Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, Australia, derives its name from Robert Hobart, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies from 1812 to 1816. The naming honored his role in developing Van Diemen's Land, as Tasmania was then known, particularly in establishing settlements and expanding infrastructure.
In 1803, the British established a penal colony at Sullivan Cove on the River Derwent. A year later, Lieutenant-Governor David Collins relocated the settlement to a more defensible site with better fresh water access on the eastern shore. He christened the new settlement "Hobart Town" in recognition of Robert Hobart's contributions to colonial administration.
The name "Hobart Town" remained in official use until the early 1900s, when it was shortened to simply "Hobart." Today, the city stands as Tasmania's political and economic hub, its name a lasting tribute to a British statesman who never set foot on the island.