For me, anywhere without skiing is wonderful. Lots of friends have dragged me on skiing holidays, but the whole thing fills me with disgust. When I went to Tasmania, it was June and I was offered the chance go skiing, but fortunately work got in the way.
Hobart is the complete antithesis to Sydney glitz. It is very homely. It is like a ski resort where you don't have to go skiing - all the benefits of fresh air, marvellous landscapes but without having to schlepp up mountains with skis.
Everyone in Australia thinks of Tasmania as the back arse of nowhere which it is. I prefer man-made environments and did not expect to like Tasmania at all. Tasmanians have their own character - they are very introspective and conservative, slightly weird and offbeat. You can buy guns over the counter and everyone wears boots and is dressed as if they are about to go out into the woods.
Hobart is full of 1840s buildings. Everything is very chocolate-boxy, as if it is run by the National Trust. It even had hedgerows back in the 1840s, nice neat streets of sandstone houses and a Theatre Royal. It has the level of cleanliness that you associate with Scandinavia.
The countryside around Hobart is stunning - mountains, rainforest and everything you want in a natural wilderness. Between Hobart and Port Arthur, it is a bit like the Lake District. The lakes are full of tannin so that they are like pewter and really reflect the sky and land around them. There is a wonderful feeling of silence, peace and the endless possibilities of nature.
