North Hobart, Tasmania

North Hobart is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. As its name suggests, it lies directly north of the CBD.

The main street of North Hobart is Elizabeth Street, which extends northward from the Elizabeth St Mall in the city, through North Hobart, and then becomes the Main Road in New Town and continues through many suburbs to Glenorchy and beyond.

Restaurant strip

This street contains many of the restaurants and cafes for which North Hobart is known. The area could be compared with Lygon Street in Melbourne, except on a much smaller scale.

Restaurants in the area include two Italian restaurants, one of which is both owned by and named for City of Hobart alderman Marti Zucco. Asian food dominates the strip with Indian, Thai and Chinese all being popular. Other restaurants serve Mexican and Turkish food.

Fast food outlet Hungry Jack's had their first (and for many years, only) Tasmanian store in North Hobart, though it is located a block away from the restaurant strip. Subway also has a store in the area. Local Hobart chicken takeaway chain Legs and Breasts, which has a number of stores scattered around Hobart, also has a North Hobart store. There is also a Praties takeaway restaurant, part of the eponymous chain, unique to Tasmania, which serves potato based products.

The Republic Bar, one of the many pubs in the suburb, was the first pub in Tasmania to voluntarily go smoke free (ban indoor smoking). Many other venues have since followed their lead, and the state government has since implemented smoke free laws for all pubs and clubs, which came into effect on 1 January 2006.

Services

Two colleges are located in the area - Elizabeth College, one of Hobart's four public secondary colleges, and The Friends' School, a private school for years K-12. North Hobart was also home of the former Hobart High School - one of the first schools in the city. The building has been preserved and used by many educational establishments over the years, and is now a funeral parlour.

Other places in North Hobart include:

• The historic North Hobart Post Office, which still exists in its original form.
• North Hobart Oval, one of the larger sports grounds in Hobart. It is predominantly used for Aussie rules matches.
• The State Cinema, Tasmania's only independent cinema, generally shows independent and underground films.

Redevelopment

In 2004 the area was redeveloped, including footpath widening and lining Elizabeth Street with trees. Alderman Zucco unsuccessfully proposed that the area be lined with olive trees to promote the multiculturalism that exists in the area.