HOBART AND SOUTH
Get captivated by history, lost in an underground world of art and dazzled by natural wonders – the south is full of surprises.
Old meets new in the island’s capital. Find cosy bars along cobbled laneways. Modern art in convict-built sandstone warehouses. Whisky tastings in a converted car-sales room. Hobart is anything but ordinary.
And beyond, southern Tasmania is a region of diverse and wild beauty: sea cliffs, big ocean, rare rock formations, tranquil rivers, glacial tarns and alpine mountains. Exhale. This is the edge of the world.
THINGS TO DO
Drop into cider houses and roadside stalls on the drive to Tasmania’s southernmost point – next stop Antarctica. Chase waterfalls. Spot wildlife. Walk atop towering sea cliffs and watch the monster waves. Or just unplug. Sit under a million stars and enjoy the silence. You choose.
Best of Hobart and the south
The city
Stroll along the waterfront. Wander through the galleries and boutiques in the historic Georgian warehouses of Salamanca. Book a “feed me” experience at a restaurant that takes seasonality seriously. Sip whisky in a tiny bar. Pick up a handcrafted gift at Salamanca Market. Catch the ferry to Mona and head underground for a mind-blowing encounter with old and new art.
The history
Be transported back in time among the quaint colonial houses and whaler’s pubs of Battery Point. Marvel at convict-built houses in Oatlands or take the side road to Bothwell. Stand on the oldest bridge in Australia. Follow the Convict Trail to the most intact and evocative convict prison. And hear stories of hardship and heartbreak endured by female convicts.
The nature
Explore Hobart’s mother mountain, kunanyi / Mount Wellington, only 20 minutes from the city centre. See Tasmania’s most accessible and photographed waterfall. Go big tree hunting. Hike to glacial tarns. Stand atop the tallest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere. Fly into the most remote wilderness in Tasmania. Watch the Southern Lights dance across the sky.
The wildlife
Visit Bruny, an island off an island, to spot little penguins, albino wallabies and spotted quolls. Spot an endemic forty-spotted pardalote and visit a raptor rehabilitation facility. Venture to the deep south for a chance to spy endangered orange-bellied parrots. Cruise past sunbaking fur seals. Come face to face with a Tasmanian devil. Handfeed wombats and wallabies in a wildlife sanctuary.