West Hobart, Tasmania Explained

West Hobart
Coordinates:-42.8836°N 147.315°W
Alternative Location Map:Australia Hobart
State:tas
Local Map:yes
Zoom:12
Type:suburb
Lga:City of Hobart
City:Hobart
Postcode:7000
Stategov:Clark
Fedgov:Clark
Near-Nw:Mount Stuart
Near-N:North Hobart
Near-Ne:Glebe
Near-E:Hobart
Near-S:South Hobart
Near-Se:Sandy Bay
Pop:5,953

West Hobart is an inner-city suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is in the hills immediately west of the city centre, and shares the postcode 7000 with that district.

History

The area was first settled as a farming district, hosting poultry, dairy, hops, orchards and Chinese market gardens. Various industries have also served in the area, including a brickworks at the top of Arthur Street and coal mines below Summerhill Road. The side of Knocklofty Hill served as a sandstone quarry. Knocklofty is now a reserve maintained by the Hobart City Council.[1] The area around Goulburn and Harrington Streets was once a red-light district.

Hobart West Post Office opened on 12 July 1892.[2]

Considered a 'working-class' suburb until the 1960s, West Hobart has become increasingly a popular inner-city suburb. Many of the houses in the area are older federation-era buildings, prized for their views of the Derwent River.

Today

West Hobart is now considered a bohemian suburb of Hobart, with many artists and musicians living in gentrified Victorian and Federation houses, which abound in the suburb.

Schools in the area include Lansdowne Crescent Primary School, Goulburn Street Primary and the Hobart campus of Guilford Young College on Barrack Street.

References

Notes and References

  1. Knocklofty Reserve | Hobart City Council, Tasmania, retrieved 20 December 2014
  2. Web site: Phoenix Auctions History . Post Office List . Phoenix Auctions . 27 March 2021.