Hobart - Surroundings

From Wrest Point Nelson Road runs south, with many bends, up Mount Nelson (340m). Although it is small compared with Mount Wellington, it affords a splendid panoramic view of Hobart, its harbor and the mouth of the Derwent. The old signal station is now occupied by a tearoom.

To the west of Hobart is the massive presence of Mount Wellington (1270m). A narrow mountain road winds its way up from the Huon Highway to the summit (12km), from which there are breathtaking views over Hobart, the Derwent valley and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. In the pavilion on the top is a display of old photographs of Hobart and Mount Wellington. Safe boardways lead to the very edge of the precipitous escarpment.

Wrest Point opened in 1973. it contains a luxury hotel with a congress center and a night club.

The Tasman Bridge leads from Hobart to the suburb of Bellerive, on the east bank of the Derwent. On Kangaroo Bluff is an old fort from which there is a fine panoramic view of Hobart against the mighty backdrop of Mount Wellington. There are a number of good bathing beaches round Bellerive.

Bonorong Park is a wildlife sanctuary which attracts many visitors.

The village of Brighton (pop. 650) grew out of a military post established in 1826 and named by Governor Macquarie after Brighton in Sussex. The Brighton army camp is still the main military base in Tasmania.

The main attractions of Claremont are the Cadbury-Schweppes chocolate factory and Alpenrail, a large model railroad layout at 82 Abbotsfield Road W.

Franklin (pop. 450) is the earliest European settlement in the Huon valley, founded in 1804. Its economy is based on timber working (sawmills), fruit growing and dairy farming. It has two interesting old buildings, the Franklin Tavern (1851) and the Anglican church (1863).

In the suburb of Glenorchy, there are a number of old settlers' houses, including Pitts Farm (1806), Lowestoft and Summerholme. Nearby is the factory of the Electrolytic Zinc Company, which can be visited. In Anfield Street is the Tasmanian Transport Museum.

In Granton there are two relics of the convict colony, the Old Watch House (Main Road), now a filling station, with the smallest prison cell in Australia (50cm square, 2m high), and the Black Snake Inn (1833).

Kettering (pop. 320) is in the center of a large fruit-growing area. From here there is a ferry over the D'Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island.

The suburb of Kingston (pop. 11,000) has an excellent tourist infrastructure. The beaches round Kingston and further south (Blackmans Bay, Tinderbox, Howden) are ideal for water sports. The Kingston Beach Regatta is held in January. The neighboring coasts are very beautiful.

The headquarters of Australia's Antarctic Division is an outstation of the Department of Science and Technology which carries out Antarctic research. There is an exhibition explaining and illustrating the work of the station.

Around the village of Lymington visitors may, if they are very lucky, find agates.

From the Goodwood district the Bowen Bridge crosses the Derwent to Risdon Cove, where the first settlement - later moved south to Sullivan Cove on the other side of the river - was established. On the Risdon Cove Historic Site is an interesting exhibition on the history of the settlement.

Rokeby (pop. 3500) was founded in 1809. Here the settlers grew their first wheat and harvested their first apples. Two interesting old buildings are St Matthew's Church and the old Courthouse. Rokeby lies on the way to the water sports center of South Arm, 20km further south. Clifton Beach, 10km south, is popular with surfers.

Sorell (pop. 3200) was founded in 1821 and named after a former governor of Tasmania. This area provided grain not only for Tasmania but at certain times also for New South Wales, which threatened to go hungry because of its less productive agriculture. Many Hobart families have holiday homes on the extensive sweep of coast between Carlton and Dodges Ferry. A notable landmark in Sorell is the neo-Romanesque Scots Uniting Church (1842). The 3.3km long causeway on the Hobart-Port Arthur road was completed in 1872 after eight years' work.

Taroona is a select old residential district with beautiful beaches and views of the Derwent. The Shot Tower, built by convict labor, was used to produce perfectly rounded lead shot; it is now occupied by a small museum and an art gallery.

On the University of Tasmania campus is the John Elliot Classic Museum.

The Hobart suburb of Wrest Point lies in Sandy Bay and features a number of attractions.

Tudor Court is a faithful replica of an English village.

The University of Tasmania was founded 1890.