Hobart
Oceania · Australia
See also
Overview
Hobart is Australia's second oldest city, renowned for its historic buildings like Salamanca Place, and serves as the gateway to Southern Tasmania. It boasts world-class museums such as MONA, stunning natural landscapes including Mount Wellington, and a vibrant food scene centered on fresh seafood.
Languages: English
Why go?
Hobart is Australia's second oldest city, renowned for its historic buildings like Salamanca Place, and serves as the gateway to Southern Tasmania. It boasts world-class museums such as MONA, stunning natural landscapes including Mount Wellington, and a vibrant food scene centered on fresh seafood. The city is also one of five gateway cities to Antarctica, with a rich polar exploration history.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Get around
The city center is walkable, but public transport options include Metro Tasmania buses. The Hobart Transit Centre is a major hub. For Mount Wellington, you can drive, take a tour, or walk. The airport is about 20 km east of the city.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
When to go
Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate. Summer (Dec-Feb) highs average 21°C, winter (Jun-Aug) highs around 12°C. Rainfall is fairly even year-round, about 50 mm per month. Summer offers long daylight hours (up to 15.2 hours), while winter has short days. Pack layers even in summer, and bring warm clothes for Mount Wellington.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Things to do
Visit the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) on the Derwent River, climb Mount Wellington for panoramic views, explore historic Battery Point, and take a Polar Pathways walking tour highlighting Antarctic exploration. Other attractions include the Salamanca Market (Saturdays), Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, and the Cascades Female Factory UNESCO site.
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Food and drink
Hobart is famous for fresh seafood, especially deep-sea Trevalla and Tasmanian lobster. Try scallop pies at Salamanca Market. For budget eats, Machine Laundry Cafe offers breakfast from $8-15, and Mures Lower Deck serves deep-fried fish for about $10. Craft beer enthusiasts should tour Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest, or Moo Brew. The whisky bar at Lark Distillery offers tastings.
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Where to stay
Accommodation ranges from budget hostels like Brunswick Hotel (dorms from $23) and Hobart Central YHA, to mid-range hotels like Dr Syntax Hotel ($45-70), and luxury options like Henry Jones Art Hotel and Hadley's Orient Hotel. Battery Point offers self-contained apartments. Book in advance during events like the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
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Connectivity
Free WiFi is available at Service Tasmania on Macquarie St, the State Library, and Franklin Square. Hadley's Hotel foyer and Wrest Point Casino also offer free hotspots. Many coffee shops provide free wireless with a purchase. Several internet cafes are in the city center.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Day trips
Hobart is a base for exploring Southern Tasmania. Popular day trips include Bruny Island (wildlife and scenery), Port Arthur historic site, Richmond (oldest bridge and prison), Mount Field National Park (Russell Falls), and the Huon Trail. Freycinet National Park with Wineglass Bay is a longer but rewarding trip.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Go next
From Hobart, head north to Launceston, east to the east coast (Bicheno), southwest to Huonville and beyond, or northwest to Queenstown. The city is also a starting point for Antarctic expeditions.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Field guide adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been adapted and organized for this guide. About our sources.
Places to know
A few starting points from the guide. Check current hours and prices before you go.
- drink
Bar Celona
Bar Celona is a combined wine bar and cafe. The decor is open and wood paneled: while it can get a bit noisy, it's a good place to escape some of the much more crowded bars on a busy weekend night, especially if you want to have a nice glass or two of wine.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- do
Bellerive Oval
With a capacity of 19,500, this hosts the Tasmania State cricket team, Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash T20 cricket league, and in winter is a secondary ground for North Melbourne AFL.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- drink
Cargo Bar Lounge
Modern feel with a mix of outdoor seating on the street, or a quieter secluded booth style seating at the back of the bar. Drinks are the usual fare; a selection of beers on tap, a good choice of wines and most spirits.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- do
Cascade Brewery
Australia's oldest brewery offers two tours for you to enjoy. The Brewery Tour explores within the brewery where you learn about their primary beers and how they are produced before visiting the Woodstock Gardens. This tour includes 3 drink tokens to use during the tour, and is only for people above 16 years old who do not require a walking aid. Visitors taking the brewery tour must wear flat, covered shoes and long pants. The alternative Heritage Tour is for people of all ages and explores the surrounding area of the brewery including the gardens and the Cascade museum, with tastings of beers provided for those above the age of 18. Both tours run for around 1.5 hours.
Recorded price: Brewery tour: adult $25, senior or concession $20. Heritage tour: adult $15, child $8
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- buy
Cat and Fiddle Arcade
A renovated shopping mall that has fast become a premier shopping destination in Hobart, with many national Australian retailers now calling the Cat and Fiddle home. The mall has long been famous for an animated clock within the food court that acts out The Cat and the Fiddle nursery rhyme on the hour.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- do
Charles Reuben Estate
The range of wines by winemaker Tim Krushka includes pinot noir, chardonnay, a Bordeaux-blend red and a sauvignon blanc semillon.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- do
Coal Valley Vineyard
Coal Valley's range includes riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, tempranillo and a cabernet merlot blend.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- buy
Cracked and Spineless New and Used Books
A mixed secondhand and new bookstore, best known for once finding a lost Napoleonic-era diary in the back room,. They feature an extremely eclectic range of books and have been Hobart's premier secondhand bookstore for 30 years. Their social media is extremely popular in Hobart for its off-colour jokes.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
Before you go
Connectivity
Free WiFi at Service Tasmania, State Library, Franklin Square, and some hotels.
Food
Seafood specialty. Try scallop pie at Salamanca Market. Budget meals from $8-10 at cafes and Mures Lower Deck.
Transport
Hobart International Airport (HBA) has flights from mainland Australia and Auckland. Airport bus or taxi to city. City walkable; Metro Tasmania buses.
Weather
Mild oceanic climate; pack layers year-round. Summer highs ~21°C, winter ~12°C. Mount Wellington is 10-15°C colder than city.