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City guide · Hobart
Hobart
Australia's second-oldest capital: Salamanca Market, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and convict sites
Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, sits between kunanyi / Mount Wellington and the Derwent estuary. The Saturday Salamanca Market is held in front of 19th-century sandstone warehouses; outside the city, Port Arthur and Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park are Tasmania's two most famous sights.
History
How the city came to be
In 1803, worried about French expeditions, the British set up a military camp at Risdon Cove on the east bank of the Derwent, beginning European settlement here; the Risdon Cove massacre took place in 1804. That same year the first lieutenant-governor, David Collins, moved the soldiers, settlers and convicts to the better site of Sullivans Cove — today's Hobart — naming it after Lord Hobart, the British colonial secretary. Hobart is Australia's second-oldest capital after Sydney. In 1830 Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula was set up as a timber station, later becoming a prison for the hardest-to-control convicts.
- 1803Ross Bridge military camp was set up
- 1804Collins moved to Sullivans Cove and founded Hobart
- 1830The Port Arthur timber station was set up
- 1833–1877Port Arthur held repeat offenders
- 2010Port Arthur was inscribed on the World Heritage List as one of the Australian Convict Sites
Stories
Stories of the city
History · Port Arthur Historic Site
Where repeat offenders were sent
In September 1830 Port Arthur was set up as a timber station supplying wood for government works. From 1833 until 1877 it held 'secondary offenders' — those who reoffended in Australia. To some extent it was a model of the prison reform movement of the time, but the convicts' living conditions and treatment as forced labour remained extremely harsh. In 2010 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site with 10 other convict sites as the 'Australian Convict Sites'.
Before you go
Rules to know in Hobart
Australian beaches: swim between the red and yellow flags
- Swim only between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards are on duty
- If you don't know the conditions, ask a lifeguard
- Swimming at unpatrolled beaches or outside the flags
Outside the flags there may be rip currents, and lifeguards cannot reach you in time.
Not yet verifiedSource: Surf Life Saving Australia: beach safety signs
Uluru: climbing is not allowed
- Walk the base track around Uluru and learn about Anangu culture
- Climbing Uluru
The climb closed permanently on 26 October 2019; climbing breaks the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and is punished.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: climb closure
Entering Australia: food, plant and animal products must be declared
- Truthfully declare all food (even small, packaged snacks), plants and animal products on your arrival card
- If in doubt, declare it
- Bringing fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seeds or wooden souvenirs without declaring them
You can be issued an infringement notice; your visa may be cancelled, you may be refused entry and barred from returning for up to 3 years.
Not yet verifiedSource: Australian Department of Agriculture: travelling to Australia
Australia: tipping is not required
- When service is especially good, round up or leave a small tip
- Feeling bad about not leaving a tip
There is no penalty; Australian wages do not depend on tips.
Not yet verifiedSource: Mozo: tipping in Australia