Paris, Milan, New York…Hobart? The Tasmanian capital might not register as a cultural crossroads just yet, but it has come a long way since the 1840s, when Lady Jane Franklin, the exasperated wife of Tasmania’s then governor, bemoaned the convict settlement’s lack of sophistication.
Lady Franklin, it seems, wasn’t alone. Australians, myself included, have always tended to dismiss Tasmania, the island state at the base of the continent, and Hobart as uncultured backwaters ?t only for retirement. But in the past decade, the capital has matured into an artistically and architecturally spirited place that is turning the heads of art and design enthusiasts, who are discovering a surprising degree of innovation for a sparsely populated city of some 200,000 inhabitants.
Hotels
The arts de?ne Hobart’s two newest, and grandest, hotels. The clubby eleven-suite Islington (rooms from $249; 321 Davey St.; 011-61-3-6220-2123; islingtonhotel.com), in South Hobart’s dress circle, is a striking hybrid of modernism and Regency style; Japanese woodcuts and vibrant paintings by David Hockney and Brett Whiteley contrast with the studied opulence of an Art Deco chester?eld. On the city’s historic waterfront, a row of 1820s warehouses has been transformed into the Henry Jones Art Hotel (rooms from $216; 25 Hunter St.; 011-61-3-6210-7700; thehenryjones.com), whose original stone walls and timber beams frame ?fty sleek-meets-antique suites. Like the Islington, the Henry Jones is a “curated” hotel, with a rotating collection of more than 300 artworks in various media.
Galleries
The long-standing but still-dynamic hub of Hobart’s creative community is the Salamanca Arts Centre (77 Salamanca Place; 011-61-3-6234-8414; salarts.org.au), on the southern ?ank of the waterfront. The ?agship Long Gallery, upstairs, hosts exhibitions of well-known and emerging Tasmanian artists. Handmark Gallery (77 Salamanca Place; 011-61-3-6223-7895; handmarkgallery.com) is no newcomer either — it’s twenty-seven years old — but it consistently showcases the brightest talent on the island. At nearby Despard Gallery (15 Castray Esplanade; 011-61-3-6223-8266; despard-gallery.com.au), director Steven Joyce champions a stable of renowned Tasmanian painters and sculptors, including Stephen Lees, Geoff Dyer and Anne Morrison. In bohemian North Hobart, you can visit the landmark Bett Gallery Hobart (369 Elizabeth St.; 011-61-3-6231-6511; bettgallery.com.au), notable for its superb — and superbly expensive — Aboriginal shell necklaces ($780 to $3,800).
Restuarants
At Marque IV (Elizabeth St. Pier; 011-61-3-6224-4428), upscale waterside dining embraces modern Australian cuisine and fresh area produce, as seen in the warm salad of Flinders Island lamb loin with dwarf ?gs and goat cheese. Historic Battery Point is home to Tasmania’s top bakery: Jackman & McRoss (57–59 Hampden Rd.; 011-61-3-6223-3186), which turns out savory pastries and pies. In North Hobart, Restaurant 373 (373 Elizabeth St.; 011-61-3-6231-9031) is famed for tea-smoked Tasmanian oysters and other well--executed dishes, like wallaby ?llet, a Tassie specialty, on rösti of sweet potato and pepperberry. After one taste of the ?llet, it’s obvious that Hobart’s artistic groundswell extends to its food—Lady Franklin would be pleased.
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