Hobart and its surrounding area form a compelling blend of heritage and lifestyle, landscapes and intense cultural life. The city is bounded by river and sea. Take a cruise around the harbour or drive up to the summit of Mount Nelson or Mount Wellington and you’ll understand the city’s maritime character: the suburbs reach down to embrace the Derwent River, the city’s buildings cluster around the wharves, and the estuary widens, flowing into Storm Bay and then out to sea beyond. In the 19th-century waterfront warehouses that built the city’s reputation, whalers, soldiers, minor bureaucrats and opportunistic businessmen once went about their affairs. Today they house cafés, restaurants and studios, and draw crowds of shoppers and visitors.
Parliament House keeps watch over its lawns, once the vegetable garden of old Hobart Town. The historic Government House stands serenely in its grounds on the northern edge of the city, where the Governor’s cows still graze in their paddock in the middle of town, as they always have.
