Just south of Kingston is the government HQ responsible for administering Australia’s 42% wedge of the frozen continent. Australia has a long history of exploration and scientific study of Antarctica: it’s one of the original 12 nations that ratified the Antarctic Treaty in 1961. Visitors can check out the displays here, which feature Antarctic equipment, clothing and scientific vehicles, plus ecological info and some brilliant photographs. There's an on-site cafe.
Australian Antarctic Division
Hobart
Contact
Address
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
12.11 MILES
Twelve kilometres north of Hobart's city centre, MONA is burrowed into the Triassic sandstone of a peninsula jutting into the Derwent River. Arrayed…
7.19 MILES
This picturesque row of three- and four-storey sandstone warehouses is a classic example of Australian colonial architecture. Dating back to the whaling…
6.8 MILES
Ribbed with its striking Organ Pipes cliffs, kunanyi/Mt Wellington (1271m) towers over Hobart like a benevolent overlord. The view from the top stretches…
6.25 MILES
Standing in startling, Gothic isolation next to the clean-running Hobart Rivulet, Australia’s oldest brewery (1824) is still pumping out superb beers. The…
-
7.08 MILES
Tucked in behind Salamanca Pl, the old maritime village of Battery Point is a tight nest of lanes and 19th-century cottages. Spend an afternoon exploring:…
-
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site
6.39 MILES
This World Heritage Site was where Hobart’s female convicts were incarcerated and put to work. Around 12,500 women were transported to Tasmania, and at…
-
10.36 MILES
At Grove, 5km north of Huonville, this barn-like wooden shed is home to Willie Smith's Organic Apple Cider, and functions as a cafe-cum-provedore-cum…
-
7.89 MILES
Hobart at its most bohemian, the Elizabeth St strip in North Hobart (aka NoHo) is lined with dozens of cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs – enough to keep…
Nearby Hobart attractions
1.8 MILES
This relaxed swimming and sailing spot has steep wooded cliffs at each end of a long arc of sand. There’s a picnic area at the northern end, accessed by a…
2.05 MILES
About 3km from Kingston, Blackmans Bay has a safe-swimming beach and a blowhole. The water is usually quite cold, and there’s rarely any surf…but it sure…
2.41 MILES
Behind the Margate Train is Inverawe Native Gardens, a private, 9.5-hectare property with landscaped native gardens, trails, water views and 80 species of…
2.44 MILES
Margate Train is a chance for train geeks to gawk at Tasmania's last passenger train, the good ol' Tasman Ltd, which stopped chugging in 1978. It stands…
3.05 MILES
On Taroona’s southern fringe stands the Shot Tower, a 48m-high, circular sandstone turret (1870) built to make lead shot for firearms. Molten lead was…
3.3 MILES
This fabulous community-owned museum on the roadside just south of central Margate is well worth a stop. A series of intimate, passionately curated…
5.05 MILES
The Old Signal Station atop Mt Nelson (352m) provides immaculate views over Hobart and the Derwent River estuary. The Mt Nelson semaphore station …
5.33 MILES
Tinderbox Marine Reserve borders a small beach in the delightfully named Tinderbox, near Blackmans Bay about 23km south of Hobart. Strap on a snorkel and…