Day trip to Tasmania

You've got 24 hours in Hobart. Here's how you should spend them, writes Dominic Rolfe.

Constitution Dock in Hobart can throw up some splendidly ironic scenes. Where the old whaling boats would dock in days past, their crews idling their shore days away with scrimshaw and brass polishing, there now sits the Sea Shepherd, the famous anti-whaling boat and bane of the Japanese whaling fleet across the Southern seas. I'm not sure what an old whaling captain would think of that but surely even an old salt would approve of the transformation of his former town into one of the most accessibly beautiful cities in Australia.

A day trip to Tassie might sound implausible but time-poor travellers who want 24 hours of adventure can get an incredibly rich sense of what the island has to offer with a flying visit. Beware, though, that however brief your journey, the Apple Isle will present more than its fair share of forbidden fruit. And after that first bite, well, the rest is history. Here's how to let your senses loose in a day.

6.25am: Make the most of your day by getting the first flight out. And avoid the temptation to sneak some shut-eye on the flight down. There are rivers and creeks draped across the plains like an earthy Lucien Freud painting, verdant farmland squares off against bush and the craggy coastline, and mountains in the distance are often dusted with snow. This is the geography lesson you probably never got at school.

9.30am: The first place to stop after crossing the magnificent Tasman Bridge linking the Hobart suburbs (and airport) to the centre of the city is Jackman and McRoss, a short walk from Constitution Dock (on the way, make sure you cut through the splendid St Davids Park that was the site of Hobart's first cemetery). Tucked in Victoria Street, this bakery offers drool-inducing almond croissants and the best breakfast pizza – an egg, two sausages, spinach and tomato lovingly arranged on a pizza base – you'll find this side of a Neapolitan fry-up. Lounge outside in the rattan chairs like a local and relax knowing that it's a downhill stroll to the docks, where you can meander around.

11.30am: Appreciating Hobart means getting out on the water. The full sweep of the city sitting in the lap of Mount Wellington, which peers down from 1270 metres and is often snowcapped – even in the summer months – needs a boaties' perspective. If you're heading out with a following breeze, spare a thought for Sydney-to-Hobart sailors that can round into the Derwent estuary in around two days and then tack into the wind for 10 more hours to the finish line.

Thankfully, Peppermint Bay Cruises affords those stunning vistas without having to winch on any halyards. The 23-metre catamaran pulls out of Sullivans Cove, wending along the southern shoreline with commentary that covers the resident seals, sea eagles, fish farms, suburban history as well as a touch of royalty – the former high school of Danish Princess Mary Donaldson, Taroona High School, is on the way south to Peppermint Bay. By the time you arrive at Peppermint Bay, you should also have learned your port from starboard.

Set just outside the coastal village of Woodbridge, the Peppermint Bay restaurant, headed by renowned Tassie chef Paul Foreman (formerly of Marque IV in Hobart), marries spectacular views with impressive local cuisine. The confit of Spring Bay baby abalone with pickled zucchini, lemongrass and lime leaf foam is light, bright and unbelievably fresh. Paired with the acidic zing of a Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008, it will have even the most hardened mainlander questioning their parochialism.

Sugar-cured Huon ocean trout and scallop ceviche with a wonderfully balanced Pirie Estate Chardonnay 2007 is so good that you can almost see sweet-toothed trout tying their own lures. Well, almost.

4.30pm: After cruising back to Constitution Dock, get your land legs back with a walk up Salamanca Place. The convict-built warehouses from 1843 that peer across to Sullivans Cove are today packed with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and bistros.