Discover The Forest
Guided community tours
Throughout 2026, we’re hosting tours which are open to anyone interested in discovering the new education spaces and learning more about what they are enabling. To ensure an enjoyable experience, tours are limited to 20 attendees, so registrations are essential. We look forward to welcoming you.
The Forest is open to the community between 8am – 5pm on weekdays.
We invite you inside to explore and enjoy the many publicly-accessible areas.
Supporting learning into the future
Hobart’s Forestry building – now renamed The Forest – has opened as a new, inner-city hub for learning, research, collaboration and community. The $131 million restoration project is providing contemporary and accessible facilities for University of Tasmania students and staff, as well as a regenerated forest beneath the heritage dome which the community can now enjoy.
The site, which extends from Melville Street through to Brisbane Street, is equipped with highly adaptable, multi-use teaching spaces that meet the needs of students and staff in many disciplines with different teaching modes.
Students studying Business and Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Social Work are based in The Forest, along with the Tasmanian Policy Exchange, Peter Underwood Centre, University College and supporting Divisional staff teams.
The Forest was one of many suggestions made by University of Tasmania students and staff who were invited to share their ideas for the site’s future name.
“A new forest grows in the heart of the city. A living place for connection, care and regeneration – where disciplines gather and ideas take root. Everyone is welcome in The Forest. This is a place where the next generation will grow, flourish and find their ‘why’.”
Key features of The Forest
- Contemporary technology-equipped classrooms that enable and support world-class learning
- A regenerated forest beneath the heritage dome comprising 3,200 native plants
- Informal spaces where students, staff and community can connect
- A high emphasis on sustainability and innovation including a mass timber building framework and the use of low-carbon, recycled and repurposed materials
- A library with high-use collections and quiet study zones (for completion in 2026)
- End-of-trip facilities, secure bike and scooter parking
Having achieved Development Approval from Hobart City Council in 2022, architectural practice Woods Bagot’s innovative vision for the redevelopment of the site has been brought to life by the expertise of the Tasmanian branch of Hansen Yuncken. While restoration of the building is now complete, minor works are continuing as the final touches are added to the Library spaces.
Discover the living landscapes inside The Forest
A regenerated native forest isn’t the only vegetation taking root at the University of Tasmania’s newest campus building, with thousands more plants unfurling further inside.
Information for University of Tasmania students and staff
Are you a student or staff member accessing The Forest for the first time? Visit the Student Portal or Staff Intranet for everything you need to know about the campus building.
