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Hobart
Tasmania
Franklin Wharf 2015.jpg
Hobart city centre, 2015
Hobart is located in Australia
Hobart
Hobart
Location in Australia
Population 232,670 (2020) (11th)
 • Density 131.1/km2 (340/sq mi) (2016)
Established 20 February 1804 (1804-02-20)
Elevation 17 m (56 ft)
Area 1,695.5 km2 (654.6 sq mi) (metropolitan)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST) AEDT State: Tasmania. (UTC+11)
Location
State electorate(s) Clark, Franklin
Federal Division(s) Clark, Franklin
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
17.0 °C
63 °F
8.4 °C
47 °F
613.7 mm
24.2 in

Hobart (Nuennonne/Palawa kani: nipaluna) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest if territories are taken into account, before Darwin, Northern Territory. Hobart is located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, making it the most southern of Australia's capital cities. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the five local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.

The city lies on country which was known by the local Mouheneener people as nipaluna, a name which includes surrounding features such as kunanyi/Mt. Wellington and timtumili minanya (River Derwent). Prior to British settlement, the land had been occupied for possibly as long as 35,000 years by the semi-nomadic Mouheneener people, a sub-group of the Nuennone, or "South-East tribe".

Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second-oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales. Whaling quickly emerged as a major industry in the area, and for a time Hobart served as the Southern Ocean's main whaling port. Penal transportation ended in the 1850s, after which the city experienced periods of growth and decline. The early 20th century saw an economic boom on the back of mining, agriculture and other primary industries, and the loss of men who served in the world wars was counteracted by an influx of immigration. Despite the rise in migration from Asia and other non-English speaking regions, Hobart's population remains predominantly ethnically Anglo-Celtic, and has the highest percentage of Australian-born residents among Australia's capital cities.

Today, Hobart is the financial and administrative hub of Tasmania, serving as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations and acting as a tourist destination, with over 1.192 million visitors in 2011–12. Well-known drawcards include its convict-era architecture, Salamanca Market and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the Southern Hemisphere's largest private museum.

History

The first European settlement began in 1803 as a penal colony at Risdon Cove on the eastern shores of the Derwent River, amid British concerns over the presence of French explorers. In 1804 it was moved to a better location at the present site of Hobart at Sullivans Cove. The city, initially known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, was named after Lord Hobart, the British secretary of state for war and the colonies.

The area's indigenous inhabitants were members of the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe. Violent conflict with the European settlers, and the effects of diseases brought by them, dramatically reduced the aboriginal population, which was rapidly replaced by free settlers and the convict population. Charles Darwin visited Hobart Town in February 1836 as part of the Beagle expedition. He writes of Hobart and the Derwent estuary in his Voyage of the Beagle:

...The lower parts of the hills which skirt the bay are cleared; and the bright yellow fields of corn, and dark green ones of potatoes, appear very luxuriant... I was chiefly struck with the comparative fewness of the large houses, either built or building. Hobart Town, from the census of 1835, contained 13,826 inhabitants, and the whole of Tasmania 36,505.

The Derwent River was one of Australia's finest deepwater ports and was the centre of the Southern Ocean whaling and sealing trades. The settlement rapidly grew into a major port, with allied industries such as shipbuilding.

Hobart Town became a city on 21 August 1842, and was renamed Hobart from the beginning of 1881.

Geography

Topography

LGA Tas SE Hobart
The City of Hobart (green) and Greater Hobart (teal)

Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the state's south-east. Geologically Hobart is built predominantly on Jurassic dolerite around the foothills interspersed with smaller areas of Triassic siltstone and Permian mudstone. Hobart extends along both sides of the Derwent River; on the western shore from the Derwent valley in the north through the flatter areas of Glenorchy which rests on older Triassic sediment and into the hilly areas of New Town, Lenah Valley. Both of these areas rest on the younger Jurassic dolerite deposits, before stretching into the lower areas such as the beaches of Sandy Bay in the south, in the Derwent estuary. South of the Derwent estuary lies Storm Bay and the Tasman Peninsula.

The Eastern Shore also extends from the Derwent valley area in a southerly direction hugging the Meehan Range in the east before sprawling into flatter land in suburbs such as Bellerive. These flatter areas of the eastern shore rest on far younger deposits from the Quaternary. From there the city extends in an easterly direction through the Meehan Range into the hilly areas of Rokeby and Oakdowns, before reaching into the tidal flatland area of Lauderdale.

Hobart has access to a number of beach areas including those in the Derwent estuary itself; Sandy Bay, Cornelian Bay, Nutgrove, Kingston, Bellerive, and Howrah Beaches as well as many more in Frederick Henry Bay such as; Seven Mile, Roaches, Cremorne, Clifton, and Goats Beaches.

Greater Hobart Panorama
Hobart area from Bellerive

Climate

Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The highest temperature recorded was 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) on 4 January 2013 and the lowest was −2.8 °C (27.0 °F) on 25 June 1972 and 11 July 1981. Annually, Hobart receives 40.8 clear days. Compared to other major Australian cities, Hobart has the fewest daily average hours of sunshine, with 5.9 hours per day. However, during the summer it has the most hours of daylight of any Australian city, with 15.2 hours on the summer solstice.

Although Hobart itself rarely receives snow during the winter (the city's geographic position keeps temperatures from plummeting far below zero), the adjacent kunanyi/Mount Wellington is often seen with a snowcap. Mountain snow covering has also been known to occur during the other seasons. During the 20th century, the city itself has received snowfalls at sea level on average only once every 15 years; however, outer suburbs lying higher on the slopes of Mount Wellington receive snow more often, owing to cold air masses arriving from Antarctica coupled with them resting at higher altitude. These snow-bearing winds often carry on through Tasmania and Victoria to the Snowy Mountains in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.

Climate data for Hobart (1881–2015)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 41.8
(107.2)
40.1
(104.2)
37.3
(99.1)
31.0
(87.8)
25.7
(78.3)
20.6
(69.1)
22.1
(71.8)
24.5
(76.1)
31.0
(87.8)
34.6
(94.3)
36.8
(98.2)
40.6
(105.1)
41.8
(107.2)
Average high °C (°F) 21.7
(71.1)
21.7
(71.1)
20.2
(68.4)
17.3
(63.1)
14.5
(58.1)
12.0
(53.6)
11.7
(53.1)
13.1
(55.6)
15.1
(59.2)
17.0
(62.6)
18.7
(65.7)
20.3
(68.5)
16.9
(62.4)
Average low °C (°F) 11.9
(53.4)
12.1
(53.8)
10.9
(51.6)
9.0
(48.2)
7.0
(44.6)
5.2
(41.4)
4.6
(40.3)
5.2
(41.4)
6.4
(43.5)
7.8
(46.0)
9.3
(48.7)
10.8
(51.4)
8.4
(47.1)
Record low °C (°F) 3.3
(37.9)
3.4
(38.1)
1.8
(35.2)
0.7
(33.3)
−1.6
(29.1)
−2.8
(27.0)
−2.8
(27.0)
−1.8
(28.8)
−0.8
(30.6)
0.0
(32.0)
0.3
(32.5)
3.3
(37.9)
−2.8
(27.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 47.6
(1.87)
39.9
(1.57)
44.9
(1.77)
50.8
(2.00)
46.4
(1.83)
53.8
(2.12)
52.5
(2.07)
53.6
(2.11)
53.2
(2.09)
61.7
(2.43)
54.3
(2.14)
56.3
(2.22)
614.8
(24.20)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.9 9.4 11.3 12.3 13.6 14.4 15.4 15.5 15.3 16.2 14.1 12.8 161.2
Average relative humidity (%) 54 55 56 59 63 67 65 60 56 56 56 56 58
Mean monthly sunshine hours 248 206.2 198.4 159 130.2 117 136.4 155 177 201.5 207 229.4 2,165.1
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 222,356 people in the Greater Hobart area making it the second least populated capital city in Australia. The City of Hobart local government area had a population of 50,439.

The most common occupation categories were professionals (22.6%), clerical and administrative workers (14.7%), technicians and trades workers (13.3%), community and personal service workers (12.8%), and managers (11.3%). The median weekly household income was $1,234, compared with $1,438 nationally.

Ancestry and immigration

Country of Birth (2016)
Birthplace Population
Australia 162,302
England 11,616
Mainland China 2,927
New Zealand 2,673
Scotland 1,980
India 1,260
Germany 1,040

At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:

20.2% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from England (3.6%), Mainland China (1.1%), New Zealand (0.9%), India (0.6%) and Germany (0.5%).

3.8% of the population, or 8,534 people, identified as Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders) in 2016.

Language

At the 2016 census, 86.5% of the population spoke only English at home. The other languages most commonly spoken at home were Mandarin (1.3%) Greek (0.5%), Nepali (0.4%), German (0.4%) and Italian (0.3%).

Religion

In the 2016 census, 52.1% of Greater Hobart residents who responded to the question specified a Christian religion. Major religious affiliations were Anglican (19.8%), Catholic (17.0%) and Uniting Church (2.5%). In addition, 39.9% specified "No Religion" and 9.3% did not answer.

Hobart has a small community of around 642 (2011) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with meetinghouses in Glenorchy, Rosny, and Glen Huon. There is also a synagogue where the Jewish community, of around 111 (2001), or 0.05% of the Hobart population, worships. Hobart has a Baháʼí community, with a Baháʼí Centre of Learning, located within the city.

In 2013, Hillsong Church established a Hillsong Connect campus in Hobart.

Distinctive features

Strickland Avenue, Hobart Tas
Mount Wellington seen from Strickland Avenue

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular recreation area a short distance from the city centre. It is the second-oldest Botanic Gardens in Australia and holds extensive significant plant collections.

Hadley's Orient Hotel, on Hobart's Murray Street, is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Australia.

kunanyi/Mount Wellington, accessible by passing through Fern Tree, is the dominant feature of Hobart's skyline. Indeed, many descriptions of Hobart have used the phrase "nestled amidst the foothills", so undulating is the landscape. At 1,271 metres, the mountain has its own ecosystems, is rich in biodiversity and plays a large part in determining the local weather.

The Tasman Bridge is also a uniquely important feature of the city, connecting the two shores of Hobart and visible from many locations. The Hobart Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Australia and a rare surviving example of an Egyptian Revival synagogue.

Architecture

Hobart waterfront architecture
The Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery

Hobart is known for its well-preserved historic architecture, much of it dating back to the Georgian and Victorian eras, giving the city a distinctly "Old World" feel. For locals, this became a source of discomfiture about the city's convict past, but is now a draw card for tourists. Regions within the city centre, such as Salamanca Place, contain many of the city's heritage-listed buildings. Historic homes and mansions also exist in the suburbs.

Kelly's Steps were built in 1839 by shipwright and adventurer James Kelly to provide a short-cut from Kelly Street and Arthur Circus in Battery Point to the warehouse and dockyards district of Salamanca Place. In 1835, John Lee Archer designed and oversaw the construction of the sandstone Customs House, facing Sullivans Cove. Completed in 1840, it was used as Tasmania's parliament house, and is now commemorated by a pub bearing the same name (built in 1844) which is frequented by yachtsmen after they have completed the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Hobart is also home to many historic churches. The Scots Church (formerly known as St Andrew's) was built in Bathurst Street from 1834–36, and a small sandstone building within the churchyard was used as the city's first Presbyterian Church. The Salamanca Place warehouses and the Theatre Royal were also constructed in this period. The Greek revival St George's Anglican Church in Battery Point was completed in 1838, and a classical tower, designed by James Blackburn, was added in 1847. St Joseph's was built in 1840. St David's Cathedral, Hobart's first cathedral, was consecrated in 1874.

Hobart has very few high rise buildings in comparison to other Australian cities. This is partly a result of height limits imposed due to Hobart's proximity to Derwent River and Mount Wellington.

Hobart, TAS
Hunter Street

Culture

Arts and entertainment

Theatre Royal Hobart
Theatre Royal, the oldest continually operating theatre in Australia.

Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, which is resident at the Federation Concert Hall on the city's waterfront. It offers a year-round program of concerts and is thought to be one of the finest small orchestras in the world. Hobart also plays host to the University of Tasmania's acclaimed Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI) which brings pre-professional advanced young musicians to town from all over Australia and internationally. The AISOI plays host to a public concert season during the first two weeks of December every year focusing on large symphonic music. Like the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the AISOI uses the Federation Concert Hall as its performing base.

Hobart is home to Australia's oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal, as well as the Playhouse theatre, the Backspace theatre and many smaller stage theatres. It also has three Village Cinema complexes, one each in Hobart CBD, Glenorchy and Rosny, with the possibility of a fourth being developed in Kingston. The State Cinema in North Hobart specialises in arthouse and foreign films.

The city has also long been home to a thriving classical, jazz, folk, punk, hip-hop, electro, metal and rock music scene. Internationally recognised musicians such as metal acts Striborg and Psycroptic, indie-electro bands The Paradise Motel and The Scientists of Modern Music, singer-songwriters Sacha Lucashenko (of The Morning After Girls), Michael Noga (of The Drones), and Monique Brumby, two-thirds of indie rock band Love of Diagrams, post punk band Sea Scouts, theremin player Miles Brown, blues guitarist Phil Manning (of blues-rock band Chain), power-pop group The Innocents are all successful expatriates. In addition, founding member of Violent Femmes, Brian Ritchie, now calls Hobart home, and has formed a local band, The Green Mist. Ritchie also curates the annual international arts festival MONA FOMA, held at Salamanca Place's waterfront venue, Princes Wharf, Shed No. 1. Hobart hosts many significant festivals including winter's landmark cultural event, the Festival of Voices, Australia's premier festival celebration of voice, and Tasmania's biennial international arts festival Ten Days On The Island. Other festivals, including the Hobart Fringe Festival, Hobart Summer Festival, Southern Roots Festival, the Falls Festival in Marion Bay and the Soundscape Festival also capitalise on Hobart's artistic communities.

MONA 1
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the largest private museum in the Southern Hemisphere

Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The Meadowbank Estate winery and restaurant features a floor mural by Tom Samek, part funded by the Federal Government. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) opened in 2011 to coincide with the third annual MONA FOMA festival. The multi-storey MONA gallery was built directly underneath the historic Sir Roy Grounds courtyard house, overlooking the Derwent River. This building serves as the entrance to the MONA Gallery.

Designed by the prolific architect Sir Roy Grounds, the 17-storey Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay, opened as Australia's first legal casino in 1973.

The city's nightlife primarily revolves around Salamanca Place, the waterfront area, Elizabeth St in North Hobart and Sandy Bay, but popular pubs, bars and nightclubs exist around the city as well. Major national and international music events are usually held at the Derwent Entertainment Centre, or the Casino. Popular restaurant strips include Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, and Salamanca Place near the waterfront. These include numerous ethnic restaurants including Chinese, Thai, Greek, Pakistani, Italian, Indian and Mexican. The major shopping street in the CBD is Elizabeth Street, with the pedestrianised Elizabeth Mall and the General Post Office.

Events

Hobart Wharfchancellor
Hobart's Constitution Dock is the arrival point for Yachts after they have completed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and usually witnesses scenes of celebration by many yachtsmen during the new year festivities.

Hobart is internationally famous among the yachting community as the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which starts in Sydney on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day). The arrival of the yachts is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer Festival, a food and wine festival beginning just after Christmas and ending in mid-January. The Taste of Tasmania is a major part of the festival, where locals and visitors can taste fine local and international food and wine.

The city is the finishing point of the Targa Tasmania rally car event, which has been held annually in April since 1991.

The annual Tulip Festival at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular Spring celebration in the city.

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a biennial event held in Hobart celebrating wooden boats. It is held concurrently with the Royal Hobart Regatta, which began in 1830 and is therefore Tasmania's oldest surviving sporting event.

Sport

Most of Hobart's sporting teams in national competitions are statewide teams rather than exclusively city teams.

Cricket is a popular game of the city. The Tasmanian Tigers cricket team plays its home games at the Bellerive Oval on the Eastern Shore. A new team, Hobart Hurricanes represent the city in the Big Bash League. Bellerive Oval has been the breeding ground of some world class cricket players including the former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

Despite Australian rules football's huge popularity in the state of Tasmania, the state does not have a team in the Australian Football League. However, a bid for an Tasmanian AFL team is a popular topic among football fans. The State government is one of the potential sponsors of such a team. Local domestic club football is still played. Tasmanian State League football features five clubs from Hobart, and other leagues such as Southern Football League and the Old Scholars Football Association are also played each Winter.

The city has two local rugby league football teams (Hobart Tigers and South Hobart Storm) that compete in the Tasmanian Rugby League.

Tasmania is not represented by teams in the NRL, Super Rugby, netball, soccer, or basketball leagues. However, the "Oasis Hobart Chargers" team does represent Hobart in the South East Australian Basketball League. Besides the bid for an AFL club which was passed over in favour of a second Queensland team, despite several major local businesses and the Premier pioneering for a club, there is also a Hobart bid for entry into the A-League.

Hockey Tasmania has a men's team (the Tasmanian Tigers) and a women's team (the Van Demons) competing in the Australian Hockey League.

The city co-hosted the basketball FIBA Oceania Championship 1975.

Media

Mount Wellington lookout
The main television and radio transmitter of Hobart behind the lookout building near the summit of Mount Wellington.

Five free-to-air television stations service Hobart:

  • ABC Tasmania (ABT)
  • SBS Tasmania (SBS)
  • Southern Cross Television Tasmania (TNT) - Seven Network affiliate
  • WIN Television Tasmania (TVT) - Network Ten affiliate
  • Tasmanian Digital Television (TDT) - Nine Network affiliate

Each station broadcasts a primary channel and several multichannels.

Hobart is served by twenty-eight digital free-to-air television channels:

  1. ABC
  2. ABC (ABC broadcast in HD)
  3. ABC2/KIDS
  4. ABC ME
  5. ABC News 24
  6. SBS
  7. SBS HD (SBS broadcast in HD)
  8. SBS Viceland
  9. Food Network
  10. NITV
  11. SCTV (on relay from Melbourne)
  12. 7HD (Seven broadcast in HD)
  13. 7Two
  14. 7mate
  15. Racing.com
  16. TDT Nine (on relay from Melbourne)
  17. 9HD (TDT broadcast in HD)
  18. 9Gem
  19. 9Go!
  20. WIN (on relay from Melbourne)
  21. WIN HD (WIN HD broadcast in HD)
  22. One
  23. Eleven
  24. TVSN
  25. Gold

The majority of pay television services are provided by Foxtel via satellite, although other smaller pay television providers do service Hobart.

Commercial radio stations licensed to cover the Hobart market include Triple M Hobart, Hit 100.9 and 7HO FM. Local community radio stations include Christian radio station Ultra106five, Edge Radio and 92FM which targets the wider community with specialist programmes. The five ABC radio networks available on analogue radio broadcast to Hobart via 936 ABC Hobart, Radio National, Triple J, NewsRadio and ABC Classic FM.

Station Frequency
Energy FM 87.8 FM Commercial
Triple J 92.9 FM Government funded
ABC Classic FM 93.9 FM Government funded
Hobart FM 96.1 FM Community
Edge Radio 99.3 FM Community
Hit 100.9 100.9 FM Commercial
7HO FM 101.7 FM Commercial
SBS Radio 105.7 FM Government funded
Ultra106five 106.5 FM Christian/Narrowcast
Triple M Hobart 107.3 FM Commercial
ABC Radio National 585 AM Government funded
ABC NewsRadio 747 AM Government funded
7RPH 864 AM Community
936 ABC Hobart 936 AM Government funded
TOTE Sport Radio 1080 AM Racing/Narrowcast
Rete Italia 1611 AM Italian radio
NTC Radio Australia 1620 AM Community

Hobart's major newspaper is The Mercury, which was founded by John Davies in 1854 and has been continually published ever since. The paper is currently owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.

Sister cities

  • Japan Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (1977)
  • Italy L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy (1980)
  • China Xi'an, Shaanxi, China (2015)

Economy

Wrest Point Casino
Wrest Point Casino

Shipping is significant to the city's economy. Hobart is the home port for the Antarctic activities of Australia and France. The port loads around 2,000 tonnes of Antarctic cargo a year for the Australian research vessel Aurora Australis. The city is also a popular cruise ship destination during the summer months, with 47 such ships docking during the course of the 2016–17 summer season.

The city also supports many other industries. Major local employers include catamaran builder Incat, zinc refinery Nyrstar, Cascade Brewery and Cadbury's Chocolate Factory, Norske Skog and Wrest Point Casino. The city also supports a host of light industry manufacturers, as well as a range of redevelopment projects, including the $689 million Royal Hobart Hospital Redevelopment – standing as the states largest ever Health Infrastructure project.

Tourism is a significant part of the economy, with visitors coming to the city to explore its historic inner suburbs and nationally acclaimed restaurants and cafes, as well as its vibrant music and nightlife culture. The two major draw-cards are the weekly market in Salamanca Place, and the Museum of Old and New Art. The city is also used as a base from which to explore the rest of Tasmania.

The last 15–20 years has seen Hobart's wine industry thrive as many vineyards have developed in countryside areas outside of the city in the Coal River Wine Region and D'Entrecasteaux Channel, including Moorilla Estate at Berriedale one of the most awarded vineyards in Australia.

Antarctic gateway

Roald Amundsen bust 20171117-004
Bust of Roald Amundsen at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. After completing the first expedition to the South Pole in 1911, Amundsen sailed to Hobart to announce his success.

Hobart is an Antarctic gateway city, with geographical proximity to East Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Infrastructure is provided by the port of Hobart for scientific research and cruise ships, and Hobart International Airport supports an Antarctic Airlink to Wilkins Runway at Casey Station. Hobart is a logistics point for the French icebreaker L'Astrolabe.

Hobart is the home port for the Australian and French Antarctic programs, and provides port services for other visiting Antarctic nations and Antarctic cruise ships. Antarctic and Southern Ocean expeditions are supported by a specialist cluster offering cold climate products, services and scientific expertise. The majority of these businesses and organisations are members of the Tasmanian polar network, supported in part by the Tasmanian State Government.

Tasmania has a high concentration of Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientists. Hobart is home to the following Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific institutions:

  • Australian Antarctic Division
  • Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
  • Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
  • The University of Tasmania (UTAS) – expertise in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science and research
  • Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) (established by UTAS)
  • Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS)
  • Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE-CRC)
  • International Antarctic Institute (IAI) (hosted by UTAS)
  • Southern Ocean Observing System (hosted by UTAS/ IMAS)
  • CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research

Tourism

Hobart Tasmania Salamanca Place
Salamanca Market with the snow-capped Mount Wellington in the background.

Hobart serves as a focal point and mecca for tourism in the state of Tasmania. In 2016, Hobart received 1.8 million visitors, surpassing both Perth and Canberra, tying equally with Brisbane.

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular recreation area a short distance from the city centre. It is the second-oldest Botanic Gardens in Australia and holds extensive significant plant collections.

Hadley's Orient Hotel, on Hobart's Murray Street, is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Australia.

kunanyi/Mount Wellington, accessible by passing through Fern Tree, is the dominant feature of Hobart's skyline. Indeed, many descriptions of Hobart have used the phrase "nestled amidst the foothills", so undulating is the landscape. At 1,271 metres, the mountain has its own ecosystems, is rich in biodiversity and plays a large part in determining the local weather.

The Tasman Bridge is also a uniquely important feature of the city, connecting the two shores of Hobart and visible from many locations. The Hobart Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Australia and a rare surviving example of an Egyptian Revival synagogue.

Infrastructure

Education

UTAS Centenary Building
University of Tasmania's Centenary Building, Sandy Bay campus

Hobart is home to the main campus of the University of Tasmania, located in Sandy Bay. On-site accommodation colleges include Christ College, Jane Franklin Hall and St John Fisher College. Other campuses are in Launceston and Burnie.

The Greater Hobart area contains 122 primary, secondary and pretertiary (College) schools distributed throughout Clarence, Glenorchy and Hobart City Councils and Kingborough and Brighton Municipalities. These schools are made up of a mix of public, catholic, private and independent run, with the heaviest distribution lying in the more densely populated West around the Hobart city core. TasTAFE operates a total of seven polytechnic campuses within the Greater Hobart area that provide vocational education and training.

Transport

Hobart buses (5929879281)
Buses in the city centre

The only public transportation within the city of Hobart is via a network of Metro Tasmania buses funded by the Tasmanian Government and a small number of private bus services. Like many large Australian cities, Hobart once operated passenger tram services, a trolleybus network consisting of six routes which operated until 1968. However, the tramway closed in the early 1960s. The tracks are still visible in the older streets of Hobart.

Suburban passenger trains, run by the Tasmanian Government Railways, were closed in 1974 and the intrastate passenger service, the Tasman Limited, ceased running in 1978. Recently though there has been a push from the city, and increasingly from government, to establish a light rail network, intended to be fast, efficient, and eco-friendly, along existing tracks in a North South corridor; to help relieve the frequent jamming of traffic in Hobart CBD.

The main arterial routes within the urban area are the Brooker Highway to Glenorchy and the northern suburbs, the Tasman Bridge and Bowen Bridge across the river to Rosny and the Eastern Shore. The East Derwent Highway to Lindisfarne, Geilston Bay, and Northwards to Brighton, the South Arm Highway leading to Howrah, Rokeby, Lauderdale and Opossum Bay and the Southern Outlet south to Kingston and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Leaving the city, motorists can travel the Lyell Highway to the west coast, Midland Highway to Launceston and the north, Tasman Highway to the east coast, or the Huon Highway to the far south.

MONA ROMA departs Port of Hobart
MONA ROMA ferry in the Port of Hobart

Ferry services from Hobart's Eastern Shore into the city were once a common form of public transportation, but with lack of government funding, as well as a lack of interest from the private sector, there has been the demise of a regular commuter ferry service – leaving Hobart's commuters relying solely on travel by automobiles and buses. There is however a water taxi service operating from the Eastern Shore into Hobart which provides an alternative to the Tasman Bridge.

Hobart is served by Hobart International Airport with flights to/from Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and regional destinations including the Bass Strait islands. The smaller Cambridge Aerodrome mainly serves small charter airlines offering local tourist flights. In the past decade, Hobart International Airport received a huge upgrade, with the airport now being a first class airport facility.

In 2009, it was announced that Hobart Airport would receive more upgrades, including a first floor, aerobridges (currently, passengers must walk on the tarmac) and shopping facilities. Possible new international flights to Asia and New Zealand, and possible new domestic flights to Darwin and Cairns have been proposed. A second runway, possibly to be constructed in the next 15 years, would assist with growing passenger numbers to Hobart. Hobart Control Tower may be renovated and fitted with new radar equipment, and the airport's carpark may be extended further. Also, new facilities will be built just outside the airport. A new service station, hotel and day care centre have already been built and the road leading to the airport has been maintained and re-sealed. In 2016, work began on a 500-metre extension of the existing runway in addition to a $100 million upgrade of the airport. The runway extension is expected to allow international flights to land and increase air-traffic with Antarctica. This upgrade was, in part, funded under a promise made during the 2013 federal election by the Abbott government.

On 9 August 2021, the Derwent River Ferry (owned by Roche Brothers' Navigator Group) was initiated as a year-long trial servicing between Brooke Street Pier in Hobart centre to Bellerive Pier on the eastern shore. A one-way trip takes approximately 15 minutes, and the ferry operates on all weekdays, but not weekends. It starts the day at Bellerive and departs 8 times there from 6:20 am as the first time and 5:30 pm as the last (40-minute intervals), before returning from Brooke St Pier at 5:50 pm to Bellerive for the next day. The ferry provides a convenient alternative to crossing the Tasman Bridge, with its purpose being to reduce traffic congestion at a cost of $175.5 million. It can hold 107 passengers as well as 15 bicycle spots on-board. It is seen as a first step in diversifying Hobart's transportation infrastructure to solve traffic problems that involves taking cars off the road rather than increasing capacity.

Notable residents

Arts

Errol Flynn1
Actor Errol Flynn was born in Hobart in 1909.
  • Asta, singer-songwriter
  • Phillip Borsos, director and producer, best known for his films The Mean Season (1985) and One Magic Christmas (1985)
  • Saroo Brierley, author of A Long Way Home adapted into 2016 film Lion.
  • Jeanine Claes, artist, dancer, choreographer and dance teacher
  • Essie Davis, actress
  • Richard Flanagan, author
  • Errol Flynn, Hollywood actor
  • Frederick Frith, painter and photographer
  • Lisa Gormley, English-born Australian actress best known for playing Bianca Scott on the Channel 7 serial drama Home and Away
  • Lucky Grills, best known for portraying the unconventional detective "Bluey" Hills in the television series Bluey in 1976.
  • Robert Grubb, actor
  • John Harwood, writer and poet
  • Ernest, Tasman and Arthur Higgins, brothers and pioneering cinematographers during the silent era
  • Don Kay, Australian classical composer
  • William Kermode, artist
  • Constantine Koukias, a Greek-Australian composer and flautist
  • Louise Lovely, the first Australian motion picture actress to find success in Hollywood
  • Dennis Miller, actor best known for his recurring role on Blue Heelers as Ex-Sergeant Pat Doyle (1994–2000).
  • Richard Morgan, most noted for playing the long-running role of Terry Sullivan in the Australian television series The Sullivans.
  • Tara Morice, actress
  • Gerda Nicolson, actress
  • Len Reynolds, illustrator, caricaturist, painter, cartoonist
  • Glenn Richards, musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist with Augie March
  • Brian Ritchie, musician, bassist of Violent Femmes
  • Clive Sansom, poet and playwright
  • Don Sharp, actor
  • Michael Siberry, actor
  • Jaason Simmons, actor best known for his role as life guard Logan Fowler in the TV series Baywatch
  • Freya Stafford, actress who has appeared on TV programs such as Head Start and White Collar Blue and the 2010 horror film, The Clinic
  • Amali Ward, Australian Idol Season 2 finalist
  • Charles Woolley, photographer and artist

Sports

  • Darrel Baldock - Australian Rules footballer. Captain of St Kilda 1966 Grand Final victory over Collingwood. Legend status in the AFL Hall of Fame.
  • Scott Bowden – Australian cyclist
  • Al Bourke – Australian boxer of the 1940s, and 1950s
  • Roy Cazaly – Australian rules footballer who died in 1963 in Hobart, member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame
  • Adam Coleman, rugby union player
  • Rodney Eade – Australian rules footballer who played 259 games for Hawthorn and the Bears, former head coach of the Western Bulldogs until Round 21, 2011 and former head coach of the Gold Coast Suns.
  • David Foster – World Champion woodchopper
  • Ryan Foster – Middle-distance runner and first Tasmanian to break the 4-minute mile.
  • Brendon Gale – former Australian rules footballer, and is CEO of the Richmond Football Club
  • Royce Hart – Australian rules footballer, member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame with legend status and member of the Team of the Century
  • Peter Hudson AM – Australian rules footballer, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history, when playing for Glenorchy he kicked 616 goals in 81 games with some records stating he instead kicked 769 goals; he is also a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame
  • Peter 'Percy' Jones – Australian rules footballer, played 249 games for the Carlton Blues in the VFL
  • Eddie Ockenden – midfielder and striker for Australia's national hockey team, the Kookaburras
  • Tim Paine – Australian cricketer and wicketkeeper
  • Jack Riewoldt – Premiership winning Australian rules footballer for Richmond, winner of the 2010 and 2012 Coleman and Jack Dyer Medal, cousin of Nick.
  • Nick Riewoldt – Australian rules footballer, former captain of the St Kilda Football Club
  • Ian Stewart – Australian rules footballer who played 127 games for St Kilda, including the club's first (and thus far only) Premiership in 1966; he is also a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame with legend status and a triple Brownlow Medal winner
  • Max Walker – Australian rules footballer and Australian cricketer, media commentator and motivational speaker
  • Paul Williams – Australian Rules footballer who played 306 games for Collingwood and Sydney, also previously caretaker coach of the Western Bulldogs
  • Cameron Wurf – Australian road cyclist and member of the Cannondale Pro Cycling Team

Others

  • Elizabeth Blackburn, Nobel Prize-winning biological researcher
  • Bob Brown, retired politician, former leader of the Australian Greens
  • William Buckley, escaped convict who lived with the native Wathaurung people on the Bellarine Peninsula for over 30 years
  • Alec Campbell, longest surviving war veteran from the Gallipoli Campaign
  • Peter Conrad, academic and author, teaching at Christ Church, Oxford
  • Mary Donaldson, Crown Princess of Denmark
  • Helene Chung Martin, journalist and author, notable for being the first reporter of Asian descent to report on the ABC
  • Bernard Montgomery, general who grew up in Hobart; served in both world wars and is famous for his victory at the battle of El Alamein
  • Joseph Potaski, convict and first Pole to come to Australia
  • Harry Smith, Officer Commanding D Company, 6 RAR during the Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War
  • Ernest Ewart Unwin, educationist
  • David Walsh, art collector and founder of the Museum of Old and New Art
  • Charles Wooley, journalist, most famous for his role on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Hobart para niños

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