Hobart Real Tennis Club

One of only 50 real tennis courts in the world — the original 16th-century sport, still played in Hobart

Address 45 Davey Street, Hobart
Opening Hours Open viewing by arrangement; matches most weekends
Admission Free to watch with prior arrangement

A wonderfully odd building on Davey Street that houses one of the few real tennis courts in the Southern Hemisphere. From the outside it looks like a small Victorian warehouse; inside is a high, dim, asymmetric room with a sloping stone floor, a 3-metre-high net, a wall of black-painted timber, and a fishing-net-style "dedans" gallery for spectators. Members play with hand-stitched cork balls and lopsided wooden racquets that look like medieval relics.

The club is friendly to visitors who phone ahead — they will happily show you the court and explain the rules, and you can watch matches most Saturday mornings. A unique survival.

things to do sight
A story
Real tennis — the medieval European racquet sport from which modern lawn tennis evolved — is played on only around 50 courts worldwide. Hobart's court was built in 1875 by a wealthy bachelor named Samuel Smith Travers, who imported the timber from England and never married, leaving the court to the city in his will. The rules involve serving off a roof, a sloping floor, and netting around the gallery; matches can take an entire afternoon.