Hobart

Tucked into the Midcity Arcade off Criterion Street, this is a shop for people who like to poke around before they commit — shelves ranging from Tasmanian reds and whites through to French, Italian, Spanish and further-flung imports, with a steady rotation of natural and organic wines for those drifting from the mainstream. The beer fridge runs deep, sorted alphabetically as if the owners assume you'll want to browse rather than grab and go, alongside ciders, seltzers and a seasonal nod to Oktoberfest. Spirits get equal billing: Tasmanian whisky sits near international bourbon and rye, gin, vermouth, tequila and the odd bottle of umeshu for something different. There's a sake section too, which says something about the range of tastes this place is built to satisfy. Prices stretch from cleanskins and bottles under twenty-five dollars to Bordeaux direct imports and magnums for those with deeper pockets or bigger tables. Tastings can be arranged, whether that's a casual beer session with friends or something more considered led by staff who clearly know their way around a wine list. It's the kind of place that rewards a slow look — not just a supplier of bottles, but a resource for people trying to drink a little more curiously.

Tucked inside the Galleria Arcade off Salamanca Place, this boutique bottle shop trades almost exclusively in small-batch Tasmanian producers: wine, gin and whisky, including releases that don't reach the bigger liquor chains. A tasting bar runs alongside the retail shelves, so visitors can sit down, work through a flight by the glass, and talk to staff before deciding what to take away, rather than choosing blind off a wall of labels. That format suits Salamanca's steady flow of visitors as much as locals stocking up on a Tasmanian find. It leans toward rarer whiskies and spirits that reward a slower, more considered visit. Open from 4pm on weekdays and from 10am on Saturdays, both running until late. For anyone exploring Salamanca who wants a genuine cross-section of what Tasmania's small producers are making, rather than the handful of names that make it to the mainland, it's a worthwhile stop.

Over 100 years on Collins Street, Fullers is the kind of bookshop that still believes in the hand-sell. Staff recommendations are the point here, backed by an unusually deep knowledge of the stock. The attached Afterword Café closes at 4pm — so arrive with time to browse.

Murray Street runs through the middle of Hobart's CBD, and among its bars and diners sits a narrow specialist bottle shop built around craft beer, fine wine and small-batch spirits. The range leans heavily on Tasmanian producers and other small-batch makers rather than the mainstream labels that dominate the big chains, and staff are known for steering customers toward something specific rather than just ringing up a sale. It has picked up local recognition as one of Hobart's better bottle shops, the kind of place regulars use for a considered bottle before dinner rather than a bulk supermarket run. Open seven days, with extended hours midweek through Saturday and a shorter Sunday session. For visitors staying in the city centre, it is a walkable option for tracking down a Tasmanian drop worth taking home.

A Hobart design store on Macquarie Street, run by Lucy Given, who grew up in Tasmania, spent a working life in interior design across Melbourne, Sydney, London and Florence, and came back to open LUC. in 2013. The floor is her eye: furniture and homewares from the international design canon — Tom Dixon, Vitra, Alessi, Kartell, Herman Miller — alongside Australian names like Dinosaur Designs and Mud. The local thread is Lucasa, LUC.'s own range of homewares, art and objects made by Tasmanian artists and makers — its counterweight to the imported labels, and the reason it reads as more than a showroom.

This Hobart nursery grows a considered range of Tasmanian plants suited to sustainable, bespoke gardens, from perennials and grasses to natives and cut flower varieties. Stock spans cold hardy annuals, drought tolerant selections, shade plants and bulbs, with pieces like Californian poppy, Sea Holly and Fairy Fishing Rod available for local pickup or shipping across several states. Visits are by appointment, arranged directly by email.

In Salamanca Square, a few minutes from the docks and the Saturday market crowds, the shelves are arranged with a distinctly local logic: a Tasmaniana section deep enough to double as a reference on the state's history and landscape, a strong children's range, and a poetry shelf that outsizes what most general bookshops bother with. New titles sit alongside a modest, carefully kept secondhand section, and a stationery corner rounds out the front of the shop. It is independent and locally owned, the kind of business that offers discounts to teachers, librarians, playgroup members and Tasmanian Writers' Centre members rather than running a loyalty app. It also sponsors literary competitions and hosts events, treating itself as part of the island's arts infrastructure rather than just a retailer near the tourist strip. For visitors working through Salamanca's sandstone warehouses, it is the stop that rewards actually going inside: a shop built for people who live here and read seriously, not just for those filling a suitcase with souvenirs.

On Elizabeth Street, the maker stocks an edit that runs from knitwear and kokeshi figures to silver jewellery and vintage clothing. Current picks include Na'maka'oh tees, aclp sun hats, and Hibi incense — a narrow selection that trusts your taste enough not to over-explain itself.

On Collins Street in central Hobart, a family has run this boutique wine shop since 1986, long enough to have watched Tasmania's wine industry grow from a handful of vineyards into one of the country's most closely watched regions. The focus stays local: bottles from the state's cool-climate producers sit alongside a broader Australian and imported selection, chosen by staff who deal in the trade daily rather than rotate through it. It is the sort of shop locals rely on for a considered recommendation rather than a supermarket aisle of familiar labels, and visitors passing through the city centre can walk in without an appointment. Open weekdays only, which suits its role as a considered merchant rather than a tourist-hours bottle-o. For anyone assembling a case of Tasmanian wine to take home, or simply wanting an honest steer through the island's producers, it is a first stop in the CBD.

Graphic designer Adele runs this Patrick Street shop from a narrow Tuesday-to-Saturday window. The stock mixes solid-state cologne, copper measuring sets, sheepskin slippers and denim kids' aprons — practical objects with enough personality to pass as gifts. Small price points (cards from $6.50) make it easy to leave with something.