Hobart

Australia's second-oldest city and Tasmania's capital, linked to MONA, Salamanca Market, kunanyi/Mount Wellington, Bruny Island and Port Arthur.

Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1804, it is Australia's second-oldest city, set at the mouth of the Derwent River beneath 1,271-m Mount Wellington (kunanyi). The old town preserves many sandstone warehouses and colonial buildings, with Salamanca Place and Battery Point the heart of any stroll. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) has made this small city a capital of art and food, and Hobart is also a gateway for Antarctic expeditions.

Seasons: December–February is mild summer (about 20–25°C) with long daylight, good for boat trips and hiking, and also the time of the yacht race and food festivals; March–May brings lovely autumn color and the apple harvest in the Huon Valley; June–August is cold winter, with Mount Wellington often snow-capped, and in June MONA hosts the Dark Mofo festival; September–November is spring, with flowers in bloom. The weather is changeable, so bring a windproof jacket in every season.

Things to do: ① In the city: Salamanca Market (Saturdays), Farm Gate Market (Sundays), Battery Point, the waterfront, TMAG, Cascade Brewery and Mount Wellington; ② North: MONA, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, the historic Richmond Bridge and the wineries of the Coal River Valley; ③ South: Bruny Island, the Huon Valley, the Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Caves; ④ Southeast: the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur; ⑤ Northwest: Mount Field National Park.

Getting there: there are direct flights to Hobart from Melbourne and Sydney, taking about 1–2 hours; the airport is about 20 minutes from the city by car. The city center is walkable, but driving is strongly recommended for the surrounding area; beware of wildlife on the roads after dusk. Plan to stay 3–5 days, and you can continue north to the east coast, Launceston or Cradle Mountain.

Top sights

• Salamanca Market – Australia's best outdoor market, held every Saturday on the Hobart waterfront in front of Georgian sandstone warehouses. Over 300 stalls se…
• kunanyi / Mount Wellington – A 1,271-metre domed mountain behind Hobart. A 30-minute drive from the city takes you above the snowline, and the summit viewpoint overlook…
• Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) – An underground museum built by a billionaire gambler into a cliff above the Derwent River, featuring contemporary art themed around sex, de…
• Port Arthur Historic Site – A penal settlement from 1830 to 1877 that held Britain's most serious convicts. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it features ruined prisons, c…
• Bruny Island – An island south of Hobart, linked north and south by a narrow sandy isthmus. Its signature attractions are clifftop boat tours, oysters, ch…
• Tasman Peninsula – The Southern Hemisphere's highest sea cliffs (300 m), the Tasman Arch, the Tessellated Pavement and the Totem Pole at Cape Hauy. Sea-cliff…
• Battery Point – A 19th-century colonial neighborhood above Salamanca Place, with intact Georgian cottages and Arthur Circus, making it Hobart's most charmi…
• Cascade Brewery – Australia's oldest working brewery, founded in 1824. Its imposing Gothic brick buildings sit at the foot of Mount Wellington, and you can t…
• Richmond Bridge & Coal River Valley – A Georgian-style town home to Australia's oldest stone bridge still in use (1823). The surrounding Coal River Valley is dotted with winerie…
• Huon Valley & Willie Smith's Apple Shed – The core growing region of Tasmania, the 'Apple Isle', with orchards and small towns strung along the valley. Willie Smith's Apple Shed off…
• Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) – The state museum beside Constitution Dock, free to enter, showcasing Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, the extinct thylacine, colonial art and…
• Constitution Dock & Hobart Waterfront – Hobart's waterfront heart, where floating fish stalls converted from fishing boats fry up fish and chips and sell oysters. It is also the f…
• Mount Field National Park – One of Tasmania's earliest national parks. The cascading Russell Falls is called Australia's most beautiful waterfall, and the high country…
• Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary – Tasmania's largest wildlife rescue center, where you can watch Tasmanian devils at feeding time, hand-feed kangaroos and pose with wombats.
• Cascades Female Factory Historic Site – One of the UNESCO World Heritage 'Australian Convict Sites', which held female convicts from 1828 to 1856. Immersive storytelling recreates…
• Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens – Founded in 1818, Australia's second-oldest botanic garden. Highlights include a Japanese garden by the Derwent River, a sub-Antarctic plant…
• Tahune Airwalk – A treetop walkway up to about 50 m high where the Huon and Picton rivers meet, with a cantilevered viewing platform jutting out over the ri…
• Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs – One of Australia's largest dolomite caves, Newdegate Cave, where a guided walk passes through stalactite chambers. Outside, a natural hot s…
• Shot Tower, Taroona – A 48-m-high round sandstone tower completed in 1870, where molten lead was dropped from the top to make bullets. Climb 318 steps for views…
• Farm Gate Market – A farmers' market held every Sunday on Bathurst Street, selling seasonal Tasmanian produce, cheese, oysters, bread and coffee. It's where l…
• Mawson's Huts Replica Museum – A full-size replica of the base huts from Australia's 1911 to 1914 Antarctic expedition, telling the story of Douglas Mawson's Antarctic le…
• Mount Nelson Signal Station – The former signal station, established in 1811 at about 340 m elevation, overlooks central Hobart, the Derwent River and the Tasman Bridge…

Where to eat

• Aløft – Located upstairs at Brooke Street Pier, this restaurant showcases Tasmanian produce through a Pan-Asian lens, offering…
• Flippers Cooked Seafood – A fish-shaped floating punt on Constitution Dock, this is a classic, budget-friendly Hobart seafood takeaway perfect fo…
• Fico – A nine-course tasting menu restaurant on Macquarie Street, renowned for its handmade pasta and Italian flavors, with a…
• Landscape Restaurant & Grill – Located right next to the Henry Jones Art Hotel, this restaurant cooks Tasmanian beef, lamb, and seafood over an asado…
• Cyclo Vietnamese Street Food – A budget-friendly Vietnamese eatery in North Hobart, famous locally for its banh mi and offering an affordable spot for…

Itineraries

• Tasmania Clockwise Loop Self-Drive – From Hobart, head up the West Coast, passing through Cradle Mountain, the Bay of Fires, and Wineglass Bay, before retur…
• Hobart, Bruny Island & Port Arthur – Based in Hobart, spend four days exploring markets, MONA, Bruny Island, and Port Arthur
• Overland Track: Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair – Enter from Launceston and spend six days hiking about 65 km through the Wilderness World Heritage Area
• Tasmania In-Depth Loop via Melbourne Ferry – Bring your car across from Melbourne on an overnight ferry, completing a full island loop plus Bruny Island and Stanley