BlaakLane.com operates chauffeur service in Hobart for HBA airport transfers, waterfront hotels at Salamanca and Sullivans Cove, cruise passengers at Macquarie Wharf, visits to MONA and longer drives to Port Arthur, Freycinet and Launceston. The fare is fixed and shown before you confirm. A vetted local affiliate drives each trip; the confirmation names the operator and chauffeur.
Why book a fixed-fare chauffeur in Hobart?
Hobart is small, but Tasmania is not, and the best of it sits one to four hours from the city on roads that rental cars and tired visitors handle badly after a long flight. A chauffeur with a fixed price lets you plan a Port Arthur day or a Freycinet transfer without watching the clock. Enter the details at /book/ and the engine returns one fare covering chauffeur, fuel and included waiting. The Toronto desk dispatches 24/7 to a vetted Hobart affiliate working to the BlaakLane.com written standard.
Film, festival and incentive programmes with several cars or a coach are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Hobart Airport (HBA)
Hobart Airport sits at Cambridge on the eastern shore, about 17 km from the city. Most flights are domestic, from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and other mainland cities, arriving at the single terminal. Standard pickup is curbside at the designated pre-arranged pickup area outside the terminal; the chauffeur texts the location when you land. A name-board meet and greet in the arrivals area is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Flights are tracked. Included waiting is 30 minutes after the actual landing on domestic flights and 60 minutes on international arrivals, then 15-minute blocks. The Hobart Airport site lists current airlines and parking. Launceston Airport in the north is the other gateway; one-way drives between the two are common.
Distances from the city
| Route | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| HBA to the CBD and waterfront | 17 km | 20-25 min |
| CBD to MONA (Berriedale) | 12 km | 15-20 min |
| CBD to kunanyi / Mount Wellington summit | 22 km | 35-45 min |
| CBD to Port Arthur Historic Site | 95 km | 1 hr 30 min |
| CBD to Freycinet (Coles Bay) | 195 km | 2 hr 45 min to 3 hr |
| CBD to Launceston | 200 km | 2 hr 30 min |
| CBD to Cradle Mountain | 300 km | 4 hr |
The Tasman Bridge over the Derwent carries almost all airport traffic, and a morning or evening peak there is the main source of delay. The fixed fare does not move with traffic.
MONA, Salamanca and the waterfront
The Museum of Old and New Art at Berriedale is the reason many people come. Visitors can drive or take the museum's ferry from Brooke Street Pier; a common plan is the ferry out and a chauffeur back, or the reverse. Salamanca Place, with its sandstone warehouses and the Saturday Salamanca Market, is the heart of the waterfront, and Battery Point rises behind it. Hotels along the water include the MACq 01, The Tasman in the Parliament Square precinct, the Henry Jones Art Hotel on Hunter Street and Hadley's Orient Hotel in the CBD. The Hotel Grand Chancellor holds the city's largest function spaces.
Cruise calls at Macquarie Wharf
Cruise ships berth at Macquarie Wharf in Sullivans Cove, walking distance from Salamanca, with the terminal building on Macquarie Wharf No. 2. The season runs roughly October to April. The largest ships sometimes cannot fit the berth and anchor in the river, tendering passengers ashore. A booked car suits a shore day to Port Arthur, Richmond's convict-era bridge or a Coal River Valley winery, returning well before all-aboard. Port details are on TasPorts. Antarctic research vessels also use Hobart; related crew logistics are on shipping crew change.
Hobart's year, by month
- Late December: the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, usually from 27 or 28 December, fills the waterfront.
- Late December to early January: The Taste of Summer food festival on the waterfront.
- January: MONA FOMA, the museum's summer music and art festival, in some years.
- February: the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, held in odd-numbered years.
- June: Dark Mofo, the midwinter arts festival, usually around the solstice.
Check the Discover Tasmania calendar for confirmed dates.
Day trips that suit a chauffeur
- Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula: the historic site, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen, a full day with the drive.
- Bruny Island: a car ferry from Kettering, about 35 minutes south of the city, with oysters and cheese on the island.
- Richmond and the Coal River Valley: 25 minutes away, easy to combine with the airport.
- Huon Valley: orchards, cideries and the Tahune area to the southwest.
- Freycinet and Wineglass Bay: best as an overnight, or a one-way transfer to an east-coast lodge.
Book these by the hour on hourly chauffeur service or as fixed one-way intercity transfers.
Driving in Tasmania
Australia drives on the left, and Tasmanian roads outside the city are mostly two-lane and winding. Wildlife is the real hazard after dusk: wallabies, wombats and possums cross in large numbers, which is why local chauffeurs slow down at night and why a professional driver is safer than a jet-lagged visitor. Snow can close the road to the kunanyi summit in winter. There are no toll roads in Tasmania.
Arriving from overseas
Most international travellers reach Hobart through a mainland airport and clear Australian immigration there. US, Canadian and many Asian passport holders need the Electronic Travel Authority from the AustralianETA app, and most European passport holders the free eVisitor; New Zealanders need neither. Tasmania runs its own biosecurity checks, even on flights from the mainland: fresh fruit and vegetables must be declared or binned on arrival. See the Department of Home Affairs for visa rules.
Which car for Hobart?
Sedans cover airport and city runs. An executive SUV suits winter trips up the mountain and long days on country roads. Standard Black SUVs and Sprinter Vans take families and wine-touring groups, and minicoaches take festival or conference parties. Partners supply Rolls-Royce, Maybach, Bentley and stretch limousines for weddings. All vehicles are four model years old or younger; see the fleet and rates. Child seats are free.
Mainland connections
Most travellers fly to Melbourne, about an hour away, or Sydney, and Adelaide has direct flights too. The Spirit of Tasmania ferry sails from Devonport in the north to Geelong, near Melbourne; Devonport is about three and a half hours' drive from Hobart. See all destinations under Australia.
Cancellation policy
No charge beyond 72 hours; 10% within 72 hours; 50% within 48 hours; 100% within 24 hours or on a no-show. Tracked flight delays are never treated as a no-show.
