HOBART

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, it is Australia's second oldest and twelfth largest city, with a metropolitan population of 206,000. The city is the financial and administrative heart of Tasmania, and also serves as the home port for both Australian and French Antarctic operations.

Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River in the state's south-east at 42°52′S 147°19′E. The central business district is located on the western shore, adjacent to Sullivan's Cove, with the inner suburbs spread out along the shores of the Derwent and climbing up the hills at the foot of Mount Wellington (1270 metres high).
The Port of Hobart occupies the whole of the original Sullivan's Cove.

The Greater Hobart Metropolitan area consists of three self-governing cities, Hobart, Glenorchy and Clarence, plus the urbanised areas of the Municipalities of Kingborough and Brighton. The suburban areas cover a significant amount of both the western and eastern sides of the river.

Apart from the city, the main commercial centres are Glenorchy (the northern suburbs) and Rosny (the eastern shore). The satellite town Kingston, south of the city, is fast becoming an outlying suburb of Hobart. Other surrounding towns such as Sorell, Margate, Brighton and New Norfolk are popular residential areas for commuters.

Hobart has a mild temperate oceanic climate, with four distinct seasons. The highest temperature recorded was 40.8°C on 4 January 1976 and the lowest was -2.8°C on 25 June 1972.