The capital of Australia's state of Tasmania, Hobart is home to many of the country's top tourist attractions and a rich and fascinating history. From the city's humble beginnings as a penal settlement to its modern-day status as a sophisticated and culturally diverse metropolitan centre, the city is steeped in Australian heritage.
In the 1820s, the first decade of Hobart's life as a convict settlement was hard, with a harsh climate and the isolation of the new colony from other European centres. A view of the city by Irish convict-artist Alan Carswell (1823) depicts a devastated and demoralised settlement. "The distress of the people is beyond conception," the artist wrote. "Nothing grows for want of rain, the grubs destroy all our vegetables." The harsh environment also contributed to a high rate of disease, particularly typhoid, with the Wapping district notorious as a sewage-ridden slum where lewd women and grisly murders were commonplace.
Hobart began to slowly recover as the century progressed. In the 1860s, children's needs were addressed with the opening of schools such as the Girls' Industrial School and Kennerley Boys' Home. The Model School in Battery Point, and the Hobart Technical College were built as the education system progressed. In 1870, the 48-metre-high shot tower at Taroona was completed. The tower used gravity to drop molten leaded to form spherical balls that were then cooled in cold waters to produce solid shot.
In 1914, Hobart had a population of 39 914 people, and was a confident city with an outward-looking attitude that rivaled other Australian cities. This was largely due to the large influx immigrants. Sheep farming was a major industry, with the city becoming the main port for Tasmanian exports. In 1913, the city was exposed to bushfires when a fire destroyed several buildings at the foot of Mount Wellington.
Hobart prospered again after World War II as the main shipping hub for Tasmania. The city's economic activity grew steadily. The city had a number of new industries, including food processing, wool and tobacco production. The city also saw an influx of migrants from the UK and other parts of Australia, attracted by cheap land and opportunities in the local economy.
In the 1970s residents of Hobart fought to protect their city against unsympathetic developments. They argued against the demolition of historic buildings, and set guidelines to protect the city's heritage. During this period, there was a lot of debate about the new developments. Many citizens were opposed to plans for a Cable Car up Mount Wellington and the overdevelopment of the Domain and Battery Point.