Destination overview

A place of wild beauty and Australia's smallest state, the biggest thing about Tasmania is in fact the size of what it offers. Unlike its larger neighbour - the mainland - Tasmania presents endless variety within a compact space. In this small area you will witness landscapes which change from green rainforested valleys, peaks and highland lakes to long glistening white beaches, towering sea cliffs and cities that are not yet overwhelming. Often these contrasts are all within a 90-minute drive. Tasmania is small enough to get around easily but big enough to be filled with a million reasons to visit.

The forests are greener than green, the beaches a magnificent blue and the mountain areas so wild and untamed you'd think you were in a surreal nature movie. The coastlines are like nothing you've ever seen before and the rivers and waterways are just waiting to be swum in, dived into, ridden on and fished.

With so many amazing and recognised world-class experiences throughout the island to choose from, it is little wonder that Tasmania is on most people’s ‘must visit’ holiday list. Here you can engage with wilderness and wildlife. Explore convict stories and a rich sandstone heritage at World Heritage Convict sites. Discover places that have remained unspoilt for thousands of years. See works of art that will challenge you. Find yourself among landscapes that are the most stunning in the world. Lose yourself in the delights of small cities and towns. Play golf, fly-fish, walk along cloudy white beaches, relax in luxurious day spas or relish the fine food, wines, beers and ciders renowned the world over.

Hobart and Surrounds
One of Australia's most distinctive cities and Tasmania's capital combines heritage charm and cultural diversity in a setting of exceptional beauty in Southern Tasmania.

Cruise or kayak the Derwent River, sip coffee under the sun umbrellas of Salamanca Square or soak up the seafaring atmosphere of Hobart’s first suburb, Battery Point. With the River Derwent at its heart and Mount Wellington rising above it, in Hobart the tranquillity of a city from a bygone era coexists with the vibrancy of a pocket-sized modern metropolis. Hobart's European beginnings are evident everywhere, from quaint settlers' cottages to the lofty porches of colonial mansions.

Just 20 minutes from Hobart’s 19th Century sandstone warehouses lies windswept Mount Wellington. A little further to the south-east, wind past the Coal Valley’s cool climate wineries to the historic towns of Huonville and Richmond. In the coastal hamlet of Kettering you can take a car ferry to Bruny Island or a wildlife cruise past crags, caves and sea cliffs. From crescent-shaped Cockle Creek, you can sense the World Heritage Listed wilderness of Southwest National Park even if you never step beyond the beach. And learn about life as a mid-19th Century prisoner at the Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula.

See 200-year-old oaks and sandstone cottages in Oatlands or follow the path of pioneers on the Heritage Highway from Launceston to Hobart. Visit the antique-loving town of New Norfolk and pretty Hamilton on the Clyde River. For a taste of high country and malt whiskey, visit Bothwell at the southern edge of the Central Plateau.

Launceston, Tamar and the North
In Launceston, you’ll discover elegant Edwardian buildings and the magical wilderness of Cataract Gorge. Stroll through the ferny glade or abseil, rock climb or hang glide on and around the Gorge’s dramatic walls. You can also take the chairlift to cross the Gorge. Nearby, you will see birds in their own habitat in the Tamar Island wetlands or meet kangaroos, wallabies and wombats in Narawntapu National Park.

To the north-east you’ll find the neat croplands and Forest EcoCentre of Scottsdale. Next door in Bridport you can fish, play golf overlooking Bass Strait at Barnbougle Dunes and wander through the tidy lavender fields of Nabowla. See little penguins at Low Head and take a boat trip to the fur seal colony of Tenth Island. Then ski, walk or rock climb the rugged summits of Ben Lomond National Park. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, eat and drink your way through the Tamar Valley’s cool climate wineries, such as Ninth Island, Pipers Brook, and Jansz on the Tamar Valley Touring Route. You can stop at the gold mining museum of Beaconsfield and pan for sapphires near the tin mining town of Derby on the way. South of Launceston, soak up the ambience of a 19th Century village in Longford and see Australia’s biggest working craft fair in the charming riverside village of Deloraine. Browse antique galleries, craft shops and markets in the Georgian village of Evandale and cross the Ross River on a cobblestone bridge in Ross.

Devonport and the North West Coast
Devonport is a coastal city of 25,000 people situated in the centre of Tasmania's North Coast. With a modern airport and the Bass Strait ferry terminal linking the city to Melbourne, Devonport is an arrival point for a large number of visitors to Tasmania each year. Devonport is the perfect place to make your base in Tasmania's North West where you'll discover some of the best National Parks, food and wine experiences and history and heritage.

Devonport has a number of great attractions to suit the whole family. Just a short drive from the city centre, the Tasmanian Arboretum is a unique 66-acre glorious botanical Tree Park that displays trees and shrubs from around the world, while culture is centred at the Devonport Regional Art Gallery. Kids will love the up-to-the minute interactive exhibits at the Imaginarium Science Centre where all the family can enjoy a game of mini golf.

Devonport is also a great city to go walking! Try the Devonport City Walk which begins in the city centre and follows the Mersey River foreshore. Continue on to the Lighthouse at the Bluff headland where you can see the blowhole and Aboriginal rock carvings. It then winds its way to Coles Beach before taking you into the Don Bushland Reserve which follows the Don River and concludes at the Don River Railway. The walk is approximately nine kilometres and the majority is on flat, sealed pathways. Along the way are many interesting historical and cultural features as well as lookouts offering spectacular coastal and river views. Complete the entire walk or just one of its unique sections. You can also do the circuit by bicycle.

From Devonport you can visit Sheffield to see murals and enjoy antique shops in LaTrobe. Go water-skiing, sea-kayaking or fish from a floating pontoon in Port Sorrel. Stroll the vibrant markets and scenic beach of Penguin. Explore the limestone caves of Mole Creek Karst National Park which sit beneath the Great Western Tiers, known to the Aboriginal people as Kooparoona Niara. Visit the busy port of Burnie and the historic town of Stanley, where you can look out over the steep volcanic plug known as ‘The Nut’. See carpets of colourful spring tulips in Table Cape and walk along the sea cliffs of Rocky Cape.

Cruise down the Arthur River past sea eagles to the temperate rainforest, sand dunes and Aboriginal sites of the Tarkine wilderness. Even more remote is King Island, where you can go game fishing, taste cheese from the famous King Island Dairies and dive more than 70 shipwreck sites.