Straight ahead you’ll spot Battery Point, with rows of handsome timber and brick houses, steep gables, and neat gardens right by the corner of Crelin Street-just look for the unique old cottages with trim roofs and weathered charm lining the street.
Welcome to Battery Point-one of Hobart’s most fascinating and posh suburbs, but don’t let the fancy houses fool you, this place has a wild backstory! Imagine yourself here in 1818: instead of peaceful streets and quirky cafés, you’d find a row of mighty cannons, ready to defend Hobart from possible invaders. The air would have rung with the crack of ceremonial gunfire during grand events, though, to be honest, these cannons never saw real action-unless you count scaring off pigeons.
But it wasn’t all noise and bravado. In 1878, Hobart’s top brass realized putting cannons in a neighborhood full of houses was less “genius military plan” and more “let’s paint a giant target on our town.” They retired the battery, turning this area into what’s now a rather delightful park. Fast forward to 1934, while gardeners were busy beautifying the park, they struck gold-well, tunnels, actually! These mysterious underground passages once hid gunpowder, and who knows how many secrets.
Among these leafy streets, you’ll find landmarks like Arthur Circus with its almost storybook circle of cottages, built for the garrison officers. Battery Point still holds a bit of drama: its residents, keen to protect their peace, sometimes call for stricter noise rules-silence is apparently as precious as real estate here. Think of all the local legends that have lived here, from a young Hollywood star (Errol Flynn) to Mary, now Queen of Denmark, both born in the Queen Alexandra Hospital just nearby. So enjoy the quiet streets today, but remember: you’re standing on ground built for cannon fire, mystery tunnels, and a dash of royal drama.
