This is the kind of place that should be in NoHo, or Battery Point, or the CBD even... but not down…read morein Uni Row! Maybe I'm biased as a NoHo regular, but schlepping down to Sandy Bay just for some GREY and FELT good times makes me a sad panda. Having said that, G&F is one of those beautifully curated shops that you want to photograph, and one where you kind of fear looking at the price tags. Having said that, I finally headed into G&F after finding out that they're Hobart's only stockist of Shanghai Suzy lipsticks, which are amazingly cheap for what they are, at only $12.95 a pop for a crazily pigmented nourishing lippie in exceptional on-trend colours. As it turns out, I also happened to first visit the week of G&F's first anniversary. No anniversary sale, so I managed to purchase my lipsticks and escape back out of there... mentally adding a few things to my wishlist as I went.

I grew up in a country town, where the CWA ladies had a real presence. Whether they were running…read moreevents or fixing things or making things better or just smashing the cake section at the local show every year, everyone knew all about the CWA. In big cities they don't have a presence, really, because CWA stands for COUNTRY Women's Association. However, Hobart isn't really a big city. It pretends to be. And for locals, it sure is! But travel to any other state capital in Australia and you'll probably be a bit overwhelmed if Hobart's all you know as a Big City. However, there are so many joys that come with Hobart's weird in-between city state, and one of those is right here: the CWA Gift Shop. It's cash only ("because the bank takes money from you for every card transaction!" how rude) and full of incredible hand-made goods, from crocheted throws to jams to beanies to cakes to everything your grandmother's talents extend to. And they've been in this exact spot since 1951. My current favourite thing to do is, whenever I'm feeling slightly or dramatically under the weather, drop in here and get myself a treat. My mum and my grandmothers all live interstate but the CWA ladies step in as my surrogates for a bit of heartwarming TLC for the mind and tummy, and it's pretty wonderful. Oh, and also: pineapple tea cosies.

Here's a hidden little gem. The Country Women's Association shop is great - with a mouth-watering…read moreselection of cakes, biscuits, slices, pickles, jams and relishes made fresh by ladies (and men perhaps - despite the title) in the surrounding country areas and brought in to be sold in this city shop. The ladies in charge informed me the vast majority of the baked goods on display were made fresh that morning. Each product - be it a sponge cake, tray of biscuits or jars of jams and relishes - is numbered, with the number corresponding to the lady who made them (it's all anonymous, only the ladies who run the shop know the secret identities of each cook). The shop takes a 25% cut of any takings with the baker/jam maker/knitter getting the rest. They also have loads of knitwear - from tea cosies to jumpers for kiddies - all of it first rate and all of it at great prices.

Tusk is one of those wonderful places filled with things you probably don't need but you…read moredesperately want. My wallet feels a growing sense of danger every time I even glance in the direction of this store, and yet I have managed to make it out sans purchase... a couple of times. Find beautiful candles, homewares, decorations, lamps, clocks, stationery, and those novelty gifts that you often can't resist even though they may just end up collecting dust. Get them anyway. YOLO.

One of my two favourite stores at Salamanca, the Maker is full of really beautiful handcrafted…read moreitems. From terrarium kits to winter woollies to stunning dresses to pieces of jewellery, here you will find something unique and worthy of treasuring forever, either as a momento of your holiday in Tasmania (if you're visiting) or a reinforcement of why Tasmania is the best state in Australia (if this is home).

LOVE LOVE LOVE the range! When they said they do more than just foam, they weren't pissing on my…read moreleg and calling it rain! True blue Aussie legends, serving up true blue Aussie foam (and so much more). My only criticism is that I couldn't get my foam needs fulfilled on a Sunday morning. But I guess even heroes need a day off. Me and my wife Michelle can only sing praises (except our one complaint) for this wonderful, local landmark - servicing this great country! - Barack

The Drill Hall is a stunning space to wander through but ouch, those prices. Definitely a…read morelook-but-don't-touch place for my kind of budget, but if I had daddy's credit card in my wallet I'd be buying some choice pieces to bring a bit of history into my home. Everything in the store is curated well and chosen for their style exactly. This high-ceilinged space is perfect for a spot of home inspiration, if not shopping.

Hey Wittner, I love you. Wittner shoes are pretty much always fabulous, but just as fabulous as the…read moreshoes is the service I get in the Hobart store. I was on a sandal mission for the first time in a LONG time a couple of weeks ago and had fallen a bit in love with a pair while browsing Wittner's online store, so I headed into the CBD to try them on and try to talk myself out of buying them. Instead I ended up getting them put on hold for 24hrs and when I arrived back the next day to pick them up, there was a 25% discount promotion that had been applied to them (and a bunch of others in the store) overnight. The best kind of magic. The only trouble I have with this store is trying to stay away from it. Yeesh.

In the middle of ongoing renovations, the Cat & Fiddle is still popping out shiny new stores left,…read moreright and centre. With two levels of shopping, the arcade manages to encompass a good block of the CBD, linking Collins St, Murray St, Liverpool St and the Elizabeth mall through its belly. A number of the Cat & Fiddle shops will allow you to walk through from a shopfront on any of these streets to the arcade itself--being a newcomer to Hobart, more than once I've casually sauntered through an unassuming store to find myself in the middle with the fiddle. My favourite of the shiny new stores in the arcade is Tasmania's first T2 shop, on the corner of the shiniest and newest end of the arcade at Collins St. Tasmania's only JB Hi-Fi is downstairs (with another entry from Collins St, a few shopfronts down from T2). There's a huge Priceline (I think this is also accessible from Elizabeth Mall) and a Target (definitely has a second shopfront on Elizabeth Mall), jewellers and shoe shops and clothing and more. The cat & fiddle (which came first, the arcade's name or these guys...?) still remain on the wall, of course, so keep an eye out for them.