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What No One Tells You About Visiting Hobart, Tasmania · Phil and H Travel - Is It Worth It? Top Travel Destinations Explored!

• 0:00
  We're about to dive into a city that is just, well, it's all
• 0:04
  about extremes. I mean, imagine stepping off a
• 0:06
  plane and the first thing you notice is the air.
• 0:09
  And it's not just that it feels fresh.
• 0:11
  It's like, scientifically one of the cleanest places in the
• 0:13
  world. And you're in a place where the
• 0:16
  food is so intense, they say the carrots actually taste more like
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  carrots, where you can get these oysters that are literally the
• 0:21
  size of your fists. Right.
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  And then at the same time you're looking at a menu and a main
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  course is $45.00 for a pub meal. Exactly.
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  And the sun, which feels great, can actually burn you in 15
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  minutes even when it's cool out. And if you want to get around,
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  good luck finding a train or a tram.
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  It's just it's not there. That's the paradox, isn't it?
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  And that's what we're tackling in this deep dive.
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  We are going right into Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, and
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  we're zeroing in on this whole food and wilderness reputation.
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  It's built for itself. Our mission is pretty
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  straightforward. Is Hobart this, you know, gothic
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  gourmet paradise that your social media feed promises?
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  Or when you actually get down to it with the logistics and the
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  sheer cost, is it just an overpriced tourist trap at the
• 1:08
  bottom of the world? And that's where I come in.
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  I'm going to be looking at the logistical spine of this trip.
• 1:12
  We're breaking down the numbers, the actual cost, the planning
• 1:15
  you need to do. Think of me as your your risk
• 1:19
  management officer for the trip. I like that, and I'm handling
• 1:22
  the vibe, the stories, the feeling of the place, what it's
• 1:26
  actually like to stand on those old sandstone docks, you know,
• 1:28
  looking South and realizing the next thing is just ice,
• 1:32
  Antarctica. Does the feeling justify the
• 1:35
  expense? Before we get into that, we got
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  a flag. Three sort of aha moments.
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  These are the surprises that just completely flip the script
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  on what people think Hobart is like.
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  OK, what's the first one? Surprise number one, this idea
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  of a sleepy little town. It's gone totally.
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  Hobart is growing, and it's growing fast.
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  The traffic in the city center, especially in peak season, it's
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  real. The congestion is a real thing
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  You have to plan around, OK? That's a big one.
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  What's #2. The food, everyone goes for the
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  food. But the really mind blowing
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  stuff, yeah, it's not always in those super fancy, you know,
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  $150.00 a head restaurants. No, we found that the true
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  genius is often coming out of a literal shed on the waterfront
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  or like a food trailer painted some bright color.
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  That's where the magic is. I love that.
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  OK. And the third surprise?
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  This one's a lifesaver. Literally.
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  You do not need to pack your gear for an 8 hour soul crushing
• 2:31
  hike to see the wilderness. You can just drive.
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  You can drive your rental car right up into the clouds on
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  Kunani or Mount Wellington, which looms right over the city.
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  So the epic nature is actually super accessible.
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  Incredibly accessible. But, and this is the big one,
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  before we get any of that, we have to talk about the elephant
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  in the room. This is the single most
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  important decision you will make.
• 2:51
  Let me guess, it's about getting around.
• 2:53
  It's car dependency. If you go to Hobart and you
• 2:57
  don't rent a car or you can't drive your trips, quality just
• 3:01
  plummets too much. We're talking from a potential
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  nine out of 10 experience right down to a frustrating like 4 out
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  of 10. The car isn't an optional extra,
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  it dictates everything. Wow.
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  OK, so that's a huge warning right up top.
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  And I think that leads us straight into our main thesis
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  for this whole deep dive. Doesn't.
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  It it does. Hobart is, you know, arguably
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  the best small city experience you can have in the Southern
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  hemisphere for a four day trip. But, and it's a huge but only if
• 3:30
  you're willing to accept that you need to budget over 200
• 3:33
  Australian dollars per person per day if.
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  You try and do it for less than that.
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  The friction, the things you can't do, they just start to
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  overwhelm all the good stuff. Right, so we're going to spend
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  our time today breaking down exactly why that $200 line is so
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  critical. We'll even give you verdicts for
• 3:47
  different kinds of travellers. But first, we need to understand
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  how Tasmania even got here. How did it become so cool?
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  We have to start there. Let's get into the context.
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  We're calling this segment the Mona effect.
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  It's kind of amazing when you think about it post COVID, the
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  interest in Tasmania, or Tassie as everyone calls it, it just
• 4:07
  exploded. It's a total reversal.
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  For decades in Australia, Tassie was, well, it was kind of the
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  butt of the jokes. You know, the remote, slightly
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  backward cousin. And now it's the undisputed cool
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  kid. Everyone wants to go.
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  And you can't talk about that shift without talking about one
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  place. Mona, the Museum of Old and New
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  Art. Absolutely.
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  It opened over a decade ago and it didn't just add an attraction
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  to the city. It fundamentally rewired
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  Hobart's entire identity. It changed its DNA.
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  It really was a shock to the system, wasn't it?
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  You had this very conservative historic fishing port, all
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  sandstone and convict history. Very stayed beautiful state and
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  then M and A comes along with all this subversive,
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  provocative, sometimes really confronting art.
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  It was this injection of weirdness, high art
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  counterculture. And that weirdness became the
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  brand. It created this whole like dark,
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  artsy, almost Pagan festival vibe.
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  I mean, you have to talk about the Dark Mofo festival in
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  winter. Oh for sure.
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  That's the one where people do the nude swim in the Durant
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  River in the middle of winter. It's freezing, it's absolutely
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  insane, and it gets global attention.
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  And that's the hook, right? You go for that spectacle, for
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  the art, and then you stay. You stick around, you drink the
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  amazing local Pinot noir, and you just soak up this atmosphere
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  you can't find anywhere else on Earth.
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  Here's the reality check. That hype is powerful, but you
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  have to contrast it with what it's like on the ground in, say,
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  January. Social media is still full of
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  these pictures of empty beaches and, you know, a lone hiker on a
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  mountain peak. That's not the reality of peak
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  season anymore. Not at all.
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  It's a victim of its own success.
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  In summer, December to February, you're not alone.
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  You are literally fighting for a parking spot at the popular
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  lookouts. You're standing in a queue for a
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  coffee or for those famous scalloped pies.
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  The infrastructure, especially those narrow old roads, it
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  really struggles. Yeah, but the thing that does
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  hold up, the reason people pay the prices, is the core promise
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  of food and wilderness. That part is 100% real.
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  It absolutely is, and it all comes down to the environment.
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  The soil there is incredibly rich and dark and the water is
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  just so, so cold. Which means everything grows
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  slower and richer. That's why the sensory details
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  are so powerful. It sounds silly to say the
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  carrots taste more like carrots, but it's true.
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  There's an intensity to the flavor.
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  And it's the same with the seafood, those huge oysters, the
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  salmon. Yeah, because they come from
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  that icy water. They're not just fresh, they're
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  noticeably sweeter. It's a genuine biological
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  difference. Which brings us back to the
• 6:41
  money. This is what we're calling the
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  Purity Premium, because let's be clear, Hobart is more expensive
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  than most mainland Australian cities, let alone a place like
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  Southeast Asia. It is, and it's because it's an
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  island economy. Yes, the food is local, but
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  almost everything else has to be shipped in.
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  Fuel, equipment for restaurants, clothes, cars.
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  All of it comes with the logistics cost that gets passed
• 7:01
  on to you. And the environmental controls
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  are super strict too, which adds costs.
• 7:05
  Exactly. So when you pay $45.00 for that
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  fish, you're not just paying for the fish, you're paying a
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  premium for the isolation, the purity, and the stewardship that
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  keeps the place so special. It's the cost of being at the
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  edge of the world and that feeling, it really is palpable.
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  It is. You can be standing on the
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  docks, you look S over that huge river and you know deep down the
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  next stop is Antarctica. That sense of finality, of being
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  on the absolute edge, it hangs over the whole trip.
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  And for a lot of people, that feeling alone is worth the
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  price. OK, that sets the stage
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  perfectly. Let's move on to the actual
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  arrival segment. 2 first impressions and arrival
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  logistics. Right.
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  So you land at Hobart International Airport.
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  HBA and international is a generous term.
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  It's it's tiny. It's actually quite adorable.
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  You get to do that rare thing where you walk across the tarmac
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  from the plane to the terminal. It's an immediate sensory hit.
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  And the first thing that hits you before you see anything is
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  the air. No matter what time of year you
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  land, it's just crisp. It has this clean bite to it
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  that is noticeably different even from, say, Melbourne or
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  Sydney. But then boom, the logistics
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  test begins immediately. And that car dependency thing we
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  mentioned? It starts right here.
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  Right, There's no train, there's no metro.
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  You have two main options to get into the city.
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  Option one, the budget option, the Sky Bus.
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  It's efficient, it runs pretty often and it's about 20
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  Australian dollars for a one way trip into the city center.
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  At option 2. Your standard Uber or a taxi
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  that's going to take you back somewhere between 45 and $50.00
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  to get to the CBD. OK, let's do the quick maths on
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  that because this is important if you're traveling as a couple.
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  2 Sky bus tickets is $40. Yep.
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  So for five or $10 more and Uber will take both of you plus your
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  luggage directly to your hotel door, it's not a huge price
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  difference. For a massive gain and
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  convenience for solo traveler, Sky Bus wins.
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  For two or more, the Uber is almost always worth it.
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  That makes perfect sense. So you're in your Uber or your
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  rental car and you start the drive into the city and honestly
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  the 1st 10 minutes are a bit underwhelming.
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  It's a lot of dry grass and highway doesn't scream gourmet
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  paradise straight away. But then you get to this one
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  point, you come over a Crest and the whole scene just opens up.
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  It's genuinely dramatic. It is.
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  Suddenly you see the Derwent River and it's massive.
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  It's this deep, powerful blue and then right behind it,
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  dominating everything, is Kunani Mount Wellington.
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  It looks like a giant guardian watching over the city.
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  It sets the whole tone. It really does.
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  Now, let's say you took our advice and you picked up a
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  rental car at the airport. Yeah, you need to be ready for a
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  challenge the second you hit the city proper.
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  Oh, the streets of Hobart. It can be a bit of a nightmare
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  if you're not used to it. You've got these incredibly
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  steep hills, a confusing web of one way streets and really tight
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  corners. If you're in a manual car, you
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  better be good at hill starts. But navigating that is is worth
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  it for the vibe of the city itself.
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  It feels so permanent. Heavy is the word I'd use.
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  The architecture is all this convict built colonial
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  sandstone. It's more stone than glass.
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  It feels more like an old European city than a modern
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  Australian one. And that history leads to
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  something that catches a lot of travelers out the closing times.
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  Yes, this is a huge one. We call it Quiet City Charm, but
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  really it's just inconveniently early.
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  You cannot land at 8:00 PM on a Tuesday and expect to just
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  wander into a nice restaurant. Not going to happen.
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  The kitchens, even in the city, start shutting down at 8:39 PM
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  at the absolute latest. After that your options are
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  basically a kebab shop or mockus.
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  So you should plan your evenings.
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  You can't just be spontaneous with dinner.
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  You absolutely have to plan. It forces you to slow down,
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  which some people might like, but from a logistics point of
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  view it could be a real pain if you're not prepared for it.
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  I have to say, I kind of found it charming.
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  It feels like the city is on its own schedule, not a global 247
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  clock. I could see that, but it's a
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  friction point you need to be aware of.
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  And one last thing on the arrival vibe, the light.
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  Oh, the light is incredible. It's stunning because the clear
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  air and the UV everything is super high contrast.
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  The Blues are bluer, the greens are greener.
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  It's like the whole world has had the saturation turned up.
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  OK, so we've arrived. Let's talk about the wallet
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  Segment 3, the bank account damage report.
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  Time to get into that premium price tag.
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  Right, let's put some real numbers on this.
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  Accommodation is your first big hit.
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  It sets the tone, and the tone is.
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  OK, give us the full spectrum high end to low end.
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  At the very top you've got places like the Tasman or MA
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  CQ01 right on the waterfront, beautiful boutique, world class
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  service. In summer you're looking at a
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  minimum of $400.00 a night, probably closer to 600.
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  Wow, OK, that's serious money. What about for our mid range
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  couple? The sweet spot?
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  For a decent three star hotel or a nice private room in an
• 12:03
  Airbnb, you're in the range of 180 to 250 a night.
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  And you have to remember, for that price, you might be in an
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  older building without all the modern bells and whistles you'd
• 12:13
  expect elsewhere. And often a little bit outside
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  the main city center right, reinforcing that need for a car.
• 12:20
  Exactly. Now, for the budget traveler,
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  there are options, but they come with compromises.
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  Like what? Well, you've got great hostels,
• 12:28
  like the YHA, A dorm bed there might be 40 to $60.00, but then
• 12:32
  you're sharing a room, you're cooking your own meals, or if
• 12:36
  you're in a camper van, you're saving on a hotel.
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  But a powered site at a caravan park is still going to be about
• 12:41
  $40 a night. You can't just park for free.
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  So budget is possible, but it takes work.
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  A lot of work. Now let's talk about the food,
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  the gourmet price. This is why people come and is
• 12:52
  where budgets go to die. OK, so what's a baseline meal?
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  Let's say a classic pub feed, a chicken Parma and a beer.
• 12:59
  You should budget 35 to $40.00 for that.
• 13:01
  That's your standard no frills evening meal.
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  And if you do want to lean into that fine dining scene, a place
• 13:07
  like FICO or Templo. Then you need to be realistic
• 13:11
  for their tasty menus. You're looking at $150.00 per
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  person, and that's usually before wine, so a nice dinner
• 13:18
  for two can easily be a $400.00 evening.
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  And even the little things add up.
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  Coffee. Your morning flat white is going
• 13:26
  to be 550, maybe $6 in a good cafe.
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  But this is where that surprise comes in, right?
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  You can find value if you know where to look.
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  You absolutely can, and it's by eating the local specialties.
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  The scallop pies you find in bakeries are famous for a
• 13:42
  reason. They're about $10, they're
• 13:44
  delicious, and they're really filling.
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  That's a great cheap lunch. And the fish and chips punt on
• 13:49
  the waterfront. A Hobart institution, you can
• 13:52
  still get a great serve of fish and chips there there for about
• 13:54
  $18.00 so you can balance it out.
• 13:56
  You can find the gems, but that foodie experience everyone talks
• 14:00
  about that comes at a serious cost.
• 14:02
  OK, what about activities? Where's the value there?
• 14:04
  The value is in nature. It's surprisingly cheap.
• 14:07
  The National Parks Holiday pass is about $45.00 for your car and
• 14:11
  that pass is valid for up to 8 weeks.
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  It gets you into Mount Wellington, the Tasman National
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  Park, everywhere. So once you've paid for the car
• 14:19
  rental, the actual access to the wilderness is a bargain.
• 14:23
  It really is. The cultural stuff cost more.
• 14:25
  Mona is 35 to $38 for a ticket, plus another 25 if you take the
• 14:30
  ferry, which it really should. So that's over $60.00 a head for
• 14:34
  that one activity. So let's pull this all together.
• 14:36
  Let's define those budget bands for people listening.
• 14:39
  So the budget backpacker, to do this you need at least $120.00 a
• 14:45
  day and this is bare bones. What does that look like?
• 14:49
  You're cooking all your meals in a hostel, you're walking
• 14:51
  everywhere. Your entertainment is basically
• 14:53
  a cheap box of wine, what the locals call goon.
• 14:56
  You'll see Hobart, but you won't really experience it.
• 14:59
  Right. What about the mid range couple
• 15:00
  the target audience? This is where you need that
• 15:02
  $350.00 per person per day. That gets you a nice Airbnb.
• 15:06
  Get to that essential Corolla rental, you can do MO and A, and
• 15:09
  you can eat out nicely once a day.
• 15:12
  You can actually live the Hobart Dream.
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  And at the top end, the luxury traveler. $800 a day and up.
• 15:18
  At that point, the Sky's the limit.
• 15:21
  Luxury SUV's, suites at the Tasman, private helicopter tours
• 15:26
  to the wilderness. Tassie does raw world class
• 15:29
  luxury incredibly well if you can afford it.
• 15:32
  OK, that's a really clear breakdown.
• 15:34
  Now, even if you have the budget, there are things that
• 15:36
  can just completely ruin the trip.
• 15:38
  Let's get into Segment 4, Logistics and planning traps.
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  Right. These are the critical mistakes
• 15:44
  that people make. I have three big ones.
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  What's the 1st? One trap #1 is what I call the
• 15:48
  Tassie time distance trap. If you look at a map and it
• 15:51
  looks small, you see 100 kilometers and you think, oh,
• 15:54
  that's an hour's drive. Which it is on a normal highway.
• 15:57
  It is not in Tasmania. The roads are constantly
• 16:00
  twisting and turning. They go up and down mountains.
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  They're mostly single lane and you will get stuck behind a
• 16:05
  logging truck. That 100 kilometer drive will
• 16:07
  take you 2 hours minimum. So the biggest mistake is over
• 16:11
  scheduling, thinking you can do too much in one day.
• 16:14
  Exactly. People try to cram it all in and
• 16:16
  they end up spending all day stressed out in the car.
• 16:18
  You have to build in buffer time.
• 16:21
  The driving is beautiful, but it is exhausting.
• 16:23
  OK, that's a huge one. What's trap #2?
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  The clothing trap or weather shock People, especially from
• 16:30
  mainland Australia, turn up in December with shorts and
• 16:33
  T-shirts. And they freeze.
• 16:34
  They. Freeze.
• 16:36
  You have to understand the wind in Hobart comes straight from
• 16:38
  Antarctica. It is sharp and it is cold no
• 16:41
  matter what month it is. You have to pack layers year
• 16:44
  round. So it's the essential kit.
• 16:46
  You need a decent puffer jacket, a proper waterproof shell for
• 16:49
  the rain and wind, and thermals. The perfect example is driving
• 16:52
  up Mount Willington. It can be a lovely 20° in the
• 16:55
  city and 20 minutes later at the summit it's 10° and snowing in
• 17:00
  summer. Wow, snow in summer.
• 17:02
  You have to be prepared. You have to be, which leads to
• 17:05
  the most important planning tip of all trap #3 the rental car
• 17:10
  insurance scam. This sounds serious.
• 17:13
  It is. This is about wildlife.
• 17:15
  Tasmania has a huge amount of wildlife, Wallabies, possums,
• 17:18
  wombats and they're most active at dawn and dusk.
• 17:20
  And hitting one is not a minor issue.
• 17:23
  Hitting. A wombat is like hitting a block
• 17:24
  of concrete. They are dense, low to the
• 17:27
  ground, and they will destroy the radiator of your car.
• 17:30
  Your car will be instantly undrivable and you'll be stuck
• 17:33
  in the middle of nowhere with a huge repair bill.
• 17:36
  And the insurance companies know this.
• 17:37
  They know this so you have to read the fine print.
• 17:40
  Most basic insurance policies specifically exclude single
• 17:43
  vehicle accidents, which is what hitting an animal is.
• 17:46
  They also often exclude driving at night in rural areas.
• 17:48
  So they exclude the exact situation you're most likely to
• 17:51
  be in. Precisely so.
• 17:53
  The take away here is non negotiable.
• 17:55
  You must get the 0 excess top level insurance.
• 17:58
  It might add $50 a day to your rental, but it protects you from
• 18:02
  a potential $5000 bill. Do not skimp on this.
• 18:05
  That is a critical piece of advice.
• 18:07
  What about staying connected? Phone signal.
• 18:11
  Another trap. Outside of the main Hobart
• 18:13
  suburbs, only one provider really works reliably, Telstra.
• 18:17
  If you're on a budget carrier like Vodafone or Optus, your
• 18:20
  signal will just disappear. So what's the solution?
• 18:23
  Download offline Google Maps for the entire area you plan to
• 18:26
  visit before you leave your hotel's Wi-Fi.
• 18:29
  Do not rely on having a live signal for directions, because
• 18:32
  you won't. And one final planning tip,
• 18:34
  especially for the foodies. The timing of your trip?
• 18:37
  Don't go from Sunday to Tuesday. A lot of the best small cafes
• 18:41
  and restaurants close on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• 18:43
  The best time to go to catch everything open, including the
• 18:46
  markets, is Wednesday to Sunday. And the big one, Salamanca
• 18:50
  Market is Saturdays only. Strictly Saturdays.
• 18:53
  You miss it, you miss out. OK, let's move into segment 5,
• 18:57
  Safety and comfort realities. Let's talk about the human
• 19:00
  element first. How safe does Hobart feel?
• 19:02
  Incredibly safe from a crime perspective.
• 19:05
  It's one of the safest cities you can visit.
• 19:07
  Violent crime against tourists is basically non existent.
• 19:10
  You can walk around the waterfront at night and feel
• 19:12
  completely at ease. I found that too, the locals are
• 19:15
  maybe a little reserved at first, but really friendly and
• 19:18
  helpful if you ask them for something.
• 19:19
  It contributes to that slower pace.
• 19:21
  It does. It feels secure, permanent.
• 19:24
  But the real danger in Hobart isn't from people, it's from the
• 19:27
  environment, specifically the sun and the water.
• 19:30
  We have to mention the UV again, don't we?
• 19:32
  We. Have to because of the hole in
• 19:34
  the ozone layer and the clean air.
• 19:36
  The UV index is extreme. You can be out on a cool cloudy
• 19:40
  day, feel perfectly comfortable, and get badly burned in 15
• 19:43
  minutes. Sunscreen is not optional, it's
• 19:46
  essential. And the water, it looks so blue
• 19:49
  and inviting, especially up the coast.
• 19:50
  It looks tropical, but it is Antarctic.
• 19:53
  It is dangerously cold even in summer.
• 19:55
  You can get hypothermia. You have to respect it.
• 19:57
  Test it before you jump in. So if the city is so safe,
• 20:00
  what's the equivalent of a tourist scam?
• 20:02
  Where are you likely to get ripped off?
• 20:04
  The scam is paying a premium and from mediocrity.
• 20:07
  It's the restaurants right on the waterfront in the highest
• 20:10
  traffic areas that are just not good.
• 20:13
  They survive on their location, not their quality.
• 20:15
  Exactly. They know a new wave of tourists
• 20:17
  will be there tomorrow so they can serve up frozen fish at
• 20:20
  fresh prices. There are some great places on
• 20:22
  the water, but there are some real traps.
• 20:24
  So how do you avoid them? Use your phone.
• 20:27
  Check the Google reviews before you sit down.
• 20:29
  Our rule of thumb from the research was simple.
• 20:32
  If a place in a prime tourist spot has a rating under 4 point
• 20:36
  O stars, just walk away. There are too many other amazing
• 20:39
  places to eat. Good rule, and a final point on
• 20:42
  comfort, specifically in those historic Airbnb's.
• 20:45
  Yes, if you book one of those gorgeous old sandstone cottages
• 20:49
  in a place like Battery Point, you have to ask one specific
• 20:52
  question before you book. What's that?
• 20:54
  How good is the heating? Those old houses have 0
• 20:57
  insulation. The stone walls get cold and
• 21:00
  they stay cold without a powerful modern heater.
• 21:03
  It's like sleeping in a very beautiful, very expensive
• 21:06
  refrigerator. OK, That is a very specific but
• 21:09
  very important tip. So we've covered the cost, the
• 21:11
  traps, the planning. Let's get to the payoff segment.
• 21:14
  6 best moments, disappointments and alternatives.
• 21:18
  Where does the trip deliver? For me, the number one, This is
• 21:20
  why I came here moment was the Tasman Peninsula boat trip,
• 21:24
  Pennicott wilderness journeys. Right, they have those
• 21:26
  distinctive yellow boats. They look pretty touristy.
• 21:28
  They do, and you might feel a bit skeptical getting on, but
• 21:31
  then they take you out and you are right underneath these 300m
• 21:35
  high sea cliffs made of dark volcanic dolorite.
• 21:39
  Wow. And you've got seals jumping in
• 21:41
  the water, giant albatross flying over your head.
• 21:45
  It's spiritual. It makes you feel incredibly
• 21:47
  small in the best possible way. It absolutely lives up to the
• 21:50
  hype. My best moment was all about the
• 21:53
  food, but in a really simple way.
• 21:55
  The farm gate market on Sunday morning.
• 21:57
  Locals just call it farmy. Oh yeah, it's much more of a
• 22:00
  locals market than Salamanca, Totally.
• 22:02
  Yeah, and I got a Wallaby burrito.
• 22:03
  I know it sounds a bit strange, but Wallaby is this amazing,
• 22:06
  sustainable, lean local meat. And they served it with this
• 22:10
  incredibly fresh, intense salsa. It cost $14.00 and I just sat on
• 22:15
  the curb eating it and I thought this is it, this is the taste of
• 22:18
  this place. Proves the theory the best food
• 22:20
  isn't always the most expensive. Exactly.
• 22:22
  OK, So what about the disappointments?
• 22:24
  Where did the hype not match the reality?
• 22:27
  For me it was the actual hospitality experience at M1A on
• 22:31
  a crowded day. Now let me be clear, the art is
• 22:33
  incredible, the building is amazing, but the logistics of
• 22:37
  just getting a drink or some food, it was a nightmare.
• 22:41
  What happened? We waited 45 minutes in a queue
• 22:44
  for one glass of wine. The whole food area was just
• 22:47
  loud, chaotic and overcrowded. It felt less like a
• 22:50
  sophisticated museum and more like a theme park for hipsters.
• 22:54
  The crowds just overwhelmed the experience.
• 22:56
  So see the art, but maybe eat somewhere else one. 100% OK And
• 23:00
  the other big disappointment for me was Port Arthur.
• 23:02
  The history there is so important, so heavy, but the
• 23:05
  visitor experience felt really sanitized.
• 23:10
  You're herded around in these huge groups on strict
• 23:13
  timetables. It's really hard to feel the the
• 23:16
  ghostliness of the place, the weight of the history when
• 23:18
  you're surrounded by 200 other people.
• 23:20
  It felt like they were sacrificing the atmosphere for
• 23:22
  efficiency. I can see that.
• 23:24
  OK, so if Hobart seems like too much, either too expensive or
• 23:26
  too crowded, what are the alternatives?
• 23:28
  Alternative number one is to just go to the other end of the
• 23:31
  island, Launceston. It's Tasmania's second city in
• 23:35
  the north. And it's a bit cheaper.
• 23:36
  A bit cheaper and usually a bit warmer, and it has its own world
• 23:40
  class food scene. It's actually UNESCO City of
• 23:42
  Gastronomy and it's right next to the Tamar Valley wine region.
• 23:46
  If you love wine, it's arguably a better base than Hobart.
• 23:50
  Interesting. And what's alternative to if
• 23:52
  it's all about the wilderness? Then you might want to consider
• 23:55
  the South Island of New Zealand If you want jaw-dropping epic
• 23:59
  scale mountains and fjords. New Zealand probably has the
• 24:03
  edge on sheer scale. The logistics are similar.
• 24:06
  You still need a car. But how does the food compare?
• 24:08
  And that's the trade off. Tassie wins on food, hands down.
• 24:12
  The produce, the seafood, the markets, it's just more intense
• 24:15
  and more diverse than what we'll find in New Zealand.
• 24:17
  So NZ for sheer scale, Tassie for flavor.
• 24:19
  So what's the recommended route for a first timer?
• 24:22
  I'd say do a three day Hobart blitz CMONA, hit the markets,
• 24:26
  then rent that car and do the Great Eastern drive up the coast
• 24:29
  to Friesen at National Park and see Wineglass Bay.
• 24:32
  But with a big warning about accommodation costs there,
• 24:35
  right? A huge warning, the few places
• 24:38
  to stay right near Friesen a are known for crazy price gouging.
• 24:42
  You need to book months in advance or stay in a nearby town
• 24:45
  and drive in for the day. OK.
• 24:46
  That brings us to our final verdict, Segment 7, the final
• 24:50
  matrix verdict. Let's apply all this to the
• 24:53
  different types of travellers. Right, let's run Hobart through
• 24:55
  the filter. First up, the budget backpacker.
• 24:58
  Verdict. Skip it, honestly.
• 25:00
  Strong call. Why?
• 25:02
  The cost of living is just too high and you can't access the
• 25:05
  best stuff, the wilderness, the food, without a car, which blows
• 25:09
  the budget. Your $120.00 a day will go so
• 25:13
  much further somewhere else. OK, next the mid range couple.
• 25:17
  Verdict 100% Go This is who Hobart is for.
• 25:21
  This is the target market. And the reasoning?
• 25:23
  With that 350 a day budget, you can do it all comfortably.
• 25:26
  The car, the nice accommodation, the romantic dinners, the
• 25:29
  activities. It's the perfect five day
• 25:31
  getaway for this demographic. A family trip.
• 25:33
  Verdict Proceed with caution. This is a tricky one.
• 25:37
  A lot of kids will get bored with scenery and convict history
• 25:40
  pretty fast, and what any is definitely not kid friendly.
• 25:43
  And feeding a family of four at these prices is a huge financial
• 25:46
  strain. It really only works if you're a
• 25:48
  family that already loves hiking and camping together.
• 25:50
  And finally, the luxury traveler.
• 25:53
  Verdict. Absolutely go now.
• 25:54
  No hesitation there. None.
• 25:56
  Tasmania offers a kind of raw, discreet world class lottery
• 26:01
  that is very hard to find. Private tours, incredible lodges
• 26:05
  like Sapphire, Fresenet. If you have the money, it's an
• 26:09
  unparalleled experience. So let's bring it all home.
• 26:12
  What is the final overall verdict on Hobart?
• 26:15
  It's that Hobart is absolutely worth it for the food and
• 26:17
  wilderness, but you have to go in accepting that you are paying
• 26:21
  global city prices like London or Sydney prices for what is in
• 26:24
  reality a regional town experience.
• 26:26
  It is not a budget destination. It's the price you pay for that
• 26:29
  purity and that unique, haunting atmosphere.
• 26:32
  There's nowhere else like it. That combination of history,
• 26:34
  food and the wild just hovering right there.
• 26:37
  Special. So what's the perfect time to go
• 26:39
  to avoid the worst of the crowds and prices?
• 26:42
  Date February or March. The school holidays are over,
• 26:44
  the weather usually it's most stable and it's the beginning of
• 26:47
  the wine harvest, which is a great time to be in the region.
• 26:50
  And where's the best place to base yourself?
• 26:52
  Stay somewhere walkable in the CBD or Battery Point.
• 26:55
  That way you can walk to dinner, but keep that essential rental
• 26:59
  car parked and ready for your day trips.
• 27:01
  Which brings us to our final wrap up Segment 7, the final
• 27:06
  synthesis and provocative thought.
• 27:08
  So the trade off is clear. You get this incredibly unique,
• 27:10
  delicious, beautiful experience, but in return you have to accept
• 27:15
  the high cost, the need for a car, and you have to be vigilant
• 27:19
  about the environment. You're trading convenience for
• 27:21
  purity. And that leads to our final
• 27:24
  question for you to think about. We've established that Hobart
• 27:27
  demands global city prices for a regional town experience.
• 27:31
  So if the price of that purity, the clean air, the intense food
• 27:34
  is this high pie does paying a premium for an experience that
• 27:38
  forces you to slow down, to disconnect, to engage with
• 27:40
  something truly raw, does that make it the ultimate luxury in
• 27:44
  the 21st century? Something to think about while
• 27:46
  you're taking that 0 excess insurance box.
• 27:49
  Go and find that scallop pie and please, whatever you do, watch
• 27:54
  out for the wombats at dusk. Safe travels to the edge of the
• 27:56
  world.