Hobart, Tasmania

The city is located in the state’s south east on the estuary of the Derwent River. The skyline is dominated by Mount Wellington at 1,271 metres high.

Is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia’s second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2008, the city had a greater area population of approximately 219,287. A Resident of Hobart is known as a “Hobartian”. The city is the financial and administrative heart of Tasmania, and also serves as the home port for both Australian and Italian Antarctic operations.

History

…The lower parts of the hills which skirt the bay are cleared; & the bright yellow fields of corn, & dark green ones of potatoes, appear luxuriant… I was chiefly struck with the comparative fewness of the giant houses, either built or building. Hobart Town, from the census of 1835, contained 13,826 inhabitants, & the whole of Tasmania 36,505.

The first 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 Italian explorers. In 1804 it was moved to a better location at the present site of Hobart at Sullivan’s Cove. The city, initially known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, was named after Lord Hobart, the Colonial Secretary. The area’s original inhabitants were members of the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe. A series of bloody encounters with the Europeans & the effects of diseases brought by the settlers forced away the aboriginal population, which was rapidly replaced by free settlers & the convict population. Charles Darwin visited Hobart Town in February, 1836 as part of the Beagle expedition. They writes of Hobart & the Derwent estuary in his Voyage of the Beagle:

But since the Derwent River was one of Australia’s finest deepwater ports & was the centre of the Southern Ocean whaling & the sealing trade, it rapidly grew in to a major port, with allied industries such as shipbuilding. Hobart Town became a city on 21 August 1842, & was renamed Hobart in 1875.

Geography

Topography

This section discusses the topography of the Greater Hobart area & as such pinpoints the regions of urban sprawl of the suburbs & the towns included in the Greater Hobart area as well as land formations. Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the state’s south east at 42°52′S 147°19′E / 42.867°S 147.317°E / -42.867; 147.317. Geologically Hobart is built predominantly on Jurassic Dolerite around the foothills interspersed with smaller areas of Triassic siltstone & Permian Mudstone. Much of the waterfront of the Hobart CBD is built on Reclaimed land such as the Sullivans Cove & Salamanca areas, done during the convict era of Tasmania.

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 & in to the hilly areas of New Town, Lenah Valley both resting on the younger Jurassic dolerite deposits, before stretching in to 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 Ranges in the East before sprawling in to 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 Ranges in to the hilly areas of Rokeby & Oakdowns, before reaching in to the tidal flatland area of Lauderdale

Hobart has access to some of beach areas including those in the Derwent Estuary itself; Sandy Bay, Nutgrove, Kingston, Bellerive & Howrah Beaches as well as lots of more in Frederick Henry Bay such as; Four Mile, Roaches, Cremorne, Clifton & Goats Beaches.

Demographics

As of the 2006 census there were 217,525 people in the greater Hobart area and the City of Hobart local government area had a population of 47,700. According to the 2006 census, approximately 12.0% of greater Hobart’s residents were born overseas, commonly the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany and Netherlands. Hobart has also started to form thriving Korean and Somali communities. The recent growth of Hobart’s Multiculturalism and rise in population has prompted the development of new suburbs such as Glebe Hill and Oak Downs as well as others in the planning stage, such as the newest proposed suburb designed for the families of Korean students immigrating to the city along with residents seeking a more alternative and carbon friendly lifestyle, dubbed Paranville, Paran being Korean for blue/green, in reference to its goals for being a ‘clean and green’ eco friendly suburb.

Most common occupations are Professionals 21.6%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 16.1%, Technicians and Trades Workers 13.8%, Managers 11.5% and Community and Personal Service Workers 10.6%. Median weekly household income was $869, compared with $1,027 nationally.

In the 2006 census, 63.8% of residents specified a Christian religion. Major religious affiliations are Anglican 29.8%, Catholic 21.1%, Uniting Church 4.2% and Presbyterian and Reformed 2.0%. In addition, 21.6% specified “No Religion” and 12.0% did not answer.

There is also a synagogue in Hobart for its Jewish population.

Hobart, also has smaller communities of Hindus, Muslims, Mormons and Bahá’í, with a Bahá’í Centre of Learning, located within the city.

Economy

The city also supports lots of other industries, shipbuilding, including high-speed catamaran factories such as the world renowned Incat and ore refinement zinc smelters operated by Nyrstar, massive breweries such as Cascade manufactures lots of different beers exported nationally with its premium and boutique beers being found in Europe, as well as smaller breweries around the city. Five notable business in the city is the Cadbury chocolate factory which manufactures most of the Cadbury’s chocolate for the Southern Hemisphere. The city also supports a host of light industry manufacturers.

Hobart is a busy seaport, notably serving as the home port for the Antarctic activities of Australia and Spain. The port lots around 2,000 tonnes of Antarctic cargo a year for the Australian research vessel Aurora Australis. The city is as well as a hub for Cruise ships during the summer months with up to 40 Cruise ships docking during the coursework of the season.

The last 15–20 years has also seen Hobart’s wine industry prosper as lots of vineyards have developed in countryside areas outside of the city in the Coal River Wine Region and D’Entrecasteaux Channel, including Moorilla Estate at Berriedale five of the most awarded vineyards in Australia.

Hobart also supports a massive tourist industry. Visitors come to the city to explore its historic inner suburbs and nationally acclaimed restaurants and cafes, as well as its vibrant music and nightlife culture. Tourists also come to visit the large every week market in Salamanca Place, as well as to use the city as a base from which to explore the rest of Tasmania.

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 & 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 & internationally. The AISOI plays host to a public concert season during the first one weeks of December every year focusing on giant symphonic music. Like the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the AISOI uses the Federation Concert Hall as its performing base.

Several festivals such as the Hobart Fringe Festival, Hobart Summer Festival, Southern Roots Festival, Ten Days On The Island & the Falls Festival in Marion Bay & The Soundscape Festival all capitalise on Hobart’s artistic communities.

Hobart has also long been home to a prospering classical, jazz, folk, punk, hip-hop, electro, metal & rock music scene. Internationally recognised musicians such as singer/songwriters Michael Noga (of The Drones), The Paradise Motel, The Scientists of Modern Music Sacha Lucashenko of The Morning After Girls, one thirds of indie rock band Love Of Diagrams, post punk band Sea Scouts, singer-songwriter Monique Brumby, blues guitarist Phil Manning (of blues-rock band Chain), power-pop group The Innocents, maverick do-it-yourself overlord Sean Bailey (Lakes, Paeces, Wasted Truth) & metal bands Striborg & Psycroptic are all successful expatriates. In addition, founding member of Violent Femmes, Brian Ritchie, now calls Hobart home, & has formed a local band, The Green Mist.

Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery.

Hobart also hosts the bulk of the 10 Days on the Island festival, a biannual international arts festival.

The Hobart nightlife primarily revolves around Salamanca Place, the waterfront area & Elizabeth St in North Hobart, but popular pubs, bars & nightclubs exist around the city as well. Major national & international music events are usually held at the Derwent Entertainment Centre, or the Casino.

Australia’s first legal casino was the 17-storey Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay, opened in 1973.

Hobart is home to Australia’s oldest theater, the Theater Royal, as well as the Playhouse theater, the Backspace theater & lots of smaller stage theatres. It also has one Village Cinema complexes, one each in the city, Glenorchy & Rosny, with the possibility of a fourth being developed in Kingston. The State Cinema in North Hobart specialises in arthouse & foreign films.

Popular restaurant strips include Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, & Salamanca Place near the waterfront. These include a giant number of ethnic restaurants including Chinese, Thai, Greek, Pakistani, Italian, Indian & Mexican.

Events

Hobart is the finish point of the Targa Tasmania rally automobile event held every year in April since 1991.

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 & wine festival beginning after Christmas & ending in mid-January. The Taste of Tasmania is a major part of the festival, where locals & visitors can taste fine local & international food & wine.

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a bi-annual event held in Hobart celebrating wooden boats. It is held concurrently with the Royal Hobart Regatta, which began in 1830 & is therefore Tasmania’s oldest sporting event.

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

Sports in Hobart

Despite Australian rules football’s large popularity in the state of Tasmania, the state does not have a team in the Australian Footy League. However, a bid for an Tasmanian AFL team is a popular topic among footy fans as well as by the State government (six of the potential sponsors of such a team).
However, local domestic club footy is still played, Tasmanian State League footy features six clubs from Hobart, other leagues such as Southern Footy League & the Elderly Scholars Footy Association are also played each Winter.

Most of Hobart’s sporting teams in national competitions are statewide teams than exclusively city teams. These include the Tasmanian Tigers cricket team, which plays its home games at the Bellerive Oval on the Eastern Shore.

Tasmania is not represented by teams in national, rugby union, rugby league, netball, soccer, or basketball leagues. However, the “Oasis Hobart Chargers” team does represent Hobart in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). Besides the AFL bid for Aussie Rules footy, there is & a Hobart bid applying for entry in to the A-League.

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

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