Photo by THPStock

Tasmania

Revelling in isolation, Tasmania is busting out with fab festivals and sensational food and drink, riding a tourism-fuelled economic boom that’s the envy of all Australia.

History Lesson

To understand Australian colonial history you first need to understand Tasmanian colonial history…and before that Tasmanian Aboriginal history. Tragic stories of the island's past play out through its haunting, Gothic landscape: the sublime scenery around Port Arthur only reinforces the site’s grim history. It’s just as easy to conjure up visions of the raffish past in Hobart’s Battery Point and its atmospheric pubs. Elsewhere, architectural treasures include convict-built bridges at Ross, Richmond and Campbell Town. Meanwhile, the state's obsession with the (probably) extinct Tasmanian tiger continues – are you out there, thylacine?

Tastes of Tasmania

First it was all about apples…but now the Apple Isle's contribution to world food extends to premium seafood, cheese, bread, honey, nuts, truffles, stone fruit, craft beer, whisky, gin and intensely flavoured cool-climate wines. Many smaller producers are owned and operated by passionate foodies: Tasmania is seemingly custom-built for a driving holiday spent shunting between these farm-gate suppliers, boozy cellar doors and niche provedores. After you’ve sampled the produce, book a table at a top restaurant and see how the local chefs transform it.

Festival Frenzy

From wine, beer and food festivals to hot-ticket arts and music events, Tasmania packs a lot of parties into the calendar. Hobart’s photogenic docks play host to many, from Taste of Tasmania over New Year to the heritage glories of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Art and culture get their game on during Ten Days on the Island, while winter's brooding, edgy Dark MOFO is building to rival the New Year party procession. MONA FOMA and Festivale bring the celebrations to Launceston, and The Unconformity unearths Queenstown's character. Escape for a long weekend – how many more reasons do you need?

Into The Wild

From the squeaky white sand and lichen-splashed granite of the east coast to the bleak alpine plateaus of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania punches well above its weight when it comes to natural beauty. Hiking opportunities range from short, waterfall-punctuated forest trails to multiday wilderness epics with no one else in sight. You can explore the island's craggy coastlines and wild rivers by kayak, raft, yacht or cruise boat. Tassie's native wildlife is ever present: spy Tasmanian devils after dark, share the Southern Ocean swell with seals and dolphins or watch penguins waddling home at dusk.

Explore Tasmania

0

Latest Stories from Tasmania

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Tasmania.

  • National Park

    Freycinet National Park

    Framed by some of the state's finest beaches and rising into spectacular low mountains, Freycinet incorporates the southern end of Freycinet Peninsula,…

  • Museum

    MONA

    Twelve kilometres north of Hobart's city centre, MONA is burrowed into the Triassic sandstone of a peninsula jutting into the Derwent River. Arrayed…

  • Street

    Salamanca Place

    This picturesque row of three- and four-storey sandstone warehouses is a classic example of Australian colonial architecture. Dating back to the whaling…

  • National Park

    Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

    This World Heritage–listed national park came to prominence when the wild Franklin River was very publicly saved from hydroelectric immersion in the 1980s…

  • Historic Site

    Port Arthur Historic Site

    This amazing World Heritage–listed convict site is one of Tasmania’s big-ticket attractions. The dozens of structures here are best understood via guided…

  • Mountain

    Kunanyi/Mt Wellington

    Ribbed with its striking Organ Pipes cliffs, kunanyi/Mt Wellington (1271m) towers over Hobart like a benevolent overlord. The view from the top stretches…

  • Park

    Cataract Gorge

    At magnificent Cataract Gorge, right at the city centre's edge, the bushland, cliffs and ice-cold South Esk River feel a million miles from town. At First…

  • Historic Site

    Battery Point

    Tucked in behind Salamanca Pl, the old maritime village of Battery Point is a tight nest of lanes and 19th-century cottages. Spend an afternoon exploring:…

  • Historic Site

    Woolmers Estate

    Part of the Unesco World Heritage Australian Convict Sites listing, this pastoral estate on the Macquarie River was built by Thomas Archer in 1817 and…

  • Historic Site

    Cascades Female Factory Historic Site

    This World Heritage Site was where Hobart’s female convicts were incarcerated and put to work. Around 12,500 women were transported to Tasmania, and at…

  • Brewery

    Cascade Brewery

    Standing in startling, Gothic isolation next to the clean-running Hobart Rivulet, Australia’s oldest brewery (1824) is still pumping out superb beers. The…

  • Cave

    Marakoopa Cave

    The name Marakoopa derives from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘handsome’ and this cave well and truly lives up to its moniker, featuring a subterranean world…

  • National Park

    Tasman National Park

    Tasman National Park embraces the sky-high sea cliffs around Cape Raoul, Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar, Tasman Island and the craggy coast near Eaglehawk Neck…

  • Brewery

    Willie Smith's Apple Shed

    At Grove, 5km north of Huonville, this barn-like wooden shed is home to Willie Smith's Organic Apple Cider, and functions as a cafe-cum-provedore-cum…

  • Waterfall

    Liffey Falls

    Pouring through Liffey Falls State Reserve, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, is one of Tasmania's most classically beautiful…

  • Area

    North Hobart

    Hobart at its most bohemian, the Elizabeth St strip in North Hobart (aka NoHo) is lined with dozens of cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs – enough to keep…

  • Historic Building

    Clarendon

    This 1838 mansion on the banks of the South Esk River, built for wealthy wool grower and merchant James Cox, is a Georgian gem that looks like it’s…

  • National Park

    Mole Creek Karst National Park

    This park's major draws are Marakoopa Cave and King Solomons Cave, which can be visited on tours operated by the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service…

  • Museum

    Bass & Flinders Centre

    Undoubtedly the highlight of a visit to George Town, this small museum in a former cinema houses a red-sailed, full-size replica of the Norfolk, the sloop…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Tasmania.

  • Activities