TASMANIA
WHERE TO EAT, STAY AND PLAY IN
Hobart
ANGELA SAURINE
ANGELA SAURINE reveals fun things to do and places to eat with kids during a stay at Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart
Things to do in Hobart with kids
The colourful Salamanca Market, which takes place every Saturday morning in the historic district, is a must, as is a hike up kunanyi/Mount Wellington — the often snow-capped peak that rises above the city. There’s also plenty to keep young visitors entertained at Mona (the Museum of Old and New Art), from the labyrinthine-like House of Mirrors to the climbable bronze sculpture titled “Girls Rule”. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys offers a range of fun day tours, including one to Bruny Island, which takes you into sea caves and alongside some of Australia's highest sea cliffs, spotting wildlife such as seals, dolphins, migrating whales and sea birds. Learn about history by booking a day tour to Port Arthur Historic Site, which housed Tasmania’s most notorious convicts in the 1800s, and visit the lesser-known Cascades Female Factory Historic Site at South Hobart, which has guided tours led by costumed actors and a kids’ activity book. There’s also a fascinating new Indigenous walking tour, takara nipaluna, which follows the route taken by 40 members of the Aboriginal resistance towards the old Government House in 1832 to negotiate an end to the Black War. You can also see one of the replica huts used by explorer Douglas Mawson and his team in Antarctica at Mawson’s Hut Museum, enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride through historic Battery Point and the Salamanca waterfront, visit the quirky science museum Pooseum in Richmond, and see wombats, echidnas, kangaroos and Tasmanian devils at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
“Cascades Female Factory Historic Site has guided tours led by costumed actors”
Images: Salamanca Market, Visit the Cascades-Female Factory Historic Site. Credit: City of Hobart Alastair Bett Opening image: An aerial view of Hobart: Stu Gibson
“Families can request interconnecting rooms when they book”
Images: Hotel Grand Chancellor
Where to stay in Hobart
When it comes to location, Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart is hard to beat. It’s directly opposite the waterfront, with fantastic views of the fishing boats, yachts and cruisers that line Constitution Dock to the mountains beyond. As well as being a short walk to many attractions, including Salamanca and the ferry to Mona, it’s one of the few hotels in Hobart with a pool, located on the 10th floor with views of Mount Wellington through the floor-to-ceiling windows and cathedral-style ceiling. The hotel has 244 rooms, and families can request interconnecting rooms when they book. We were impressed with the fact our room had power points in all the right places, a user-friendly airconditioning switch, and three different bins to enable easy recycling. The hotel has also eliminated single-use plastics and recycles cardboard and printed paper material. The striking Atrium Bar in the hotel’s lobby and in-house Tasman Restaurant both offer a kids’ menu, which includes vegetable soup and bread, orecchiette pasta with butter and cheese or passata sauce and cheese, chargrilled steak (100g) and chips, a cheeseburger and chips, vanilla ice-cream with chocolate topping and chocolate cake and ice-cream.
"Located in a shipping container at The Springs, on the road to Mount Wellington, Lost Freight Café is a great base for kid-friendly walking tracks"
Family-friendly Hobart restaurants
Getting fish and chips and eating them on the waterfront is another Hobart must, and there is no shortage of places offering the experience. Head to Fish Frenzy at Elizabeth Street Pier, nearby Fishy Business or Flippers at Constitution Dock, or the iconic Mures Tasmania at Victoria Dock. Billy’s Burgers and Bar, also at Elizabeth Street Pier, is a fun and relaxed place to grab a bite, with a kids’ menu that includes The I Don’t Know Burger, The I Don’t Care Burger, and The I’m Not Hungry Meal. With pirate paraphernalia throughout, The Drunken Admiral Seafarers Restaurant on the Old Wharf is also good fun, and there's also a Hog’s Breath Café at Highgate Apartments, just down the road from the Grand Chancellor. Afterwards, grab an ice-cream at Van Diemans Land Ice Creamery at Constitution Dock, or Hey Cow Milk Bar in Centrepoint Shopping Centre, which offers fresh, handmade artisan gelato and natural 98 per cent fat-free frozen Greek yoghurt. Rivulet Café at South Hobart has a playground, which makes it easier for parents to eat in peace. Located in a shipping container at The Springs, on the road to Mount Wellington, Lost Freight Café is a great base for kid-friendly walking tracks, including The Octopus Tree, Sphinx Rock, Silver Falls and O'Grady's Falls.
The writer was a guest of Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart and Tourism Tasmania.
"Getting fish and chips and eating them on the waterfront is another Hobart must"
Images: Lost Freight Cafe, Kids meal Captain Cook's Basket from Mures