HOBART & SURROUNDS

Tasmania’s capital has been pressed into shape by nature.

The city is framed by the rugged figure of kunanyi / Mount Wellington and the flow of the wide River Derwent, with wilderness lingering nearby – just beyond the mountain.

Beyond mountain and river, it’s cultural and dining experiences that thrive in Australia's second-oldest city. The underground Museum of Old and New Art, aka Mona, looms large in global art circles and on the itineraries of scores of travellers.

The famed Salamanca Market has been a Saturday tradition for more than 50 years, and the city’s food scene is dynamic, with cafes, restaurants and bars transforming Tasmania’s famously fresh produce into refined expressions of place and season.

See Hobart from the water, or on foot around the waterfront, or even from the saddle of a bike on a mountain descent. Taste wine at urban wineries, and when the day is almost done, sip a whisky beside a dinosaur fossil, or settle into a cosy bar inside the walls of a 19th-century hospital.

Photo by Events Tasmania & Alistair Bett

Salamanca Market

Fifty years strong, Hobart’s Salamanca Market stretches the length of waterfront Salamanca Place on Saturdays, with a stunning backdrop of 19th-century Georgian sandstone warehouses and the looming presence of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. The market is one of Tasmania’s most popular visitor attractions and features more than 300 stalls, ranging from photography to produce, whisky to wool, timber to truffles. It’s a Saturday ritual in Hobart.

Need to know 

Open 8.30am-3pm every Saturday, at Salamanca Pl, Hobart.

Cascade Brewery

Touring Tasmania is thirsty work, so naturally there’s an epic watering hole to help slow things down a bit.

Once a sawmill operation, Cascade Brewery Co. is now Australia’s longest operating brewery. This impressive building at the foothill of kunanyi / Mount Wellington has been the base for brewing beer since 1824. 

Whether the red bitter, blue lager or infamous Cascade Premium Light, a crafty frothy top awaits at the Cascade Brewery Bar. A far cry from the local pub, there’s a real grandeur to this estate. 

Take a seat on a wooden bench in the beautiful heritage gardens with kunanyi / Mount Wellington as a backdrop and enjoy a humble pint. Hungry? There are pub classics on offer. 

Visitors can take a tour of the historical estate, furrow down a green fern walk, and finish it off with a glass of homegrown golden dew.

MONA - Museum of Old and New Art

Looking at art used to be boring. It still is, maybe, but at least here at Mona, the Museum of Old and New Art, you can get drunk and/or rage against the machine. Located just up the river from Hobart (Tasmania's southern capital), Mona's subterranean architecture showcases the highlights (and lowlights) of David Walsh’s $110m private collection of art and antiquities, as well as hosting a busy exhibitions program. Mona is also home to the Moorilla winery, two restaurants, several bars, accommodation pavilions and more (plus Moo Brew, an off site brewery). We also host two festivals.