The capital of Tasmania, on the south wast coast of the island. Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia (after Sydney), and has a population of more than 215,000. It has a superb seafront setting, with bays, inlets and islands. In the background Mount Wellington rises to over 1,200 m, and its peak is often snow-capped above the wooded slopes.

Hobart began life in 1803 as a grim convict settlement. Many of the colonial buildings from this period still remain. Later, its deep-water harbour made it a base for the Antarctic and South Pacific whaling fleets. Hobart is justly renowned for its pleasant, laid-back atmosphere, but life hots up here in the first week of January during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. During this period thousands descend on the city from all over Australia, and some of them even manage to remain in a fit state to watch the finish.

There’s plenty to see in and around Hobart. Try a stroll through Battery Point, down by the waterfront. Here the old sandstone houses, narrow twisting lanes and pubs still retain a village atmosphere. The main focus of attention round here is Salamanca Place, where a number of old warehouses have been transformed into pleasant cafés, boutiques and galleries. On Saturdays they have an open-air market, starting at around 8 am and finishing around 3 pm (www.salamanca.com.au). It’s particularly interesting for local craftware, and some of the stalls sell imaginative snacks.

This district has a couple of museums – the Van Diemen’s Land Folk Museum and the Maritime Museum of Tasmania; both of which have exhibits and relics from the good old days (which quickly become the bad old days, the more you get to know about them). At nearby Constitution Dock you can buy seafood from floating stalls and watch the boats in the harbour. From here you can pick up a number of harbour cruises, the best of which is aboard the Lady Nelson, a replica of Matthew Flinders’ old sailing ship. It departs at 11 am and 1 pm most Saturdays and Sundays, from Elizabeth Street Wharf. Those with a sweet tooth should try the Cadbury Cruise, which leaves Brook Street pier at 9.15 am Mon to Thur for the chocolate factory, inland up the Derwent River (www.discoveraustralia.com.au/tours/cadbury-cruise-tour-10492.html).

Nearby is the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (www.tmag.tas.gov.au) on Argyle Street, open daily 10 am to 5 pm, entry free. This is housed in the city’s oldest building, the Commissariat Store, which dates from 1808, and has some interesting historical exhibits from the old convict days. Of particular interest are the rare photos of the Tasmanian tiger, which many believe became extinct in the 1930s. (Recent mysterious sightings, and savaged animals, have led some to doubt this.) The art gallery has some fine paintings of the local Aborigines, painted around 150 years ago before they suffered a fate similar to the Tasmanian tiger’s.

The city also has a pleasant Botanical Gardens (www.rtbg.tas.gov.au), north of the city centre beyond the open space known as Queen’s Domain. Here you can stroll in pleasant formal gardens and woodland at the foot of the hill by the Derwent River; open 8 am to 5 pm, entry free.

If you want a view, it’s just a 20-km drive up to the top of Mount Wellington, from where you can see the entire city laid out below.