Old White Gums Above Hobart

Overview

Knocklofty Reserve is a bushland reserve on the slopes above West Hobart and Mt Stuart, only a few kilometres from central Hobart. It covers 144 hectares of open forest and rising ground, giving it a distinctly close-to-the-city feel while still reading as real native bushland. The reserve sits in Hobart’s foothills, overlooking the city and linking into the broader band of protected bushland around the urban edge.

Highlights

What stands out here is the way the reserve lifts quickly from the suburbs into open eucalypt forest with broad views across Hobart and the Derwent estuary. The setting feels airy and exposed in places, with the city below, kunanyi rising beyond, and the reserve’s slopes and summit giving the landscape a strong sense of shape.

Knocklofty is also notable for its old-growth white gums, which survive here as an uncommon remnant in a landscape that has otherwise changed heavily since early European settlement. That combination of mature trees, dry forest and elevated outlooks gives the reserve much of its character.

Best Time to Visit

Spring and early summer are especially rewarding, when the forest is active with birds and eucalypts are in flower. Summer also brings the chance of seeing swift parrots feeding on blue gum and black gum blossom before they return to breed in Tasmania. After rain, or in the cool edges of the day, the wetland areas are a good reminder that this dry-looking hillside also supports frog habitat.

Autumn and winter can be a lovely time to be here as well, particularly when cooler weather brings clearer air and the reserve’s views feel sharper across the city and river.

Plants and Animals

The reserve is dominated by Tasmanian white peppermint, with substantial areas of Tasmanian blue gum as well as smaller patches of stringybark and black peppermint. Its vegetation is varied for a relatively compact urban reserve, including several dry and wet eucalypt forest and woodland communities.

Knocklofty supports native plants and animals, including some threatened or endangered species. Six of Tasmania’s 11 frog species have been recorded here, and the wetland and pond areas are among the more distinctive wildlife features. In the warmer months, swift parrots may move through the forest feeding on blossom, while the reserve’s significant old white gums remain one of its most important natural values.

Culture and Heritage

Knocklofty has a long visual and cultural association with Hobart. In 1831, when the hill was known as Woodmans Hill, John Glover climbed up from town to paint from this high ground, and the features captured in that early Tasmanian landscape are still recognisable today. That history helps explain why the reserve feels so closely tied to the shape and identity of the city below it.