Battery Point, Hobart

Life in Hobart Town




Battery Point is now a suburb of Hobart that has some lovely colonial era homes. It gets its name from the battery of guns that were placed there in 1818 to act as protection for what was known as Hobart Town. 

Trivia alert! It's also where Errol Flynn (Famous old actor) was born in the hospital at Battery Point.

I was stolling through Salamanca Place and saw the sign for Kelly's Steps and the Battery Point Village so went off to have a little explore. But it was late in the afternoon so I returned on a different day to be able to have more time to wander around.



Kelly's Steps going up the hill to Battery Point. This passageway is between the warehouses at Salamanca Place, so the steps would have been the access down to the wharf area.

Once up the steps you're in Kelly Road which is lined with small colonial era cottages, all in the English tradition. No wide verandahs here, the climate was the same as in the U.K. so the Europeans that arrived built in a style that was familiar to them.





Kelly Road leads to Hampden Road which is the main road bisected Battery Point.




Old Style bakery, very popular with the locals and I enjoyed tasting its wares as well!



Hampden Road looking down to the Derwent River.





As well as small cottages, the area has larger homes, which now are some of the most sought after heritage homes around.



These style of houses remind me of Georgean style homes in the U.K. (I've watched a lot of real estate shows!) The dates do match, early 1800s. (Sadly it seems there weren't past strict rules on spoiling the skyline, so there's an ugly modern(ish) apartment building behind the heritage homes.







Going down the hill and closer to the water, the homes become more substantial.



Also going down the hill and off on a side street is the colony's first housing development called 'Arthur Circus'. More trivia, the only 'circus' in Australia, circus as in the British meaning of a circular road, such as Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus in London.

Arthur Circus' cottages were originally built to house the officers of the garrison at Battery Point. The little collection around a circular park is very sweet, the ambiance slightly spoiled by cars parked on the road! The British tourists who were walking around when I was there didn't think the cottages were all that different to what they were used to!





The guns battery was eventually removed (in 1878) as there was no need for it and the area was converted to a large park which goes down to the river level.


At the river entrance to the park is the old signalling station. The pole was used to signal using Semaphore to the ships out in the river.



This beautiful old home is right next to the park and opposite the riverside, it would have had a fabulous view of the ships going up and down the river. Unfortunately the riverside area has been built on and so the occupants have a great view of the CSIRO (The Australian Government Science Research Organisation) buildings! And also the Australian Antarctic Supply ship which is docked nearby.



The Derwent River looking out to the Southern Ocean.

Battery Point is a pretty part of Hobart and I only walked a small part of it, it's an interesting addition to just exploring Salamanca Place.

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