A short distance north of Hobart are the wonderful Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, the second oldest in Australia, founded in 1818 by colonial governor William Sorell.

One of the most exciting and unusual collections at the Gardens is the Australian Antarctic Foundation Subantarctic Plant House. Nestled inside a small, specially constructed building, there is no other collection like it, anywhere in the world. Here, plants from subantarctic islands, and in particular Macquarie Island, are displayed in a climatically controlled environment, where chilly fogs and mists mirror the wet, cold conditions of their island homes.

The Gardens also houses a striking monument to French exploration of the southern oceans. Created in 1972 by Tasmanian sculptor Stephen Walker, the French Memorial Fountain is surrounded by gardens containing Tasmanian species such as those that would have been encountered by early botanists and voyagers who visited Van Diemens Land.

The Gardens also feature collections of Tasmanian plants, which include examples of tree ferns, deciduous beech, sassafrass and scoparia which are all direct botanical connections to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana.

Next door to the Botanical Gardens is Tasmania's Government House. Just within the Government House grounds (not open to the public) are the remains of 'Rossbank', the sandstone magnetic observatory built in 1840 by Sir John Franklin's government and men from the visiting British Antarctic Expedition of 1839-1843 led by James Clark Ross.

If you have a fast broadband internet connection, you can also view the media-rich version of this Pathways site, which includes an audio narrative and slideshow.