Hobart

Hobart CBD

Hobart was founded in 1804 as a penal colony, it is Australia's second oldest city and serves as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations.

Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate, with four distinct seasons.

CLIMATE DATA

Month                                      Dec                  Mar                  Jun                   Sep

Max Temp                                20.3                20.1                  11.9                   15

Min Temp                                 10.8                10.8                   5.2                     6.4

Rainfall Total mm                    57.2                 45.7                  54.6                   52.4

Rain Days                                12.9                 11.3                  14.0                   15.1

Hobart is located on an estuary of the Derwent River in the state’s south east. The central business district is located on the western shore, adjacent to Sullivan's Cove, with the inner suburbs spread out along the shores of the Derwent and climbing up the hills at the foot of Mount Wellington. The Port of Hobart occupies the whole of the original Sullivan's Cove

Buying a Home

After years of losing its population to the mainland, the tide had turned and more and more people are returning either to retire or purchase a holiday home thus driving the market up, although, property prices are still very affordable compared to Sydney and Melbourne. Hobart's most expensive suburbs are Battery Point, Sandy Bay and Acton Park .

Public Transport

Public Transport in Hobart

The city has a network of both public and private bus services. The main arterial routes within the urban area are the Brooker Highway to Glenorchy and the northern suburbs, the Tasman Bridge and Bowen Bridge across the river to Rosny and the Eastern Shore, and the Southern Outlet Road south to Kingston and the Channel.

Motorist heading to the west coast use the Lyell Highway, when traveling to Launceston and north they use the Midlands Highway, and the Tasman Highway to the east coast, or the Huon Highway to the far south..

Hobart International Airport is the main airport and the smaller Cambridge Aerodrome services charter plane etc.

Hobart’s tram service was completely terminated in 1968 and all rail services ceased in 1980.

Education

University of Tasmania

Hobart is home to the main campus of the University of Tasmania, situated in Sandy Bay. Other colleges such as Christ College, Jane Franklin Hall and St John Fisher College offer on site accommodation. There are other campuses at Launceston and Burnie.

Senior secondary colleges in the Hobart area include Hobart College, at the top of Mt Nelson just south of the city; inner-city Elizabeth College; The Friends' School in North Hobart; St Mary's College and Guilford Young College in North Hobart; St Virgils College in Austins Ferry; The Hutchins School in Sandy Bay; Rosny College at Rosny on the eastern shore; and Claremont College at Claremont in the northern suburbs. Many of these colleges are not exclusively colleges as they also provide primary and high school education and some of these also function as community colleges, open to students outside the formal secondary school system.

Demography

Hobart Surrounding Areas

  
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Hobart is culturally and religiously diverse with over fifty different languages spoken in the area.

Just after World War ll there were many Eastern European immigrants settling in and around Hobart and more recently immigrants from Asia, South America, the Balkans and the horn of Africa. All are welcome in Hobart

Health Care

The main hospital in Hobart is the Royal Hobart Hospital wirh several private hospitals in the Hobart area.

Recreation

Most sporting teams in national competitions are state wide teams, this is due to Tasmania’s heavily distributed population. Although most sports are played at club and state level such as AFL, rugby league, rugby union, cricket, basketball, netball, athletics swimming, tennis, volleyball.

Arts and Entertainment

Sydney to Hobart Yacht race

Australia's first legal casino the Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay was opened in 1973.

The Salamanca Place is the hottest night spot in the city, but there are also many suburban bars. Major national and international music events are usually at the University of Tasmania's Unibar, or the Casino.

Some of the best restaurants are in Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, and near the waterfront. There are a large number of ethnic restaurants including Chinese, Thai, Greek, Italian, Indian and Mexican. Several pubs and nightclubs can be found concentrated in the city and waterfront area.

Hobart is internationally famous as the finish point of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which starts in Sydney on Boxing Day. The arrival of the yachts is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer Festival, a food and wine festival which begins just after Christmas and ending in mid January. Hobart is also the finish point of the Targa Tasmania rally car event held annually in April since 1991.

The annual Tulip Festival at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular Spring celebration in the City.

Hobart also hosts the bulk of the Ten Days on the Island festival a biannual international arts festival

Hobart is home the Theatre Royal, Australia’s oldest theatre. It also has three Village Cinema complexes. Hobart is also home to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, which is housed at the Federation Concert Hall on the City's waterfront. It offers a year-round program of concerts The Carnegie Gallery supports contemporary art, craft and design, Aboriginal cultural practice and cultural diversity.

Hobart Outback

The Business environment

The Economy

Apart from serving as a seaport for Australian and French activities in Antarctica, Hobart supports other industries such as a high speed catamaran factory, a zinc smelter. Hobart is the home of the Australian Cadbury Chocolate Factory. The Cascade Brewery is located in South Hobart and there are many vineyards on the outskirts of the city. Nationally known bootmaker Blundstones is based in Moonah in the northern suburbs.

And of course tourism plays a major role and Hobart has some great tourist attractions.

Shopping

Shopping in Hobart CBD

Most shops in the CBD as well as some suburban centres are open 7 days a week. There are national department stores, specialty shops, fashion shops, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants along with souvenir shops and arts and crafts.

There are malls and markets in most suburbs, some combined with tourist attractions or amusements and your local convenience store is always handy.

Hobart and Surrounds

Things to Do

Visit the beaches along Sandy Bay or the Heritage, bushland and waterfront parks which offer many recreational opportunities.

A visit to the Royal Tasmanian Botanic gardens or the State Library is a must. There are museums and cinemas.

Day Trips

Take a day trip to Port Arthur and relive our penal past. Port Arthur was described as in inescapable prison, although many were not discouraged and some successful escapes followed.

Port Arthur was described as in inescapable prison

The Peppercorn Gallery is a quaint little heritage artists Gallery in Richmond Tasmania the Island State of Australia just 100 metres from the historic Richmond convict built stone bridge just 30 minutes drive from Hobart the capital city of Tasmania.

Platypus Playground Riverside Cottage is a cute little cottage on the Tyenna Riverbank at Westerway, 1 hour from Hobart, fish for Trout, watch the Platypus, relax.

Further A Field

Franklin River

There are many tour companies that can organise tours for you to places like the World Heritage listed Franklin River. There are rafting tours, abseiling tours, cycling tours.

Visit the wild Tarkine Coast or the Tarkine Forest of the Giants, Cradle Mountain and the Walls of Jerusalem in the centre of the Tasmania.

Cradle Mountain

Travel around your state offers something for everyone for a day, weekend getaway or adventure holiday.