Hobart: The Australian city you need to be in right now

FORGET Sydney or Melbourne. If you want the best food and great places to grab a drink, this is the place to be in Australia right now.

IT’S winter. In fact, it’s the part of winter where it feels like winter is never going to end. Like we’ve been putting our coats and beanies on for years and we’re never going to see sunshine again.

You’ve got two options during this part of winter: you can let it beat you and hop on a plane to a tropical clime, or you can embrace it as we forge ahead to the inevitable spring. Find your best woollens, rug up and get your winter on.

And the best place in Australia to really get your winter on? Tasmania. Here’s why:

YOU HAVE IT ALL TO YOURSELF

Tasmania in midwinter is really busy, and you’ve just missed it. The big festivals have been bumped out and you have the place to yourself right now.

DARK MOFO is the biggest festival of the year in Hobart, a time of year where it’s impossible to get a carpark or a dinner reservation at a hot restaurant. A few weeks after the dust has settled from DARK MOFO, the Huon Valley hosts the Mid Winter Feast and again, tourists and locals flock to the pagan-inspired weekend of celebrations.

Now, that’s all over. The restaurants and hotels need you again, and you can enjoy Tasmania without the crazy crowds. You get to enjoy it like a local. You’ll find a car spot out the front of the hot restaurant you booked half an hour ago.

THERE’S ACTUAL SNOW ON KUNANYI/MOUNT WELLINGTON

Yep. You can take the kids for a play in the snow. You can even build yourself a snowman. You can slip over in it and actually become tired of snow. You can search for the Mount Wellington skate rink and imagine what it would have been like to skate there in the 1930s.

All this is going to be taking place within a 20 minute drive of your hotel, as the mountain is part of Hobart.

Alina, 5 and Gregor Soghomonian, 7, visited Mount Wellington from Sydney recently and loved the snow. Picture: Luke Bowden

MORE: This has to be Australia’s most beautiful road trip

MORE: The best little island in Australia that more people need to visit

A NIGHT AT THE SYMPHONY (THAT WON’T BREAK THE BUDGET)

High on the list of perks of Tasmanian life is getting to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The world-class orchestra travels all over the state — playing everywhere from fancy concert halls to dusty old barns. If you’re visiting Launceston, Burnie or Hobart, make sure you find out which night they’re playing in your ’hood and go along. The TSO also has some extraordinary accessibility programs — so if you’re unemployed, a student or a carer, find out which discounts you can get.

If you’re not able to access these programs, and are willing to take a risk (that, so far, has paid off for this Tasmanian), you can get a “rush” ticket to any performance that’s not sold out for $20. And, if you don’t feel like a cocktail is within your budget, at interval you can get a completely delightful cup of tea and a biscuit for $5.

BEACHES ARE EMPTIER THAN USUAL

Tasmania has the most beautiful beaches in Australia, and they’re nearly always almost empty. They’re only a few degrees colder than the warmer beaches of the east coast, so if you love swimming, suck it up and get in there.

OK it’s cold. But you’ve got the beach to yourself. Picture: Melanie Tait

Otherwise, hire a wetsuit or a kayak and get out there and enjoy the dolphins, seals, penguins and whales you’re certain to see while you’re out on Tasmania’s pristine waters. If you’d prefer a tour of some of Tasmania’s more exquisite southern beaches, you can do it here with a raincoat provided.

Between us? The best beach in Tasmania is way up in the northwest of the state. It’s called Boat Harbour, and once it was described to me as the ‘Monte Carlo of Tasmania’. Check it out and see if you agree.

WINTER FOOD IS BEST EATEN IN TASSIE

When you think of winter food, what are you thinking of? Roast dinners? Marshmallows roasting on the fire? Poached pears with clotted cream? Thick vegetable soup with buttery toast to dip? Toasted cheese sandwiches with cheese dripping all over your fingers?

Tasmania has you covered.

Where better to eat amazing winter food than Tasmania?

All around the state you’ll be finding winter meals at close proximity to log fires to fill you up and warm your belly. At the Agrarian Kitchen Eatery, New Norfolk, northwest of Hobart, you’ll get a warm meal straight out of the vegetable garden (I’d recommend the potato cakes), or how about a soupy fermented lamb sausage with lentils and roasted carrots from Tom McHugo’s in Hobart?

YOU’RE WELCOME TO DRINK WARM ALCOHOL

One of the most delicious secrets in Hobart over winter is that there’s hardly a decent pub or bar in the entire city that doesn’t serve warm alcohol. At The Whaler in Salamanca, Hobart, you can sink some hot spiced cider from Willie Smiths after a long day at the markets. (I recommend chips and gravy to accompany.) A mulled wine by the fire at The New Sydney is a great winter warmer. And, after a big day scaling the ancient cliffs of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, a stop at the Fern Tree Tavern for a meal, a chat with the locals and a warm drink is a must.

Melanie Tait is a freelance writer: Follow her on Twitter: @MelanieTait