MACq 01: Why a stay at this historic waterfront hotel will make you appreciate Hobart in winter

Blue as a bruise and twice as cold, Hobart in winter is a true adventure — a proper excuse to sport the North Face.

Fresh though it may be, it remains a solid weekend destination, and one that’s become a routine run for ROAM once the sun dips across the year’s midsection.

To state that Hobart held appeal in winter little over a decade ago would be the musings of a madman. Or the mindset of one of those curious solo cyclists (usually German) you tend to come across on the most remote Australian roads.

And yet here we are, back in the land of the devil (Tassie) in the cooler months.

Such wintry desires are arguably held on the amelioration that’s gripped and equipped the Tasmanian capital the past 15 years. Then there’s the aligned work of MONA’s main man, arguably Tasmania’s most powerful peddler of art and tourism, David Walsh.

We’ll get to Walsh and what he’s achieved another time. What we’re here for is the warmth — literal, figurative — that not only wraps a stay at MACq 01, but which encourages a frosty Hobart sojourn.

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Built on the bones of a former wharf — a storage facility during World War I — MACq 01 doesn’t so much exist as announce itself with sharp architectural lines and interiors soaked in the myths and misdemeanours of Tasmania’s past.

Each room is dedicated to a character from the island’s sprawling, strange story — and it is a strange and at times brutal script — of convicts, bushrangers, whisky barons and the occasional benevolent scoundrel.

It’s an approach that somehow aligns certain designer charm and history fan fiction, all wrapped in white cypress and black steel.

Each of the property’s 144 rooms tells a tale, as penned on its door. Ours was that of a “colourful criminal” whose rap sheet included horse theft (and likely seduction).

Next door, a gripping narrative of escape from Port Arthur. Further along the cavernous corridor, a reclusive beekeeper who met a murderous end.

It’s a whimsical approach though it does add a sense of depth to a stay and to the storytelling entwined in the offer. And it’s very much an aspect that elevates MACq 01 given there are also literal storytellers — staff trained in Tasmanian history — who will take you on free tours through the hotel and the city, spinning yarns of Indigenous heritage, colonial horror and maritime madness.

Right, back to the room. Ours is an expansive “superior waterfront” which, as the name states, means framed views south across Constitution Dock and a wealth of natural light thanks to large floor-to-ceiling windows.

It’s all soft woods and greying palettes punched up by various flashes of teak and designer chairs and a small balcony on which to literally freshen up.

The largesse runs to the bathroom: inclusive deep standalone bath and walk-in shower, with amenity across a well-stocked minibar (from a chocolate Tassie freckle to a Hellyers Road single malt original whisky) and what’s always a welcome sight, a Nespresso machine.

Downstairs rests Old Wharf Restaurant that is open for meals across the day and which offers a dinner menu covering strong local offers, from Bruny Island oysters through to Marion Bay chicken, King Island beef fillet, Tasmanian salt & pepper squid and beyond.

The adjacent Evolve Spirits Bar is more than a tantalisingly deep offer of rums, vodkas, tequilas and surely what must be the country’s finest list of Australian and international whiskies.

All of which come poured among a collection of fossils that stretches back to the Cambrian period, that is, 500 million years ago.

For an elevated dinner, Landscape Restaurant & Grill is an award-winner led by head chef Michael Hewitt which sits opposite MACq 01. Impressive meals are served under moody lighting and amid a curated collection of Glover prize-wining artworks.

This being Hobart, decent nosh abounds and most comes within easy walk of the hotel — just rug up.

MACq 01 celebrates a 10th birthday this year, and it remains a sharp and alluring designer offer that arguably captures modern Hobart best: stylish, slightly eccentric and impossible to underestimate.

MACq 01 Hotel

18 Hunter Street, Hobart

PRICE From approx. $300 with various winter packages available

THE INSIDER There’s a genuine part of us that doesn’t wish to divulge this, but we’re not here to gatekeep.

So, when in Hobart be sure to check out Bar Wa Izakaya. It’s a locals haunt, a slightly punky bar-cum-restaurant that does damn fine things with food, including wallaby wings (yes, wallaby) we’ve walked across town for during the depths of winter.

macq01.com.au