Hobartians flock to the city’s waterfront like seagulls to chips. Centred around Victoria Dock (a working fishing harbour) and Constitution Dock (chock-full of floating takeaway-seafood punts), it’s a brilliant place to explore. The obligatory Hobart experience is to sit in the sun, munch some fish and chips and watch the harbour hubbub. If you’d prefer something with a knife and fork, there are some superb restaurants here, too – head for Elizabeth St Pier .
Celebrations surrounding the finish of the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race also revolve around Constitution Dock at New Year. The fab food festival Taste of Tasmania is also in full swing around this time. There are so many people around the waterfront, Hobart could be Monaco! The waterfront on New Year’s Eve can be both exhilarating and nauseating (depending on how late you stay out).
Hunter St has a row of fine Georgian warehouses, most of which comprised the old Henry Jones IXL jam factory. It’s occupied these days by the University of Tasmania's Art School and the uber-swish Henry Jones Art Hotel , both retaining their original heritage facades.
Most of the Hobart waterfront area is built on reclaimed land. When the town was first settled, Davey St marked the shoreline and the Hunter St area was an island used to store food and imported goods. Subsequent projects filled in the shallow waters and created the land upon which the Hunter St and Salamanca Pl warehouses were constructed. On Hunter St itself, markers indicate the position of the original causeway, built in 1820 to link Hunter Island with the long-since-demolished suburb of Wapping.
