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Tag: Hobart

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Cascade Brewery Tour Hobart

Cascade Brewery

Cascade Brewery Tour Hobart

How to Get There

Only a five-minute drive from Hobart’s CBD in the foothills of Mount Wellington, the Cascade Brewery Tour is a must for lovers of beer and cider.

The Cascade Brewery

Having operated since 1824, the Brewery is Australia’s oldest, and a tour is a history lesson as well as beer making. Originally a sawmill but converted to a brewery because of the mountain water onsite, the building is still in use. The dates on the front of the building refer to the extension made in 1927 when new equipment required more height. This is still visible in the façade, where the material for the lower three floor differs from the upper levels.

In addition to tours, the brewery offers meals and a bar in the old manager’s residence, where you can relax after the tour, or just enjoy a meal or drink.

  • Cascade Brewery
    Cascade Brewery
  • Lounge at the Cascade Brewery
    Lounge at the Cascade Brewery
  • Old Beer Keg
    Old Beer Keg

The Cascade Brewery Tour

Several different tours are available depending on age (16 years old and over can go on the extended factory tour that we did). An all ages tour caters for everyone, but does not enter the factory, nor does it offer beer and cider samples afterwards.

A safety briefing and protective equipment (hard hat, glasses, gloves and hair net and fluoro vest) are given at the start of the tour. This not only ensures your safety, as your are touring a working brewery, but also keeps the beer making process safe from you.

Unfortunately, no photos are allowed on the tour, so the secret of Cascades beer and cider process is still safe.

The comprehensive tour follows the whole process from grain delivery to bottling, packaging and distribution. We found it all very interesting especially the brewing and malting part.

We also found out that all waste products are used either on site or as animal feed. Nice to know that beer is environmentally conscious, as well as tasting great.

There was also a look at cider production, which uses some of the apples Tasmania is famous for.

Finishing the tour is a tasting platter of four beers or ciders. As we had a platter each, we were able to taste all of the beers and ciders on offer.

Beer and Cider Tasting Platter Cascade Brewery Tour
Beer and Cider Tasting Platter

What Did We Think?

This was a fun tour that we really enjoyed. Seeing the whole beer making process and then tasting the product was great fun. If you are in Hobart, it’s worth doing.

To read other posts about Tasmania, click here.

Our photos are available for purchase on

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Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Spotted-Tail Quol, Eastern Quol (dark) Eastern Quol (light), Tasmanian Devil

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Established in 1848 and conveniently located opposite Constitution Dock, in the centre of Hobart, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is a great place to discover Tasmania’s unique history. Covering natural history, aboriginal and European settlement to Antarctic exploration, there is something here to interest everyone. There is even a dinosaur at the entrance.

Muttaburrasaurus Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Muttaburrasaurus Dinosaur Skeleton

Indigenous Culture

Several galleries explore Indigenous Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, from artefacts to artworks. Their treatment and subsequent genocide is treated in detail. Everyone visiting Tasmania should see it, so that they understand this part of history.

  • Canoe
    Aboriginal Bark Canoe
  • Woureddy (left) and Trucannini (right)
    Woureddy (left) and Trucannini (right)
  • Manalagerna (left) and Tanleboueyer (right) Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
    Manalagerna (left) and Tanleboueyer (right)

Tasmanian Wildlife

Most people won’t be able to see the unique Australian wildlife, so the display here is a great place to see what they look like. From echidna and platypus, the egg laying monotremes, to quolls and devils, you can see them all.

Importantly, a display of the Thylacine, the Tasmanian Tiger shows what this now extinct marsupial looked like. The last one died in 1933 in Hobart Zoo, so now all that remains are the skeletons, stuffed displays and photos.

  • Echidna and Platypus
    Echidna and Platypus
  • Spotted-Tail Quol, Eastern Quol (dark) Eastern Quol (light), Tasmanian Devil
    Spotted-Tail Quol, Eastern Quol (dark) Eastern Quol (light), Tasmanian Devil
  • Tasmanian Tiger Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
    Tasmanian Tiger
  • Tasmanian Tiger Skeletons Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
    Male and Female Tasmanian Tiger Skeletons
  • Tasmanian Tiger Photos
    Tasmanian Tiger Photos

Coins at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Containing bank notes and coins from colonial times to decimal currency, this small gallery is a good place to learn about Australian currency. One of the largest collections of Roman coins in the country can also be found here. So, if you are interested in how the currency has changed, it’s worth a visit.

  • Coin Display
    Coin Display
  • Coin Display
    Coin Display
  • Scales
    Scales

Art Gallery

The art gallery section of the museum contains an interesting collection of paintings and sculptures covering Tasmanian themes. We found the paintings and sculptures of Tasmanian aborigines the best part, as we had not seen them before.

  • Art Gallery Paintings Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
    Art Gallery Paintings
  • Art Gallery Displays
    Art Gallery Displays

Antarctic Exploration

Tasmania’s link to Antarctic exploration is on display with an amazing array of wildlife and explorer exhibits. A model of Mawson’s Hut shows how the explorers lived in the early 1900s. A photo gallery nearby puts a human face to the scientists and explorers, which is great because many museums only show physical displays.

The wildlife displays give an idea of the abundant wildlife that exists there. We found this interesting, because we probably won’t travel there. The size of the seals and albatross was surprizing, because you don’t get an idea of how big they are from photos.

  • Antarctic Wildlife Display Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
    Antarctic Wildlife Display
  • Albatross
    Albatross
  • Huskies
    Huskies
  • Mawson's Hut
    Mawson’s Hut
  • Antarctic Exploration Photos
    Antarctic Exploration Photos

What Did We Think?

For a great insight into Tasmanian history this is a great place to visit, because it covers everything from pre colonial times, to Antarctic exploration and wildlife. Even though we have lived in Tassie, we found it interesting because of the wonderful exhibits and displays. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Hobart.

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Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Antarctic Exploration Vessel Nella Dan Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Maritime Museum of Tasmania

If you have an interest in maritime history, then the Maritime Museum of Tasmania is a great place to spend an hour. Located next to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and opposite Constitution dock it is easy to get to.

During our visit, the second floor was undergoing renovations, which meant we missed some displays. The remaining area was still interesting as it covered Tasmania’s maritime history.

One of the more interesting displays was a model of the Tasman Bridge disaster. This occurred on 5 January 1975 when a bulk ore carrier collided with bridge pylons, causing a section of the bridge to collapse. Seven crew and five drivers from four cars were killed when they drove off the bridge and fell 45m to the water below. The model shows the SS Lake Illawarra lying on the river bottom with bridge debris covering her.

Tasmania’s contribution to Antarctic exploration has been significant, due to its proximity. A model of the exploration ship Nella Dan commemorates these achievements.

Other displays included interesting figureheads and boats, along with more models ships and photos.

  • Knots Display
  • Main Display Room Ground Floor
    Main Display Room Ground Floor
  • Figure Heads Maritime Museum of Tasmania
    Figure Heads (Zephyr left and Mary Wadley right)
  • Diving Suit
    Diving Suit
  • Tasman Bridge Disaster
    Tasman Bridge Disaster
  • Tasman Bridge Disaster
    Tasman Bridge Disaster
  • Antarctic Exploration Vessel Nella Dan Maritime Museum of Tasmania
    Antarctic Exploration Vessel Nella Dan