Aside from MONA, two areas of Hobart that people kept recommending were Battery Point and Salamanca. Since we were staying in the CBD within walking distance from both, we were easily able to check them out.
On our first night in Hobart (after the exhausting but illustrious start to our trip - and a two-hour nanna nap!), we decided to check out the Shipwright's Arms Hotel in Battery Point, or "Shippies", as it's known to locals. A traditional-style pub, Shippies is best known for its link to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: it has long been a favourite with crew members and spectators alike.
Sadly, it was too dark outside and too packed inside for me to get many decent photos. The front bar is very old-school, with a wooden centre bar, brick walls, sporting paraphernalia and TV screens - and, when we entered, it appeared to be men-only. (Had we unwittingly stepped into the nineteenth century?! Should we have worn our bonnets and corsets, and carried emergency smelling salts?) On querying this, we realised we'd walked into an annual convention of Tasmanian regional farmers: a long [liquid] lunch held on the shortest day of the year. Needless to say, it was very easy for two city gals to make friends that night.
The pub also offers accommodation upstairs, and out the back is a large bistro and a pleasant-looking courtyard. We refuelled with some delicious Tasmanian wine and creamy seafood chowder, served with warm, crusty bread and herb butter (nom).
The following night, we wandered down to Salamanca Place, site of the famous Salamanca Market held every Saturday. The harbourside strip also boasts an array of popular drinking holes and eateries, one of which is Jack Greene, a masculine two-storey bar with lots of wood, moody dark corners and good music.
We found a table on the slightly-quieter upstairs level. It was decked out in a funky rustic design, complete with chunky wood, stone and iron fittings, a (working) fireplace, fancy upholstered chairs, books, candles, bottles, and taxidermy displays (sorry, animal activists).
The food was unfortunately not awesome: my housie had a burger, and I had a Caesar salad. We didn't feel like anything complicated, but honestly, these are not hard dishes to master.
Nevertheless, we ate them, and it was still a pleasant evening, mainly due to the surrounds and later, live music floating upstairs from the ground level.
A little harbourside stroll took us back to the hotel, and, being a complete SUCKER for fairy lights, I couldn't help but take a photographic record.
Next up... Historic Richmond.
On our first night in Hobart (after the exhausting but illustrious start to our trip - and a two-hour nanna nap!), we decided to check out the Shipwright's Arms Hotel in Battery Point, or "Shippies", as it's known to locals. A traditional-style pub, Shippies is best known for its link to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race: it has long been a favourite with crew members and spectators alike.
Sadly, it was too dark outside and too packed inside for me to get many decent photos. The front bar is very old-school, with a wooden centre bar, brick walls, sporting paraphernalia and TV screens - and, when we entered, it appeared to be men-only. (Had we unwittingly stepped into the nineteenth century?! Should we have worn our bonnets and corsets, and carried emergency smelling salts?) On querying this, we realised we'd walked into an annual convention of Tasmanian regional farmers: a long [liquid] lunch held on the shortest day of the year. Needless to say, it was very easy for two city gals to make friends that night.
The pub also offers accommodation upstairs, and out the back is a large bistro and a pleasant-looking courtyard. We refuelled with some delicious Tasmanian wine and creamy seafood chowder, served with warm, crusty bread and herb butter (nom).
The following night, we wandered down to Salamanca Place, site of the famous Salamanca Market held every Saturday. The harbourside strip also boasts an array of popular drinking holes and eateries, one of which is Jack Greene, a masculine two-storey bar with lots of wood, moody dark corners and good music.
We found a table on the slightly-quieter upstairs level. It was decked out in a funky rustic design, complete with chunky wood, stone and iron fittings, a (working) fireplace, fancy upholstered chairs, books, candles, bottles, and taxidermy displays (sorry, animal activists).
The food was unfortunately not awesome: my housie had a burger, and I had a Caesar salad. We didn't feel like anything complicated, but honestly, these are not hard dishes to master.
Nevertheless, we ate them, and it was still a pleasant evening, mainly due to the surrounds and later, live music floating upstairs from the ground level.
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| Romaaaaaantic |
A little harbourside stroll took us back to the hotel, and, being a complete SUCKER for fairy lights, I couldn't help but take a photographic record.
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| Prettylicious |
Next up... Historic Richmond.