The Top 10 Places to See in Tasmania
With Tasmania's 3.4-million acres of protected wilderness, this alluring isle feels close to heaven—Tasmanian devils included
- By Tony Perrottet
- Smithsonian.com, April 17, 2012
(© Robert Harding World Imagery / Alamy)
The waterfront of Tasmania’s tiny capital city (pop. 212,000) is today almost entirely intact from the British colonial era, when convicts, sealers and whalers made up the bulk of the hard-bitten community. A stroll along the restored Salamanca Place is eerily picturesque: the Georgian-era buildings were carved by 19th-century prison laborers from golden sandstone, and are framed by Hobart’s gleaming waters, with eucalyptus-covered mountains in the distance. The once-crumbling stores around Salamanca Square have been renovated into art galleries, bookstores, outdoor cafés and high-end restaurants, including Smolt, which specializes in Tasmanian salmon. After dinner, continue around the harbor for a drink at the Henry Jones Art Hotel, a former convict-built warehouse converted into chic luxury accommodation and exhibition space for local artists.
Contributing writer Tony Perrottet, who was born in Australia and now lives in New York, has been visiting Tasmania since the 1980s; www.tonyperrottet.com.
Comments (2)
Love the pictures! When its the best time to visit?
Posted by Peter Tangprasertchai on April 26,2012 | 11:18 AM
Love that pic. I was born in Hobart, live in Brisbane, and will be attending a training course for registered crew members on that tall ship the Lady Nelson in Hobart on Saturday. She's beautiful.
Posted by Ali on April 20,2012 | 11:14 PM