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Hobart is the state capital and most populous
city of the Australian island state of Tasmania.
Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is
Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney.
In 2008, the city had a greater area population of
approximately 209,287. The city is the financial and
administrative heart of Tasmania, and also serves as
the home port for both Australian and French
Antarctic operations.
The city is located in the state's south-east on the
estuary of the Derwent River. The skyline is
dominated by Mount Wellington at 1,271 metres high.
Climate
Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate (Koppen
Cfb). The highest temperature recorded was 40.8°C on
4 January 1976 and the lowest was −2.8°C on 25 June
1972. Compared to other major Australia cities,
Hobart has the second fewest daily average hours of
sunshine, with 5.9 hours per day. (Melbourne has the
fewest) Although Hobart rarely receives snow
during the winter, the adjacent Mount Wellington is
often seen with a snowcap. Unseasonal mountain snow
covering has been known to occur during the other
seasons. During the 20th century, Hobart did receive
many snowfalls at sea level because of cold air
masses arriving from Antarctica. These snow-bearing
winds often carried on through Tasmania and Victoria
to the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales
and northern Victoria. Though snow is unusual in
general at sea level in Australia, Hobart has had
the most sea level snowfalls out of any Australian
capital city, although Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne,
and Adelaide have sometimes recorded some snow.
Economy
Hobart is a busy seaport, notably serving as the
home port for the Antarctic activities of Australia
and France. The port loads around 2,000 tonnes of
Antarctic cargo a year for the Australian research
vessel Aurora Australis.
The city also supports several other industries,
including a high-speed catamaran factory Incat and a
zinc smelter operated by Nyrstar, as well as a
vibrant tourist industry. Visitors come to the city
to explore its historic inner suburbs, to visit the
weekly market in Salamanca Place, as well as to use
the city as a base from which to explore the rest of
Tasmania.
Other notable businesses in the area include the
Cadbury chocolate factory and the Cascade Brewery
located in South Hobart near the natural spring
waters of Mount Wellington. The Hobart surrounding
area has many vineyards, including Moorilla Estate
at Berriedale.
Distinctive features
Mount WelingtonThe Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
is a popular recreation area a short distance from
the City centre. It is the second-oldest Botanic
Gardens in Australia and holds extensive significant
plant collections as well as built heritage.
Mount Wellington, accessible by passing through Fern
Tree, is the dominant feature of Hobart's skyline,
indeed many descriptions of Hobart have used the
phrase "nestled amidst the foothills", so undulating
is the geographical landscape. At 1,271 metres, the
mountain has its own ecosystems, is rich in
biodiversity and plays a large part in determining
the local weather.
The Tasman Bridge is also a uniquely important
feature of the city, connecting the two shores of
Hobart and visible from many locations.
Arts and entertainment
Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra,
which is resident at the Federation Concert Hall on
the city's waterfront. It offers a year-round
program of concerts and is thought to be one of the
finest small orchestras in the world.
Hobart also plays host to the University of
Tasmania's acclaimed Australian International
Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI) which brings
pre-professional advanced young musicians to town
from all over Australia and internationally. The
AISOI plays host to a public concert season during
the first two weeks of December every year focusing
on large symphonic music. Like the Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestra, the AISOI uses the Federation
Concert Hall as its performing base.
Hobart has also long been home to a thriving
classical, jazz, folk, punk, hip-hop, electro, metal
and rock music scene. Internationally recognised
musicians such as singer/songwriters Michael Noga
(of The Drones), The Paradise Motel, The Scientists
of Modern Music Sacha Lucashenko of The Morning
After Girls, two thirds of indie rock band Love Of
Diagrams, post punk band Sea Scouts,
singer-songwriter Monique Brumby, blues guitarist
Phil Manning (of blues-rock band Chain), power-pop
group The Innocents, maverick DIY overlord Sean
Bailey (Lakes, Paeces, Wasted Truth) and metal bands
Striborg and Psycroptic are all successful
expatriates. In addition, founding member of Violent
Femmes, Brian Ritchie, now calls Hobart home, and
has formed a local band, The Green Mist.
Several festivals such as the Hobart Fringe
Festival, Hobart Summer Festival, Southern Roots
Festival, Ten Days On The Island and the Falls
Festival in Marion Bay and The Soundscape Festival
all capitalise on Hobart's artistic communities.
Hobart is home to the Tasmanian Museum and Art
Gallery. Hobart also hosts the bulk of the 10 Days
on the Island festival, a biannual international
arts festival.
Australia's first legal casino was the 17-storey
Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay, opened in
1973. It is still the tallest building in the city,
despite being several kilometres out of the CBD, and
is a nationally recognised icon. The Hobart
nightlife primarily revolves around Salamanca Place,
the waterfront area and Elizabeth St in North
Hobart, but popular pubs, bars and nightclubs exist
around the city as well. Major national and
international music events are usually held at the
Derwent Entertainment Centre, or the Casino.
Popular restaurant strips include Elizabeth Street
in North Hobart, and Salamanca Place near the
waterfront. These include a large number of ethnic
restaurants including Chinese, Thai, Greek,
Pakistani, Italian, Indian and Mexican. Hobart is
home to Australia's oldest theatre, the Theatre
Royal. It also has three Village Cinema complexes,
one each in the city, Glenorchy and Rosny. The State
Cinema in North Hobart specialises in arthouse and
foreign films.
Events
Hobart is internationally famous among the yachting
community as the finish of the Sydney to Hobart
Yacht Race which starts in Sydney on Boxing Day (the
day after Christmas Day). The arrival of the yachts
is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer Festival,
a food and wine festival beginning just after
Christmas and ending in mid-January. The Taste of
Tasmania is a major part of the festival, where
locals and visitors can taste fine local and
international food and wine.
Hobart is the finish point of the Targa Tasmania
rally car event held annually in April since 1991.
The annual Tulip Festival at the Royal Tasmanian
Botanical Gardens is a popular Spring celebration in
the City.
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a bi-annual
event held in Hobart celebrating wooden boats. It is
held concurrently with the Royal Hobart Regatta,
which began in 1830 and is therefore Tasmania's
oldest sporting event.
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