Hobart tide times

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts from Sydney Harbour on 26 December each year and finishes at Constitution Dock in Hobart after a 1170 km (628 nautical mile) passage across the Tasman Sea and Bass Strait. It's one of the world's three classic ocean races (alongside the Fastnet and Newport–Bermuda). Arriving yachts dock at Constitution Dock in Sullivan's Cove; the public can watch from the waterfront and board boats when moored. Fleet arrivals continue for 5 to 7 days after the start.

Recreational abalone diving is legal in Tasmania with a recreational fishing licence (free, from Service Tasmania). The current daily bag limit for recreational abalone is 2 per person (check current regulations at ifs.tas.gov.au — limits change). Blacklip abalone are found on rocky reef from 0 to 20 metres depth. The Tasman Peninsula reefs south of Hobart (Eaglehawk Neck, Fortescue Bay) are productive diving areas with good abalone populations. The commercial harvest of abalone is strictly controlled and declining.

The Three Capes Track is a 4-day, 46 km hut-to-hut walk on the Tasman Peninsula, managed by Tasmania Parks. It visits Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar, and Cape Raoul — three headlands with sea cliffs among the highest in the Southern Hemisphere (up to 300 m). The track has purpose-built overnight huts with solar power; booking is required and the track is limited to 48 walkers per night. The walk requires moderate fitness; total elevation gain is about 3200 m. Book at parks.tas.gov.au.

Salamanca Market runs every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Salamanca Place, below the Georgian sandstone warehouses built by convict labour in the 1830s. It has over 300 stalls selling Tasmanian food, crafts, art, and plants. It's one of the most visited outdoor markets in Australia. The market and the adjacent Salamanca arts precinct are the social centre of central Hobart on Saturday mornings. Sullivan's Cove and the waterfront are a 2-minute walk south.

Australian fur seals haul out on several rocky islands in the Derwent Estuary and around Bruny Island (1 hour south of Hobart). Bruny Island Cruises runs wildlife boat tours to the seal colonies and the sea caves of the Labillardiere Peninsula. Common dolphins feed in Storm Bay south of Hobart and are frequently seen from the Bruny Island ferry crossing. Southern right whales occasionally enter the Derwent between June and October. Short-finned pilot whales strand periodically on the Derwent beaches — if you see one, call the Parks and Wildlife Service.