MACq 01 Hotel
MACq 01 Hotel
On any trip to Hobart, the city’s waterfront is a destination you can’t afford to miss. The roughly one-kilometre stretch between Battery Point and Hunter Street Wharf packs in historical sites, cellar doors and art galleries – not to mention a world-class dining scene helmed by some of the country’s best and brightest chefs.
Luxury hotel MACq 01 is the ideal base for a whirlwind stay in Hobart’s heritage heart, set overlooking the waterfront and kunanyi/Mount Wellington. From a pit stop at the famous Salamanca Market to a refined meal starring top Tassie produce, here’s our guide to a successful waterfront staycation, where the River Derwent will never be out of sight.
Stay: MACq 01 Waterfront Suites
Flaunting high-concept charisma, MACq 01 is Tasmania’s best-placed luxury hotel. Set within a heritage precinct literally on the waterfront, each of the 114 rooms and suites are infused with elements that tell stories from Tassie history and culture – plus the hotel offers free valet parking and free storytelling tours. Accommodation options range from premium rooms overlooking Hunter Street to luxury waterfront suites with sparkling harbour and mountain views. A spacious walk-in shower, award-winning minibar, 24-hour room service are common to all – but guests staying in a waterfront suite can also expect a luxurious, deep-soaking bathtub and breathtaking views to Battery Point from the private balcony.
Do: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at Federation Concert Hall
It’s not often you can say your next-door neighbours are some of the finest musicians in the country. Make the most of it while you’re in town and catch the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in full flight at the Federation Concert Hall, one of Tasmania’s most vital cultural institutions. The 2023 season spans Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and a collaboration with WA rockers Birds of Tokyo.
Do: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Halfway down the harbour, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is an essential stop on any trip to Hobart. Beyond it being a historically significant site containing Tasmania’s oldest surviving public building, like the nearby Henry Jones Art Hotel building, it’s a celebration of Tasmania’s cultural and natural heritage. Here you can explore the Aboriginal culture gallery, ningina tunapri, and learn about the history of Tasmania’s first peoples, see the extinct Tasmanian tiger up close in a one-of-a-kind exhibit, or delve into any number of rotating exhibitions both traditional and contemporary. The gallery is open from 10am to 4pm daily, and best of all – entry is free.
Do: Salamanca Market
From hotel door to stall, it’s less than a 10-minute walk across the waterfront to reach Tasmania’s most visited tourist attraction. There you’ll find more than 300 stallholders, selling everything from bric-a-brac to books, coffee to top-tier cheese. But you’ll need to plot your stay to coincide with the weekend – the market is only open on Saturdays from 8am to 3pm.
Eat: Old Wharf Restaurant
Conveniently situated on the dock level of MACq 01, Old Wharf Restaurant is the centrepiece of the hotel’s hospitality stable. And with spectacular waterside views, there’s no better-looking place to taste the spectrum of Tasmanian produce. Head chef Alvin Sim’s seasonal menu champions local farmers and growers: start with some Bruny Island oysters (served three ways), followed by Stanley octopus skewers with ‘nduja, capsicum aioli and lemon. Then it’s onto rigatoni alla vodka (made with spirits from Spring Bay Distillery) and premium Tassie proteins such as Wild Clover lamb rump or Bruny Island wallaby pie. Dietaries are also covered, with plenty of gluten-free options and a dedicated vegetarian and vegan menu.
Drink: Evolve Spirits Bar
Whether you’re after a pre-dinner nip or a sophisticated nightcap, Evolve Spirits Bar is a temple of Tasmanian spirits boasting a menu over 100 pages long. Local drams by Overeem, Callington Mill, Spring Bay and the iconic Lark Distillery are poured alongside whiskies from Scotland, Japan and America, which you can sample in a tasting flight surrounded by the bar’s extensive collection of prehistoric fossil curiosities. The menu also includes locally inspired cocktails such as the Apple Isle, a crisp and tart number mixing local Endangered Distilling Co vodka, Hellfire Bluff limoncello and Derwent Distillery elderflower liqueur.
Drink: The Story Bar
If you’re looking for somewhere to lounge after a day spent exploring the area’s hotspots, you’re probably due to unwind at The Story Bar, the hotel’s refined watering hole. It puts the emphasis on Tasmanian stories – in the surrounds and in your glass, backed up by a menu of hits from the Old Wharf Restaurant (we say go for the Cape Grim beef burger). Plus, live tunes by the water every Friday and Saturday night.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with MACq 01 Hotel.
20 Jul 2023
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