We spent most of our four days in Hobart at restaurants, but in between meals there were a few activities and fun stuff we explored. The Tassie capital is so small, you can pretty much walk anywhere within 15 minutes. There’s a town feel to it, more than a city feel. And at night it’s deathly quiet. We chose to stay at the Best Western because we knew we wouldn’t be in our room other than to sleep anyway. I had a tight itinerary that I had prepared in advance.

For a list of what to eat in Hobart, check out this post.

Bruny Island

We booked a food tour to Bruny Island through Viator, but exploring the island is easily achievable in a rented car. The ferry only takes 15 minutes, and the island is very small. Make sure you climb up the stairs at The Neck to get a spectacular view. If you’re a whisky drinker, don’t miss the House of Whisky. Two Tree Point is awash with white, white sand. Look out for white wallabies! I had never seen white wallabies before – they were adorably fluffy and tame.

MONA

I don’t know if everyone would be into the intensity of MONA, but even the ferry ride is worth it. For $20 you get a return trip, and it’s pretty much like being transplanted to a cool bar on a boat. The museum itself is full on. Contrary to all other museums I’ve ever been to, it’s super dark everywhere. So eerie, but in a wonderful way that lets you truly get immersed with the art. There are also no descriptions or titles anywhere, so you need to pick up one of the iPods (I take it without the headset) to even find out titles, artists’ names, and further information. The art itself ranges from the crazy to the mundane. Vaginas, a poo machine, Egyptian art – there’s everything. After an exhausting and draining exploration of the museum, we ordered a couple of Pagan ciders at the bar and hung out on bean bags on the lawn. I won’t lie, I may have snuck in a nap, too.

Lark Distillery

We stumbled upon Lark Distillery when we were walking towards Battery Point from Hobart CBD. Having had whisky gums made with Lark Distillery whisky at The Fat Duck last year, we figured we’d have a gander inside. For the non-whisky drinkers, you can get other spirits or even wine or beer at the bar, too.

Salamanca Market

Every Saturday the famous Salamanca Market is buzzing with tourists. The crowds are crazy, and the stalls are mostly not even that interesting. It’s worth checking out, but don’t devote too much time to the kitschy stalls. There’s a popular scallop pie truck if you’re into pies.

Farm Gate

Far better is the Farm Gate Market on Sundays. Wonderful produce, food stalls, and even a well-known sushi truck.

Battery Point

Walk up the hill from Salamanca Square through the historic area of Battery Point to get a glimpse of quaint, old houses.

Battery Point images are by Joanne Chan (@jodeska) who we ran into four times while in Hobart – it’s that small of a town!

Wishlist for next time

I can’t wait to return to Tasmania. There were so many destinations and tours I was eyeing, but we didn’t have time for. Here are just a handful of them:

• Wineglass Bay
• Mount Wellington
• Port Arthur
• Cradle Mountain
• Bay of Fires