Choose from 55 Fun Things to Do in Hobart
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Maritime Museum of Tasmania
Hobart's heart lies on the sea, and as an island Tasmania's history is inextricably bound to the water.
If you'd like to learn more about Tasmania's maritime history, the Maritime Museum of Tasmania provides all the answers.
You'll see models of the ships that docked at Sullivans Cove, hear the stories of the men who sailed in them, learn about Australia's first explorers and see the navigational instruments they used.
The watercraft of Tasmania's original inhabitants, the Aborigines, are also displayed, along with artifacts rescued from shipwrecks, photographs, paintings and whaling equipment.
Practical Info
The Maritime Museum of Tasmania is in the Carnegie Building, a block back from the harbor on Argyle Street in the city center.
Address: 16 Argyle Street, Hobart 7000, Australia
Hours: Open daily, closed Good Friday and Christmas Day
From $ 81
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
There's plenty of history to soak up on a visit to Hobart, Australia's second-oldest settlement. Get a lesson in history with a visit to Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), established in 1843 by the Royal Society of Tasmania. You'll see archaeological and colonial relics, Aboriginal artifacts, old photographs, ephemera and fine examples of colonial decorative arts.
Practical Info
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is on Macquarie Street behind Sullivan's Cove in the heart of Hobart. Entrance is free, but donations are accepted.
Address: 40 Macquarie Street, Hobart 7000, Australia
Hours: Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 4pm, closed ANZAC Day, Good Friday and Christmas.
Admission: Free
From $ 26
Woolmers Estate
This early 1800s pioneer farm was continuously occupied by the same family for more than 175 years; for six generations, from 1817 until 1994, Thomas Archer family's descendants called Woolmers Estate home.
Along with the family houses, a large array of historical buildings remain on the estate, including a blacksmith's shop, bakehouse and stables. There's also a former chapel, pump house and gardener's cottage. Wishing to share Woolmers Estate with the public, Thomas William Archer VI left the estate and its many contents to the Archer Historical Foundation Inc., now called the Woolmers Foundation Inc.
The Archer Family was known for holding onto their possessions, so along with the actual buildings, almost 200 years worth of collections remain. Visitors can see everything from art and furniture, to photographs and antique cars.
The National Rose Garden is also located at Woolmers Estate. Like a growing history lesson, it boasts more than 5,000 roses, including the earliest European and China roses, to roses from the 21st century.
Practical Info
Woolmers Estate is located 25 minutes from Launceston and about an hour from Devonport. Guided house tours are offered several times each day. Visitors can also take a self-guided tour any time during the day. Woolmers Estate is open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 4pm. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Address: 658 Woolmers Ln, Longford TAS 7301, Australia
Hours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
From $ 81
South Hobart
A tour of the historic Cascades Female Factory and a couple of beers at Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest brewery, top the list of attractions in this southern suburb of Hobart. But visitors willing to wander the streets will enjoy views of some of the most beautiful homes in the city, including the famous Ashleigh and Milton residences, as well as quaint cottages and historic townhouses.
The heritage site, All Saints Anglican Church, is also worth a stop. Afterwards, rent a bicycle and ride the path along the Rivulet, or wander the foothills of Mount Wellington via the trails behind Cascade Brewery, the oldest brewery in Australia.
Practical Info
Cascades Female Factory is an easy walk from South Hobart, and plenty of signage along the Rivulet and Molle Street provide historical details for those passing through.
Address: South Hobart, Australia
From $ 26
Home Hill
Behind the pretty white façade and flower-filled gardens of Home Hill lies one of Tasmania's most important heritage properties. Built in 1916, this was the home of former Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, where he lived with his wife Dame Enid Lyons, herself Australia's first elected female parliament member, and their 12 children.
Today, Home Hill has been preserved in period style and displays an impressive collection of personal items belonging to the Lyons family, along with original wallpapers and furnishings, and historic artifacts relating to their political careers. Open to visitors by guided tour only, the house offers a glimpse into life in early 20th-century Tasmania, as well as a fascinating insight into the life of a Prime Minster.
Practical Info
Home Hill is located in central Devonport, Tasmania, and is open by guided tour only, either at 2pm from Wednesday to Sunday, or by appointment. Tours are $15 per person.
Address: 77 Middle Rd, Devonport, Tasmania 7310, Australia
Hours: Wed-Sun: tours at 2pm, or by appointment
Admission: Adult $15
From $ 81
Penitentiary Chapel
This chapel, nicknamed "The Trench", designated for male convicts in Hobart Town was a less than holy place. With poor ventilation, 36 solitary confinement rooms and separate punishment chambers hidden beneath the chapel floor, it was truly a spot for torture and despair. The dark cells, referred to as "dust holes" were deemed inhumane and closed in 1849, but visitors can still catch a glimpse of the horrid conditions on a Penitentiary tour, where guides remind guests about the terrible sounds that could be heard coming from convicts chained beneath the floors.
The grounds include a prison yard, barracks, punishment chambers and an execution yard, as well as the chapel, which was partially transformed into courtrooms in 1859. Visitors who opt for the ghost tour can wander the tunnels and gallows by lamplight while hearing stories of the more than 30 individuals who were executed here.
Practical Info
The Penitentiary Chapel is located at the corner of Brisbane and Campbell Streets. Guided tours take place Sunday through Friday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday tours take place at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. only. Adult admission is $12 and a family pass is available for $25. Discounts are available for pre-bookings. Ghost tours take place on Monday and Friday nights only.
Address: Brisbane and Campbell Streets, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia
Admission: $12
From $ 41
Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum
While it might look wide and inviting for boats, the Tamar River is a treacherous channel that's rife with rocks, patches of reef, and shifting sandbars that will swallow vessels that don't know exactly where they're going. Luckily for mariners on Tasmania's north coast, a pilot station at Low Head still operates and helps assist boats headed up the Tamar River toward Launceston. Established here in 1805, the Low Head Pilot Station is Australia's oldest continuously inhabited pilot station, and the museum is set in "Pilot's Row""” a string of buildings that were built by convicts in the middle of the 19th century. When visiting Low Head Pilot Station today, you can learn about everything from signaling and lights to the tools used in navigation, as well as look at some early maps that were drawn when much of modern Tasmania had yet to be explored.
Practical Info
The Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum is also known for its foghorn, which bellows on Sundays at 12pm and can be heard throughout the town.
Did You Know? One of the rooms in the maritime museum is filled with items miraculously salvaged from ships that were lost at sea.
Address: 399 Low Head Road, Low Head, Tasmania, Australia, Australia
Hours: 10am-4pm daily; Closed on Christmas Day
Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for children, and $15 for families
From $ 81
Sullivan's Cove
Sullivan's Cove, a waterfront district on the western shore of the Derwent River, was the original settlement of the British in Tanzania. Boats from around the globe, including some traveling from as far as Antarctica, dock at this nautical site, which retains much of its original charm because of its historic architecture.
Visitors can explore the docks before heading to MONA"”the Museum of Old and New Art, or spend a Saturday afternoon leisurely strolling through the stalls of nearby Salamanca Market. Travelers can also cruise along the River Derwent or wander through the historic villages of nearby Richmond, Pontville and Kempton, or catch a show at the Theatre Royal.
Practical Info
Sullivan's Cove serves as the main port to the city. Visiting cruise ships frequently berth in here so the area can get crowded.
Address: Sullivan's Cove, Hobart, Australia
From $ 26
Launceston Planetarium
Set your sights on the stars at the Launceston Planetarium in the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) at Inveresk. The Planetarium shows an ever-changing selection of presentations that will make you feel as though you are under the night sky.
Using a Zeiss ZKP3 star projector and a fulldome digital system, the Planetarium shows the stars visible with the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere. Each presentation runs about 30 minutes. A talk about the Tasmanian night sky, identifying the positions of the planets and constellations, takes place immediately afterward.
Practical Info
Shows are suitable for kids ages five and up. Tickets can be purchased at the QVMAG Museum's Visitor Operations desk. The QVMAG is open 10am to 4pm daily. It is closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Parking is available at the Launceston City Council's Inveresk Car Park.
Address: Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 2 Invermay Road, Inveresk, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia
From $ 81
Zoodoo Wildlife Park
Sure you'll find camels and Tasmanian Devils when you visit the Zoodoo Wildlife Park, but there's so much more to this Hobart attraction than the dozens of species of animals. After hand feeding the zebra and ostrich aboard a thrilling safari bus tour, take the children to the indoor playland with the jumping castle and ball pit. When it's time to go and see some more animals, choose from strolling past kangaroos or feeding the emus and lions. For an added fee you can join in experiences that get you right next to the animals, from the cute, cuddly meerkat encounter, to a scary, slithery snake encounter to petting a furry koala. At the aviary, hear a cacophony of squawking bird song raining down from above, as you crane your neck to see numerous bird species all flitting around through the branches. There's an education center to help teach children about wildlife found in the park, and daily animal presentations when visitors really get "hands on" and interact with the wildlife. Although the Zoodoo Wildlife Park is just 30 minutes from Hobart, it feels like you've traveled to a faraway land where the Australian outback and African plains are literally brought to your fingertips.
Practical Info
Daily animal presentations take place at 11am and 2pm daily.
Address: 620 Middle Tea Tree Road, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia TAS 7025, Australia
Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm
Admission: Adults: $25; Children: $13
From $ 145
North Hobart
In the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, hip locals head to North Hobart and its main strip, Elizabeth Street, to visit its restaurants and coffee shops, bohemian bars, boutiques, bakeries and live music venues. A real "eat street," Elizabeth Street cuisine ranges from Turkish to Spanish tapas, Indian to modern Australian. It's also popular to visit North Hobart's delis which sell local Tasmanian produce. With plenty of atmosphere day or night, on 375 Elizabeth Street the independent State Cinema is an institution that's over 100 years old. Inside there's a curated bookstore, rooftop cinema, and coffee shop.
A good spot for brunching and people watching, from North Hobart there are great views of downtown with Mount Wellington towering over the city. Wander the back streets off Elizabeth Street to check out the old Hobart homes, and to check out the street art and murals along Tony Haigh Walk.
Practical Info
North Hobart district is a 10-minute drive or 20 minutes by bus from downtown Hobart, straight up Elizabeth Street. Hobart has an efficient public bus system, and a day pass for the city costs AUD $4.80.
Address: North Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
From $ 59
Tinderbox Marine Nature Reserve
Located in Tasmania, not far from Hobart, the Tinderbox Marine Nature Reserve is ideal for snorkelers and scuba divers. The site is home to more than 30 species of seaweeds, and its abundant plant life provides habitats for a large assortment of marine life.
Swimming and boating are allowed in the reserve, and along with numerous types of fish, visitors may catch sight of sea dragons, urchins and sea-stars. Octopus, squid, shrimp and crabs also call the Tinderbox Marine Reserve home, so visitors are asked to leave the wildlife as is and to use care to protect the environment.
Practical Info
The Tinderbox Marine Nature Preserve is an easy 45-minute drive from Hobart. The best time of the year to visit is usually during summer and autumn.
Address: Tinderbox, Australia
From $ 67
Hummock Lookout
Whether it's settling in for a sunset viewing of Bruny Island's Little Penguins, or climbing the 273 steps up towards the Truganini Memorial, visiting the famous Hummock Lookout is a highlight of Bruny Island. At this windswept promontory overlooking Bruny Island Neck, visitors can get a panoramic view of the thin isthmus of white sand that connects the two parts of the island. Penguins are most commonly sighted on this shoreline between the months of September and February, and since they're officially the world's smallest species of penguin, there's an undeniable cuteness factor to watching them waddle ashore. During sunny periods in the middle of the day, it's possibly to make out the Tasmanian Mainland across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and visit the memorial at the top of the stairs that's dedicated to the last known, full-blooded Tasmanian aborigine to live on the island.
Practical Info
To access the viewpoint at Hummock Lookout, park at the Bruny Island Neck Game Reserve and follow the wooden and boardwalk and steps up toward the top of the lookout.
Address: North Bruny TAS, Australia
From $ 115
Parliament House
Originally, when this Georgian-style, 19th-century building was built near Sullivan's Cove, it was destined to be a custom's house for Hobart's developing trade. As the politics of the island increased, however, and "Van Diemen's Land""”as it was then known, grew as an independent colony, the building was chosen to house the customs, as well as the city's Parliament. Today, Hobart's Parliament House has been a hub of politics since 1841, and is still the site where Parliament and lawmakers gather to govern the state.
On a guided tour of the Parliament House, learn the fascinating history of the building and all of its renovations, as well as tour the underground basement full of history, legends, and lore. On the outside of the buildings, the surrounding Parliament House gardens are a relaxing place to either go for a stroll or rest in the shade of an oak, before venturing over to Constitution Dock or nearby Salamanca Market.
Practical Info
Guided tours of the Parliament House are available on days when the Parliament isn't sitting. Tours take place at 10am and 2pm and last about 90 minutes. On days when the Parliament is actively sitting, it's still possible to watch the proceedings by viewing from the public gallery.
Address: Salamanca Pl, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia
Hours: Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
From $ 41
Huon Valley
Tasmania's apple orchard, the Huon Valley is a lush and pretty region on Hobart's doorstep.
Centering on the little riverside town of Huonville, on the Huon River, it's a region of hillside orchards and villages. The large orchard industry now embraces berries, vineyards and stone fruit, and the towns offer tearooms and antique shops.
Book a jet-boat ride on the river, sample hundreds of varieties of apples, drop into a cellar door for some wine tasting, go fishing or relax at a country-style cafe.
The Huon Valley also makes a great base for exploring Tasmania's wild national parks and going for a stroll on the Tahune Forest AirWalk.
Practical Info
The Huon Valley is 38 km (24 miles) south of Hobart. The most convenient way to get here is by tour or car, following the A6 Highway from Hobart.
Address: The Esplanade, Huonville 7109, Australia
Admission: Free
From $ 81