Hobart Travel Guide

Salamanca Place is a row of 1830s sandstone warehouses in Hobart, now a colonnade of galleries, cafés and boutiques. Every Saturday the Salamanca Market gathers crafts, produce and buskers — the richest expression of Tasmania's slow life and artistic spirit. After dark the warehouses glow with warm light; corner live music and harbour lamps give the sandstone colonnade its warmth.

Mount Wellington rises about 1,271 m west of Hobart — Tasmania's most recognisable landmark. Windy and often snow-capped, its summit overlooks the city and the Derwent estuary; between sea of clouds and clear sky, it is a grand lookout between the Tasmanian coast and the Antarctic route. Trails thread rainforest and boulders, and the Springs station midway frames Hobart in full.

The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), founded by David Walsh in 2011 near Hobart, is a subterranean museum carved into a cliff, famed for provocative, bold contemporary art. A ferry up the Derwent leads to dark, concrete galleries — Australia's most uninhibited art experience. Known for installations like 'The O' and a labyrinthine lower gallery, its bars extend Walsh's rebellious spirit.

Cascade Brewery sits in the Cascade Valley just south of Hobart, at the foot of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. Established in 1824, it is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. The Dutch-style red-brick buildings, with their castle-like tower and stone walls, were sited to take advantage of the clear mountain water channelled down from the slopes. Visits explain the malting, mashing, fermentation and packaging process, and you can taste the beer in the historic bar and courtyard. The Cascade Falls track and the old Female Factory site next door make an easy walking addition to a half-day trip from the city.

Cascade Female Factory in South Hobart is a key part of the UNESCO Australian Convict Sites, run by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority. This 19th-century institution for convict women opens daily 9:30-16:30; each ticket includes a 45-minute Convict Women’s Tour and self-guided audio, with adult AUD 35, concession AUD 25, child (7-17) AUD 20 and a AUD 90 family pass, free for South Hobart residents and under 6. Stone-walled yards, panels and tours tell the story of transported women, and it is a 30-40 minute walk from the Hobart CBD along the Rivulet track.

The Maritime Museum of Tasmania at the Davey and Argyle Street corner on Hobart’s Sullivans Cove tells the island’s story of seafaring, shipbuilding and maritime trade. Its collection of more than 70,000 items - ship models, navigation instruments and wreck artefacts - highlights Bass Strait shipping and features the Blythe Star shipwreck. Open daily 9:00-17:00 (closed Christmas), with adult AUD 16, concession AUD 13, student AUD 6, under 12 free and a AUD 32 family pass. It is a compact way to grasp Tasmania’s bond with the sea, a short walk from Salamanca and the waterfront.