Visiting Herald Sun reporter declares Hobart is a ‘nicer place’ to live than Melbourne

Incredible coffee shops, cool bars and great food, Hobart has everything that Melbourne has but with better access to some of the most exquisite nature in the world, writes Grace Baldwin

The picturesque Hobart waterfront. Picture: ADAM GIBSON

I have lived in Melbourne my whole life.

I was born there, went to school and university there, and worked there.

As much as I love travelling – both in and outside of Australia – there have been few places outside of Melbourne I felt I could ever call home.

That is, until I came to Tasmania.

Granted, Tassie and I got off to a rocky start – being tailgated for the entire drive from Devonport to Hobart is enough to shake anyone up.

But within a week, I had already started to find a groove in this new city – learning street names, getting to know my new barista and joining community groups.

To my horror, I was even calling Melburnians “mainlanders”.

Hobart unfurled itself for me, gently revealing the beauty and uniqueness of Tasmanian living while still allowing me the space to miss Melbourne.

The stunning Hobart waterfront with kunanyi/Mt Wellington in the background. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

I’m due to head back to Melbourne soon, and I can honestly say when push comes to shove, Hobart is a nicer place to live.

“Nice” is the kind of word editors, writers and English teachers groan at, but Hobart truly is simply a nice place.

For nearly every Melbourne-ism I missed, I found I could track it down with relative ease in Hobart.

Incredible coffee? Tick.

Cool bars? Tick.

Great food? Tick.

Convenient public transport?
Pass …

Hobart has many of the same drawcards as Melbourne, just with worse public transport and a lush mountain view to make up for it.

Grace Baldwin says Hobart’s close proximity to natural places such as kunanyi/Mt Wellington is one of several reasons that makes our river city a nicer place to live than Melbourne.

Another feature of Hobart that continues to blow my mainlander mind is the sheer proximity to some of the most exquisite nature in the whole world.

Just a breezy 20-minute drive from the city, you can be totally immersed in verdant, leafy bushland.

I could instantly feel myself breathing easier, feeling the stress roll off my skin like water.

There is also less rushing in Tasmania, a quality I didn’t even notice until I rushed less myself.

It seems that in Melbourne, everyone is in a perpetual hurry – a hurry to do something, eat something, get somewhere.

Tasmania has taught me to chew my food before swallowing it, and take the long route to work just to enjoy the view on the way.

Taking the time to actually enjoy small things has given me a wider capacity to properly appreciate the big things – a skill well-documented to not only increase your quality of life, but also your actual life span.

At this rate, I’ll be living until I’m 105.

A view of the picturesque Hobart waterfront. Picture: ADAM GIBSON

I’ve found that people are generally friendlier here, too – although this probably has something to do with not rushing as much.

From sales assistants to waiters to baristas, I’ve had very few unpleasant interactions with strangers.

Hence, I am infinitely more likely to interact with strangers in Hobart than I am in Melbourne, because Hobart is much safer.

While Melbourne is not as crime-ridden as London or New York, say, reporting on breaking news for the past two-ish years on the mainland exposed me to some horrific suburban crime – the scale of which I simply haven’t seen in Tasmania.

Salamanca Market in Hobart. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

For example, here I am able to walk through Salamanca Markets with my bag slung over my shoulder, rather than keeping it pressed tightly to my side, zipped up like Fort Knox.

Small luxuries.

Truly, there is something special about this place.

It has the convenience and amenities of a city, with the charm, community and greenery of a country town.

I may be heading back to Melbourne for now, but I doubt I’ll be able to stay away for too long.

Until next time, Hobart.

Grace Baldwin is a cadet journalist with News Corp, based at the Herald Sun, who recently did a 10-week internship at the Mercury.