Running in Hobart

Hobart's most distinctive point to point option uses the passenger ferry that runs between Brooke Street Pier in the city and MONA at Berriedale on the Derwent's eastern bank. Rather than treating the waterfront to MONA route as a straightforward out and back, many local runners use the ferry to turn it into a genuine one way session, running out along the river in one direction and catching the boat back into the city, or starting the day the other way around. Because the ferry runs on a regular timetable, it is easy to plan a run around a specific departure without much guesswork.

This approach suits visitors especially well, since it removes the need to double back over the same path and turns a training run into a small sightseeing trip along the Derwent at the same time. The ferry itself has become part of Hobart's cultural identity thanks to its striking industrial design, so finishing a run by boarding it rather than retracing your steps on foot is as much a novelty as a practical shortcut. On a clear day, the views back toward the city and kunanyi from the water are worth the trip on their own, even before accounting for the tired legs it saves on the return leg.

South of Hobart, Bruny Island is reachable by a short vehicle ferry from Kettering and has become a favourite day trip destination for local trail runners looking for something wilder than the city trails. The island is best known among runners for hosting the Bruny Island Ultra Marathon, but its appeal extends well beyond race day, with quiet coastal roads, beach sections around the Neck, and trails through South Bruny National Park available year round. The crossing itself takes well under half an hour, and combined with the drive down from Hobart, a Bruny Island run is a realistic half day outing rather than a major expedition.

What makes Bruny distinct from the trails directly behind Hobart is the coastal wilderness feel, with long stretches where you are unlikely to see another runner and views across the channel back toward the Tasmanian mainland. Because the island is genuinely remote in parts, most visitors treat it as a supported trip rather than a solo outing, carrying enough water and letting someone know the planned route. For Hobart runners who have already covered the cityside trails, Bruny Island is usually the next place they look for something new.