The 10 best things to do with kids in Hobart

Ask any local parent and they will tell you that one of the best things to do with kids in Hobart is go to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Situated in the outer northern suburb of Brighton, this safe haven for adorable native wildlife is loads of fun for kids – with the added bonus of teaching them a thing or two. Join a guided tour to pat wombats, laugh at hyperactive Tasmanian devils and coo over echidnas; or make your own way through the park to find a shy spotted quoll, meet a 100-year-old cockatoo and hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies. Bonorong is a working sanctuary, meaning many of the animals have been brought in injured or orphaned, and the team regularly re-introduce these rehabilitated tenants into the wild. There’s even a wildlife hospital on-site with a viewing window, so curious kids can see vets hard at work saving tiny little lives. 

Tasmanian kids are renowned for being unfazed by the weather, and you’ll always see a kid in shorts and thongs on an eight-degree day. Families around here don’t let the cool climate get in the way of having fun, and as a result, Hobart has some of the best playgrounds that are always full of kids. Drive south to Kingston, where you can go beachcombing, grab fish and chips and expel any excess energy at the sprawling Kingston Park Playground, which has a soft play area for babies, a fun water play and rock pool zone, a sensory garden, multiple slides, paths for bike riding, a basketball court and several flying foxes. Other recently refurbished local favourites include the outer space-themed Benjafield Park in Moonah (known as the ‘Rocket Park’) and Bellerive Beach Park on the Eastern Shore – both are walking distance to ice cream shops, a must for a post-play treat.

OK, so it might not sound very kid-friendly to go and quaff vino all day, but you’ll find some family-oriented vineyards around Hobart. Richmond is home to Puddleduck Vineyard, which has a kids’ play area and sells food to entice the many resident ducks. Treat yourself to a glass of the fumé blanc, a unique full-bodied white that pairs nicely with a chill arvo in the sun while you watch your little ones frolic. Further southeast on the road to Port Arthur is Bangor Winery, a family-owned property with a popular restaurant (the Bangor Vineyard Shed) and expansive outdoor seating area. Lots of farm animals call this vineyard home, and the owners encourage kids to meet and pat them. You’ll also find loads of themed activity pages for kids to complete while you enjoy a cheeky pinot gris or three.

Chances are if you’re a visitor to Hobart, you’ll be staying around the CBD where the waterfront is right on your doorstep. This picturesque, bustling spot is a go-to for tourists and locals alike to spend a day with children, from the pram-bound to the more mobile. Start at Salamanca Square and work your way down – there are plenty of side quests to keep you busy. Encourage your little ones to peek into the River Derwent and they’re likely to spot jellyfish and starfish just below the surface, as well as lots of gigantic seagulls looking for a snack. Head to Mures Lower Deck for fish and chips and chase it with a cone from Van Diemens Land Creamery. Kids will get a kick out of the floating ice cream shop! 

On the waterfront, you’ll see statues of sled dogs and explorers, as well as Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum, where you can learn more about the early expeditions to the Antarctic. If the adventure bug bites, there are plenty of boat tours departing from the marina that will take you out onto the river and beyond – though maybe not quite as far as Antarctica! Jump on a red and white boat for a Hobart Historic Cruise, which heads north up the Derwent and promises plenty of fun facts from the tour guide. Or board a yellow Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and head out to Iron Pot Lighthouse or even Bruny Island, spotting seals and sea eagles along the way.

Tassie weather tends to show off four seasons in one day, so sunny skies aren’t guaranteed. One of the best things to do with kids in Hobart on a not-so-nice day is head indoors to a museum. The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is located in the CBD a street back from the waterfront and has a designated children’s area that your kids can (and will!) spend hours in. The space – called mapiya lumi / around here – is all about the country around us, allowing kids to discover more about this land that’s existed for millions of years. Interactive play areas are seamlessly integrated into this space, and the big slide is a much-loved spot at TMAG. Got another day to kill? Jump on the ferry or drive north to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), one of Hobart’s most-loved places. While it has a reputation for edginess, kids will adore getting lost in this museum and stumbling upon exhibits like the poo machine and the House of Mirrors. Aside from MONA’s dark subterranean interior, there’s fun to be had outside in the playground, bouncing on the giant trampoline or enjoying lunch and a free concert on the lawns.

While plenty of capital cities have a public garden, few are as beautiful as Hobart’s. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Garden is one of the country’s oldest (second only to Sydney), and while it may not host a corpse flower, you’ll find more than 6,000 species of plants spread across 14 hectares, perched on a gently sloping hill on the edge of the River Derwent. Kids will have fun following the meandering paths and going on a horticultural journey, from the Japanese Garden to the Subantarctic Plant House to finding the 400-plus plants native to Tasmania. There are ducks to chase, a food truck to procure snacks from and expansive lawns to throw down a picnic rug and take it all in.

If your kids aren’t fans of long car drives, put a trip to the town of Richmond on your list. Why? Well, it’s just 20 minutes out of Hobart, so you’ll avoid that pesky refrain of “Are we there yet?”. Yet this little hamlet truly does feel like an escape to the country. A quaint main street lined with charming sandstone storefronts, Australia’s oldest stone span bridge (built by convicts in the 1820s), a thriving population of ducks and a lolly shop you could spend hours in all make this a must-visit spot for families. Though you can no longer feed the ducks, a picnic lunch near the bridge is always a good idea on a fine day, or you could visit Coal River Farm to feast on some local goodies. 

What better way to get a full-of-beans kid to work off energy than climbing an actual mountain? While a full summit hike of kunanyi / Mount Wellington may be slightly above your child’s skill set, there are loads of easier trails to follow in this very special area of Hobart. Entice your offspring with the promise of seeing an actual waterfall and head off to find Myrtle Gully Falls and Secret Falls – the latter sounds especially intriguing to kids. These are easy, gently inclining trails in the foothills of kunanyi, an enchanted oasis just 15 minutes drive from the city. Follow the two-kilometre return track into lush rainforest and you’ll encounter plenty of little detour trails to extend your adventure. Keep a keen eye out for Secret Falls, which is about ten minutes into the hike and isn’t signposted (hence its mysterious moniker).

Almost like an urban oasis, the suburb of South Hobart stretches from the city to the foothills of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. An ideal itinerary for a day with kids is to follow the South Hobart Rivulet track, an easy, mostly flat jaunt that may deliver a sighting of the ever-elusive platypus in the babbling stream. Even if you don’t see one, you’ll likely spot some pademelons as you work your way uphill. Detour off the track to get a history hit at the Cascades Female Factory to learn all about the experiences of Tassie’s convict women, or stop for lunch at the Cascade Brewery Bar. The oldest working brewery in Australia is actually very family-friendly, and its restaurant boasts a fun garden to explore complete with a bamboo maze, ponds, lawn games and a resident rooster named Butch.