Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dec-Apr). You can pick up information on the State's National Parks at the
Lands Information Bureau,
134 Macquarie St. (
&
03/6233 8011
).
CITY LAYOUT
Hobart straddles the Derwent River on the south coast of the
Tasmania.
Salamanca Place
and nearby
Battery Point
abut Sullivan's Cove, home
to hundreds of yachts. The row of sandstone warehouses that dominate Salamanca
Place date back to the city's importance as a whaling base in the 1830s. Behind
Princes Wharf, Battery Point is the city's historic district, which in colonial times
was the home of sailors, fishermen, whalers, coopers, merchants, shipwrights, and
master mariners. The open ocean is about 50km (31 miles) farther down the river,
though the Derwent empties out into Storm Bay, just 20km (12 miles) down-
stream. The central business district is on the west side of the water, with the main
thoroughfares—
Campbell, Argyle, Elizabeth, Murray, and Harrington
streets
—sloping down to the busy harbor. The Tasman Bridge and regular pas-
senger ferries reach across the Derwent River. Set back from the city, but over-
looking it, is the 1,270m (4,166-ft.) tall
Mount Wellington.
GETTING AROUND
Central Hobart is very small, and most of the attrac-
tions are in easy walking distance.
Metro Tasmania
(
&
03/6233 4232
or 13 22
01; www.metrotas.com.au) operates a system of public metro buses throughout
the city and suburban areas. Single tickets cost from A$1.40 to A$3.20
(US91¢-US$2.10) depending on how far you're going. Day Tripper tickets can
be used between 9am and 4:30pm and after 6pm during the week and all day
on weekends; they cost A$3.60 (US$2.35). Purchase tickets from bus drivers. If
you plan on busing about, stop off at the Metro Shop situated in the General
Post Office building on the corner of Elizabeth and Macquarie streets and pick
up a timetable, brochures, and sightseeing information.
The
Roche-O'May ferry company
(
&
03/6223 1914;
www.ontas.com.au/
cartela) operates morning and afternoon tea cruises, and lunch and dinner cruises
on the
Cartela,
a wooden-hulled, former steam-powered ferry built in Hobart in
1912. One-hour afternoon coffee cruises cost A$12 (US$7.80), 2-hour afternoon
cruises cost A$16 (US$10), and lunch and dinner cruises are A$24 (US$16). Call
for departure times. The company also runs a ferry service on the
Wanderer,
with
coffee, tea, and full commentary. It stops at the Wrest Point Casino, the Royal Tas-
manian Botanical Gardens, Sullivan's Cove, and the old suburb of Belle Reeve.
These ferries leave Brooke Street Pier on Franklin Wharf at 10:30am, noon, and
1:30 and 3pm. The 1
1
⁄
2
-hour cruise costs A$10 (US$6.50) for adults, A$5
(US$3.25) for children, and A$25 (US$16) for a family.
Tasmanian Tours & Travel Tigerline
(
&
1300/653 633
in Australia, or
03/6272 6611) offer a range of sightseeing tours of Hobart and its surroundings.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The
Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race,
starting in Sydney on
December 26, fills the Constitution Dock Marina and harbor area close to over-
flowing with spectators and partygoers when the ships turn up in Tasmania. The
race takes anywhere from 2 to 4 days, and the sailors and fans stay on to celebrate
Staying Connected
It's relatively hard to find public access to the Internet in Hobart, but you can
try
Drifters Internet Café,
Shop 9/33 Salamanca Place, Hobart (in Salamanca
Galleria) (
&
03/6224 3244
). The cafe charges A$5 (US$3.25) per half-hour.
Tips
