Learn all about the island state’s colonial and Indigenous history, see some truly mind-boggling art and get out in nature over four days in Hobart

A family holiday needs all the right elements to really be a hit with every member of the crew. Thankfully, Hobart has something for everyone. From weird and wacky museums, cafes and restaurants to suit young and old, and endless outdoor activities. There are plenty of things to do with kids in Hobart. But to take the hassle out of planning, we give you our perfect four-day Hobart itinerary.

Day one

Morning

Start your Hobart adventure down by the docks at the city’s waterfront, where fishing punts bob and seagulls stalk. Lined with grand old sandstone buildings that tell tales of the town, the area is a fantastic place to discover on foot.

If you’re in need of a caffeine fix (or perhaps a babycino) then get a coffee to-go from the schmick Hobart Coffee Roasters, or linger for longer at light-filled Rosie In My Midnight Dreams on Brooke Street Pier.

For a portal into Antarctica, some 5000 kilometres due south from here, don’t miss a visit to Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum , which opened in 2013 on the 102nd anniversary of Douglas Mawson’s famous expedition from Hobart. Made using Baltic pine from the same Scandinavian region that was used in the original timber huts, the museum is a true replica packed with fascinating details about life on the white continent.

If it’s about time to placate small people with tired feet then make a beeline for nearby Van Diemens Land Creamery before wandering over to nearby Salamanca Place, is  home to galleries, theatres and restaurants tucked into its 1830s Georgian warehouses as well as the must-visit Salamanca Market on Saturdays, where you’ll find purveyors of the best local produce and plenty of kid-friendly diversions.

Midday

Is it a laundry? Is it a cafe? It can be two things. Kids will love the novelty of Machine Laundry Cafe in lively Salamanca Square, which serves breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes the likes of roti filled with herbed scrambled egg and brioche French toast, many of which can be ordered as small serves.

Then amble back towards the docks and dip into the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) for a few absorbing hours. This excellent museum is great for children and offers an insight into the land you’re standing on, including important learning on the history and culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginal, or Palawa, people. There are specially developed exhibitions for young people and curiosities galore, plus it hosts an annual festival for children and young people called LIFT OFF! Kids aged between seven and 12 will feel a little bit special when they pick up one of the museum’s ‘discovery backpacks’ (a free, in-gallery loan resource, filled with objects, props and activities across a number of subject areas) and set off to explore. And don’t miss the permanent mapiya lumi exhibition, which has been especially developed for babies and kids up to seven years old.

Evening

In The Hanging Garden is hidden in plain sight in the CBD. You’ll feel like Alice going down the rabbit hole as you slip, via 112 Murray Street, into this multilayered venue with festival vibes that encompasses nearly an entire city block.

Here, much-loved Tassie producers such as Bruny Island Cheese and Oryza dish up plates like decadent cheesy fried potatoes and handmade dumplings to devour in the al fresco dining area, which is heated, sheltered and comes complete with pretty hanging plants and twinkling lights.

Should you find yourself in Hobart on a Friday night, and on the lookout for ways to help the kids burn off some energy before bed then drop by Salamanca Art Centre’s Courtyard for its weekly ‘Rektango’ sessions (5.30-7.30, weather dependent); expect live music, lots of dancing, and drinks for the grown-ups to boot.

Day two

Morning

First, fuel up on freshly baked pastries at Daci & Daci Bakers . Then, make sure you’re at the front of the queue for the Mona Ferry, which departs from nearby Brooke Street Pier, so you can snag the best seats in the house: the ones out on deck shaped like sheep or tigers (depending on which of the two high-speed catamarans you’re on).

Watch the centre of Hobart get smaller as you begin your 25-minute sail up the River Derwent to the city’s marvellous madcap museum. Once you alight, climb the 99 steps to arrive at Mona (open Fridays to Mondays; book ahead). It might take you a while before you make it past the museum’s grounds, which serve as both a site for interactive artworks and a playground, with a musical trampoline and a mirror maze.

Midday

Venture into the subterranean museum’s belly. While Mona has a reputation for artworks that prod and provoke, there’s a lot more besides and plenty here that kids will simply be awed by. Julius Popp’s monumental Bit.Fall sees words sourced from live news feeds cascading like a waterfall; see if you can pick out what’s trending online. Trace a familiar wiggling form created from 1620 individual panels in the Sidney Nolan masterpiece Snake. And hold your nose at Cloaca Professional – otherwise known as the poo machine – as it replicates the actions of the human digestive system, complete with a daily deposit at 2pm. And if that hasn’t put you off your lunch, seek out Heavy Metal Kitchen on the lawns when tummies are rumbling; older kids will be awed and amused in equal measure by the unusual meats cooked on the grill here (think wallaby and camel), and less adventurous eaters will be lured in by the promise of hot chippies.

Evening

Allow for the better part of a day at Mona and, when you’re galleried out, head back down the river and cosy up in an old tavern – a quintessential Hobart experience. And the Hope and Anchor , just 450 metres from where the ferry alights and dating back to 1807, lays claim to being Australia’s oldest continuously licensed pub.

All quaint, atmospheric and ‘olde worlde’ inside,  it’s stuffed with all manner of interesting artefacts to ogle. The kids’ menu includes fresh fish of the day and chicken schnitzel, while the grown-ups’ menu covers everything from Tasmanian scallops to a house Wellington that heroes slow-braised Tassie beef cheek.

Day three

Morning

Rise and shine early to get a taste of the wilderness Tasmania is renowned for by heading up to the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington for spectacular panoramic views back across the city and its wild surrounds; on a clear day you can see all the way to Bruny Island. It’s 25 minutes from the city by car or the hop-on, hop-off Explorer Bus . And it’s 10°C cooler, too, so make sure to bundle up. Stop for hot chocolate on the way at Lost Freight Cafe .

Midday

Head back down the mountain and 25 minutes northeast out of town to the historic village of Richmond in the Coal River Valley wine region. Stop on the way for lunch at family-friendly Puddleduck Vineyard and choose from its ‘pecking menu’ with options that include a vineyard platter and gourmet toasties. Kids, meanwhile, get their own dedicated menu, a playground and plenty of space to run around in.

Then set about exploring Richmond itself with its myriad allures and intrigues including Georgian buildings, both the oldest bridge (hand-built by convicts in the 1820s) and gaol in Australia, and the double whammy of both a chocolate and a lolly shop within a minute’s walk of each other on the main street. And don’t miss the Old Hobart Town Model Village , which delights young and old with its window into the life of settlers in the 1820s – in miniature size.

Evening

Back in Hobart, catch a show at the Theatre Royal , a beautiful old venue that regularly stages family-friendly plays. Book ahead for performances.

With its hustle and bustle, vibrant Suzie Luck’s is a great spot for dinner with the brood. The prawn crackers and chicken satay sticks are a safe shout for most kids too.

Day four

Morning

Drive just over an hour southeast of Tasmania, over the Eaglehawk Neck isthmus, to the Tasman Peninsula and a zoo with a difference. The Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is all about embracing natural habitats for native animals and offers encounters in a wild setting with the state’s most famous marsupial as well as wallabies, echidnas, pademelons and more.

Those whose kids have a sweet tooth can curry favour with a stop at the neighbouring Tasmanian Chocolate Foundry before heading onwards.

Midday

Continue on to Port Arthur Historic Site , 10 minutes’ drive away. Have lunch in the on-site cafe before spending the afternoon exploring this World Heritage-listed convict site, the best preserved in Australia. Site entry tickets include a guided introductory walking tour, a 25-minute harbour cruise that takes in the mysterious Isle of the Dead, and access to more than 30 historic buildings, ruins, restored houses and heritage gardens. It makes for strange and compelling stuff.

Evening

All tuckered out after a long day, end your adventure back where you started with a fish and chip dinner by the waterfront as the sun goes down over those bobbing boats. Mures Lower Deck is a tried and true spot that’s forged many a childhood memory for Tassie locals.

Neighbourhoods to explore

Battery Point

Finding the start of Kelly’s Steps in Salamanca Place is a bit of a treasure hunt in itself. Once you’ve located this old secret staircase, zigzag your way up for five minutes to explore the historic suburb of Battery Point – home to Narryna Heritage Museum , an 1830s merchant’s house that tells the story of early colonial life in Hobart, and some of the city’s earliest cottages at Arthur Circus . You’ll also find the famous Jackman and McRoss Bakery , which spills over with freshly baked breads, pastries and cakes and also serves sandwiches, soups and more.

South Hobart

This leafy suburb rewards with plenty of hidden gems. From the Hobart Rivulet Walk, good for stretching those legs, which offers glimpses of the city’s history as it winds towards kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Along the way is the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site , where you’ll learn the stories of the female convicts this institution housed in the 1800s, with plenty of lively interpretation to engage kids. A 10-minute walk from here, warm and inviting Ginger Brown Cafe is a local favourite.

Sandy Bay

It might not be known as a beach city, but Hobart boasts some beauties. Head out to Long Beach in the elegant riverfront suburb of Sandy Bay on a hot day in summer. It’s great for families,  complete with a playground near the beach and a pontoon for splashing into the water from. From here, you can also take a gentle meandering walk along the River Derwent to Nutgrove Beach with its scenic views towards kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

Getting from A to B

Hobart’s city centre is compact and walkable, though be prepared for a little light hiking up its not-insignificant hills.

Hiring a car to zip around in allows the extra freedom of exploring Hobart’s fringes, from Richmond to Port Arthur, though plenty of local operators offer well-orchestrated day trips if that’s not an option.

In the city itself, there is a good Metro network of local buses, most departing from Elizabeth Street, that can run you between some of the city’s key spots, as well as the Red Decker hop-on, hop-off bus, which takes in key attractions like Salamanca Place, Battery Point, Wrest Point, Cascade Brewery, Female Factory, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

Meanwhile, the kunanyi/Mt Wellington Explorer Bus is the official shuttle bus for kunanyi/Mt Wellington; the two-hour return tour includes 30 minutes to take in the views at the summit, or you can choose to hop-on hop-off at five Wellington Park bus stops to explore its variety of alpine walks.

Looking at other things to do and see in Hobart? We’ve got you covered with our ultimate travel guide to the city.

Originally written by Imogen Eveson with updates by Chloe Cann