Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

HOBART 611
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Come here to find out more about
Tasmania’s Aboriginal heritage, its history since settlement, and the island’s
wildlife. Traveling art exhibitions are mounted from time to time, but always on
display are the paintings of the colonial era. The art gallery has a particularly
impressive collection of paintings by Tom Roberts and by several convict artists.
The pride of the entire collection, though, is The Conciliation by Benjamin Duttereau,
the second-most painting of historical significance in Australia, after Tom
Roberts’s Shearing of the Rams, which you can see in the National Gallery of Victoria
in Melbourne. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
40 Macquarie St. & 03/6211 4177. Free admission. Daily 10am–5pm.
ORGANIZED TOURS
You’ll get a good introduction to the city on the daily Hobart Historic Walk
(& 03/6225 4806), a 2-hour leisurely stroll through historic Sullivan’s Cove
and Battery Point. Tours start daily at 10am from September through May and
on request from June through August and cost A$17 (US$11) for adults, free for
children under 12. The tour requires a minimum of six people for a walk to go
ahead; group discounts are provided.
Several companies run boat tours of the harbor. Captain Fells Ferries (& 03/
6223 5893) offers a range of morning tea, lunch, afternoon, and dinner cruises.
The company also runs Cadbury Factory Tours, which include coach transfers,
a tour of the factory, a harbor cruise, and two-course lunch for A$32 (US$21)
for adults and A$18 (US$12) for children; these leave Monday through Thursday
at 9:45am. Cruises depart from Franklin Wharf behind the wooden cruisesales
booths beside Elizabeth Street Wharf at the bottom of Elizabeth Street.
The Cruise Company (& 03/6234 9294) operates river trips along the Derwent
to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Cruises depart Monday through Friday
at 10am, returning at 2:30pm, and cost A$33 (US$21) for adults, A$16 (US$10)
for children 5 to 15, and A$93 (US$60) for a family, including entry and a guided
tour of the factory; free for children under 5. The boat leaves from Brooke Street
Pier. Also of interest is the company’s 2-hour Ironpot Cruise (to the lighthouse of
that name at the mouth of the Derwent). The scenic tour of the river leaves Brooke
Street Pier every Saturday at 2pm and costs A$20 (US$13) for adults; free for children
under 15.
THE SHOPPING SCENE
If you are in Hobart on a Saturday, don’t miss the Salamanca Market , in
Salamanca Place—it’s one of the best markets in Australia. Some 200 stalls offer
everything from fruit and vegetables to crafts made from pottery, glass, and
native woods. The market is open from 8:30am to 3pm.
Salamanca Place itself has plenty of crafts and souvenir shops that are worth
exploring, though you pay for the privilege of buying in such a fashionable area.
Value Booking Accommodations Online
Just like everywhere else, you can save money in Tasmania by booking
rooms online. Asia Travel (http://asiatravel.com/australia.html) offers substantial
savings on some of the properties below if you book online. At
the time of writing these included the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart,
the Colonial Motor Inn in Launceston, Freycinet Lodge, and Cradle Mountain
Lodge.