Tasmania is Australia’s smallest state and the most decentralized and geographically diverse. In fact, although it is about the size of West Virginia, the landscape can change from rainforested valleys and highland lakes to long white beaches within a 90-minute drive.
Everything is so easy to get to: you can stand atop a mountain peak in the morning and paddle an azure sea in the afternoon. You can pack more into your day because you spend less time driving. You can cycle through historic villages, sip on premium cool-climate wines or journey deep into the western wilderness.
Hobart and Surrounds
Australia’s most distinctive city, Tasmania’s capital combines heritage charm and cultural diversity in a setting of exceptional beauty.
Within 90 minutes’ drive of Hobart are a range of attractions, from the pristine waters of Bruny Island to the mesmerizing history of Port Arthur.
The East Coast
With long white beaches away from the crowds and seas of intense aqua, Tasmania's east coast offers a completely different Australian beach experience.
Our mild climate and pristine secluded beaches means our coastline is perfect for walking, kayaking, diving, sea cruises and relaxing.
At the end of each day you can relax at an award-winning eco-lodge or tranquil beach house and indulge in the freshest seafood.
Launceston,
Tamar and the North
Launceston has recreated itself and now has some of Australia’s top restaurants and stylish places to stay.
Walk, relax, visit the peacocks, or dine in wild and beautiful Cataract Gorge in the centre of town.
The Tamar Valley has boutique cool climate wineries and elegant vineyard restaurants where you can meet with the growers and the makers.
Nearby historic towns such as Evandale and Longford preserve the architecture and community spirit of a 19th century village but are also very much of today.
The North West Coast
The North West Coast has a vibrant cafe culture in major towns and seaside villages.
Breathe in some of the cleanest air in the world, meet makers not shakers and share the creative spirit of local artists.
The Western Wilderness
It’s out there on the edge of the world. One of the most unspoiled and wildest areas of Australia. An area rich in convict history, wilderness adventures and a pioneering spirit.
It's your entry to our World Heritage Area and home to the mighty Franklin and Gordon rivers, Cradle Mountain, and the Tarkine.
World Heritage Areas are established under UNESCO's World Heritage Convention. (UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.)
Tasmania's World Heritage sites cover an area of 1.38 million hectares - about 20 per cent of the Island.
Cradle Mountain, the start of the 65-kilometre (40-mile) Overland Track, is the northern end of the 161,000-hectare (397,840-acre) Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Tasmania's highest mountain, 1,617-metre (5,305-foot) Mt Ossa, is in this park, just off the Overland Track, while another beautiful national park, the Walls of Jerusalem, abuts its eastern boundary.
The sheer magnificence of Cradle Mountain inspired Austrian-born Gustav Weindorfer to build a chalet of King Billy pine here in 1912 and work tirelessly for a decade to have the area declared a national park "for the people for all time". His dream was realised in 1922, and today a quarter of all visitors to the state travel here to share his vision.
The Tarkine, named after the Tarkiner Aborigines who once lived here, is roughly bounded by the coast to the west, the Arthur River to the north, the Pieman River to the south and the Murchison Highway (A10) to the east. Not only does it contain the largest rainforest in Australia, but it is also said to include the greatest concentration of Aboriginal sites in the country.
Prior to additional land being protected under the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement, the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area already protected more than 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of the Tarkine. In December 2009 this area
Naturally, it is all there for you to discover in Tasmania.