Hobart
The southern-most and second oldest state capital, Hobart has retained its links with its maritime past by retaining its Georgian colonial stone buildings and fishermen’s wharves that are lined with sandstone warehouses.
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 (1270 metres). The Port of Hobart occupies the whole of the original Sullivan’s Cove.
A city with a population of around 200,000, Hobart is located on the 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 (1270 metres). The Port of Hobart occupies the whole of the original Sullivan’s Cove.
The suburban area covers a significant amount of both the western and eastern sides of the river. Apart from the city, the main commercial centres are Glenorchy (the northern suburbs) and Rosny (the eastern shore). The satellite town Kingston, south of the city, is fast becoming an outlying suburb of Hobart.
Hobart is a busy seaport, notably serving as the home port for Australia’s (and France’s) Antarctic activities. It supports several other industries (notably including a high-speed catamaran factory and a zinc smelter) as well as a vibrant tourist industry.
Hobart is internationally famous among the yachting fraternity as the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which starts in Sydney on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day).
The arrival of the yachts is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer Festival, a food and wine festival beginning 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. Australia’s first legal casino was the 17-storey Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay, opened in 1973. It is still the tallest building in the city, despite being several kilometres out of the CBD, and a nationally recognised icon.
Popular restaurant strips include Elizabeth Street, in North Hobart and Salamanca Place near the waterfront. Several pubs and nightclubs can be found concentrated in the city and waterfront area. Hobart is home to Australia’s oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal. It also has three Village Cinema complexes, one in the city, and two relatively new centres in Glenorchy and Rosny.
Climate:
Hobart has a mild, temperate, maritime climate with four distinct seasons. Being in the southern hemisphere, summer is December to February.
Things To See and Do:
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