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Hobart facts for kids

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This page is about the capital of Tasmania, Australia. For other uses, see Hobart (disambiguation).

Hobart (Nuennonne/Palawa kani: nipaluna) is Quick facts for kids

the capital and most populous city of the Hobart
Tasmania
Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to
almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-
populated Australian state capital city, and
second-smallest if territories are taken into
account, before Darwin, Northern Territory.
Hobart is located in Tasmania's south-east on
the estuary of the River Derwent, making it the
most southern of Australia's capital cities. Its
skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre
Hobart city centre, 2015
(4,170 ft) kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its
harbour forms the second-deepest natural port
in the world, with much of the city's waterfront
consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan
area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to
differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the
five local government areas that cover the city. It
has a mild maritime climate.

The city lies on country which was known by the

Hobart
local Mouheneener people as nipaluna, a name
Location in Australia
which includes surrounding features such as
kunanyi/Mt. Wellington and timtumili minanya
Population 232,670 (2020) (11th)
(River Derwent). Prior to British settlement, the
 • Density 131.1/km2 (340/sq mi) (2016)
land had been occupied for possibly as long as
Established 20 February 1804
35,000 years by the semi-nomadic
Mouheneener people, a sub-group of the Elevation 17 m (56 ft)

Nuennone, or "South-East tribe". Area 1,695.5 km2 (654.6 sq mi)

(metropolitan)
Founded in 1804 as a British penal colony, Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
Hobart is Australia's second-oldest capital city
 • Summer (DST) AEDT State: Tasmania.
after Sydney, New South Wales. Whaling quickly
(UTC+11)
emerged as a major industry in the area, and for
Location 38 km (24 mi) from
a time Hobart served as the Southern Ocean's
Huonville
main whaling port. Penal transportation ended in
134 km (83 mi) from
the 1850s, after which the city experienced
Swansea
periods of growth and decline. The early 20th
century saw an economic boom on the back of 198 km (123 mi) from
Launceston
mining, agriculture and other primary industries,
and the loss of men who served in the world 248 km (154 mi) from
wars was counteracted by an influx of Queenstown

immigration. Despite the rise in migration from 297 km (185 mi) from

Asia and other non-English speaking regions, Burnie
Hobart's population remains predominantly
ethnically Anglo-Celtic, and has the highest State Clark, Franklin
percentage of Australian-born residents among electorate(s)

Australia's capital cities. Federal Clark, Franklin

Division(s)
Today, Hobart is the financial and administrative
hub of Tasmania, serving as the home port for Mean max Mean min Annual rainfall
both Australian and French Antarctic operations temp temp
and acting as a tourist destination, with over 17.0 °C 8.4 °C 613.7 mm
1.192 million visitors in 2011–12. Well-known 63 °F 47 °F 24.2 in

drawcards include its convict-era architecture,

Salamanca Market and the Museum of Old and
New Art (MONA), the Southern Hemisphere's largest private museum.

Contents

History

Geography
Topography

Climate

Demographics
Ancestry and immigration

Language

Religion

Distinctive features
Architecture

Culture
Arts and entertainment

Events

Sport

Media

Sister cities

Economy
Antarctic gateway

Tourism

Infrastructure
Education

Transport

Notable residents
Arts

Sports

Others

Images for kids

History
Main page: History of Hobart

The first European settlement began in 1803 as a penal colony at Risdon Cove on the eastern
shores of the Derwent River, amid British concerns over the presence of French explorers. In 1804
it was moved to a better location at the present site of Hobart at Sullivans Cove. The city, initially
known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, was named after Lord Hobart, the British secretary of state
for war and the colonies.

The area's indigenous inhabitants were members of

the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe. Violent
conflict with the European settlers, and the effects of
diseases brought by them, dramatically reduced the
aboriginal population, which was rapidly replaced by
free settlers and the convict population. Charles
Darwin visited Hobart Town in February 1836 as part
of the Beagle expedition. He writes of Hobart and
the Derwent estuary in his Voyage of the Beagle:

“ ...The lower parts of the hills which

skirt the bay are cleared; and the
bright yellow fields of corn, and dark
green ones of potatoes, appear very
luxuriant... I was chiefly struck with
the comparative fewness of the large
houses, either built or building.
Hobart Town, from the census of
1835, contained 13,826 inhabitants,
and the whole of Tasmania 36,505.
”
The Derwent River was one of Australia's finest deepwater ports and was the centre of the
Southern Ocean whaling and sealing trades. The settlement rapidly grew into a major port, with
allied industries such as shipbuilding.

Hobart Town became a city on 21 August 1842, and was renamed Hobart from the beginning of
1881.

Geography

Topography

Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the

The City of Hobart (green) and Greater
Hobart (teal)
South of the Derwent estuary lies Storm Bay and the Tasman Peninsula.
state's south-east. Geologically Hobart is built predominantly
on Jurassic dolerite around the foothills interspersed with
smaller areas of Triassic siltstone and Permian mudstone.
Hobart extends along both sides of the Derwent River; on the
western shore from the Derwent valley in the north through the
flatter areas of Glenorchy which rests on older Triassic
sediment and into the hilly areas of New Town, Lenah Valley.
Both of these areas rest on the younger Jurassic dolerite
deposits, before stretching into the lower areas such as the
beaches of Sandy Bay in the south, in the Derwent estuary.

The Eastern Shore also extends from the Derwent valley area in a southerly direction hugging the
Meehan Range in the east before sprawling into flatter land in suburbs such as Bellerive. These
flatter areas of the eastern shore rest on far younger deposits from the Quaternary. From there the
city extends in an easterly direction through the Meehan Range into the hilly areas of Rokeby and
Oakdowns, before reaching into the tidal flatland area of Lauderdale.

Hobart has access to a number of beach areas including those in the Derwent estuary itself;
Sandy Bay, Cornelian Bay, Nutgrove, Kingston, Bellerive, and Howrah Beaches as well as many
more in Frederick Henry Bay such as; Seven Mile, Roaches, Cremorne, Clifton, and Goats
Beaches.

Hobart area from Bellerive

Climate

Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The highest temperature recorded
was 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) on 4 January 2013 and the lowest was −2.8 °C (27.0 °F) on 25 June 1972
and 11 July 1981. Annually, Hobart receives 40.8 clear days. Compared to other major Australian
cities, Hobart has the fewest daily average hours of sunshine, with 5.9 hours per day. However,
during the summer it has the most hours of daylight of any Australian city, with 15.2 hours on the
summer solstice.

Although Hobart itself rarely receives snow during the winter (the city's geographic position keeps
temperatures from plummeting far below zero), the adjacent kunanyi/Mount Wellington is often
seen with a snowcap. Mountain snow covering has also been known to occur during the other
seasons. During the 20th century, the city itself has received snowfalls at sea level on average only
once every 15 years; however, outer suburbs lying higher on the slopes of Mount Wellington
receive snow more often, owing to cold air masses arriving from Antarctica coupled with them
resting at higher altitude. These snow-bearing winds often carry on through Tasmania and Victoria
to the Snowy Mountains in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.

Climate data for Hobart (1881–2015)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
41.8 40.1 37.3 31.0 25.7 20.6 22.1 24.5 31.0 34.6 36.8 40.6
Record high °C (°F) 41.8
(107.2) (104.2) (99.1) (87.8) (78.3) (69.1) (71.8) (76.1) (87.8) (94.3) (98.2) (105.1)
21.7 21.7 20.2 17.3 14.5 12.0 11.7 13.1 15.1 17.0 18.7 20.3 16.9
Average high °C (°F)
(71.1) (71.1) (68.4) (63.1) (58.1) (53.6) (53.1) (55.6) (59.2) (62.6) (65.7) (68.5) (62.4)
11.9 12.1 10.9 9.0 7.0 5.2 4.6 5.2 6.4 7.8 9.3 10.8 8.4
Average low °C (°F)
(53.4) (53.8) (51.6) (48.2) (44.6) (41.4) (40.3) (41.4) (43.5) (46) (48.7) (51.4) (47.1)
3.3 3.4 1.8 0.7 −1.6 −2.8 −2.8 −1.8 −0.8 0.0 0.3 3.3
Record low °C (°F) -17.8
(37.9) (38.1) (35.2) (33.3) (29.1) (27) (27) (28.8) (30.6) (32) (32.5) (37.9)
Precipitation mm 47.6 39.9 44.9 50.8 46.4 53.8 52.5 53.6 53.2 61.7 54.3 56.3 614.8
(inches) (1.874) (1.571) (1.768) (2) (1.827) (2.118) (2.067) (2.11) (2.094) (2.429) (2.138) (2.217) (24.205)
% Humidity 54 55 56 59 63 67 65 60 56 56 56 56 58
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.9 9.4 11.3 12.3 13.6 14.4 15.4 15.5 15.3 16.2 14.1 12.8 161.2
Sunshine hours 248 206.2 198.4 159 130.2 117 136.4 155 177 201.5 207 229.4 2,165.1
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Demographics
At the 2016 census, there were 222,356 people in the Greater
Hobart area making it the second least populated capital city
in Australia. The City of Hobart local government area had a
population of 50,439.

The most common occupation categories were professionals

(22.6%), clerical and administrative workers (14.7%),
technicians and trades workers (13.3%), community and
personal service workers (12.8%), and managers (11.3%). The
median weekly household income was $1,234, compared with
$1,438 nationally.

Ancestry and immigration

Country of Birth (2016)

Birthplace Population St David's Cathedral

Australia 162,302

England 11,616

Mainland China 2,927

New Zealand 2,673

Scotland 1,980

India 1,260

Germany 1,040

At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:

English (47.3%) Dutch (2%)

German (4.1%)
Australian (43.6%) Italian (1.9%)
Indigenous (3.8%)
Irish (12.6%) Polish (1.1%)
Chinese (2.3%)
Scottish (10.1%)

20.2% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of
overseas-born were from England (3.6%), Mainland China (1.1%), New Zealand (0.9%), India
(0.6%) and Germany (0.5%).

3.8% of the population, or 8,534 people, identified as Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal

Australians and Torres Strait Islanders) in 2016.

Language

At the 2016 census, 86.5% of the population spoke only English at home. The other languages
most commonly spoken at home were Mandarin (1.3%) Greek (0.5%), Nepali (0.4%), German
(0.4%) and Italian (0.3%).

Religion

In the 2016 census, 52.1% of Greater Hobart residents who responded to the question specified a
Christian religion. Major religious affiliations were Anglican (19.8%), Catholic (17.0%) and Uniting
Church (2.5%). In addition, 39.9% specified "No Religion" and 9.3% did not answer.

Hobart has a small community of around 642 (2011) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints, with meetinghouses in Glenorchy, Rosny, and Glen Huon. There is also a
synagogue where the Jewish community, of around 111 (2001), or 0.05% of the Hobart
population, worships. Hobart has a Baháʼí community, with a Baháʼí Centre of Learning, located
within the city.

In 2013, Hillsong Church established a Hillsong Connect campus in Hobart.

Distinctive features
The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular
recreation area a short distance from the city centre.
It is the second-oldest Botanic Gardens in Australia
and holds extensive significant plant collections.

Hadley's Orient Hotel, on Hobart's Murray Street, is

the oldest continuously operating hotel in Australia.

kunanyi/Mount Wellington, accessible by passing

through Fern Tree, is the dominant feature of Mount Wellington seen from Strickland Avenue

Hobart's skyline. Indeed, many descriptions of

Hobart have used the phrase "nestled amidst the foothills", so undulating is the landscape. At
1,271 metres, the mountain has its own ecosystems, is rich in biodiversity and plays a large part in
determining the local weather.

The Tasman Bridge is also a uniquely important feature of the city, connecting the two shores of
Hobart and visible from many locations. The Hobart Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in
Australia and a rare surviving example of an Egyptian Revival synagogue.

Architecture

Hobart is known for its well-preserved historic

architecture, much of it dating back to the Georgian
and Victorian eras, giving the city a distinctly "Old
World" feel. For locals, this became a source of
discomfiture about the city's convict past, but is now
a draw card for tourists. Regions within the city
centre, such as Salamanca Place, contain many of
the city's heritage-listed buildings. Historic homes
The Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery
and mansions also exist in the suburbs.

Kelly's Steps were built in 1839 by shipwright and adventurer James Kelly to provide a short-cut
from Kelly Street and Arthur Circus in Battery Point to the warehouse and dockyards district of
Salamanca Place. In 1835, John Lee Archer designed and oversaw the construction of the
sandstone Customs House, facing Sullivans Cove. Completed in 1840, it was used as Tasmania's
parliament house, and is now commemorated by a pub bearing the same name (built in 1844)
which is frequented by yachtsmen after they have completed the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Hobart is also home to many historic churches. The Scots Church (formerly known as St
Andrew's) was built in Bathurst Street from 1834–36, and a small sandstone building within the
churchyard was used as the city's first Presbyterian Church. The Salamanca Place warehouses
and the Theatre Royal were also constructed in this period. The Greek revival St George's
Anglican Church in Battery Point was completed in 1838, and a classical tower, designed by
James Blackburn, was added in 1847. St Joseph's was built in 1840. St David's Cathedral,
Hobart's first cathedral, was consecrated in 1874.

Hobart has very few high rise buildings in comparison to other Australian cities. This is partly a
result of height limits imposed due to Hobart's proximity to Derwent River and Mount Wellington.

Hunter Street

Culture

Arts and entertainment

Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Symphony

Orchestra, which is resident at the Federation
Concert Hall on the city's waterfront. It offers a year-
round program of concerts and is thought to be one
of the finest small orchestras in the world. Hobart
also plays host to the University of Tasmania's
acclaimed Australian International Symphony
Orchestra Institute (AISOI) which brings pre-
professional advanced young musicians to town
from all over Australia and internationally. The AISOI Theatre Royal, the oldest continually operating
plays host to a public concert season during the first theatre in Australia.
two weeks of December every year focusing on
large symphonic music. Like the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the AISOI uses the Federation
Concert Hall as its performing base.

Hobart is home to Australia's oldest theatre, the Theatre Royal, as well as the Playhouse theatre,
the Backspace theatre and many smaller stage theatres. It also has three Village Cinema
complexes, one each in Hobart CBD, Glenorchy and Rosny, with the possibility of a fourth being
developed in Kingston. The State Cinema in North Hobart specialises in arthouse and foreign
films.

The city has also long been home to a thriving classical, jazz, folk, punk, hip-hop, electro, metal
and rock music scene. Internationally recognised musicians such as metal acts Striborg and
Psycroptic, indie-electro bands The Paradise Motel and The Scientists of Modern Music, singer-
songwriters Sacha Lucashenko (of The Morning After Girls), Michael Noga (of The Drones), and
Monique Brumby, two-thirds of indie rock band Love of Diagrams, post punk band Sea Scouts,
theremin player Miles Brown, blues guitarist Phil Manning (of blues-rock band Chain), power-pop
group The Innocents are all successful expatriates. In addition, founding member of Violent
Femmes, Brian Ritchie, now calls Hobart home, and has formed a local band, The Green Mist.
Ritchie also curates the annual international arts festival MONA FOMA, held at Salamanca Place's
waterfront venue, Princes Wharf, Shed No. 1. Hobart hosts many significant festivals including
winter's landmark cultural event, the Festival of Voices, Australia's premier festival celebration of
voice, and Tasmania's biennial international arts festival Ten Days On The Island. Other festivals,
including the Hobart Fringe Festival, Hobart Summer Festival, Southern Roots Festival, the Falls
Festival in Marion Bay and the Soundscape Festival also capitalise on Hobart's artistic
communities.

Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Museum and Art

Gallery. The Meadowbank Estate winery and
restaurant features a floor mural by Tom Samek, part
funded by the Federal Government. The Museum of
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the Old and New Art (MONA) opened in 2011 to
largest private museum in the Southern Hemisphere coincide with the third annual MONA FOMA festival.
The multi-storey MONA gallery was built directly
underneath the historic Sir Roy Grounds courtyard house, overlooking the Derwent River. This
building serves as the entrance to the MONA Gallery.

Designed by the prolific architect Sir Roy Grounds, the 17-storey Wrest Point Hotel Casino in
Sandy Bay, opened as Australia's first legal casino in 1973.

The city's nightlife primarily revolves around Salamanca Place, the waterfront area, Elizabeth St in
North Hobart and Sandy Bay, but popular pubs, bars and nightclubs exist around the city as well.
Major national and international music events are usually held at the Derwent Entertainment
Centre, or the Casino. Popular restaurant strips include Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, and
Salamanca Place near the waterfront. These include numerous ethnic restaurants including
Chinese, Thai, Greek, Pakistani, Italian, Indian and Mexican. The major shopping street in the CBD
is Elizabeth Street, with the pedestrianised Elizabeth Mall and the General Post Office.

Events

Hobart is internationally famous among the yachting

community as the finish of the Sydney to Hobart
Yacht Race which starts in Sydney on Boxing Day
(the day after Christmas Day). The arrival of the
yachts is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer
Festival, a food and wine festival beginning just after
Christmas and ending in mid-January. The Taste of
Tasmania is a major part of the festival, where locals
and visitors can taste fine local and international
food and wine. Hobart's Constitution Dock is the arrival point for
Yachts after they have completed the Sydney to
Hobart Yacht Race, and usually witnesses scenes
The city is the finishing point of the Targa Tasmania
of celebration by many yachtsmen during the new
rally car event, which has been held annually in April year festivities.
since 1991.

The annual Tulip Festival at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is a popular Spring
celebration in the city.

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a biennial event held in Hobart celebrating wooden boats.
It is held concurrently with the Royal Hobart Regatta, which began in 1830 and is therefore
Tasmania's oldest surviving sporting event.

Sport

Most of Hobart's sporting teams in national

competitions are statewide teams rather than
exclusively city teams.

Cricket is a popular game of the city. The Tasmanian Bellerive Oval

Tigers cricket team plays its home games at the

Bellerive Oval on the Eastern Shore. A new team, Hobart Hurricanes represent the city in the Big
Bash League. Bellerive Oval has been the breeding ground of some world class cricket players
including the former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

Despite Australian rules football's huge popularity in the state of Tasmania, the state does not
have a team in the Australian Football League. However, a bid for an Tasmanian AFL team is a
popular topic among football fans. The State government is one of the potential sponsors of such
a team. Local domestic club football is still played. Tasmanian State League football features five
clubs from Hobart, and other leagues such as Southern Football League and the Old Scholars
Football Association are also played each Winter.

The city has two local rugby league football teams (Hobart Tigers and South Hobart Storm) that
compete in the Tasmanian Rugby League.

Tasmania is not represented by teams in the NRL, Super Rugby, netball, soccer, or basketball
leagues. However, the "Oasis Hobart Chargers" team does represent Hobart in the South East
Australian Basketball League. Besides the bid for an AFL club which was passed over in favour of
a second Queensland team, despite several major local businesses and the Premier pioneering for
a club, there is also a Hobart bid for entry into the A-League.

Hockey Tasmania has a men's team (the Tasmanian Tigers) and a women's team (the Van
Demons) competing in the Australian Hockey League.

The city co-hosted the basketball FIBA Oceania Championship 1975.

Media

Five free-to-air television stations service Hobart:

ABC Tasmania (ABT)

SBS Tasmania (SBS)

Southern Cross Television Tasmania (TNT) - Seven

Network affiliate

WIN Television Tasmania (TVT) - Network Ten

affiliate
The main television and radio transmitter of Hobart
Tasmanian Digital Television (TDT) - Nine Network
behind the lookout building near the summit of
affiliate Mount Wellington.

Each station broadcasts a primary channel and several multichannels.

Hobart is served by twenty-eight digital free-to-air television channels:

1. ABC

2. ABC (ABC broadcast in HD)

3. ABC2/KIDS

4. ABC ME

5. ABC News 24

6. SBS

7. SBS HD (SBS broadcast in HD)

8. SBS Viceland

9. Food Network

10. NITV

11. SCTV (on relay from Melbourne)

12. 7HD (Seven broadcast in HD)

13. 7Two

14. 7mate

15. Racing.com

16. TDT Nine (on relay from Melbourne)

17. 9HD (TDT broadcast in HD)

18. 9Gem

19. 9Go!

20. WIN (on relay from Melbourne)

21. WIN HD (WIN HD broadcast in HD)

22. One

23. Eleven

24. TVSN

25. Gold

The majority of pay television services are provided by Foxtel via satellite, although other smaller
pay television providers do service Hobart.

Commercial radio stations licensed to cover the Hobart market include Triple M Hobart, Hit 100.9
and 7HO FM. Local community radio stations include Christian radio station Ultra106five, Edge
Radio and 92FM which targets the wider community with specialist programmes. The five ABC
radio networks available on analogue radio broadcast to Hobart via 936 ABC Hobart, Radio
National, Triple J, NewsRadio and ABC Classic FM.

Station Frequency

Energy FM 87.8 FM Commercial

Triple J 92.9 FM Government funded

ABC Classic FM 93.9 FM Government funded

Hobart FM 96.1 FM Community

Edge Radio 99.3 FM Community

Hit 100.9 100.9 FM Commercial

7HO FM 101.7 FM Commercial

SBS Radio 105.7 FM Government funded

Ultra106five 106.5 FM Christian/Narrowcast

Triple M Hobart 107.3 FM Commercial

ABC Radio National 585 AM Government funded

ABC NewsRadio 747 AM Government funded

7RPH 864 AM Community

936 ABC Hobart 936 AM Government funded

TOTE Sport Radio 1080 AM Racing/Narrowcast

Rete Italia 1611 AM Italian radio

NTC Radio Australia 1620 AM Community

Hobart's major newspaper is The Mercury, which was founded by John Davies in 1854 and has
been continually published ever since. The paper is currently owned and operated by Rupert
Murdoch's News Limited.

Sister cities
Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (1977)

L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy (1980)

Xi'an, Shaanxi, China (2015)

Economy
See also: Economy of Tasmania