Alexandra Battery

Architect: Derwent River Defence Force Network (1880s)

Alexandra Battery: A Fortress Above the Derwent

What lies hidden beneath the grass and bushland above the Derwent?

Step into Alexandra Battery and discover a remarkable piece of Hobart’s military history, set within one of the city’s most spectacular landscapes.

Built in the 1880s and completed in 1885, Alexandra Battery formed part of the network of coastal defences established to protect the River Derwent and the growing city of Hobart.

Today, much of the military complex remains hidden in the landscape. Explore the tunnels, storerooms and fortifications and imagine the soldiers who once occupied this strategic site, watching the river and waiting for a threat that never came.

Then step back outside and discover a very different side of the Battery. Now a public park, the site offers sweeping views across timtumili minanya/the River Derwent, from the Tasman Bridge and Hobart city to the South Arm and the estuary beyond. The Battery was transferred to Hobart City Council in 1962 and opened as a public park two years later.

Come and have a look, explore the hidden spaces and walk through the landscape where military history and everyday recreation now sit side by side.

And don’t forget to look out across the river. The view is part of the story too.

Open: Sat 7 Nov, 10.00am – 4.00pm