Overview
Discover a gourmet paradise, where people live with the land and sea and there is a natural flow from paddock to plate.
The island’s dramatic scenery and compact size is filled with variety, and it’s the perfect place to explore your own way. Tasmania’s countless natural attractions – from the wonders of Wineglass Bay to the pristine wilderness of Cradle Mountain– are all within easy reach of the island’s two biggest cities, Hobart and Launceston.
Things to do
- Tasmania’s welcoming capital city, Hobart, is pressed between a mountain and a river, and provides a diverse range of city activities and experiences. Wander among the city’s beautiful sandstone colonial architecture, drive to the summit of Mount Wellington for the best of Hobart’s views and dine on Tasmania’s famously fresh produce in any number of outstanding restaurants.
- Wildlife parks across Tasmania offer opportunities to see the state’s emblematic Tasmanian devil. Take a night tour at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, 30 minutes drive north of Hobart, and you’ll get to feed the devils in a tug-of-war game; or join a Devil Tracker Tour at the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo on the Tasman Peninsula (about a one-hour drive south-east of Hobart) to help monitor wild populations.
- The most famous of Tasmania’s multitude of mountains is Cradle Mountain, a dramatic cliff-lined peak rising from the shores of Dove Lake in the state’s north-west. View it from the six kilometre (3.7 mile) Dove Lake Circuit walking track or, if you’re feeling energetic, climb to Marions Lookout for a stunning view over mountain and lake.
- A short walk from the car park at Freycinet National Park brings you to a lookout platform above the flawless white curve of Wineglass Bay on the eastern Freycinet Peninsula (three hours drive north-east of Hobart). From here, walk down to the beach and feel the sand between your toes. You’ll probably meet a kangaroo or two on the beach and see dolphins playing in the water.
- Seafood can come no fresher than this, as you take a boat from Hobart’s docks for a banquet pulled straight from the ocean on a Tasmanian Seafood Seduction trip run by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. On this day-long tour, towards the coast of southern Bruny Island, you’ll harvest oysters straight from a farm’s leases and feast on crayfish and abalone caught by your local guide. The produce is barbecued right on the boat and paired with matching local wines.
- Hobart’s amazing, subterranean Museum of Old and New Art, or MONA, is a heady combination of art and architecture. A multi-tiered labyrinth cut into sandstone cliffs in the city’s northern suburbs, this world-class gallery has a collection of art designed to provoke, with a range of dining and drinking options including an onsite vineyard and brewery.
- World Heritage-listed penitentiary buildings around Tasmania tell the story of almost 50 years of harsh convict life in the 19th century. Australia’s most notorious convict settlement sits in the beautiful coastal setting of Port Arthur, a one hour drive south-east of Hobart. If you’re feeling brave, stick around for the nightly ghost tour.
- One look at cute Stanley, on Tasmania’s northwest coast, is usually enough to inspire love at first sight. This colourful and welcoming fishing town huddles at the base of a curious rectangular hill named the Nut. It’s the plug of a former volcano. Little penguins waddle ashore each night across long Godfreys Beach.
Places to go
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Hobart & South
Stroll along the waterfront. Wander through the galleries and boutiques in the historic Georgian warehouses of...
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Launceston & North
A vibrant food scene, plenty of cool-climate wine and adventure in bucketloads – the north is...
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East Coast
On a heritage walk in Launceston, look up at a remarkably intact streetscape spanning a full...
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North West
Abundant produce, clever makers and epic wilderness – a journey in the north west is a...
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West Coast
Enter the western wilds. This is where Tasmanian tigers roamed and pioneers forged rugged wilderness. Step...
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Flinders Island
Settle into island time. Finding an empty beach is easy. Lay out a towel, settle in...
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King Island
Favoured by nature and flavoured by some of the country’s best farmland, this is truly the...
