✦ Top pick
Richmond is the best all-rounder for its Georgian streetscape and 25-minute drive; choose Cygnet for Huon Valley food and arts, or Ross if you want Tasmania's most photogenic colonial village and don't mind the longer drive.
Hobart sits within an hour or two of some of Australia's best-preserved colonial villages, a string of Georgian sandstone towns, riverside orchard hamlets, and ferry-gateway settlements that make ideal day trips or unhurried weekends. Tasmania's compact geography is the gift here: you can be wandering an 1820s main street, tasting cider at a Huon Valley cellar door, or photographing the country's oldest stone bridge within 30 to 90 minutes of the city centre.
These towns reward slow travel. Most are walkable in an hour, anchored by a heritage pub, a bakery worth the drive, and a handful of galleries or antique shops. We have ranked them best-first for the average visitor, balancing how special each place is against how easy it is to reach.
Use the travel times and 'getting there' notes to build a loop: Richmond and Oatlands pair well heading north, while Cygnet, Franklin, and Huonville string together south through the Huon Valley. A hire car gives you the most freedom, but several towns are reachable by bus or on guided tours from Hobart.
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1tours from $132.65Richmond Google
Richmond is the easiest and most rewarding heritage day trip from Hobart, a perfectly preserved Georgian village built by convicts in the 1820s. Its centrepiece is Richmond Bridge, the oldest stone span still in use in Australia, completed in 1825 and gorgeous in low morning light over the Coal River. The main street is lined with antique shops, galleries, a fudge and sweet shop, and the Richmond Bakery, while Old Hobart Town offers a scale model of 1820s Hobart. It is genuinely walkable, family-friendly, and close enough to combine with the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary nearby.
- Richmond Bridge, Australia's oldest stone bridge (1825)
- Richmond Gaol, predating Port Arthur
- St John's Catholic Church, one of Australia's oldest
- Scallop pies and sweets along the main street
Best for First-time visitors and families wanting easy history
Getting there About 25-30 minutes by car (27 km); also reachable on guided day tours from Hobart
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2Cygnet Google
Cygnet is the Huon Valley's bohemian heart, a small town that punches well above its size for food, music, and arts. The main street mixes cafes, a folk-leaning pub, galleries, and the kind of organic grocers and bakeries that draw weekend crowds from Hobart. It comes alive each January for the Cygnet Folk Festival, but year-round you can taste cider and apples, browse craft studios, and drive out to nearby orchards and cellar doors. The vibe is creative and laid-back, with rolling green hills and apple country all around.
- Cygnet Folk Festival (January)
- Cafes, bakeries, and the Red Velvet Lounge
- Huon Valley cider and apple producers
- Galleries and craft studios along Mary Street
Best for Food lovers, arts and music fans, a relaxed lunch stop
Getting there About 50-55 minutes by car (60 km) via the Huon Highway
3
Oatlands Google
Oatlands holds Australia's largest collection of Georgian sandstone buildings in one village, a remarkable streetscape of more than 80 colonial structures along its main road. The standout is Callington Mill, a fully restored 1837 windmill that still grinds flour, the only working Lincolnshire-style windmill in the Southern Hemisphere. Wander the lakeside town, visit the old gaol and supreme court buildings, and stop for a coffee or a bakery treat. It makes a natural halfway pause on the drive between Hobart and the north, or a satisfying half-day in its own right.
- Callington Mill, a working 1837 windmill
- Over 80 Georgian sandstone buildings
- Lake Dulverton foreshore walk
- Heritage gaol and historic streetscape
Best for History buffs and architecture lovers, a Midlands stopover
Getting there About 1 hour 20 minutes by car (84 km) north on the Midland Highway
4New Norfolk Google
New Norfolk is the antiques and hops capital of the Derwent Valley, a riverside town with a deep colonial history and a growing reputation for food and design. The Drill Hall Emporium and several antique warehouses make it a treasure hunt, while The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery, set in a former asylum building, is one of Tasmania's most celebrated regional restaurants. St Matthew's Church (1823) is Tasmania's oldest, and the surrounding hop fields and willow-lined Derwent are quietly beautiful. It is close enough for a half-day and an easy add-on to Mount Field National Park further up the valley.
- The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery
- Antique warehouses and the Drill Hall Emporium
- St Matthew's Church (1823), Tasmania's oldest
- Oast House heritage hop kiln
Best for Antique hunters and food lovers, a Derwent Valley base
Getting there About 35-40 minutes by car (38 km) via the Lyell Highway
5Ross Google
Ross is arguably Tasmania's most picture-perfect colonial village, a tiny Georgian settlement built around the convict-carved Ross Bridge of 1836, famous for its 186 hand-cut decorative stone panels. The crossroads at the town centre is known by old nicknames (temptation, salvation, recreation, and damnation) marking the pub, church, town hall, and gaol. The Ross Village Bakery is a destination in itself, and the Tasmanian Wool Centre tells the story of the surrounding merino country. It is the furthest town on this list, but the drive rewards anyone wanting the quietest, most complete heritage village.
- Ross Bridge (1836) with carved stone panels
- The historic four-corners crossroads
- Ross Village Bakery and its wood-fired sourdough
- Tasmanian Wool Centre
Best for Heritage seekers wanting the quietest, prettiest village
Getting there About 1 hour 40 minutes by car (120 km) north on the Midland Highway
6Franklin Google
Franklin is a slender riverside town strung along the Huon River, the spiritual home of Tasmanian wooden boatbuilding. The Wooden Boat Centre runs a working school where you can watch traditional timber craft being built by hand, and the calm tidal river is popular for rowing and paddling. The main street has a handful of cafes, a heritage palais, and antique and craft stops, all framed by the wide, mirror-still Huon. It is a peaceful, scenic pause on a Huon Valley loop that pairs naturally with Huonville and Cygnet.
- The Wooden Boat Centre and boatbuilding school
- Huon River views and rowing
- Palais Theatre and heritage main street
- Cafes and craft shops
Best for A scenic, slow riverside stop on a Huon loop
Getting there About 45 minutes by car (44 km) via the Huon Highway
7tours from $140.37Huonville Google
Huonville is the practical hub of the Huon Valley, set on the river and surrounded by the apple orchards and cider houses the region is famous for. It is the best base for exploring deeper south, with the Tahune Airwalk, Hastings Caves, and the Huon Tasting Trail of cellar doors and farm gates all within reach. The town itself has riverside cafes, jet boat rides on the Huon, and a relaxed country feel. Come in autumn for apple harvest or for the year-round produce that defines southern Tasmania.
- Huon Tasting Trail of cider and produce
- Huon Jet boating on the river
- Gateway to Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Caves
- Riverside cafes and farm gates
Best for A produce-focused base for exploring the deep south
Getting there About 35-40 minutes by car (38 km) via the Huon Highway
8tours from $126.34Kettering Google
Kettering is the small harbour town that serves as the gateway to Bruny Island, with the car ferry departing from its sheltered marina at Roberts Point. Even if you are not crossing, the Oyster Cove Marina and surrounding bays are pretty, and the Mermaid Cafe is a popular pre-ferry stop. Most visitors use Kettering as the jumping-off point for a Bruny Island food and lighthouse day, one of the most popular trips from Hobart. It is an easy, scenic drive south along the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.
- Ferry gateway to Bruny Island
- Oyster Cove Marina and channel views
- Pre-ferry coffee and seafood
- D'Entrecasteaux Channel scenery
Best for Bruny Island day-trippers and channel scenery
Getting there About 35 minutes by car (34 km); Bruny ferry departs Kettering
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✦ Good to know
Before you go
Getting aroundA hire car gives you by far the most freedom; many of these towns have limited or infrequent public transport. If you would rather not drive, guided day tours from Hobart cover Richmond, Bruny Island (via Kettering), and the Huon Valley.
Plan a loopGroup towns by direction: Richmond and Oatlands (and Ross) sit north on the Midland Highway, while Huonville, Franklin, Cygnet, and Kettering string together south through the Huon Valley and D'Entrecasteaux Channel.
When to goAutumn (March-May) is prime for Huon Valley apple harvest and crisp colour, while summer brings festivals like the Cygnet Folk Festival in January. Many small-town cafes and shops keep shorter hours midweek and in winter.
Book aheadStandout regional restaurants like The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery in New Norfolk book out well in advance, and the Bruny Island ferry from Kettering can queue on summer weekends, so arrive early or reserve a guided tour.
From Richmond's convict-era bridge to the orchard towns of the Huon Valley, the small towns near Hobart turn a city break into a string of unhurried discoveries. Pick a direction, build a loop, and leave time for the bakeries and cellar doors that make each one worth the drive. With most within 90 minutes of the capital, you can easily fit two or three into a long weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Which small town near Hobart is best for a day trip?
Richmond is the best day trip for most visitors: it is just 25-30 minutes from Hobart and packs in Australia's oldest stone bridge, a convict gaol, historic churches, and good bakeries, all easily walkable in a few hours.
What is the closest historic town to Hobart?
Richmond, about 27 km northeast, is the closest major heritage village at roughly 25-30 minutes by car. Kettering and New Norfolk are also close, both around 35-40 minutes from the city.
Which town near Hobart is best for food and wine?
The Huon Valley towns of Cygnet and Huonville lead for food, with cider houses, orchards, and the Huon Tasting Trail, while New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley is home to the acclaimed Agrarian Kitchen Eatery.
How do you get to Bruny Island from Hobart?
Drive about 35 minutes south to Kettering, then take the vehicle ferry across to Bruny Island. Many visitors instead join a guided Bruny Island day tour from Hobart, which handles transport and the ferry crossing.
Which is the prettiest village near Hobart?
Ross, about 1 hour 40 minutes north, is widely considered Tasmania's most photogenic colonial village for its 1836 convict-built bridge and intact Georgian streetscape, though Richmond and Oatlands run close behind and are easier to reach.
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