# Hobart: Australia's New Capital of Cool > Australia's smallest capital has stepped out of the shadows. Discover how Hobart earned its reputation as the new capital of cool, with museums, restaurants and the ocean right next door. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/khobart-nova-stolytsya-krutosti/ - Language: en - Published: 2022-04-29 - Categories: Restaurants, Museums, Mountains, Hotels, Tours, Australia, Food & Drinks, Seas & Oceans --- Shaped like a heart and floating off the southern edge of mainland Australia, the island state of Tasmania is home to fresh farm produce, world-class art and jaw-dropping scenery. Tasmanians are sometimes nicknamed "Tassievegians", partly because many locals claim northern roots and partly because of their relative isolation (geographically, that is, not socially). But Hobart, Tasmania's biggest city and Australia's smallest capital, is no longer hiding in the shadows. It is the only place in Oz that can claim a hometown daughter turned bona fide European royal (Crown Princess Mary, whose husband is the future king of Denmark), and its stunning natural landscapes have taken centre stage in films such as "Lion", starring Dev Patel. Getting to Hobart can be a bit of a mission, but don't worry, because once you arrive you won't want to leave. ### Great days in the great outdoors ![](/storage/image/prev/statti-21-1.jpg) If you're after a picture-perfect postcard of Hobart, chances are it will feature Salamanca Market. Open on Saturdays, it is the single most visited tourist spot in all of Tasmania. Whether you fancy a bite to eat, a souvenir or a lovely new outfit, this open-air market is the best place to hunt for it. The stallholders rotate constantly, but you'll always find locally made and locally grown goods, from ginger beer to glassware. Most vendors know exactly which products (such as honey, jams and spices) you're allowed to take out of the country, and they'll happily help you pack your suitcase. While you're in the Salamanca area, don't miss the chance to snap a photo on Kelly's Steps, a run of sandstone stairs that links the market with the historic Battery Point district. A favourite landmark in Battery Point is Arthur Circus, a street of adorable cottages that will make you feel like you've wandered into an English village. For more of Tassie's breathtaking scenery, head up Mount Wellington/kunanyi. The mountain is partly residential and served by a single main road, but the higher you climb the more walking and hiking trails you can branch off onto. The mountain's most famous feature is the Organ Pipes, a series of tall, slender rock columns that look like, well, organ pipes. ### A day at the museum It's almost impossible to picture Tasmania without MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, which flung open its many doors in 2011. The brainchild of philanthropist, professional gambler and art collector David Walsh (a Tasmanian born and bred), it also holds the title of the largest privately owned museum in the Southern Hemisphere. But calling it merely a museum doesn't do it justice. MONA is a genuinely thrilling experience that begins long before you even walk through the door. At Hobart's main pier, MONA visitors climb aboard a camouflage-painted ferry where, instead of traditional seats, you can perch on a giant neon-yellow sheep. During the 25-minute ride, hipsters decked out in boiler suits offer coffee or cocktails. Once you step inside MONA, the real fun begins. Rather than a little audio-guide device that talks you through each artwork, you're handed a special gadget loaded with MONA's own app, which you'll need to book time slots for some of the immersive pieces, such as James Turrell's light room. Also on a timer? The museum's most controversial exhibit, "Cloaca" by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. A model of the human digestive system, "Cloaca" poops on schedule every day at 3pm, and visitors gather around to experience the disgust. Even people who don't normally love art museums will probably fall for MONA. On top of the indoor and outdoor artworks, the grounds are home to a brewery called Moo Brew (can't decide? try your luck on the vending machine's roulette wheel, which picks a random can for you), a winery, an art book shop, a cafe and several restaurants. ### Eat and drink ![](/storage/image/prev/statti-21-2.jpg) Tasmania's rich agricultural heritage means you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to food and drink. Honey (clover and manuka in particular), apples, fish, oysters, eggs, lamb and cheese are some of the island's finest products, which local restaurants turn into stunning and usually affordable dishes. For dinner in Hobart there's no better spot than Templo, a cosy 20-seat restaurant with a simple concept: eight to ten small plates and nothing more. The dishes rotate with the seasons and whatever's available, and there's plenty of fish and shellfish, though the staff are wonderfully accommodating about substitutions. This isn't the kind of fine-dining establishment where a waiter scoffs at you if you have an allergy or simply don't fancy something. Another reliable choice, and one with far more seats, is Franklin, where rising-star chef Analiese Gregory quietly kneads and bakes bread while working the open kitchen. Local ingredients include wallaby, lamb and abalone, while the beer and wine list showcases the best of Australia and France (where Gregory got her start). Hobart has also become quite the drinking town. Standing out from the crowd is Institut Polaire, whose name nods to the fact that Tasmania was long a common launch point for scientific expeditions to Antarctica. This impossibly cool bar (in both senses, since the drinks here are served chilled) has its own line of Antarctic dry gin, a worthy centrepiece for a G&T tasting flight. If whisky is more your thing, don't miss Sullivans Cove, which became the first whisky from the Southern Hemisphere to win the prestigious World's Best Single Malt award. You can sip a dram of it, a real bargain since the bottles can cost thousands of dollars, on a tour of the tasting room in the suburb of Cambridge. Back in central Hobart, look for the bright red awning pointing the way to Hobart Brewing Company, one of the city's most consistent beer producers. The simple, easy-drinking beers are perfect for a warm afternoon, and the standouts include the flagship pale ale, Harbour Master, and an award-winning cream ale named after St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers. ### Rest your head ![](/storage/image/prev/statti-21-3.jpg) Two of Hobart's newer hotels pay homage to the island's rich history. The Tasmanian art collection at the Henry Jones Art Hotel is so vast, filling every room as well as the hallways, restaurants and common areas, that the hotel employs a full-time curator. Guests and non-guests alike can join daily tours or dip into the lobby's books if a particular piece catches their eye. Set inside a former jam factory, the building is a blend of industrial chic and modern textures, so keep your wits about you, as you might just find yourself walking beneath a former packing machine on the way to your room. Just around the corner is Macq01, a designer property with pale timbers and airy linens that gives off a Scandinavian vibe. Happily, the hotel doesn't take itself too seriously, with playful design touches like a grey hooded bathrobe instead of the usual white towelling. The hotel's whole concept is built around stories of famous Tasmanians from the past. Each room is named after one of them, for example Joseph Lyons, to this day the only Tasmanian to have served as prime minister, and Saroo Brierley, whose life story provided the source material for the film "Lion". The theme carries through to the cosy Story Bar on the lobby level, where old newspapers touting Tassie's biggest (and often most scandalous) historical headlines have been turned into retro-chic decor. ### Off to other islands ![](/storage/image/prev/statti-21-4.jpg) Venture beyond Hobart and there's even more gorgeous scenery to explore. One of the most popular spots, and deservedly so, is Bruny Island, off Tasmania's southeast coast. Travellers can catch the Sealink ferry from the town of Kettering, then spend a day in the fresh air, walking out to Bruny Island's picturesque bright-white lighthouse or taking in the view from Mount Bruny, the island's highest point, in South Bruny National Park. And yet, with or without the hikes, the best part of a visit to Bruny is the food. Bruny is home to Oz's southernmost vineyard, the lovely Bruny Island Premium Wines, which is open for tours and tastings. On Bruny, when people ask where the oysters come from, the chef replies, "Right out there." Some oysters are fresh, and others are still wet, straight from the sea. For a handful of the best oysters, head to the blue-and-white Get Shucked, then move on to its twin neighbours, Bruny Island Cheese Company and Bruny Island Beer Co. Many of the beer names are inspired by the people and places around the island, such as Cloudy Bay IPA and Last Ferry Lager. There are a few charming guesthouses and hotels should you decide to spend the night on Bruny. But there's also a one-of-a-kind chance to stay on an island off the island: Satellite Island is home to a guesthouse reachable only by seaplane or by boat from Bruny. The island is owned and run by Kate and Will Alstergren, a couple from Victoria, and it feels like the minimalist holiday home of an impossibly wealthy person. There are two main buildings, a large house perched at the top of the island and a small wooden guest cabin down by the boat jetty. The flags of Norway (where Will's family emigrated from) and Australia fly proudly, but they also hint at the blend of Scandinavian elegance and Australian friendliness that runs through the island and its dwellings. If you've always dreamed of getting away from it all to write a book, this is exactly the place for it. Apart from the occasional appearance of a caretaker (who will message you if you need anything and otherwise tends to the island's animals), you can be left entirely to yourself, or rent the whole house with family and bond over books and board games by the fireplace. Don't forget to say hello to the island's year-round residents, most of whom are four-legged: three sister sheep named Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte call this place home.