Tasmanian Destination: Hobart City

Hobart City, the capital of Tasmania, has come a long way in a very short amount of time. As the smallest state in Australia, we were for a long time considered sleepy, remote & somewhere a bit too far out of the way to visit was Hobart. Even for regular tourists. However we now have one of largest & quickly growing tourism industries in Australia & Cruise Ships and their passengers play a large part of that for Hobart.

Framed by one of our most iconic attractions in Mt Wellington, we have many things that we are able to offer the avid traveller now at both budget & luxury spectrum’s across a variety of shore excursions & day tours. With many early settlement buildings still standing from the Georgian & Victorian period, the city provides a fantastic landscape for those interested in Hobart’s colonial history, convict heritage & general architecture.

Hobart City Tasmania: Mt Wellington

No matter where you are in Hobart you are never far away from the City’s beloved mountain, kunanyi / Mt Wellington.

Rich in wildlife and blanketed in forest, woodlands and alpine environments, it is a natural playground for the people of Hobart. An extensive network of walking and mountain bike tracks are great ways of exploring the mountain, taking visitors past waterfalls, through fern glades and gullies, and opening up great views of Hobart and on good days the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

kunanyi / Mt Wellington provides the backdrop to Hobart and is about a 20 minute drive from the city centre. With a sealed road to the summit and an extensive network of walking tracks and fire trails, there's a range of activities for every visitor – bushwalking, mountain bike riding, orienteering, picnics, barbecues and sightseeing from the many spectacular vantage points.

The mountain offers:

• spectacular walking and mountain biking trails

• excellent views of southern Tasmania

• challenging rock climbing

• a rich natural and cultural history.

Much of the eastern face of kunanyi/Mt Wellington is managed by the City of Hobart and forms part of the more extensive Wellington Park.

Clear, fresh mountain water from the North West Bay River catchment on the south-east face of kunanyi/Mt Wellington provides a quarter of Hobart's drinking water supply, and the original Mountain Park was first set aside to protect this precious resource.

Though close to the sea, the mountain is a 1270 metre alpine peak, with the chance of extreme weather conditions at any time of the year. 

On the distant south-west skyline, a sharp eye can pick out Federation Peak. Far to the north-east, beyond the Midlands, is Ben Lomond's profile, and to the south-east, the Tasman Peninsula.

To find out about the many bush walking and biking tracks on kunanyi/Mt Wellington and across Greater Hobart, visit greaterhobarttrails.com.au. 

Hobart City Tasmania: Weather & Climate

The climate of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, is oceanic, with mild, rainy winters and cool, quite rainy summers. Being that it's in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are of course reversed when compared to the northern hemisphere, so in July and August it is winter.

Tasmania is the southernmost state of Australia, and comprises the main island plus some smaller islands. At these latitudes (the island is located between 40 and 43 degrees south latitude), the western currents prevail throughout the year, with a series of disturbances that bring rainfall especially on the west side of the island. The wind blows frequently as well.
Hobart is located in the southeast, and receives 570 millimeters (22.5 inches) of rain per year, which is not much, but the rains are well distributed over the seasons (although summer is the least rainy season), and often occur in the form of frequent drizzle and brief showers. Here is the average precipitation.