OZ BABY BOOMERS: TRAVEL

I must admit that I was rather pleased to hear that Hobart’s Hadleys Hotel is not only alive and kicking but that it has been undergoing a significant expansion that will add 128 suites to the existing 71.

Having lived in Hobart for some 10 years, I have quite a soft spot for this historic CBD watering hole which opened in the 1830s and has certainly had its moments.

It was, after all, where Roald Amundsen, the great Norwegian polar explorer, put up his feet when he landed in Hobart to announce to the world his feat of being the first person to reach the South Pole.

And it has managed to survive some quite bizarre treatment from various of its owners, including one who couldn’t sell the property ... and so raffled it to his patrons.

Can you imagine. “Hi dear. I’m home. Guess what? I just won the pub.” Sure beats a frozen chook or a meat tray.

The $30 million extension is scheduled for completion in August this year and will also include an à la carte restaurant and café, new conference facilities and a new grand ballroom that will sit quite comfortably with the hotel’s heritage theme.

The old stables complex will retain its stone walls and timber beams when it comes out of mothballs as a wedding centre.

“The new suites will feature turn-key facilities to connect adjacent rooms. One room will be configured much like a traditional hotel room while the other will have self-contained facilities including a kitchenette.

“The two rooms, once conjoined will become a small apartment and be perfect for families.

“Individual suites will have plasma TVs in the lounge and the bathrooms as well as touch-screen lighting, wireless broadband and environmentally friendly air-con.

“The new suites in Hadleys will cost from $229 per couple per night for a room with a city and harbour view. The views extend over the top of Parliament House to Hobart’s marinas and to the Derwent Bridge.

“The ninth-floor, two-storey penthouse — with exterior deck, hot tub and 63 square metres of floor space — will cost from $900 per night.”

I’m also very pleased to hear that Katrina Little — who I remember from my Tasmanian days as the front half of an excellent Italian eatery called Prego — has resurfaced in Hobart as manager of Hadleys after a stint in Melbourne.

“It is so great to be back in Hobart,” she said . “And Hadleys is just the most wonderful, grand and endearing property to be involved with.”

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