Day 6: Hobart Waterfront

We spent the evening walking along Hobart’s waterfront. We covered Franklin Wharf, Consitution Dock, Victoria Dock and the replica of Mawson’s Hut.

Constitution Dock is home to a portion of Hobart’s fishing fleet and not only used by fishing boats, but by personal yachts and a variety of other vessels. This area in the port of Hobart is famous for being the finishing line for the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which begins on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) and usually wraps up to a cheering crowds on New Year’s Eve.

Historically, this part of Tasmania was its lifeline to the rest of the world. The harbour was the gateway for trade and commerce and water the key medium for transport. Whether for business or pleasure, visitors and businessmen alike arrived here.

The Georgian sandstone warehouses that line the waterfront and now serve as restaurants and galleries were once filled with grain, fruit, vegetables, timber, and a plethora of other materials and produce that were delivered by boat. Large piers were built out into Sullivans Cove, complete with mobile cranes that ran on railway tracks and were used to unload ships. Truly a hub of activity, the harbour was the key juncture for large-scale deliveries. In honor of times past, visitors can still view some of the equipment to this day which remains in the harbour.

In modern times, the harbour is still home to range of vessels (even Antarctic research vessels and cruise ships), but it no longer serves as an entry point for large deliveries and unloading of ships. Most large shipments are now sent via rail from the north of Tasmania.

We also admired an old institution, Mures and the many seafood stalls or waterfront restaurants.

Lastly, we posed outside Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum - a small, true to life museum which duplicates the historic huts used by the team of 18 courageous men who went on the Australian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911-14 and lived in Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay. Sadly, we did not have time to visit the actual museum because it was after closing time.