Hobart's Second Acts Walking Tour

Estimated Time

Distance

Works Offline

Tours & Maps Included

Tour Highlights

Mawson's Huts Replica Museum & Husky Memorial

A full-size replica of the hut that sheltered explorer Douglas Mawson's Antarctic team, plus bronze statues honoring the sled dogs who carried expeditions south. Step inside to hear the story of the men who never made it home—and the one who barely did.

Maritime Museum Tasmania

Once Hobart's public library, this building has told two completely different stories in one lifetime. It now holds more than fifty thousand objects tracing the island's long relationship with the sea.

Franklin Square

Meet Sir John Franklin, the colonial governor recalled in disgrace who later vanished chasing a shortcut through the Arctic. His statue has watched over this square since the 1860s.

St. David's Park

Hobart's first cemetery, now a quiet green space holding centuries of memorials—including one governor whose actual grave has been lost for almost a hundred years.

Andrew Inglis Clark Law Library & Parliament House

A Hobart-born lawyer who helped write Australia's Constitution, and a building that spent decades as a customs house before anyone called it a parliament.

Tasman Memorial & Princes Wharf No. 1

A monument to the Dutch explorer who named this island before ever setting foot on it, standing beside a modern waterfront venue built for a very different kind of crowd.

Salamanca Place—Home of the Yellow Line

The site of one of Australia's biggest acts of civil disobedience: 130 arrests, a city that eventually apologized, and a small memorial marking the line people once crossed on purpose.

Salamanca Square's "Journey to the Southland" Fountain

A bronze tribute to the ships that first explored this island, right in the middle of Hobart's busiest market square.

Kelly's Steps

A stone staircase carved by a whaling captain who built an empire and lost almost all of it. Two hundred years later, his shortcut is still the fastest way down the hill.

Is This Tour Right for You?

Perfect if you:

Love history and fascinating stories

What To explore at your own pace

prefer a private experience

What to avoid expensive group tours

Maybe not if you:

Don't have a phone

Like to follow the tour guide

Don't like stories

Don't like to go at your own pace

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Hobart's Second Acts Walking Tour?

The route covers about three-quarters of a mile and takes roughly 30 to 60 minutes of walking, not counting stops. With stories and exploring, most people spend closer to an hour and a half to two hours start to finish.

Do I need an internet connection to use the tour?

Once you've downloaded the tour, it works offline. You'll just need your phone's GPS to keep the stories playing at the right spots.

Are there any admission fees along the route?

Two stops charge admission if you choose to go inside: Mawson's Huts Replica Museum ($15 AUD adult) and Maritime Museum Tasmania ($16 AUD adult). Every other stop is free to view from the outside.

Is this tour appropriate for kids?

Yes, with one note—St. David's Park includes the story of Mary McLauchlan, a convict executed in 1830, told respectfully but honestly. Families with younger kids may want to preview that stop.

What's the pace like? Is there a lot of climbing?

It's mostly flat, with one set of stairs at Franklin Square. Take it slow there—we build in extra time for the climb.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at Mawson's Huts Replica Museum on the waterfront and ends at Kelly's Steps, above Salamanca Place.

What's the "Second Acts" theme all about?

Almost every stop on this tour is something—or someone—that got a second chance: a library that became a museum, a customs house that became a parliament, a city that once arrested its own people and later apologized to them.