Hobart, Bruny Island & Port Arthur

Stay in Hobart, where fascinating history sits shoulder-to-shoulder with modern entertainment and quaint boutiques rest side-by-side with galleries, museums, and theatres. Take your taste buds on an artisanal adventure or search out the diverse inhabitants of the wilderness, sea, and even a miniature farm. Or step into 200 years of brutal penal colony past at Port Arthur to explore the guard tower, hospital, sandstone church, prison, museum, and chilling Isle of the Dead. Choose to visit in the safety of daylight, or under the ghostly glow of a lamplight tour.

Browse for souvenirs at Hobart’s Saturday Salamanca markets or find the freshest local produce at Farm Gate’s Sunday market. Enjoy the colours, aromas, and tranquillity of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, or at Bruny Island’s Inala Nature Museum and Jurassic Gardens. Hike through breath-taking scenery, walk through fascinating history, and taste unforgettable dishes across Hobart, Bruny Island and Port Arthur.

Once a harsh British penal colony, Tasmania’s capital city has come a long way. Wander the elegant convict-built architecture of Battery Point to find harbourside restaurants sitting among 19th-century cottages, the Neoclassical St. George's Anglican Church, and the neo-Gothic St. David's Cathedral. Walk a two-kilometre sculpture trail from Short Beach to the antique shops, boutiques, and cafés of Salamanca Place. Grab fish and chips at Constitution Dock.

Uncover the natural history and heritage of the island state at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, housed in Hobart's oldest building, or immerse yourself in the past and future of creativity in the interactive Museum of Old and New Art. Sample worldwide cuisines in the bohemian atmosphere of North Hobart’s restaurant strip and the Runnymede mansion by New Town Bay. Climb 1,270 metres to the summit of kunanyi/Mount Wellington and gaze back across the historic city below.

Indulge your taste buds in the foodies' paradise of Bruny Island. Sample natural Oysters farmed within sight of your table, freshly caught seafood, craft beer, artisan cheese, island honey, handmade chocolates, rich fudge, succulent berries, single-malt whiskies, small-batch gins, and refreshing chardonnay or pinot noir from Australia’s most southern winery. Work off the banquet and blow away the cobwebs with a 279 timber-step climb to the Neck Lookout for incredible views of the island, the bay, and the ocean. 

Walk beside fairy penguins as they waddle from the water to their beachside burrows. See the tiny animals at Ashdale Miniature Farm. Spot white wallabies and wombats in South Bruny National Park. Get out onto the water to cruise the coastline among dolphins, seals, and southern right whales. Or uncover Bruny Island's history at the two-century-old Cape Bruny Lighthouse or the eerie facilities of the old Quarantine Station.

Sitting off the southern coast of Australia, Tasmania enjoys cooler temperatures than most areas of the nation with limited variation throughout the year. Summer temperatures average between 12°C and 22°C while winter rarely drops below 5°C and still reaches 12°C on many days. Hobart is one of Australia’s driest cities making the region pleasant to visit all year round. Pack layers, and you’ll have a great time.

December to February is the warmest period and Hobart sees several festivals bring the city to life, including the annual Boxing Day Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the New Year Taste Festival. March to May and September to November are great shoulder seasons with fewer crowds and good weather. Couples will love taking romantic walks on the crisp winter days between June and August before getting cosy in a café or restaurant when the evening chill sets in.