By Air

Hobart has an international and domestic airport, which is linked by various local airlines to all the major cities in Australia, although often with a stop on the way. International charter flights with Singapore Airlines also arrive at Hobart. Hobart Airport is 17kms from the city centre and there is a shuttle bus linking the airport with the city. Car hire and campervan facilities are also available at the airport.

By Ferry

There is a daily ferry, the Spirit of Tasmania, which transports passengers and their vehicles between Melbourne and Devonport, 278kms from Hobart, and the journey takes 10 hours. The ferry, which is more like a cruise ship, can accommodate over 600 vehicles and 1,200 passengers.

By Bus

Buses run to Hobart from all major destinations on the island. Services are provided by Tassielink and Tasmanian Redline coaches, who run regular services using modern, comfortable vehicles.

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site, Tasman Bridge, Mount Nelson, Richmond

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

The sheltered, landscaped grounds of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens hold historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating from the 19th century. It also has an increasing number of important conservation collections of Tasmanian plants and the world's only sub-Antarctic plant house. Prior to European settlement, local Aboriginal tribes used the site, and traces of their occupation are still apparent. A number of historic structures, including two walls built by convicts, date back to the gardens' earliest days.

The Botanical Gardens Restaurant, set in one of the loveliest locations for any restaurant in Tasmania, combines with an extensive programme of activities and events as well as year-round displays to offer visitors a great Tasmanian experience.

Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site

The chapel was designed by John Lee Archer, a famous colonial architect, and construction on the building started in 1831. It was the chapel for the adjacent prisoners’ barracks and is one of the few examples of Georgian ecclesiastical architecture in Australia. In 1860, two wings of the building were converted to be used as criminal courts. The chapel was used until 1961, and the courts until 1983. The building has underground passages, solitary cells and an execution yard. Visitors looking for a little suspense in their lives might like to choose the evening ghost tour.

Tasman Bridge

One of Hobart's landmarks is the Tasman Bridge (1964), which spans the Derwent River in a bold arch, borne on numerous piers, linking Queen's Domain with the suburb of Montagu. Eleven years after its construction a cargo vessel rammed one of the piers, threatening the bridge with collapse and a replacement bridge was built a few kilometers north. The Tasman Bridge is now once again operating normally.

Mount Nelson

From Wrest Point Nelson Road runs south, with many bends, up Mount Nelson (340m). Although it is small compared with Mount Wellington, it affords a splendid panoramic view of Hobart, its harbor and the mouth of the Derwent. The old signal station is now occupied by a tearoom.

Richmond

The much visited town of Richmond (pop. 700) is a kind of living open-air museum. The town was founded soon after the landing of the first settlers in Risdon Cove in 1803 (Hobart), and in 1824 it was officially recognized as a township. It soon developed into the commercial center of a very fertile grain-growing district, though only one of the old grain mills has survived.

Richmond was also an important military post, and there was also a penal colony here, whose inmates constructed many of the town's buildings, as well as the oldest bridge in Australia.

November - March

January - February -> 21(°C) - Summer
June - August -> 5(°C) - Spring

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