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.
The first decade of Hobart as a convict colony in the 1820s was difficult, due to the harsh climate and the isolation from other European cities. The view of the city painted by Irish convict artist Alan Carswell in 1823 shows a demoralised and devastated settlement. The artist wrote, "The distress of people is beyond comprehension." "Nothing grows without rain, and the grubs destroy our vegetables."
Hobart began to slowly recover as the century progressed. In the 1860s the needs of children were met with the openings of schools like the Girls' Industrial School, and Kennerley Boys' Home. Education continued to progress, with the construction of the Model School in Battery Point and the Hobart Technical College. In 1870 the 48-metre high shot tower was completed at Taroona. 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 became a major industry in the city, which was also the main port of Tasmanian exports. In 1913, the city was exposed to bushfires when a fire destroyed several buildings at the foot of Mount Wellington.
After World War II, Hobart began to prosper again as the main shipping port for Tasmania, with a steady growth in economic activity. The city was home to a number new industries including food processing, tobacco production, and wool production. The city saw a large influx of migrants, mainly from the UK and Australia. They were attracted by the cheap land and the opportunities in the local economic system.
In the 1970s, the residents of Hobart fought hard to protect their city from unsympathetic development. They argued against the demolition of historic buildings, and set guidelines to protect the city's heritage. This period saw a great deal of debate on the form of new developments, with citizens strongly opposed to plans for a cable car up Mount Wellington and overdevelopment in the Domain and Battery Point.