Staying at Clydesdale Manor in Hobart, Tasmania

When it comes to accommodation in Hobart, I usually tend to go for my old faithful choice of Wrest Point (which I’ve written about before here). Whenever I/we go back and visit Hobart, parking is always a big factor when we’re choosing where to stay as we always hire a car to get around. Unfortunately, not many hotels in Hobart offer free parking and some of them charge a ridiculous amount.

On our last trip, I was having a look around for alternatives to Wrest Point… basically because I feel like I want to try out and recommend other places as a travel blogger! Usually, I just pick Wrest Point as it’s the most affordable, the location is convenient and offers free parking, but this time I discovered a new place called Clydesdale Manor and was excited to try somewhere new.

About Clydesdale Manor

Clydesdale Manor was built around 1880 for Charles Alfred Woolley, a Tasmanian photographer and artist who was most known for his 1866 portraits of five Aboriginal Tasmanians from Oyster Cove. According to the little information sheet we had in our room, the property has become a lot smaller over the years and was converted into a Bed and Breakfast in 1995.

It’s located on Sandy Bay Road, a little bit closer to the city than Wrest Point Casino, and is within walking distance of plenty of shops, restaurants and cafés, as well as a couple of beaches and the University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus. Since the property has free parking, this is a good spot to stay if you have a car as you can walk into the city centre and/or Salamanca, catch a bus or get a quick taxi and not need to worry about parking.

Staying at Clydesdale Manor

The property is not a hotel, in that there’s no real reception or staff on the premises most of the time. Once you have booked you receive a code to get your key from the box at the front door and with that you can access the building and your room. We stayed in the most basic room as we were only spending one night in Hobart on this particular weekend, so we only really needed a place to sleep (and park). However, there is a very nice-looking suite with a spa bath and a cute little private balcony!

As well as the bedroom, which had a small couch and a small ensuite bathroom, there’s a lounge where guests can relax, a back garden and a breakfast room. A continental breakfast is included that consists of cereals, milk, yoghurt, fresh fruit, breads, spreads, tea and coffee. There was also a lady floating around in the morning who explained a bit about helping ourselves to breakfast in the dining room and the kitchen, and she also gave us some good advice (which I already knew, of course) about not trying to park in Salamanca to go to the markets!

All in all, this was a perfectly comfortable stay, and I loved some of the details in the furnishings and decor around the place. Apparently, there’s also complimentary port and chocolates in the lounge but we didn’t really go looking for that. If you’re seeking somewhere affordable to stay that’s convenient for getting around Hobart (with free parking) but don’t need any frills, Clydesdale Manor is a great choice!

Where to Eat and Drink in Sandy Bay

As I mentioned, there are plenty of places nearby where you can get food, most within walking distance from Clydesdale Manor. There’s both a Coles and a Woolworths supermarket up the road if you want some essentials, along with a McDonald’s and other takeaway places. I have also heard very good things about Sisterhood and The Duchess Café for breakfast or brunch, The Metz is a good bar/restaurant for dinner or drinks and if you head to Wrest Point Casino (no need to gamble unless you want to) you can choose from four different restaurants and a couple of bars – Birdcage Bar (pictured above) is one of my favourite places in Hobart for a fancy cocktail!

Must-Dos While Staying in Sandy Bay

Since I lived in Sandy Bay for quite a few years during my uni years, I particularly love this part of Hobart. There are some nice gardens and parks to check out, especially if you head further down to Lower Sandy Bay and into the suburb of Taroona which hugs the shore of the Derwent River. If you’re looking for some nice spots for a walk near Clydesdale Manor, check these out:

• Fitzroy Gardens: Right at the top of Sandy Bay are these lovely gardens with big old oak trees, rose gardens and children’s playground equipment. Since it’s on top of the hill you can sit on a park bench and look out over Sandy Bay, or walk down the end of the park and cross over the Hobart Rivulet to Parliament Street Reserve which has an epic slide for kids.

• Marieville Esplanade: A couple of streets behind Clydesdale Manor is the main esplanade which is also home to Sandy Bay Marina and The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, so you’re bound to see lots of boats! There’s also a short beach called Short Beach (with play equipment for kids) and the Errol Flynn Reserve which is a dog beach. I used to come here whenever I was missing my dogs and just watch all the puppers running around. I can also recommend going for a stroll along King Street and Queen Street if you like seeing pretty cottages and old terrace houses.

• Nutgrove Beach: Further down Sandy Bay (you probably will want to drive from now on) is Nutgrove Beach, a good spot for going for a walk on the shores of the Derwent River. There are walking paths leading to Long Beach and we even saw a pademelon in the bush behind the beach on our last visit.

• Long Beach: This is the most popular beach, in Sandy Bay, with a really big and cool playground for kids as well as a pontoon not too far from shore that people often swim out to. There’s also a small lighthouse you can walk to and if you’re looking for places to eat the Beach House Cafe is really nice, Seagrass Long Point is also supposed to be good and a bit fancy or there’s a small wood-fired pizza place right next to the water.

• Alexandra Battery Park: Just around the corner from Long Beach is this big open space that provides a lookout across the river. This was Alexandra Battery, one of the batteries that were built for the defence of Hobart, although they were never actually used. However, there are still some tunnels and storerooms here to explore, which I remember thinking was very fun when I was a kid. We also saw a lot of sulphur-crested cockatoos in the trees while we were there!

• Cartwright Reserve: A bit further down into Taroona is this bush reserve if you’d like to do a spot of bushwalking while remaining in Hobart! There’s sometimes also a cute little coffee van here in case you need some refreshment.

• Taroona and Kingston: And if you continue driving towards Kingston you’ll be rewarded by a very scenic (but also very winding) drive that passes a historic Shot Tower (which you can visit and climb) until you reach Kingston. Kingston is a suburb of Hobart where I also lived for quite a few years when I was a child and there’s a great beach with cafés and restaurants lining it. Make sure you check out the Salty Dog Hotel if you head down there!

Don’t forget to check out prices and availability for Clydesdale Manor here if you’re planning your own stay!

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Have you visited Sandy Bay in Hobart before? Let me know if there are other things visitors should see or pin one of these if you might stay at Clydesdale Manor on your next trip!