Richmond sits thirty minutes northeast of Hobart along the B31, making it an easy drive through the rolling Coal River Valley. The town is known for its intact 1820s Georgian streetscapes, Australia's oldest surviving stone bridge, and the surrounding cool-climate wine producers. Richmond is worth visiting if you appreciate colonial sandstone architecture, convict heritage sites, and leisurely vineyard lunches. Look elsewhere if you want late-night bars, coastal surf, or rugged wilderness hikes on your doorstep.
Last updated 22 Sept 2026
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Richmond functions at the steady cadence of a Georgian country village. Mornings belong to the bakery on Bridge Street for hot curried scallop pies before the day-trippers arrive from Hobart. The centre is compact and completely walkable, bordered by convict-cut sandstone, willow trees, and the calm Coal River. It suits independent travellers who appreciate unhurried afternoons, local history, and cellar doors within walking distance of town.
Start early at Richmond Gaol before tour groups arrive, then cross the 1825 stone bridge while the morning light hits the water. Walk up Bridge Street for morning tea, followed by a cellar-door lunch of local pinot noir and farmhouse cheeses at Pooley Wines on the village edge. Finish with a pint by the hearth at the Richmond Arms. Select 1 Day above to see it.
Spend your second morning exploring Bathurst Street antique shops and the 1836 St John Church. Drive five minutes north along the Coal River to Campania for orchard fruit and farmhouse tastings. Settle in for a long vineyard lunch overlooking the vines at Frogmore Creek, where cool-climate riesling pairs with Tasmanian seafood. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
A third day allows an easy drive into Hobart for the morning waterfront before returning to the valley. Take the back roads toward Colebrook for quiet farm stands, then spend the late afternoon with a picnic along the Coal River banks, listening to the ducks under the willows while the sun turns the old sandstone gold.
Coal River Valley pinot noir, chardonnay, and riesling poured at cellar doors along Richmond Road like Pooley and Frogmore Creek.
Golden sandstone cottages along Bridge Street, St John the Evangelist Church, and the six-arch convict bridge completed in 1825.
Inspect the solitary cells and flogging yard at the 1825 Richmond Gaol, then cross the Coal River to the Old Post Office.
Scallop pies baked with curried gravy, traditional vanilla slices, and handmade fudge from the sweet shops on Bridge Street.
Local timber craft, antique silver, hand-thrown ceramics, and vintage bookshops lining the leafy footpaths of Bathurst Street.
Fresh cherries, apricots, farmhouse cheeses, and sheep milk ice cream sold directly from orchards along the valley floor.
Single malt whisky, barrel-aged gin, and fruit liqueurs distilled in nearby farm sheds and tasted in village tasting rooms.
Flat gravel paths tracing the banks of the Coal River, leading beneath weeping willows and across the historic sandstone span.
Australia's oldest surviving Roman Catholic church, St John the Evangelist, built in 1836 overlooking the town commons.
Pints of Tasmanian pale ale, local cider, and counter meals beside the open fire in the 1834 Richmond Arms Hotel.
Shaded riverside lawns, heritage rose gardens behind stone walls, and picnic benches under the willows along the riverbank.
Quick twenty-minute excursions south to Hobart's waterfront or east towards the olive groves and cellar doors of Campania.