Hobart Historic Buildings & Places

Alexandra Battery
Alexandra Battery is near the Shot Tower. It was built in 1885 to defend Hobart from possible invasion, and was named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It has fine views over the Derwent River.

Anglesea Barracks
Anglesea Barracks is the oldest military headquarters still occupied in Australia. The Barracks were ordered by Governor Macquarie in 1811 and are still used by the military. Davey Street.

Battery Point
This was one of the first areas of Hobart to be settled and it contains some stately colonial housing, now mostly used as up-market accommodation or as restaurants.

Cenotaph
The Cenotaph is a prominent monument, on a hill overlooking Macquarie Point and the Yacht Club.

General Post Office
The magnificent General Post Office is in the heart of Hobart. It was from this building on 8th March 1912 that Roald Amundsen sent his telegram to confirm to the world that he had indeed reached the South Pole and returned safely.

Female Factory
Female convicts transport to Van Diemens Land were housed here from 1828. Up to 1000 people lived here at one time. 16 Degraves Street, South Hobart (03 6223 1559).

Franklin Square
In the centre of Hobart, diagonally opposite the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre on the corner of Davey and Elizabeth Streets, is Franklin Square, with Sir John Franklin standing at its centre. He was Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1837 until 1843, and was also a polar explorer. He perished while trying to locate the North-West Passage. Hobart has a long association with Antarctic exploration, being the closest Australian city to the southernmost continent, so you will also find in this square photographs of the 1898 - 1900 Antarctic Expedition led by Carstens Borchgrevink. This was the first expedition to spend a winter in Antarctica. The members are pictured paying their respects to Sir John Franklin in this spot upon their return to Hobart in April 1900. One member, the physicist Louis Bernacchi, was from Hobart. Franklin Square also offers a fine view over the harbour, especially if the sun is shining.

International Wall of Friendship
The International Wall of Friendship is at the Commonwealth Government Centre providing a tribute to the migrants who have settled in Tasmania. 188 Collins Street, Hobart.

Kelly's Steps
Leading up from Salamanca Place is a flight of steps. These are Kelly's Steps, built in 1839 by the adventurer James Kelly to connect Salamanca Place with Battery Point. They lead into Kelly Street.

Old Hobart Gaol
In the northern part of the city is Old Hobart Gaol, with its Penitentiary Chapel. This was constructed in 1831, and later part of it was converted into law courts. The Chapel continued in use until 1961 and the Courts were used until 1983. There are underground passages, cells for solitary confinement and an execution yard.

Parliament House
Parliament House is adjacent to Salamanca Place. It was designed by the famous convict architect John Lee Archer as a customs house and built by convicts between 1835 and 1840. Only when self-government was granted in 1856 did it become the home of the Tasmanian Parliament. There is a museum on the ground floor and a popular lawn outside in Parliament Square.

Penitententiary Chapel Historic Site
A collection of redbrick buildings which are some of the oldest in Tasmania. The Penitentiary Chapel was completed in 1835 and used for compulsory church services for convicts. Corner of Brisbane and Campbell Streets.

Runnymede
Runnymede is a stately home built in about 1836 and now restored by the National Trust. 61 Bay Road, New Town. (03 6278 1269).

Salamanca Place
Salamanca Place consists of a splendid row of Georgian sandstone warehouses dating back to the 1830s, now converted into cafes, craft shops, galleries and restaurants.

Shot Tower
The Shot Tower was built in 1870 and, of course, its purpose was the manufacture of lead shot by the process of dropping molten lead from a height so that it would form spherical pellets and solidify before hitting the ground. The tower is 48 metres high. It is no longer used for the manufacture of lead shot, but offers a good lookout over the city. Channel Highway about 10 km south of Hobart.

St. David's Cathedral
The building of St. David's Cathedral, commenced in 1868, the handsome edifice being the work of George Bodley. It is generally thought to be his best creation outside England. There is a small museum in the cloisters. 125 Macquarie Street.

St George's Anglican Church
Opened in 1838 and made of fine sandstone stands on the highest spot on the Point.

Tasman Bridge
The Tasman Bridge lies a little over one kilometre north of the city centre. It was the scene of a disaster when, at 9.27pm on 5th January 1975, the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra crashed into one of the piers and brought down a 127-metre section of the bridge. Four vehicles were on the section at the time and the five people in those vehicles died, together with seven crew members of the Lake Illawarra. Two cars were left suspended precariously over the gap in the bridge, but their occupants escaped.

Yacht Club
The Yacht Club, just north of the city centre, is where the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finishes.