Hobart Overview

The state capital of the Australian island of Tasmania, Hobart is among the oldest cities in the country. With a location at the estuary of the Derwent River, it’s also one of the most scenic urban developments in Tasmania, and a combination of aesthetically pleasing sights with modern conveniences have helped make it the island’s most popular tourist destination.

The city promises plenty and delivers all and more besides with a myriad of natural and manmade attractions at its disposal, plus a well-developed tourist infrastructure and good transportation options. Hobart is big enough to offer a full range of modern facilities but still manages to retain the friendly community feeling of a small town.

Families will find plenty of attractions well suited to their needs while visitors with cultural inclinations will not be disappointed by the attractions that explore the city’s heritage or present its fine natural assets. Outdoor types will struggle to fit in all of the activities that are on offer in the various natural environments in and around the city.

Hobart is representative of Tasmania with regards to the excellence of its cuisine. Visitors will find some fantastic restaurants on hand that prepare dishes using the finest fresh ingredients, with seafood a definite specialty. Should you want to work up an appetite before sitting down for lunch, then spend a few hours checking out the city’s excellent selection of shopping outlets.

Hobart and its neighbouring towns are lively locations with something happening in every month of the year. Many visitors schedule their holidays to coincide with some of the city’s bigger and more popular festivals and events, with those falling in the warmer months of the year guaranteeing the biggest crowds.

Hobart is easily reached, with air and sea links connecting Tasmania with the mainland, and road options available for connections to other cities on the island. Hobart International Airport receives flights from major airports on the Australian mainland including Sydney and Melbourne.

The city has plenty in the way of choices for accommodation with both big name upmarket establishments and smaller independently owned hotels. Come summer season, the city gets busy so booking ahead is essential if you want to be sure of securing a room in the hotel of your choice.

Historians speculate that Hobart was home to Aboriginal tribes for thousands of years before the arrival of the white man. It wasn’t until 1803 that the first white settlers made a presence in the area with the main settlement becoming a penal colony at the area now known as Risdon Cove, situated on the Derwent River’s eastern shores.

A year after the establishment of this colony it was decided to move it to the site that is now Sullivan's Cove in Hobart, and so began the foundations for the city that exists today. Colonial Secretary Lord Hobart was the inspiration for the city’s name, which initially was referred to as Hobarton or Hobart Town.

The Aboriginal settlers resident in the area at that time were of the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe. As was typical of other areas into which white explorers wandered, native numbers declined rapidly as a result of diseases brought by the explorers and the violent skirmishes that ensued.

By the 1830s, Hobart had developed fairly significantly and seen a considerable influx of immigrants into the area. The census of 1835 reported that Hobart’s population was already close to 14,000 inhabitants, a figure forming a significant proportion of the 36,505 resident in the whole of Tasmania

The city prospered thanks to its location close to the Derwent River and established a major port and related industries such as shipbuilding. Official city status was granted in 1842 and the city changed its name from Hobarton to Hobart in 1875. Today Hobart is a popular tourist destination and the gateway to the rest of Tasmania.

Hobart’s climate is fairly mild with the city benefiting from the cooling effects of ocean winds. There are four distinct seasons across the year with warm to hot summers, cool to cold winters and spring and autumn presenting typically transitional weather conditions.

Rain falls throughout the year, although in increased volumes in the months of April, July, August and December. Snow is rare in the city, but nearby Mount Wellington often receives downfalls in the winter and occasionally during other seasons too.

The summer season, lasting from December through late February or early March, is the best time for visiting Hobart in terms of temperatures. December might be best missed for its risk of rain, but from January onwards visitors can expect dry and warm weather with temperature highs of around 17°C. This period is the ideal time to take a holiday in Hobart; however, weather conditions are never so extreme as to rule out scheduling a trip at other times. Even in the main winter months of July and August, temperatures rarely drop below 8°C.