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| Hobart and nearby - Tasmania |
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| Scroll down for details of Hobart, the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur |
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 Hobart, the capital of
Tasmania, is in the south of the island and is Australia's most
southerly and second oldest city. It is built around a busy, natural
harbour on the estuary of the Derwent River and is overlooked by nearby
Mt Wellington, often snow capped in winter and with great views of the
city from its summit.
Hobart has many nicely restored sandstone buildings built in the
nineteenth century by convicts, such as Salamanca Place (pictured right)
famous for its markets. Not far from Salamanca Place is Battery Point
(pictured above), a
picturesque village built in the mid 1800s. Don't miss the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens www.rtbg.tas.gov.au/ home to the vegetable gardens featured on the popular Australian TV programme 'Gardening Australia'. The Tasman Bridge connects the city centre in the west with the residential suburbs on the eastern side. From Hobart it is easy to access both the wild national parks of the Western World Heritage area and the popular holiday area of the east coast which includes the lovely Freycinet Peninsula, itself a national park. South east of Hobart, via the Arthur Highway, is historic Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. |
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 At the entrance to the
Tasman Peninsula www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/tasman
70 km from Hobart are two state reserves, the
Tessellated Pavement State Reserve and the Tasman Arch State Reserve.
The Tessellated Pavement State Reserve is at Pirates Bay, a popular
surfing beach, where intriguing rocks near the water’s edge have the
appearance of paving stones. The Tasman Arch State Reserve includes the
spectacular Blowhole and the Devils Kitchen. There are several walks of
varying lengths here and the area makes a good day trip from
Hobart. The key attraction on the Tasman Peninsula is historic
Port Arthur. |
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 South east of Hobart, via
the Arthur Highway, is the poignant and historic old penal settlement of
Port Arthur. The grimly picturesque ruins of the penal
colony are a popular day trip from Hobart. The colony was
established in 1830 and the peninsula formed a natural prison with the
only exit across the narrow neck of land known as Eaglehawk Neck guarded
by ferocious dogs. A number of local companies offer day trips to
Port Arthur. If you are driving, the area has a choice of bed and
breakfasts and self catering accommodation. See also the external
website www.portarthur.org.au/ |
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| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
