3 days in Hobart and the Huon Valley: your easy winter reset down south

Base yourself at YHA Hobart Central and pick from a mix of affordable co-living, private or family rooms. Just one block from the waterfront, you’ve got all the makings of a “choose your own adventure”-style weekend – be sure to save at least one day to explore the Huon Valley, a lush apple-growing region of orchards, forests and thermal springs. You’ll head home rested, well fed and feeling like you had an overseas holiday. (Well, in a way you did!)

Day 1 (Friday): Slow down in Hobart

The vibe: Tonight is about slowing down and spending a relaxed night in a small harbourside city. Check in, breathe in the crisp air, and let the working week fall away before the real exploring starts tomorrow.

Flights reach Hobart from Melbourne in about 90 minutes, or Sydney in just under two hours, with many timed to land in the early evening. As Hobart is small and quiet compared to Australia’s mainland cities, the airport is only 15 minutes from the centre. Pick up your hire car from Safe Drive Car Rentals. YHA members get 15% off, and while you can get around Hobart on foot or via buses or ridesharing, having a car will really open up the whole weekend. The drive into town crosses the Tasman Bridge over the River Derwent, so take in the view on the way in. 

YHA Hobart Central is a block from the iconic waterfront, and a short walk from Salamanca Place, a row of 1830s sandstone warehouses now full of lively cafes and bars. 

Inside there’s a cosy guest kitchen, comfy lounges and affordable co-living rooms. Everything is central so leave the car parked on the street (free parking between 6pm and 8:30am, metered after that), and explore on foot until you head south tomorrow.

After checking in, do a quick supermarket shop for any few essentials, then settle in. There’s a TV room with couches and a fireplace for a lazy Friday night. If you feel like venturing out, Constitution Dock is two minutes away, with pubs and some of the city's famous seafood spots for dinner. Last orders are usually around 8pm though, so if you're running late, head next door to the historic Hobart Town Hotel, where the kitchen continues serving until 9:30pm. Either way, stroll by the water before calling it a night.

Image credit: Hobart Town Hotel

Best bites

Evening

Best bites

• If you prefer a classic pub meal, the Hobart Town Hotel is literally next door. Happy hour is from 4pm to 6pm Monday to Friday, with $8 pints and $10 basic spirits.
• For your first taste of Tasmanian seafood, head down to Constitution Dock where fishermen have been selling the day’s catch on the water for generations.
• The cheapest great dinner in town is the one you cook yourself. The YHA Hobart Central guest kitchen combined with local cheese and fresh bread goes a long way.

Best nights

• Visit the Lark Distillery Cellar Door or GOTHAM at The Still (a new cocktail bar) and sample some of Australia’s best whisky.
• On Friday nights, Rektango brings free live bands and mulled wine to the courtyard of the Salamanca Arts Centre, a creative hub in the old warehouses.
• Taking up an entire block, the Hanging Garden is a cultural and foodie precinct full of great street food options, bars, fire pits and live music.
• Also every Friday night, the Hobart Twilight Market lights up Brooke Street Pier, a covered pier on the harbour, with food stalls, local designers and free live music.

Can’t miss: End your day with a nip of whisky at GOTHAM at The Still, a brand new cocktail bar serving Lark Whiskey, open late every Friday night, and minutes from YHA Hobart Central. Make sure you toast to the weekend ahead. 

Day 2 (Saturday): Exploring the Huon Valley

The vibe: Get ready for a slow, scenic drive through the heart of southern Tasmania. Today’s mini road trip swaps the city for apple orchards, riverside vineyards, and historic towns with old pubs and sailboats bobbing on the water. 

Morning and Afternoon

After a restful sleep in, explore Salamanca Market (every Saturday morning from 8:30am), before jumping in the hire car and heading south from Hobart along the Huon Highway. Around 40 minutes later you’ll reach the Huon Valley, an old apple-growing district that earned Tasmania its other nickname, the Apple Isle. Watch farmland turn into old-growth forest, alpine peaks and the wild southern coast.

During winter, mornings are misty and the rivers are flowing. Get out in nature, grab a bakery pie, and warm up by a firepit with mulled wine or apple cider in hand. The Huon Valley is big, so pick some highlights rather than trying to see everything in one day, leaving room to stop when something catches your eye. 

Sometimes the detours are the best part, after all. From tastings to forest walks, plenty of the best experiences here are affordable or free.

Image credit: Willie Smith's Apple Shed

Best bites

• Breakfast at Banjo’s Bakery in Huonville is a must. Popular menu items include the Ned Kelly Pie and the Curried Scallop Pie, plus there’s donuts, pastries and coffee too.
• Beat the locals to Summer Kitchen Bakery in nearby Ranelagh, known for its wood-fired sourdough that typically sells out by mid-morning.
• Willie Smith’s Apple Shed is a historic apple packing shed turned cider hall and restaurant, with $12 tasting paddles and mulled cider and apple pie by the fire. If stopping here, also go next door to the Huon Valley Apple and Heritage Museum ($3 for entry), which explains the history of the apple orchards throughout the valley.
• Frank’s Cider House at Franklin has free tastings in an old timber church hall by the river, plus there are scenic views of bobbing boats docked on the Huon River. 
• Home Hill Winery at Ranelagh produces some of Australia’s best Pinot Noir. The on-site restaurant has a mouth-watering menu, book ahead so you don’t miss out.

Best sites

• Keep driving south to Geeveston, a small timber town home to a Forest and Heritage Centre and some of Tasmania’s oldest and tallest trees. 
• Geeveston is also where you’ll find a free platypus walk along the Kermandie River. This is a rare chance to see the native mammal in the wild – just remember to keep your distance and not touch any wildlife.
• The nearby Hartz Mountains National Park climbs into alpine country 90 minutes from Hobart, with short walks to glacial lakes, often coated in snow in winter. 
• For hikers, try the Hartz Peak track, a few hours return through exposed alpine terrain to a 1255-metre summit. Turn off at Geeveston and follow the windy road up into the park. These trails aren't for everyone though, so a small caveat before you go. The weather up here can turn on you fast, so check conditions, pack your layers, and don't head up without a plan.
• Continue on to the Tahune Airwalk ($35), which is a Huon Valley must-see. The steel walkway sits 30 metres above the ground and ends at a platform hanging over the Huon River, looking out to where the Huon and Picton rivers meet. It's a heady height to take in the forest, towering over ancient Huon pines famous for their warm, spicy, earthy smell. If you’re not keen on heights, there's lots of calmer adventures to be had at ground level too. And if you book online, you’ll save 10%.
• Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs has a guided tour of a huge dolomite cave ($26). Take bathers to soak in the naturally warm water, included in your ticket.
• Cockle Creek is the most southerly point in Australia you can reach by road. There’s nothing beyond it but the ocean, and the picturesque South Cape Bay walk starts right there.
• The Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin is a working boatbuilding school, with a free riverside walk next door.
• If you’re looking for a detour on your way back to Hobart, stop off at Cygnet, a small village full of artist studios, galleries and cafes.

Evening

After a day of eating, drinking and adventures, head back to Hobart at golden hour. If you want to stay out a bit longer, the region has some of the darkest skies in the country, and winter is the best time to see Aurora Australis (the Southern Lights). Check the Aurora app and the local Facebook group for the best viewing windows, which are typically between 7:30pm and 10pm.

Best nights

• Hobart Town Hall Hotel (next to YHA Hobart Central) has regular live music events every weekend. If visiting mid-week, the Thursday pub quiz is a perfect wind down.
• Back in Hobart, warm up by the fire with a pint at the New Sydney Hotel, the city’s iconic Irish pub with live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. 
• Also worth a visit is the Hope & Anchor, Australia’s oldest pub, which has been pouring ales and beers since 1807.
• Nearby Jack Greene has 16 craft beers on rotation, plus tasty burgers and bar snacks.
• Check out a show year-round at the Theatre Royal, Australia’s oldest working theatre.
• The Hobart Penitentiary is a historic convict-era jail running ghost tours ($45).

Can’t miss: Save time for Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs. Tour the vast underground cavern lit up in the dark and then sink into a naturally warm pool deep in the cold forest.

Image credit: Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service

Day 3 (Sunday): Seeing the best of Hobart

The vibe: Take your last morning slowly, decide what kind of day you’d like to have. Wander the markets, head up to (kunanyi) Mount Wellington or check out the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). There’s so much to choose from, and there’s no wrong option. After checking out, leave your bags for no charge at YHA Hobart Central while you make the most of your last day. Book an evening flight and you’ve got plenty of time to see the best of greater Hobart. Eat fresh pastries at the Farm Gate Market, explore historic Battery Point or take the ferry to MONA.

Hobart sits on the lands of the muwinina people, and in palawa kani it's named nipaluna. The peak of kunanyi (Mount Wellington) rises 1271 metres straight up behind the city. You can drive up to the summit, and there's a 15-minute windy pathway leading to an epic lookout of Hobart and the region's south. It can be 10 degrees colder here, and is often under snow in winter, so layer up, check the forecast, and leave plenty of time to get back down before your flight.

Morning & Afternoon

Best bites

• Grab a pastry and coffee from Pigeon Whole Bakers, one of Hobart's best bakeries that’s also opposite YHA Hobart Central. 
• Daci & Daci is a waterfront cake shop near Parliament House where you can warm up with a morning coffee or hot chocolate.
• For lunch, order fish and chips from Fish Frenzy at Constitution Dock. 

Image credit: Discover Tasmania

Best sites

• Start at the Farm Gate Market on Bathurst Street, a small Sunday farmer’s market that’s good for a cheap breakfast.
• Drive up Kunanyi (Mount Wellington) for views of the city, the River Derwent and the valley you drove yesterday. Alternatively, take the Explorer Bus ($50 return), the only operator allowed up.
• MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is a large and deliberately provocative private museum built into the cliffs upriver, reached by a 25 minute ferry (entry $39, ferry $30 return, open Thursday to Monday). There’s also parking if you want to drive. 

• Wander Battery Point, Hobart’s oldest neighbourhood of sandstone cottages and harbour views. Climb Kelly’s Steps, a historic stone stairway up from the waterfront. 
• The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is free and the best introduction to Tasmanian Aboriginal culture and the island’s history. 
• Also free, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens has a riverside walk, and is home to the only Subantarctic Plant House in the world.
• Spot a platypus alon Hobart Rivulet Park, a creekside path in the city.
• Tour the historic Cascade Brewery (from $38), which is Australia’s oldest and has been operating since the 1820s.

Evening

Return the hire car and head to the airport for your flight home. If you’re not ready to leave Tasmania just yet, it’s easy to add a night and let the weekend stretch on.

Can’t miss: Stand on the summit of kunanya (Mount Wellington) with Hobart, the River Derwent and the Huon Valley laid out far below you. Savour the view before the flight home.

*Prices are indicative only and may vary depending on season and availability.

Words: Troy Nankervis