Review: Red Decker Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour, Hobart
Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Hobart tours and experiences. You can book this tour here.
Whether you want to get the lie of the land in an unfamiliar city or simply need wheels to take you to its best attractions, hop on hop off tourist bus services are often the easiest and most affordable solution.
Red Decker operates a Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour in Hobart with 20 stops — and if you’re lucky, Graeme will be at the helm. On a chilly midwinter morning he greets me with the calm, courteous manner that has kept his passengers happy for decades, and soon reveals remarkable skill and patience too. Whether guiding his big red bus through Battery Point’s narrow streets or along the Tasman Highway (for a brief stretch), Graeme keeps the ride as smooth as a Tassie single malt whisky!
Watch our video of ten top things to do in Hobart:
Top 10 Things to Do in HOBART, Tasmania, Australia, 2026 | Ultimate Hobart Travel Guide
👉👉👉 Support our channel and save on travel by joining our new Top Traveller Club: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIWPeSl1aL72F1NCuS4ePTQ/join 👈👈👈 Member benefits include early access to videos, a branded travel water bottle, and 10% off day and multi-day tour bookings worldwide! Browse day tours: https://topoztours.partner.viator.com Browse multi-day tours: https://topoztours.trips.tourradar.com Join today!
I climb aboard at Stop A: the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre in Hobart’s CBD. A convenient place to pick up brochures and book activities, it’s also where the Red Decker figure-eight route begins, pauses mid-way, and ends after the full 90-minute circuit.
Despite the nippy conditions, I’m not the only one braving the open upper deck. It’s from up here that you get the best views of Hobart’s heritage architecture, gardens and Derwent River — so rug up! The initial stops are within this majestic waterway’s historic heartland — Sullivans Cove. First is the terminal for catching a ferry to Hobart’s extraordinary Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), then Salamanca Place, where a string of venerable sea merchant warehouses have been transformed into Hobart’s favourite places to eat and drink. What is possibly Australia’s most famous street market takes over this precinct every Saturday.
Recorded commentary keeps us well informed along the route. It’s available in seven languages using the complementary headphones and sockets at each seat. The commentary covers everything from which stop is coming up to points of interest along the way, such as a historic semaphore telegraph. It’s both practical and interesting — especially for anyone fascinated by history.
There’s no shortage of that on show through the Battery Point district, where much of this colonial port city’s 19th century architecture remains handsomely intact. From sailors’ modest cottages to the fine homes of sea captains and ship builders, it’s a real opportunity to step back in time.
After pausing at Wrest Point Casino and Sandy Bay Village, where dining and shopping are also de rigueur, the bus tootles along for several minutes before the Cascade Brewery’s famous facade comes into view. Dating back to 1832, good beer is still made within this distinctive heritage building (taste the proof on a brewery tour).
The next stop is close by and a historic site with a much less cheerful story — the Cascades Female Factory, where female convicts lived and worked in intentionally miserable conditions.
Back in the city centre, there’s yet more history to soak up at stops for the well regarded Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Maritime Museum of Tasmania. That’s followed by the Penitentiary Chapel — another of Hobart’s graceful early 19th century structures with a sad convict past.
On the final leg of the route we head north to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. Driving along the lengthy perimeter of lush greenery and accompanied by Red Decker’s commentary describing the beauty within, I regret not having enough time to hop off and explore these 14 hectares. For those with the luxury of more time, the 48-hour ticket would allow you to spread everything out nicely over two days.
As Graeme points the bus back toward the travel centre, I’m already planning my next visit!
The writer travelled as a guest of Red Decker. You can book this tour here.
Browse our full range of Hobart tours and experiences here. We offer a Best Price Guarantee.
Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Patricia Maunder is a freelance travel writer and arts journalist, and has worked in print, radio, and digital media. Currently based in Melbourne, she considers the Canadian city of Montreal to be her ‘other’ hometown — having lived there from 2012 to 2016. Patricia has visited all but one of the continents, and Antarctica continues to beckon — as it has done since she was a child. She enjoys culturally themed journeys and nature-based adventures.
Travel essentials
You can book many aspects of your holiday on the Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas website, including flights, hotels, car hire, travel insurance, and more. When you purchase a product or service using the following links from our partners, we receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay, and it enables us to continue to provide readers with amazing travel inspiration.
Flights
Compare airlines, flights, and fares in one place with Booking.com. They don’t charge any credit card fees and you can always see exactly what you’re paying for in the price breakdown. Search for flights with Booking.com
Hotels
If you’re looking for a great deal on your next hotel or homestay, look no further than Booking.com. Their mission is to make travel affordable and accessible to more people, and to deliver seamless accommodation experiences that complement your holiday. Search for hotels and homestays with Booking.com
Car hire
Discover Cars is an award-winning (World Travel Awards) car rental comparison website, which helps customers find, compare, and hire cars at the most competitive prices globally. Search for hire cars with Discover Cars
Campervans & motorhomes
Make Jucy your first choice for campervan and motorhome hire. Since 2001, this progressive company has had a vision to be world-famous for enabling experience seekers to discover happiness on the road. Search for campervans and motorhomes with Jucy
Day tours & experiences
Search and book day tours, guided experiences, and attraction tickets and passes worldwide with Top Oz Tours and Viator. There are no booking or credit card fees when you book through us, and you’ll have access to the widest choice of activities and most competitive prices. Browse day tours and experiences
Multi-day tours & trips
Top Oz Tours has joined forced with Tour Radar to bring you a fabulous range of multi-day tours and trips from the world’s leading operators. Travel with like minded people and get the best possible price on the holiday of your dreams. Browse multi-day tours and trips
Travel insurance
World Nomads aims to be a part of every traveller’s journey by providing a reassuring range of travel insurance services. Benefits include coverage for emergency medical and evacuation or repatriation, lost baggage, trip cancellation, and more than 150 adventure activities. Get an insurance costing
