbush, which are then teamed with Tasmanian meat and seafood for a long-table outdoor lunch. A foraged lunch is also the reward after a hunt for rare black truffles with Doug the truffle dog at Tasmanian Truffles. And prep in style at the cooking school at beautiful Red Feather Inn.
Cradle Mountain Canyons / Off the Path
Welcome to adventure island. Squirm through a canyon in the shadow of Cradle Mountain with Cradle Mountain Canyons. Take the challenge of the world’s highest commercial abseil from the Gordon Dam with Aardvark Adventures. Kayak across Coles Bay to the foot of the Hazards with Freycinet Adventures. And slow things down as you paddle in search of platypuses in the River Derwent with Tassie Bound.
Credit: DiscoverTasmania
From historic Richmond to the Tasman National Park, Eaglehawk Neck and Port Arthur Historic Site, this fascinating trail is rich in convict history and natural beauty. The Tasman Peninsula is a place of breathtaking seascapes, some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world and wild ocean views.
Richmond Bridge / Poon Wai Nang
The Tessellated Pavement / Luke Tscharke
Port Arthur Historic Site / Poon Wai Nang
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys / Poon Wai Nang
