Local Person: Katie Robertson

by James Marten

From Rosehaven to Five Bedrooms, actor Katie Robertson is a familiar face on Australian screens – and increasingly, a creative force behind the camera.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now? I grew up on Paredarerme country and I’m lucky enough to still call it home. My husband and I live in a converted shed. A “shouse”, if you will!

Readers will likely have seen you in TV shows such as Five Bedrooms and Rosehaven. What are you working on next? I’ve spent the last couple of years exploring roles behind the camera. I have a TV show in development with Endemol Shine Australia and a short film I’ve written and directed that will make its way out into the world next year. I was also the Showrunners’ Associate on Deadloch season two, coming to Amazon Prime early next year which I’m practically peeing with excitement about. But yes, more TV is always in the works. I think where I’m at in my life right now I’m slightly more selective (as much as I can be). It has to be the right project and more importantly, the right people.

You’re featuring in this summer’s Shakespeare in the Garden season, in Much Ado About Nothing. What can the audience expect from the performance? I love Much Ado. It’s brilliantly funny and features my favourite romantic sparring partners in Beatrice and Benedick, but it also carries a surprising undercurrent of darkness and consequence. That balance is what makes it feel so juicy and alive. I think it’s shockingly topical. But don’t worry, predominantly audiences can expect to be thoroughly entertained, there’s plenty of wit, romance and mischief and if we’re lucky maybe the story can linger beyond the garden gates and spark a few robust conversations on the drive home. We’re approaching the production with a lot of joy, and if nothing else, I hope that sense of play and generosity is something the audience really feels.

Is it different preparing for a role played outdoors? Aside from having to take a Telfast before rehearsals, not really!

How does being in Tasmania affect your work – both in the roles you take and the life you lead outside work? I’m a Tassie girl through and through. I don’t want to live anywhere else. But in order to sustain a career, realistically, it means leaving the state for parts of the year. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to make a home here, a base I can always come back to during the inevitable quiet periods between jobs. But I’d love to work here more. Part of the reason I’ve extended my craft to behind the camera is because it’s very important to me to contribute to our local screen industry in a more substantial way. I want to help create an industry where younger actors and crew have the option to build viable careers without having to leave home.

What’s something you wish more people knew about what you do? Maybe how un-glamorous it actually is.

Who do you admire? Palliative care nurses. They are made of special stuff.

Favourite podcast or tv show? I listen to Good Hang with Amy Poehler weekly. Actually, I lie. I watch the podcast. Because that’s a thing that apparently we’re doing now.

Secret vice? I don’t know about vice, or secret, but there’s nothing quite like hitting up the 24 hour Kmart in New Town after hours.

What are you reading now? I’ve just finished A Catalogue of Love by Tassie writer Erin Hortle. I adored it. Actually I want to talk to her about making that a movie so if anyone knows her and can reach out please tell her I’m a fan and we should have coffee!

What was your first job? I worked at Subway in North Hobart. The smell still haunts me.

What are your daily news/social media habits? I deleted Instagram and Facebook about five months ago and haven’t looked back. We have an old radio my husband turns on in the mornings to get our daily dose of the news but that’s about it.

Your favourite place for…

Breakfast: Ooooh. This is tough and you can’t make me choose just one. I’d go for either a morning bun from Pigeon Hole, a croissant from Six Russell or the hot cake from Born in Brunswick.

Lunch: Bream Creek Vineyard Cellar Door for a Tongola goat’s cheese board and a glass (okay, bottle) of their Pinot Gris.

Dinner: Da Angelo in Battery Point. Their food is like a hug. And Angelo and his team’s service is unmatched.

Dream holiday destination? I want to take my son to Japan during Cherry Blossom season.

Favourite Tasmanian secret? You can buy a dozen fresh oysters from the Dunalley servo.

Parting words? Book your tickets to Shakespeare in the Gardens! Bring a blanket, a bottle of your fave wine and some snacks. It’s going to be magical.

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Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces- June 2026

Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces – May 2026

Bits and Pieces- May 2026

Stay up to date with everything happening at the Hobart Magazine.

Worker shortage is currently universal, there isn’t an industry that’s exempt. For Kelvin Smith, four years ago he decided there was a very obvious solution to the shortage facing the construction industry, and all that was needed was a little time, empathy and a helping hand. Integrate Workforce is a Hobart-based labour company with one requirement: a refugee/ migrant background. He’s also the outdoor piano man in his free time.

Landscape artist and creative Elliott Nimmo is enjoying discovering Hobart’s vibrant art scene and local environment after relocating here from London to pursue his art.

Even though Tasmania is known for its mild summers, it doesn’t take much to get sunburnt. Tasmania experiences extreme ultraviolet (UV) levels, but contrary to popular belief this isn’t due to the hole in the ozone layer, which is actually south of the continent.While higher UV levels often occur at the same time as higher temperatures, the two are not linked. Instead, UV levels are determined by the angle of the sun in the sky: the higher the sun, the higher the UV. In December and January, the position of the sun over Tasmania gives the state a UV index of 11 or more on most days, which is classified as “extreme” on the UV index. Tasmania’s lack of humidity and generally clear skies contribute to the stinging feeling of the sun. UV can reflect off buildings and water, making it possible to get a higher dose of UV from these reflected rays, even in the shade.

Setting up shop during a pandemic was a risky move, but if the crowd at Dāna Eating House (Dāna) on a Friday night is anything to go by, it’s one that’s paid off. With tables of diners chatting and laughing over drinks, the music and conversation buzzes off the monstera-leaf-green walls. Low-hanging rattan lights and worn wooden floorboards give the newly opened South-East Asian fusion venue in Hobart’s CBD a relaxed vibe.

A Holyman flagged ship hasn’t steamed up the River Derwent since 1984 but the company’s name still proudly adorns its former offices at 5 Morrison Street, Hobart.

Widening the Tasman Bridge to allow 3.5 metres on each side is a big win for walkers and cyclists.

Need a laugh? Check out @theinspiredunemployed feed on Instagram.

Rain, hail and shine, the school crossing guards are always there to help with a smile on their face.

It’s hard to believe it’s not standard practice to have a working phone in every aged care room - shared phones make private conversations impossible and increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Just when you think your cousins are alright. NZ Opposition Leader Judith Collins took aim at Tassie during her recent (unsuccessful) campaign, calling us Australia’s “poor cousin.” She also seems worried about us nabbing tech businesses, “It’s a lovely part of the world but do you necessarily want to go there with your high- tech business? Possibly not,” she said. We beg to differ!