Hobart - Tasmania's capital shines

Tasmania's capital, Hobart (population about 170,000) is Australia's second-oldest state capital, after Sydney. Founded in 1804 on the mouth of the River Derwent against the striking backdrop of Mount Wellington, Hobart is a city of attractive Georgian sandstone and brick buildings, many convict-built.

Its a great city to walk and Salamanca Place, a row of Georgian waterfront houses, is a good place to start. Try Salamanca Markets on a Saturday morning (craftwork made from native woods, pottery and glass), Salamanca Square (cafes and boutiques) or the many waterfront seafood restaurants and pubs. Historic Franklin Wharf and Princes Wharf are each worth exploring and the Battery Point Walking Tour will tell you about the architecture.

Downtown, Franklin Square leads past many fine old buildings to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Macquarie Street. In the museum, look for the display on the Tasmanian tiger (or thylacine), a handsome, striped marsupial generally thought to have been hunted to extinction by 1936. Unconfirmed sightings persist in remote parts of Tasmania.

Tasmanian tigers are depicted on the labels of Cascade beer, one of Tasmania's top drops. The city's famous Cascade Brewery (Australia's oldest) is paralleled by the less-known - but equally interesting - Tasmania Distillery. Australia's only whisky distillery uses an Alambic Charentais pot still, dating from the 1860s. Tours are conducted year round and include tastings of whisky, gin, brandy and vodka.