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About Hobart and North of HobartQuick links to walking notes:Walking in Hobart city, Richmond, Pt Arthur, Hobart: An IntroductionHobart is the capital of Australia’s southern most state, Tasmania. It sits on the mouth of the Derwent River, and is dominated in its background by the 1270 m high Mt Wellington. It is an old city by Australian standards, only Sydney is older, and was founded just upriver from present day Hobart in 1803. It has many fine, historic buildings which originate from the Georgian era. The waterfront, docks, wharves, old pubs, cafes and warehouses dominate the eastern end of Hobart, with much of the night life, especially in summer, occurring in this area. It has a great climate in summer, still warm but not anywhere as hot as say Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. Days above 25°C are rare and any warm days are tempered by the breeze from the river in the afternoons. Winter is cold, compared to the more northerly states and it can be wet and cloudy. Snow falls more frequently on Mt Wellington in winter (although it has been known to snow also in summer). Compared to the west coast, the area around Hobart is much drier and does not receive anywhere near the same rainfall as the west coast. Hobart is easily reached directly from the mainland with multiple daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne. From other Australian cities you often have to change planes in Melbourne for the final leg to Hobart. There is also a daily ferry service from Melbourne which takes both passengers and cars. For more information on transport options see the Contact and References page. Accommodation is multi-tiered from cheaper backpackers, to pubs and top of the line hotels. Prices are more expensive during the summer period, and especially between Christmas and New Year, with the arrival of the Sydney to Hobart yacht fleet and the fantastic festival known as the Taste of Tasmania. Hobart is easy to navigate around with a good map, and is a great city for walking in. In fact having a car in the city can be quite a hindrance as there is limited parking and time restrictions when you can actually find parking. Maps and information about Hobart and environs are available from the Tasmanian Tourist Information Centre. The walks in this section of the website involve a walk in the city, one in the historic town of Richmond, a tour of Pt Arthur and 4 walks in Freycinet National Park. All walks are accessible by public transport/coach, some are better done with a private coach as more stops are able to be made, and all are within 200 km north of Hobart. © 2007 - Sharon Fulcher - WalksAustralia.com |