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Best Things to Do with Kids in Hobart: Family Activities and Attractions
From MONA to the Hobart Waterfront and the wildlife parks, here is Hobart's complete family activity guide.
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Hobart's family activity landscape is shaped by the city's extraordinary natural and cultural assets: MONA's provocative art environment (which children experience very differently from adults), the Tasmanian wildlife unique to the island, the Derwent River waterfront, and the accessible mountain and forest environments that begin within 30 minutes of the city centre. Hobart is an excellent family city for children who engage with nature, art, and history.
MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art at Moorilla Estate (accessible by MONA ferry from Sullivan's Cove) is one of the world's most distinctive private art museums and a genuinely fascinating experience for children, who engage with the more unusual and provocative works in ways that differ completely from adult responses. The ferry trip itself (40 minutes up the Derwent River) is an attraction in its own right. The MONA O-Bahn is a recommended engagement tool for older children.
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary at Brighton (30 minutes north of Hobart) is Tasmania's most accessible wildlife sanctuary, with Tasmanian Devil feeding sessions, free-roaming kangaroos and wombats, and guided tours that provide conservation context. The Tasmanian Devil is a genuinely thrilling wildlife encounter for children experiencing it for the first time.
Mount Wellington and Pinnacle, the drive to the Pinnacle of Mount Wellington (1,271 metres above Hobart, directly behind the city) provides children with the dramatic experience of transitioning from the suburban environment to alpine boulder fields within 45 minutes. The summit views across the Derwent and out to Storm Bay are genuinely spectacular and achievable for any child capable of a short walk.
Hobart Waterfront and Salamanca, the Hobart waterfront (Sullivan's Cove, Elizabeth Street Pier) and the Salamanca Market (Saturday morning) provide excellent free family activity, with the historic ships at the pier, the working fishing vessels, and the market's food and craft stalls providing sensory variety for all ages.
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