HBA: Hobart Qantas Club

Hobart Qantas Club

NEWS: Renovations of the QantasClub at Hobart are complete, and the Hobart Qantasclub is now accessed after security. Food has marginally improved, with better offerings in the evening, and the lounge is also open later.

Ah, the brand new Hobart Qantasclub lounge. Which looks quite remarkably like the older Qantas Club Hobart, but the door has moved.

And that's because it has, and that's pretty much all that has happened in the past 20 years, except for a few extra chairs around reception.

The door now opens into the main airport lounge, rather than the small area before security, which it did before, and this is a major change following the redevelopment of the airport, and accordingly you can hang around in it until your flight; alas, the old plan of using it as a bar to meet Tassie friends is no more.

Hobart Qantas Club

To find the lounge, go through security, turn right, weave around the chairs beside the Italian deli and trattoria (!) and it is the rather bland looking corridor in front of you. Down the corridor, there is a sliding glass door into the main lounge area, and a reception desk on the left. The friendly staff here also have to replenish the bar, so quite often aren't at the desk when you enter, but they have a very very good memory of who they have let in - and who they haven't.

Finding a seat in the Hobart Qantas Club is either very easy - because it is deserted - or a nightmare - before the last flight of the day. At these times, if there is a seat by reception where there is a kind of overspill seating area, take it.

In the centre of the 'circle' there are racks of chairs, and a strange alcove to the right with a standard lamp.

Hobart Qantas Club

Alas, this is where the only plug socket is to recharge your mobile, and there are always a queue of people waiting to unplug the lamp for a little charge.

In the middle of the lounge are a rack of high tables and stools. From here you can see the whole lounge - and everyone can see you come to that. In front of these are what can only be called Opera seats, and finally at the window is a rack of four 2+2 seats and tables. These are by the far the most popular.

On the right is a kind of alcove, with a TV on, normally on ABC News 24 now the Tassie TV channels are in decline. To get here you almost have to clamber over the other seats to get to sit and watch the telly.

There is one final bit of the lounge to 'explore': there is a large and comprehensive Business Centre by reception.

Hobart Qantas Club

Food

Food has recently been improved in the Hobart Qantas Club, but still remains somewhat poorer than in the large lounges at Sydney and Melbourne.

There is a large salad trough, and what a salad there is!

There is cheese, ham, dips, potato, peppers, and sometimes a wonderful mushroom thing which comes highly recommended.

Sometimes there is a Greek theme, with a Greek salad and feta, plus stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs (called Dolmathakia).

Hobart Qantas Club

There are nuts, rolls, cheesy twiglets things... more than enough food before the one hour hop to Melbourne.

There is also hot soup, although the flavour tends to remain unchanged for weeks.

Bar

The bar is pretty good too - if only because you can serve yourself.

Wine is very good, with three good whites, plus a sparkling Kiwi wine. Three reds are on the counter.

There is a lot of local Tasmanian beer (Cascade & Boags) in the fridge, plus 50 lashes, and oddly Hann Super Dry, and 5 seeds cider.

Spirits are well catered for, with a dozen bottles of Gin, Whisky, etc on the shelf above the red wine. There is Jack Daniels, Chivas Regal, Beefeater Ginn, Finlandia Vodka, Southern comfort, and even a very dusty bottle of Kahlua.

Bathrooms

There are toilets in the lounge, but they are very tiny.

Hobart QantasClub

Indeed, when going in, you have to be careful not to barge into anyone when you open the door.

There are no showers.

Business Facilities

The Business Centre is in a 'wedge' of the circle by reception, but it is almost better equipped than the one in Melbourne.

Hobart Qantas Club

There are two computers, printer, separate fax, even old fashioned telephones, and a 'meeting table' you can reserve, although quite why you'd want to when it has two seats and is wedged in the centre is beyond anyone using it.

There is of course free wifi in the lounge, and there is a good newspaper rack, on the left of the entrance, separating the bathrooms.

Access

The main problem with the Qantas Club at Hobart Airport is that it shuts way too early. Although you can access the Qantasclub HBA with a club card on a Jetstar flight, the club closes with the last Qantas flight.

This is normally earlier.

Hobart QantasClub

Things have got a little better now there is a 'proper' Qantas flight at just gone 5pm, but if you are on the later Jetstar flight, which also carries a Qantas code, you are so out of luck.