Hobart’s Cadbury Visitor Centre
To me it felt a little like visiting an opium den – one where I was greeted by a cut-out of the Caramello koala. Perhaps as a woman battling 12 extra kilograms of baby weight and a recent gestational diabetic it was unwise of me to visit the production site of my one true weakness. We were however in Hobart, the home of a Cadbury Chocolate Factory and I couldn’t resist a visit to the Cadbury Visitor Centre. My eldest son has his sights set on being a chocolate maker when he grows up so I told myself I was taking one for the team.
I blame my much loved and missed grandmother for my addiction. As a child, when she visited from interstate she would hide Freddo Frogs for me in the pot plants while I slept. In the morning, when I woke and found them she would tell me that fairies had left them for me overnight. As a three year old it twigged that the fairies only visited me when my grandmother was in town. The penny didn’t drop however that that she was the chocolate fairy. Rather, it strengthened my view of her as wonderful and magic – and the fairies knew this – they followed her around after-all. Perhaps because Cadbury is associated with happy memories from early childhood I can’t say no to their dairy milk chocolate. Consequently, it is banned from our home most of the year as I just don’t trust my willpower.
The Cadbury Visitor Centre
If I was expecting magic at the Cadbury Visitor Centre, or my son was expecting a Willy Wonka style experience we didn’t get it. What we did get was, for $4 (our kids were free) was a welcome bag with a little bit of chocolate making info, and an informative half hour presentation from a lovely lady veteran Cadbury employee. Oh, and we also gained access to the Cadbury factory shop that was overflowing with cheaper than usual temptation.
Despite the visit lacking in magic it wasn’t a waste of time. Rather it was an interesting looksee into the world of large scale manufacturing. Six hundred Hobart residents are employed at the factory, which has been operating in Hobart’s Claremont since 1922. Originally a British company, Cadbury is now owned by U.S.A company Kraft. The presentation involved us tasting the raw products, and chocolate in various stages of production. Unfortunately visitors are not allowed onto the factory floor. A visit to the Cadbury Visitor Centre is worthwhile if you are spending more than a few days in Hobart with kids. Plan to spend about an hour there to allow you to browse the shop and examine the nostalgic pieces that are on display. Some of the old Cadbury television commercials that show in the centre are priceless.
The Cadbury Visitor Centre
Last year, then opposition leader Tony Abbott promised a bucket load of money to Cadbury to spend on the Visitor Centre. Since he became prime minister the promise hasn’t been honored. I do hope it comes through though – it would not take much to develop the centre into an excellent tourist site that supports local, if overseas owned manufacturing.
The Cadbury Factory and Visitor Centre is located at 100 Cadbury Road, Claremont Tasmania.
Opening hours:
Open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 4.00pm November to April.
Open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3.30pm May to October.
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