A surprise Australian tourism attraction has been named as travellers’ No.1 favourite in our region after thousands of reviews.
The Hobart Convict Penitentiary has been named at the top of Tripadvisor’s 2025 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best awards for Australia and the South Pacific.
The old jail, which is run by National Trust Tasmania, beat more globally famous Australian spots such as the Sydney Opera House and Perth’s Kings Park and Botanic Gardens, to seal the top spot.
Tripadvisor said its awards celebrated the highest level of excellence in travel. Nods went to attractions that had a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews based on the opinions of reviewers over the past year.
“Out of our eight million listings, fewer than 1 per cent achieve this milestone,” it said.
The National Trust said the result was a huge honour for its small volunteer-led team.
“This is a true privilege, and one we don’t take lightly,” National Trust Tasmania manager of southern properties Jim Ward said.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see Tasmania making such a strong impact on the national and international stage. We’re deeply honoured by this recognition, but most of all, we’re proud of the dedicated volunteers who make it all possible.”
The Hobart Convict Penitentiary was built in the early 1830s to accommodate the growing number of convicts arriving in Tasmanian. It eventually housed more than 75,000 convicts before being used for other purposes such as Hobart’s Old Gaol and Supreme Court.
These days, visitors can view tunnels, solitary cells, courtrooms and gallows, as well as a new Convict Memorial, across the 8000-square-metre site.
The attraction scored 4.7 stars out of five from nearly 1700 reviews, with visitors describing it as a “raw and realistic look into the past of our convicts and Hobart’s ancestors”. There was also praise for guides.
“They are the reason we keep coming up trumps,” Ward said.
“They are our greatest asset, and this award belongs to them.”
Kings Park, which took out the 2o24 title, was second this year. It had a rating of 4.8 out from 12,500 reviews.
The list was dominated by Australian attractions with the Sydney Opera House (4.7, 25,000 reviews), Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens(4.7, 11,000 reviews) and New Zealand’s Te Papa Museum (4.7, 14,000 reviews) rounding out the top five.
“To be named No. 1 in the South Pacific, above some of the most iconic attractions in the world, is something truly special,” Ward said,.
“A heartfelt thank you to all our visitors who took the time to leave a review on Tripadvisor, this award wouldn’t have been possible without your support.”
Further afield, the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, Spain, was named the world’s No.1 attraction this year – and recognised as “one landmark you must visit”.
The Eiffel Tower, NASA Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex, Louvre Museum and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat made up the rest of the top five.
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