Parks / Gardens / National parks., Hobart

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The beautiful Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens are close to the Hobart CBD. A five minute drive will take you just past Government House , across the road from the Tasman Bridge.

Established in 1818 they cover 13.5 hectares and are definitely worth a morning or afternoon to explore. There is a lovely conservatory, a Japanese garden and other displays.

The gardens are open free of charge every day. For more information check out the links below.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/chabg/bg-dir/097.html

http://www.touringtasmania.info/botanical_gardens.htm

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Bonarong Wildlife Park is a showcase of Aussie wildlife. It is not a zoo but a sanctuary established in 1981 for the care of sick and injured wildlife. It is run soley on the generosity of visitors and patrons.

There are regular shows by the animal keepers and petting, even some cuddling is allowed. They are dedicated to saving the Tasmanian Devil from the Facial Tumor disease which is threatening to wipe out the species.

Although there are better native animal parks in Australia I enjoyed my visit to Bonarong. The park is clean and the animals are well cared for. The staff are friendly and helpful.

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The cliff top walk is also listed in the Great Short Walks booklet. It’s rated as a 2.5 hour walk and, at the risk of stating the obvious, it is uphill to get to the apex of the cliffs and I recommend you take some fluid with you as it’s about 45 minutes of ascending and then more ups and downs when you’re actually following the line of cliffs.
However, once there the views are special indeed and as you traverse the cliff top, if you follow the recommended route, they just get better by the minute for the 20 minutes you are at the summit. It’s so dramatic standing above a sheer drop listening to the constant roar of the ocean below echoing up the ramparts. It’s something I never tire of.
Once you descend you’ll pass a couple of historical sites, one of which explains how 41 whales were landed there as long ago as 1829 and, at this same property, how escaped convicts from Port Arthur raided the place and made off with a pig.
It was only one of eight whaling station around South Bruny at the time.
A little later on you’ll learn that penguins and shearwaters share Bruny Island which is unusual for they normally are not noted bedfellows.
It was not far from here that Captain Cook landed in 1781

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For spectacualar views of Hobart, go to this park which is adjacent to Mt. Nelson lookout and Signal Station and you will find awesome scenes - coastal and water scens, city scenes, etc.

It was worth taking the bus trip here as we were pressed for time. We did not make it to the other lookout due to the foggy weather- we're supposed to also go to Mt. Wellington but as I heard it has similar views! So it was a good thing we made it here!

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This place is fabulous as it provides a fabulous panorama of the city of Hobart and the entrance to the Derwent River.

Mt Nelson is easily accessible by car. The more quiet drive to the summit is the drive up Nelson Road opposite the entrance to the Wrest Point Hotel Casino on Sandy Bay Road. Public transport is available. There is a restaurant at the lookout. We did not try it as we just had our big brekky at the ship!

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Seven Mile Beach is located at the rear of Hobart's airport. Its main use is for people wanting to stroll along the sands or have picnics.
There's a National Parks office right at the entry to the main area which is located adjacent to the village.
As you come down the road to get there you turn left for the national park or right for the village.

Parliament House Gardens are located adjacent to the historic Salamanca area; in fact, if you're visiting the markets there's a fair chance you'll walk right next to them.
They have, at the right time, sweeping annual displays with mature oaks, elms, limes and plane trees; some up to 150 years old.
This little park adjacent to the Hobart Parliamentary House is a great place to sit down, relax and watch the time pass by.
They had a display of Da VInci machines taking up some of the room when I was last there.
However, with its beautiful lawns and tall shady trees, it's guaranteed to put you in a relaxed state of mind.
You may get to see some famous Hobart official (not that you'd necessarily recognize him/her) or other Australian politician leaving the building.

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The best things in life are free; so the saying goes and the Botanical Gardens in Hobart certainly add credence to that statement.
The Gardens are open every day from 8am to 5pm/6.30pm and entrance is free.
There's a visitor's centre with giftshop and restaurant inside the gardens and a toilet nearby. More often than not there's an exhibition on to add even more to your visit. Spring is obviously a good time, along with autumn but these shots were all taken in late summer.
You can catch a bus from the CBD or the red tourist bus regularly stops outside the gate.
They have an eclectic display of varied vegetation from around the world and it's situated on a hillside with nice veiws over the Derwent.