Tas-Mania: Things to do in Hobart (Part 1)

Booya! Our final exams ended 18 hours ago, but already, life on campus already seemed like a distant memory. Did I really spend the last 6 months studying close to 12 hours a day? I can't imagine sitting still at my table for one more moment. We took a 50 minutes flight to Tasmania the very next day. Virgin offers a competitive rate, and came with 20kg of check-in luggage.

Pro-tip! There are travel brochures around the airport. As you exit the plane, keep a lookout for these brochures, which advertise the different markets and local producers of Tasmania. You can also pick up a map of the city of Hobart.

Our car rental from Hertz was waiting at the airport. We snagged a Holden Trailblazer, a 7-seater, 4 wheel drive behemoth. It was massive. Baring the occasional logging truck, we dwarfed every other vehicle on the roads. It was just right for the five of us. (We carry an impressive amount of baggage.) We initially requested the RAV-4, but the Trailblazer, with its insanely powerful, Diesel-running engine and rear view camera, was an upgrade. I was never one to shy away from cracking a Holden joke - "how do you halve the value of a Holden?" "Drain all the petrol out of the tank" - but I'm impressed at the comfort of this car.

Pic by R

Pro-tip! If you're an international student, apply for a Victorian driving licence even if you can use your home country's licence. Not only does it let you can buy booze without bringing a passport, renting a car is cheaper as well. Not that I buy much alcohol...

We reached the city of Hobart right around noon, and parked along the metered parking where the bay is. It isn't a particularly big town, though the steep climbs and descents of hilly Tasmania do make for some interesting scenery.

The Standard
If you are looking for lunch, you can't go wrong at The Standard, a burger place about 10 minutes away by foot. No one was particularly stoked when I suggested the place to them - we must've tried a hundred and one burgers in Melbourne - but the burgers here were top notch. The Standard's nested in a blind-ended alley and can be a little tricky to find, but it's worth the trouble.

THIS alley. He's not a druggie; he's just waiting for his burger. Not sure why I have to specify.

R and J shared the Heisenberger ($12), with a juicy, inch-thick beef patty. Also, the Swiss ($11) and Los Pollos Hermanos ($12) (chicken patty with blue cheese dressing) were outstanding. They have soft and fluffy buns, which do have their fans, although I prefer grilled buns. The Pulled Pork Fries ($12) was a tad on the salty side, but it's the first time in my life I enjoyed pulled pork this much. The meat was tender and succulent, and the cheese and mayonnaise certainly didn't hurt. Overall, it was a great spot for lunch.

Address

Hudson Lane, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia. (Just off Liverpool Street)

Hobart Brewing Co
Opens 4-10pm

Near the industrial estate in Hobart, there is a locally-renowned brewery. We popped by around 6pm on a weekday, which seemed the perfect time to visit. The streets surrounding the brewery can be parked willi-nilly after 6pm, and the weekday crowd isn't too big (yet), which makes it a good time to snag a crate to sit on first.

There's a range of selection for you to try, from the lightest "St Christopher Cream Ale" to the dark ale (which is surprisingly palatable to me - a first) to a selection of ciders.

Sitting in the twilight on wooden crates in an industrial estate while sipping cider is a top way to cap off a busy first day. Highly recommended.

Address

16 Evans Street, Hobart, Tasmania.

Salamanca Market (Opens Saturdays)

Photo by EJ

No one leaves Hobart without going to at least one of their farmers' markets. This is where all the local produces are congregated, and wares like bread, cheese, honey and coffee are found in one helpful spot. Do come to farmers' market, especially if you're planning on cooking a few meals in Hobart in your lovely rented apartments. Ahem.

Someone online raved about a vegan cinnamon and chilli hot chocolate they purchased here, but try as I might, I couldn't find it... until I looked through my photos a month later. Ooops. The Wallaby Burrito sounds mighty interesting too.

Near the end of the market, there is a bakery stall selling gorgeous pastries. I bought a Sprouted Rye Sourdough ($7), which was baked the way I like my bread: it has a thick crunchy exterior and a soft and fluffy interior. The bread makes for an easy breakfast for the next few days.

Coal River Farm was one of my best finds here. Their Triple Cream Brie was the most amazing brie I had this year. The centre of the cheese was molten, and flows freely at room temperature.

Their feta was jaw-droppingly good. I wasn't going to get it, but a forkful of sample convinced the three of us that we needed to add a bottle of feta to our two wheels of brie. We spread the feta on toasted bread, and this combination became the most popular dish on the table for breakfast, no matter what else we cooked. The fromager also remarked that if we are planning a lot of time of time traveling, the feta keeps better than the brie.

(Coal River Farm is located in Richmond, and at their main branch, you can pick berries as well. They market themselves as a chocolatier too.)

Farm Gate Market
Opens Sundays, 830am-1pm.
Bathhurst St, Hobart

Farm Gate market features more vegetables and fresh meat than Salamanca Market, and less keychains and woodwork.

Within a day, our Sprouted Rye Bread from Salamanca Market was almost depleted (yes, it was that good), so I planned to stock up more bread from here for the rest of the week. The bread scent from Philadelphia Bakery beckoned me towards them, and I went away with a loaf of Pain L'Auvernaut ($7). I asked the baker how the shape came about, and I got a bit dazzled as he explained the many steps involved to achieve that lovely shroom-shaped appearance. My sole regret was not buying a loaf of their baguette with the thin spindly ends alongside the Pain L'Auvernaut.

The coffee place from Bury Me Standing would rival the best that Melbourne has to offer. It was very strong and smooth. Highly recommended. It's located in the enclave where other food stalls are found.

Easily the most popular stall here is the sushi stall. Yeap. Be prepared to queue for about half an hour, even at 9am. There is a separate queue for pre-made vs made-to-order, but coming here, you should definitely try the made-to-order ones too. The rice was perfectly seasoned and slightly sweet. Watching the Japanese chef go about his craft is seeing the epitome of efficiency. There's no wasted movement. Even as he chats amiably and crack jokes with his usual customers, his movements remain precise and delicate.

Picture by EJ

Valhalla Premium Tasmanian Ice Cream (Moonah)

Perhaps Tasmania's most famous ice cream brand, almost every ice cream store we passed by here carries a small selection. There's nothing like the real OG though, so we hopped over to the next town of Moonah (just a short 7 minutes drive away!) to get my ice cream fix. The ice cream here is remarkably dense and rich. The shockingly violet Lavender ice cream was frequently mentioned online, though their Vanilla Bean is My Absolute Favourite. We bought 3x 1L of ice cream for takeaway ($22) consisting of Macadamia Nuts Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Old English Toffee. All fabulously thick and creamy. Vanilla Bean and Salted Caramel are 2014 award winners. Somehow, their ice cream consistency remains at soft serve level even after a full day in the freezer. It's magic.