Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
New Year's Eve. Food and wine lovers indulge themselves after the race during the
2-month-long Hobart Summer Festival, which starts on December 28.
EXPLORING THE CITY & ENVIRONS
Simply strolling around the harbor and popping into the shops at Salamanca
Place can keep you nicely occupied.
Also take a look around Battery Point, an area chock-full of colonial stone cot-
tages. The area gets its name from a battery of guns set up on the promontory in
1818 to defend the town against potential invaders (particularly the French). Today,
there are plenty of tearooms, antiques shops, cozy restaurants, and atmospheric
pubs interspersed between grand dwellings. One of the houses worth looking into
is Narryna Van Diemen's Land Folk Museum, 103 Hampden Rd. ( & 03/6234
2791 ), which depicts the life of upper-class pioneers. It's open Tuesday through
Friday from 10:30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5pm (closed
July). Admission is A$5 (US$3.25) for adults and A$2 (US$1.30) for children. Also
in this area is the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, 16 Argyle St. ( & 03/6234
1427 ), one of the best museums of its type in Australia. It's open daily from 10am
to 5pm, and admission is A$7 (US$4.55) for adults, A$4 (US$2.60) for children 4
to 16, and A$16 (US$10) for a family.
The National Trust ( & 03/6223 7570 ) offers a 3-hour Battery Point Her-
itage Walk leaving at 9:30am every Saturday from the wishing well in Franklin
Square. It costs A$11 (US$7.15) for adults and A$3 (US$1.95) for children 6
to 16 and includes morning tea.
For magnificent views over Hobart and across a fair-size chunk of Tasmania,
drive to The Pinnacle on top of Mount Wellington, about 40 minutes from the
city center. Take a warm coat though; the wind in this alpine area can bite. An
extensive network of walking trails offers good hiking. Pick up a copy of Mt.
Wellington Day Walk Map and Notes from the Department of Environment
Tasmap Centre, at the Lands Building, 134 Macquarie St. ( & 03/6233 3382 ).
THE TOP ATTRACTIONS
Antarctic Adventure Hobart is the last port of call for expeditions to
Antarctica. You can experience the cold continent yourself at this highly recom-
mended attraction. It doesn't look like much at first, but I promise you'll be sucked
in. You can experience an Antarctic blizzard, climb all over heavy machinery, expe-
rience a downhill ski simulator (I'm not sure how that fits in), and get computer
access to Antarctic weather conditions and communications. The photos and
other displays are also interesting. The irresistible stuffed huskies in the souvenir
shop will take a hefty bite out of your wallet. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
Salamanca Sq. & 03/6220 8220. Admission A$16 (US$10) adults, A$13 (US$8.45) students, A$8 (US$5.20)
children 4-13, A$40 (US$26) families. Daily 10am-5pm. Closed Christmas.
Bonorong Park Wildlife Centre I don't think I've ever seen so many
wallabies in one place as I saw here—they were hopping all over the place. There
are lots of other native animals around, too, including snakes, koalas, Tasmanian
devils, and wombats. The Bush Tucker shed serves lunch, billy teas (basically tea
brewed up in a metal pot with a gum leaf thrown in), and damper (Australian-
style campfire bread). Koala cuddling isn't allowed in Tasmania, but if you're
around at feeding times it's possible to stroke one—they're not as shy as you
might think. Feeding times are 12:30 and 3pm daily. The park is on the side of
a steep hill, so travelers in wheelchairs are likely to fare badly. Allow 1 hour.
Kids
Kids
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