This was published 1 year ago
Hobart offers the best of everything Tasmania is famous for
Stunning views from the city's beloved mountain, kunanyi / Mt Wellington.Credit: Luke Tscharke
The air must be real fresh down there, eh?" asks my Uber driver as he drops me off at the airport. I've just told him I'm heading to Tasmania and his response reflects that of almost everyone I've spoken to about my upcoming visit to the Apple Isle.
There's no denying Tassie's reputation centres on its lush greenery, wildlife and open spaces. Its tourism slogan, "Come down for air", says it all. But as I'm spending just three days visiting the capital, Hobart, I'm expecting more eating out, exploring markets and mooching around museums than bushwalking and immersing myself in nature. It doesn't take long to find out that Australia's second-oldest city offers the best of both worlds.
Less than a two-hour flight from Sydney, and even quicker from Melbourne, Hobart has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in the past 10 years. Much of this growth can be pinpointed to the 2011 opening of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). This unique, mainly subterranean gallery displays a range of art, from ancient to modern, taken from the personal collection of its founder, David Walsh. It's also responsible for bringing thousands of visitors to the annual Mona Foma and Dark Mofo music and arts festivals, the latter famous for its nude winter swim for the truly brave.
The recent growth in tourism has paved the way for the newest hotel in the city, The Tasman, which opened right in the heart of Hobart at the end of 2021. Built on the site of a former hospital and government building,
The hotel has three wings – 1840s Georgian, 1940s art deco and modern – and offers 152 guest rooms and suites, all with a design nod to their heritage.
Given its central location, The Tasman is perfect for exploring the capital on foot. But I don't even need to leave the hotel to experience some of Hobart's finest food. The in-house restaurant, Peppina, named after head chef Massimo Mele's nonna Giuseppina, serves up traditional Italian food while embracing local ingredients.
For a pre-dinner drink, I pop into the hotel's cocktail bar, Mary Mary. It takes its name from St Mary's Hospital, built in 1841 and now the site of the hotel's Heritage wing (I'm told the bar's flashy toilet facilities are located on the site of the former morgue).
The Tasman's stylish hotel bar, Mary Mary.Credit: Courtesy of The Tasman Hotel
For another nearby dining option, a stone's throw from the hotel is the distinctively cool Institut Polaire, where the icy grey-and-white decor of the wine bar and kitchen leans into Tasmania's status as the gateway to Antarctica. You'll find the best of local produce on the menu, including native oysters, Mr Brown's mushrooms and Cape Grim eye fillet.
There are plenty of other top-class restaurants to discover, but as Hobart is right next to the Coal River Valley, it's a must to explore this spectacular part of the island. While it's only a short drive from the town centre, I'm lucky enough to be taken there via helicopter, thanks to Tasmanian Air Tours.
A pre-lunch flight takes in views of Hobart and the River Derwent before arriving among the vines at Frogmore Creek Cellar Door & Restaurant, where lunch includes Scottsdale pork belly and Pipe Clay Lagoon oysters.
The next day I'm taken on a food adventure with Eat the Wild, a tour which takes small groups out of Hobart in a pimped-up van complete with its own built-in kitchen. The guide, Josh, is also a chef, so while the group explores boutique vineyards, he's busy creating dishes such as oysters done five ways and slow-cooked lamb with Paris mash, all from the back of his van.
But as I've "come down for air", what I really want is to get among that famous Tassie wilderness.
The Wild Wellness Fire and Ice Walk takes travellers through the Tasmanian wilderness just 20-minutes out of Hobart.Credit: Courtesy of Wild Wellness
Incredibly, it only takes a 20-minute drive out of Hobart to feel a million miles away, and to arrive at the Walk on kunanyi tour. This walking experience on kunanyi, the Indigenous name for Mount Wellington, is led by local guide Andy, who shares with us his knowledge of the bush and wildlife that make up this magical part of the island.
After three days in Hobart, I'm ready to fully embrace the Tassie spirit and the Wild Wellness Fire and Ice Walk is the perfect ending. The words "icy river plunge" send literal shivers through me, but after being coached in the Wim Hof Method of breathwork by Piet (trained by Hof himself), I dive into the bone-chilling, six-degree water of the North West Bay River.
After surviving and, amazingly, enjoying this experience, if anyone asks me now if Tasmanian air is "real fresh", I say: "Yes – and so is the water!"
The writer travelled courtesy of Tourism Tasmania.
This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale September 4. To read more from Sunday Life, visit The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
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