Hobart Specials

City Guide

HOBART

A pint-sized harbour city with gallon-sized charm.

Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital city. The fact that it is also the smallest is the key to its particular charm. A riverside city with a busy harbour, its mountain backdrop offers fine views over the beautiful Georgian buildings, numerous parks and compact suburbs below.

The city's conservative and provincial reputation among some mainlanders is undeserved. Hobart town has a thriving arts and crafts scene and a real sense of history, and for walking, eating and just soaking in the atmosphere it can't be bettered.

Timezones

Gmt +10 Eastern Standard Time

Orientation

Hobart is in the southeast of the state, in the middle of a series of islands and peninsulas that surround Storm Bay. It lies at the foot of Mt Wellington, and is approached from the north by the Tasman bridge and highway. Queen's Domain and the botanical gardens feed into the grid of the central business area, which is just minutes away from the wharves that line Sullivans Cove. The waterfront area is the focus for the city's events and the location of most tourist attractions. South from here is Sandy Bay, the site of Hobart's university and the Wrest Point Hotel Casino.

The airport is in Hobart's eastern suburbs, 16km (10mi) from the city centre. Buses leave from the Transit Centre, to the west of the city centre, and from Hobart Coaches, right in the city.

Events

The New Year arrival of the yachts competing in the Sydney to Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart yacht races is the apex of the Hobart Summer Festival, held from late December to late January. The Royal Hobart Regatta in February is the largest boating carnival in the southern hemisphere. In March, sharpen your quill for the Salamanca Writers' Weekend. The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Show is in October.

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
29 Dec - 02 Jan

The arrival in Hobart of the yachts competing in this annual race is celebrated with lots of noise and colour. Winning yachts arrive in time for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Hobart Summer Festival
28 Dec - 8 Jan

Hobart's premier festival, centred around the Hobart waterfront. It lasts two weeks and incorporates numerous festivities, including major New Year's Eve celebrations for revelling sailors, locals and visitors alike, and The Taste of Tasmania, a week-long celebration of Tassie's gastronomic prowess.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival
12 Feb - 14 Feb
Held every two years (odd-numbered years) to coincide with the Regatta. The festival showcases Tasmania's boat-building heritage and maritime traditions.

Ten Days on the Island
23 Mar - 14 Apr

Biennial event (odd-numbered years) which usually runs from late March until early April and is Tasmania's premier cultural festival - a state-wide celebration of local and international 'island culture'.

Antarctic Midwinter Festival
16 Jun - 26 Jun

Celebrate the winter solstice at this new, 10-day Hobart festival, designed to highlight, inform, educate and celebrate Tasmania's connection with the Antarctic.

Royal Hobart Show
October

Getting there and away

Australia's major airlines, as well as a host of smaller services, fly to Hobart, mostly from Australian state capitals and smaller Victorian cities. The only international flights are to and from Christchurch in New Zealand. Buses run from Hobart to most major towns around the state, although services can be sparse or non-existent on public holidays.

Getting around

Renting a car is a pretty good idea in Hobart, particularly if you want to see the greater area as public transport can be a bit infrequent. There are heaps of rental firms in Hobart, so you shouldn't have much trouble getting a decent deal. Tasmania is one of the few places in the world where hitching is a plausible option - if you want to hitch a lift out of Hobart, catch a bus north to Bridgewater or east to Sorell for starters.