Hobart waterfront and surrounds

Posted on by Czeching Out

Hobart is a rather compact city of approximately 200,000 people which is roughly twice the population of our last home, Pardubice in the Czech Republic. It has all the features you’d expect from a modern metropolis but maintains that delightful charm of a small seaside village, similar to the way Pardubice felt like a small country town where everyone knew everyone’s business but it still felt big enough to get lost in.

I’ve ventured down to the city and waterfront several times now and like all places, you see something new on every visit which is part of the fun of exploring. Hobart is a great city to walk around and the hills of Sandy Bay and Battery Point give way to gentler slopes downtown. Walking along the waterfront is a most pleasurable experience with sailing yachts and fishing vessels gently bobbing in the calm waters of the Derwent estuary.

There’s plenty of historical sights to see and many of those could be a blog post unto themselves so for now I’ll show a taster of a few of the more notable sights. I’m slowly but surely compiling a list of must-see and must-do sights and activities while we’re living here and look forward to sharing the experiences with you over the coming weeks and months.

For now I’ll leave you with some photos and be sure to follow my Instagram account as I usually post the latest images there before I write a more beefed up blog post of the experience behind those photos.

Old and new worlds collide on the waterfront as the Emmalisa built in the 1940's sits opposite the more modern MR-1 fast ferry which ships passengers to the nearby MONA.
Old and new worlds collide on the waterfront as the Emmalisa built in the 1940’s sits opposite the more modern MR-1 fast ferry which ships passengers to the nearby MONA.
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A replica of the Lady Nelson, originally constructed in 1799 takes pride of place at the docks and regularly takes visitors on trips out into the Derwent estuary.
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The fascinating steam crane which ceased operations in 1969 after being in service for 70 years is another monument to Hobart’s industrial past.
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The SV May Queen is Australia’s oldest sail trading vessel and is one of only four wooden vessels of her era still afloat in the world. Isn’t she a beauty?
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A funky old billboard on Morrison Street above the Mission to Seafarers building which promotes the health and well-being of those whose livelihoods are on the open ocean.
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The beautiful Art Deco styling of the Hobart City Council Building.
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Hobart’s T&G building is typical of those constructed around Australia in the 1920’s and 30’s. This and the HCC building are certainly far easier on the eye than some of the more modern high rises in the CBD.
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Part of the impressive statue collection honouring Hobart’s close ties with Antarctica. The full series consists of a typical docklands scene with boxes of supplies, skis and dogs as well as some of the typical wildlife found on Earth’s most southerly land.
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Victoria Dock is home to Hobart’s fishing fleet and is one of the oldest docks in Tasmania.
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Fishing vessels rest up in Victoria Dock.
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These interesting lobster and crayfish pots are a common site in Victoria Dock and quite different in shape and construction to those we have back in Ireland.
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A statue of famed explorer Louis Bernacchi takes pride of place at the centre of the series of Antarctic sculptures at Franklin Wharf.
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The penguin sculpture on the waterfront is another element of the Antarctic sculpture series and seems to be constantly watched over by inquisitive cormorants who stand on the rock beyond drying out their wings.
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Every time I walk down by Franklin Wharf there’s at least one cormorant on this small rock. These black faced cormorants are a common site around Hobart’s busy waterfront.
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A seagull waits patiently on the wall of the pier for a chance to grab a chip or if they’re lucky, a piece of fish dropped by a visitor to one of the many dockside fish restaurants.
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The replica Lady Nelson is securely moored at her berth. I expected her to be far larger and was surprised that a vessel which travelled so far was as compact as it is.
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The Hobart Cenotaph is the main commemorative military monument for the Australian state of Tasmania and honours Tasmanians who served in wars since 1914.
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The massive flowers of the Southern Magnolia tree are quite the sight to behold and unlike anything I’ve ever seen back home. This flower was easily more than a foot across, most beautiful indeed.
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A bee hovers around what I as a non gardener believe is a Delphinium?…..Maybe? Botanists please confirm 🙂 This was taken in the beautiful rose gardens in Queens Domain right next to a busy roundabout. Peace and tranquillity right beside noise and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
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There is quite a strong environmental movement in Tasmania and rightly so given the island’s pristine scenery and landscapes. However a large four armed blue lady with blood covered swords and a necklace of human skulls calling for the Tasmania Forestry industry to die MIGHT be a little bit of a harsh statement that goes against what you would imagine should be a peaceful group of lobbyists. Unless of course it’s an advert for Forestry Tasmania who depict themselves in this light and the “DIE” bit is in fact a sticker placed there by a German tourist who just likes the word “The”……….Aaaaaand lets stop my imagination right there before I ramble any further.

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