The northern wing of the remarkably well-preserved jail was built in 1825, five years before the penitentiary at Port Arthur, making it Australia's oldest jail (or, rather, gaol). Built to house 60, the jail soon had 100 inmates crammed in here, including at one stage the notorious bushranger Martin Cash. Like Port Arthur, fascinating historic insights abound, but the mood is pretty sombre.
Richmond Gaol Historic Site
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.49 MILES
Twelve kilometres north of Hobart's city centre, MONA is burrowed into the Triassic sandstone of a peninsula jutting into the Derwent River. Arrayed…
11.71 MILES
This picturesque row of three- and four-storey sandstone warehouses is a classic example of Australian colonial architecture. Dating back to the whaling…
15.06 MILES
Ribbed with its striking Organ Pipes cliffs, kunanyi/Mt Wellington (1271m) towers over Hobart like a benevolent overlord. The view from the top stretches…
13.29 MILES
Standing in startling, Gothic isolation next to the clean-running Hobart Rivulet, Australia’s oldest brewery (1824) is still pumping out superb beers. The…
11.79 MILES
Tucked in behind Salamanca Pl, the old maritime village of Battery Point is a tight nest of lanes and 19th-century cottages. Spend an afternoon exploring:…
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site
13 MILES
This World Heritage Site was where Hobart’s female convicts were incarcerated and put to work. Around 12,500 women were transported to Tasmania, and at…
24.9 MILES
At Grove, 5km north of Huonville, this barn-like wooden shed is home to Willie Smith's Organic Apple Cider, and functions as a cafe-cum-provedore-cum…
11.36 MILES
Hobart at its most bohemian, the Elizabeth St strip in North Hobart (aka NoHo) is lined with dozens of cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs – enough to keep…
Nearby attractions
0.1 MILES
Richmond's 1825 courthouse, on the main street, functioned more recently (until 1993) as the local council chambers.
2. St Luke’s Church of England
0.13 MILES
St Luke's Church of England (1834), down a side street off the main drag, has an impressively castellated tower (and excellent organ).
0.19 MILES
This stately and shapely sandstone bridge, with its four arches, is the town’s proud centrepiece. The oldest road bridge in Australia, it was built by…
5. Old Hobart Town Historical Model Village
0.21 MILES
The kids will love this painstaking recreation of Hobart Town in the 1820s, built from the city’s original plans. Admission is a bit steep, but it's…
0.27 MILES
This new science museum takes its scat seriously, with interactive displays on animal poo, from beaches made up entirely of parrotfish poo, to the work of…
0.3 MILES
One of Richmond’s oldest homes (c 1831), Oak Lodge is now owned by the National Trust and operated by the Coal River Historic Society. Inside is a museum…
8. St John the Evangelist Church
0.34 MILES
The first Roman Catholic church in Australia, built in 1836. Sunday mass is still a going concern.