Hobart

Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart is located in the south east of the state on the banks of the Derwent River. The picturesque city boasting Mt Wellington as its backdrop is home to approximately half of the state’s population.

The prominent Mt Wellington is a captivating viewing point capturing the panorama below from its summit. A 10km drive on a windy road ascends to the lookout and views of the beautiful city, river and surrounding mountain ranges. Note that the mountain is subject to extreme wind and misty conditions which can change abruptly and frequently.

hobart-rosny-hill-lookout On the opposite side of the Derwent River is Rosny Hill Lookout on Akuna St. This offers stunning views across the river towards the city and the magnificent Mt Wellington.

The city centre features many old buildings, many of which are made from sandstone blocks which was one of the labouring jobs of the convicts in earlier times. The city itself is typical of any capital, busy and bustling, full of activity.

Salamanca Square on the Castray Esplanade is also full of action, particularly on Saturdays all year round (rain or shine) when the Salamanca Markets are held between 8.30am and 3pm. The square comes to life as hundreds of stalls set up shop, food is cooking, coffee is brewing and you might even find a bargain or two. Throughout the week it’s a beautiful place to enjoy lunch at a café or grab something to go at the bakehouse. The Salamanca Fruit Market (supermarket) operating all week offers fabulous gourmet produce and grocery items.

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens offer an escape from the busy city atmosphere to a tranquil setting. The gardens feature spacious lawns with shady trees, a beautiful lily pond, conservatory, succulent house, Japanese garden, fushcia garden and Pete’s Vegie Patch as seen on Gardening Australia. They are open daily from 8am and entry is free.

The Cadbury Chocolate Factory is an attraction unique to Tasmania and the world for that matter. This Australian favourite chocolate experience involves a presentation demonstrating chocolate making procedures, an outline of the company’s history and of course sampling the products.

Interestingly enough, Cadbury produces 130 tonnes of chocolate per day and 90 percent of it stays in Australia, now do the math and that’s a lot of chocolate consumed by Aussies each year. Why not visit the factory in Clermont and sample some for yourself. The visitor centre is open Monday to Friday and entry fees apply, although you make up for it in chocolate.

hobart-seven-mile-beach This beautiful city offers a variety of accommodation options, including several caravan parks in its suburbs. Seven Mile Beach Cabin Park is the only park which allows dogs and is situated in Aqua Place, Seven Mile Beach. There are also dog kennels within reasonable distance from the city.