Hobart | Tasmania, Australia
Hobart, largest city, chief port, and capital of Tasmania, Australia. Located in the southeastern corner of the state on the west bank of the River Derwent estuary (2 miles [3 km] wide), 12 miles (19 km) above its mouth, the city ranges along steep foothills with Mount Wellington (4,167 feet [1,270 metres]), often snow-covered, in the near background. Hobart is Australia’s most southerly city. The British navigator George Bass explored the estuary in 1798 and was much impressed with the setting. Five years later, Philip Gidley King, governor of New South Wales, in an attempt to prevent Fren...