Hobart Town

Hobart Town, the capital of Tasmania or Van Diemen's Land, was so named by the founder, Colonel Collins, in 1804, in honour of Lord Hobart, then Colonial Secretary. It stands about seventeen miles from the mouth of the river Derwent, stretching over a number of hills beside Sullivan's Cove, with Mount Wellington (4,166 feet) as a background. The Governor's residence is in the suburbs, and besides the Houses of Parliament, town hall, and museum, there arc many fine buildings both public and private. It is the seat of an Anglican and a Roman Catholic bishopric. Ships of largest tonnage can enter the harbour, and a large export and import trade is carried on, whilst there is regular steam communication with the other Australian Colonies and with England. The chief local industries are brewing, tin-smelting, flourgrinding, and timber-sawing.