Hobart Journals

Hobart

A February 2008 trip to Hobart by statesidecruiser

Quote: Hobart is a clean, orderly, charming city. It resembles the outskirts of an English country town twenty to thirty years ago. The area around the port in Battery Park is quite authentically Victorian.

4 Photos

Hobart

Overview

Quote:

Hobart is a clean, orderly, charming city. It resembles the outskirts of an English country town twenty to thirty years ago. The area around the port in Battery Park is quite authentically Victorian. There have been no substantial renovations, though the buildings are well maintained. A block away toward the center of town are imposing Victorian buildings three to four stories high with large, square windows and columns in the front. Some of these are government buildings; some are banks. North of that block is the main thoroughfare, Elizabeth Street. It is a wide, long, straight street. Part of it, known as Elizabeth Mall, is pedestrianized and has little sidewalk cafes interspersed with shops and boutiques.

About a half mile up from the port is a shop called Country Woman’s Association which offers homemade jams, jellies, and all sorts of other home baked confectionery. It is typical of the charming shops in the area, many of which have been there for 100 years or more. Elizabeth Street gradually tapers off to the north with restaurants of all types.

Continuity is the flavor of Hobart. It is lovingly maintained as a changeless place. Its lovely parks and handsome homes contribute to its well earned reputation as one of Australia’s most livable cities.

At the top of Elizabeth Street, I turned left into Tasma Street which is a residential area of homes with small decorative fences and lovely gardens. Turning again there is a street branching off to the Cathedral. Walking south on Murray Street, I encountered an area of shops offering CDs and accompanying equipment. The Anglican Cathedral was on the left. Between Murray and Elizabeth is Collins Street. This area contains a number of department stores and is semi-pedestrianized. As elsewhere in the city, everything was clean and orderly.

At the top of Murray Street is Veteran’s Row. This is a little line of houses that were given to people who had served in the British Army supervising convicts etc. in lieu of a pension.

Hobart has the air of a well established pioneer town. Outside the well ordered city are hundreds of acres of forest and mountain land. There are over 150 walking trails for hikers and backpackers. Fishing, camping, and backpacking are of great interest to locals and visitors alike.

The parks in Hobart are lush and green with attractive plantings.

Quick Tips:

Boarding a tour bus, I rode out to one of the most spectacular of these: the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. The gardens feature historic plant collections ranging from 19th century trees to native Tasmanian species of flowers and plants, a large lily pond, and an organic garden.

Continuing on our tour, we drove to Rosny Hill from which we could see our ship, the Derwent River, and a sweeping view of the city below. We continued to Mount Nelson with its signal tower complete with flags that are displayed daily giving nautical information to all within view.

Mount Wellington’s summit is 4,167 feet above sea level and offers sweeping views of distant mountain ranges and of the city of Hobart.

An hour’s drive outside of Hobart leads to Port Arthur, the last of Australia’s penal colonies. More than 12,000 convicts from the European continent passed through the penal system there. During their incarceration they manufactured the bricks and boards that built the warehouses and homes. The completion of their sentences freed them to be part of the construction and governance of the young State of Tasmania.