Tasmania Tips

History

Ancient Aboriginal handprints stencilled on the rocks of a cave, colonial convicts' chisel marks in the stones of a cottage wall - Tasmanians treasure their heritage and wherever you go you'll find evidence of times past but not forgotten.

Walk along a beach and come upon a midden of shells left by Aborigines thousands of years ago....Get the full Chronological history of Tasmania: Tasmania's Chronological History

Fairy penguins

Fairy penguins
Also called the little penguin, adults grow to about 40cm. They are black with grey markings and silver bellies. They are wonderful swimmers and live in burrows near the shore - they come and go when it is dark. They live and breed at various places on the coast and on King Island, Flinders Island and Bruny Island.

Burnie

Burnie Tasmania: The city is on the shores of Emu Bay, a deep-water port that contains the fifth largest container port in Australia. This small industrial city is surrounded by lovely countryside and has some interesting features such as the multi functional Civic Centre (theatre, convention facilities and a major art gallery) and the Pioneer Village Museum. It also has many fine gardens and parks. In a Tasmanian town you might find a coffee shop in an old colonial baker's, or an art gallery in an 1830s blacksmith's. There are old churches of stone, brick and timber and pubs that have provided warmth and company for over a hundred years.

W. C. Piguenit

W. C. Piguenit (1836-1914)
Piguenit was born in Hobart Town and eventually became a noted painter of Tasmanian landscapes. In 1867 he published six lithographic views as plates in 'The Salmon Ponds and Vicinity, New Norfolk'. Then, after visiting the south-west highlands of Tasmania, he became interested in painting. In 1871 he travelled overland with James Reid Scott from Hobart to Port Davey, painting many pictures along the way. He later resigned from his job to devote his life to painting. He travelled widely, in Tasmania, England and Europe, painting all the time. In 1887 the Tasmanian Government bought six of his paintings of the Tasmanian western highlands and presented them to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Piguenit was a founding member of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales and held various offices until the society granted membership to impressionist painters such as Tom Roberts. Piguenit resigned from the society in protest.

Tasmanian devils

Tasmanian devils
This nocturnal mammal was named for the demonic sound that it makes at night, especially when it is feeding or fighting, but it is really quite shy. It resembles a small, squat dog and has black fur with white on its neck, shoulders and rump. Devils live throughout Tasmania in forests and farmlands, sleeping during the day in logs, caves or burrows and coming out at night. They occasionally hunt for young or wounded animals but usually eat carrion, fur and all, and so help to clean up the countryside of dead animals and rubbish. These hard-working animals have exceptionally strong jaws - nine times as strong as dogs' - and can crunch through bones with ease. A devil can eat almost 40% of its own weight in 30 minutes. The devil is a protected animal.

Mole Creek

The Mole Creek Karst National Park: contains more than 200 caves, which began to form about 30 million years ago. With a guide you can tour some of the caves and see animals that dwell in the dark, stalagmites that soar to lofty roofs, streams that disappear into the ground, glow-worms that twinkle like stars in this underground wonderland. When you've toured the caves take some time to walk through the beautiful forests in the national park, and reflect on the wonders beneath the ground you're walking on.

Tasmanian crayfish

When is the crayfish season? Where can I buy fresh Tasmanian crayfish?

The commercial season is from about mid November to about mid January. Fresh crayfish is available in season from Constitution Dock in Hobart and at selected retail outlets and restaurants around the state in particular along the east coast of the island and also on King Island.

Flinders Island

Flinders Island is off the northeast tip of Tasmania, the biggest of a group of islands that thousands of years ago were part of a landbridge connecting Tasmania to mainland Australia. The main town is Whitemark. Migratory birds, including mutton birds, rest at lagoons and inlets. Dense coastal scrub shelters a vast array of wildlife, including wallabies and wombats. There's history to be learnt and learnt from at Wybalenna Historic Site, where Aborigines, exiled during the 1800s, pined for their homelands. Sealers camped on smaller islands and, ships foundered on the rocky coast.

Ross

Ross Tasmania: named by Governor Macquarie in 1821, was one of the first sites selected for a town in Tasmania. The village's pride is a magnificently carved bridge over Macquarie River which was built by convict labour and opened in 1836. The corners of the main crossroads in the town are locally known as Temptation, Recreation, Salvation and Damnation being respectavily the Man-O-War Hotel, the Catholic Church the town hall and the former gaol. The banks of the Maquarie River next to the bridge is an excellent place to have a picnic and feed the swans and ducks or even catch a glimpse of a platypus.The river and nearby Tooms Lake provide enjoyable trout fishing.

Truganini

Truganini (1803-76)

Truganini was born into an Aboriginal band on Bruny Island. Her mother and, later, her husband were murdered by white men and her sisters were abducted by sealers. She accompanied George Augustus Robinson on his mission to conciliate and protect Aborigines, acting as interpreter and peacemaker. When the Flinders Island settlement was founded she lived there and later accompanied Robinson to Port Phillip in Victoria. Later still she returned to Tasmania and was moved with other Aborigines to Oyster Cove. When it seemed that all the other full-blood Aborigines had died she went to live in Hobart with a Mrs Dandridge. When she died her skeleton was placed in the Hobart Museum. In 1976 her bones were cremated and her ashes were scattered on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.

Ben Lomond National Park

Ben Lomond National Park: situated 60km south-east of Launceston, an easy one hour drive along the picturesque North Esk River Valley. The park lies more than 1 300 metres above sea level on a large plateau above Tasmania's northern midlands, and is the country's major ski field offering excellent downhill and cross country skiing in the winter. Spectacular wildflowers and wildlife may be seen on the many beautiful alpine walks.

Mount Roland

Inland, Mount Roland overlooks fertile pastures around Sheffield, the 'town of murals' where local artists have painted stories of the Kentish district on the old buildings. The road winds towards Cradle Mountain and the Wilderness World Heritage Area. Whether you're here for one day or for an expedition along the Overland Track you'll see a wonderland of mountains, streams, forests, wildflowers and wildlife.

Art and Craft

Tasmanian Arts and Crafts: Tasmania is blessed with a talented community of artists and craftspeople, who find inspiration in the island's sea-washed light and wild landscapes, and who cherish Tasmania's superb raw materials - rare and beautiful specialty timbers, fine fibres and delicate ceramic glazes. Stroll down Salamanca Place in Hobart, through Launceston or along the streets of Richmond, Evandale, Hamilton, Stanley or Strahan to find quality art and craft on display. Or call in to the roadside studios of potters, wood carvers, glassmakers, painters and sculptors - often you can meet the artists themselves and see them at work.

Convict transportation

The British system of convict transportation sent sailing ships crowded with settlers, soldiers and convicts to this unknown land. The settlers struggled to live off the land, the military ruled the tiny settlements, convicts in chains laboured in quarries and shipyards. Many settlers and convicts - printers, artists, stonemasons, architects, carpenters, clerks, medical assistants - contributed their skills to the community. They built cottages and courthouses, bridges and roads, which you'll see in the cities, towns and villages. They left a heritage of books, pictures, historic documents, carvings that tell us so much about the eventful birth of a new society.

Fuel

How much is petrol in Tasmania? Are there many LPG gas outlets?

Petrol is available in metro and suburban areas 7 days a week. Expect to pay a few cents more per litre than other Australian states. LPG gas is also readily available throughout the island.

Devonport

From the busy city of Devonport, home of the Bass Strait passenger and vehicle ship 'Spirit of Tasmania', to the rugged country towards Cradle Mountain and World Heritage Area wilderness, this is a region of interest and variety .

Eastern Highlands

Eastern Highlands, c.2,400 mi (3,860 km) long, general name for the mountains and plateaus roughly paralleling the east and southeast coasts of Australia (including Tasmania) and forming the Continental Divide (see Great Dividing Range); rises to Mt. Kosciusko (7,316 ft/2,230 m), Australia's highest peak. Rugged, with many gorges and few gaps, the Eastern Highlands long hindered westward expansion of British settlement. The slopes are covered with eucalyptus forests. Rich in minerals, the highlands contain most of Australia's coalfields; gold, copper, tin, oil, and natural gas are also extracted. The southern part of the region is a popular winter resort area. Major segments of the system are the Australian Alps, the New England Range, and the Blue Mts.

Martin Bryant Massacre

On April 28, 1996, the relative quiet of Port Arthur in the Tasman Peninsula, roughly 90 minutes by car from the city centre of Hobart in the southern Australian island state of Tasmania, was broken by gunfire. Before day's end, 35 lay dead on the historic grounds of Port Arthur. A Tasmanian named Martin Bryant had etched a trail of blood, firing at shopkeepers, shop assistants, tourists, and whoever else came in his way... Once again, the soil of Port Arthur was bloodied. From the 1830s to the 1870s, this was the place they called “hell on earth”, where the convicts of a past era lived and died.

Wynyard

Wynyard Tasmania: On the A2, about 60km west of Devonport. Farms on the fertile hinterland, fish in the bountiful sea - Wynyard is a centre of agriculture. The local landmark is Table Cape, flat-topped and fertile. Take a boat out, go fishing, ride a horse, swing a golf club or a tennis racquet, or just go walking or driving. This is a beautiful stretch of coast, with beaches and bays in either direction. Behind the town you'll pass village after tiny village as you explore the country roads among the farmlands, patchworked in green, gold and dark chocolaty brown. It looks even prettier from a scenic flight - the Wynyard airport serves Burnie, nearby.

Kempton

Kempton Tasmania: On Highway 1 (the Midlands Highway), 49km north of Hobart. This little town was settled in the 1820s, when transported convicts were using picks and shovels to build the first road from Hobart to Launceston. Now the highway bypasses the town and peace has returned to the quaint streets. There are elegant colonial shops, cottages and houses, some occupied by descendants of the people who built them. The old court house and police station are now the council chambers. Enjoy homemade scones in a tea room, browse the antiques and souvenirs and check out the horses in the paddocks - this is riding country.

John Lee Archer

John Lee Archer (1791-1852)
Archer was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was appointed civil engineer and government architect to Tasmania in 1826 and designed many buildings, including neo-Gothic churches, that are now historic sites loved by Tasmanians and admired by visitors. Later in life Archer became police magistrate at Stanley on Tasmania's north coast, where he lived the rest of his life; his grave is in the little cemetery below The Nut. Visitors should keep a look out for the lovely buildings that Archer designed: Hobart: Anglesea Barracks, Parliament House, Penitentary Chapel Historic Site , St John's Church and Orphan School (in the suburb of New Town). Richmond: The Gaol and St Luke's Church. Launceston: the Court House and Launceston Gaol (now a school). Other churches: St Peter's Church in Hamilton, Entally Chapel at Hadspen. Lighthouses and bridges: Cape Bruny and Low Head lighthouses, the sandstone bridge over the Macquarie River at Ross.

Tasmania's Heritage journey

Travel in time through Tasmania's rich colonial past, following highways and country roads that once echoed to the clop of hooves and the rattle of carriage wheels....Read On: Tasmania's Heritage journey

East Coast Tasmania

Tasmania's East Coast: An area of history, picturesque beaches, rugged gorges and headlands, and tranquil forests. From the adventure of fantastic white water rafting to relaxing or swimming on a sheltered secluded beach the East Coast offers a wide variety of attractions. There are five National Parks in the region, Tasmania's biggest ski resort, at Ben Lomond, and some of the oldest sandstone buildings in Australia. Some of the most scenic coastal walks in Tasmania are in this area along with incredible fresh and saltwater fishing.

Flinders Island

Flinders Island: Flinders and its surrounding islands are what remain of land that once connected Tasmania to mainland Australia. At the eastern lagoons and inlets thousands of migrating birds rest on their long flights to breeding areas north of the Arctic Circle. Shearwaters, the southern hemisphere's most numerous birds, make their rookeries on nearby islands. The island's dense coastal scrub shelters wallabies and wombats. It's an island with a rich heritage, at Wybalenna Aboriginal Tasmanians, 'exiled' during the 19th century, pined for their homelands. Rough and ready sealers camped on smaller islands and ships foundered and sank on hidden reefs.

Derby

Derby Tasmania: On the A3, about 104km north east of Launceston. Mountain scenery, rainforests and old tin mines surround this classified historic town. In the late 1800s it was a booming mining settlement and at the Derby Tin Mine Centre you can pan for a bit of raw tin - metal we use every day of the week without thinking about where it comes from. Browse among antiques, second hand books and modern crafts in the quaint old shops, see for yourself that Blue Lake really is blue, paddle a canoe on Cascade Dam to stir up your appetite for a homemade afternoon tea in one of Derby's tea rooms.

Trout fishing

When and where can I go trout fishing in Tasmania?

In just about every freshwater stream, river and lake in Tasmania, there are fighting trout, waiting to rise to your well-presented fly or lure. And here, in the waters of one of the world's last great wild fisheries, they are yours for the price of a fishing licence – plenty of excitement for a few dollars! Licences are readily available through any fishing tackle store within Tasmania.

John Glover

John Glover (1767-1849)
Glover was one of Australia's earliest renowned landscape painters. He was born in England and exhibited his work in London before leaving in 1830 for Hobart Town. His first Tasmanian paintings, which portrayed the distinctive Tasmanian bush in accurate detail, were exhibited in London in 1832 and attracted much attention. What made him unique among Australian landscape painters at the time, who painted from their imaginations, was that he painted from direct experience of the bush. His pictures were perhaps the first to portray the eucalypt in its bushland setting as a national symbol. In his old age his sight deteriorated; few of his works are dated later than 1840. When he died he was buried in the grounds of the Nonconformist Chapel that he had renovated at Deddington, about 30km (19 miles) south-east of Launceston. The chapel still exists.

Perth

Perth Tasmania: On the Midlands Highway (A1) about 15km south of Launceston. A pleasant, old-fashioned town settled in 1821. It has a number of historic buildings, notably churches (Baptist and Methodist) and inns (the Jolly Farmer, the Leather Bottell Inn and the Old Crown Inn). The nearby South Esk River is a popular fishing spot.

Launceston

Launceston Tasmania: It's in the north of the island, where the North Esk and South Esk Rivers join to become the Tamar River, which then flows into Bass Strait. The city is elegant with Victorian and Edwardian buildings and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. Rich wheat and wool merchants once stalked the elegant streets of Launceston, and built their mansions and villas where visitors now enjoy bed and breakfast. Call in for a drink at the Batman Fawkner Inn, where Batman, Fawkner and others planned the founding of Melbourne on the other side of Bass Strait. Visit the Waverley Woollen Mills, established in 1874 and still weaving fabrics from fine Tasmanian merino wool.

Hobart

Hobart Tasmania: the capital of Tasmania. It lies in the southeast at the foot of Mount Wellington, near the mouth of the River Derwent. The 19th century waterfront warehouses once bustled with whalers, soldiers, petty bureaucrats and opportunist businessmen. Now there are cafes, restaurants and studios in the old warehouses, and they bustle with shoppers and visitors. Polished glass winks in the windows of settlers' cottages, brass doorknobs gleam in the lofty porches of colonial edifices. Square-riggers still put out on the river, tacking among the yachts and fishing boats.

Wineglass Bay/Freycinet Peninsula

Wineglass Bay and Freycinet Peninsula Tasmania: Wineglass Bay is a wonderful surprise when you climb over the saddle in the Hazards - the jagged range of pink and grey granite peaks on the east coast peninsula that is the Freycinet National Park. The bay's perfect curve of white sand, and the blue sea and skies form a stunning picture. The Freycinet National Park is crowded with forests, wildflowers (including orchids) and native wildlife. The towering walls of pink and grey granite, patched in orange lichen, soar straight out of the water.

Airport busses

Is there an airport bus service?

Yes, there are airport bus transfer services at all major airports throughout the State.

King/Flinders Island

How do I get to King and Flinders Island?

There are regular flights to King Island from Wynyard Airport in Tasmania and from Melbourne in Victoria. Flights to Flinders Island leave from Hobart and Launceston, or you can put your car aboard the Matthew Flinders cargo vessel which departs from Bridport in Tasmania and Port Welshpool in Victoria.

The Nut:

The Nut Tasmania
As you drive westwards along the north coast and approach the historic town of Stanley you'll see The Nut, a huge flat-topped circular headland that dominates the town. It's 152 metres high, with a path and a chairlift to the top. Up there you can take a bracing walk around the edge and enjoy the wind in your face, the sun on your back and wonderful views up and down the coast.

Cadburys Factory

How do I see the Cadburys Factory?

The Cadbury Chocolate Factory is located at Claremont a northern suburb of Hobart (approximately 20 minutes drive from Hobart). Taste chocolate samples as you follow the guided tour of the famous chocolate making factory – established in 1921. Chocolate sales are not permitted unless participating in a factory tour. Bookings are essential. You can ring Cadburys Australia-wide toll free booking phone number 1800 627 367, or arrange a harbour cruise/tour of the factory

Mount William National Park

Tasmania, Mount William National Park: serves as a refuge for the Forester kangaroo, the only large kangaroo left in Tasmania. The main road through the park, called Forester Kangaroo Drive, was specially built for viewing animals. A total area of 13 812ha includes beaches, heathland and dry scleropyll forests. There is an abundance of wildlife and a number of plant communities found nowhere else in Australia.

Diego Bernacchi

Diego Bernacchi (1853-1925)
Bernacchi was a silk merchant in Italy before he came to Tasmania and became and entrepreneur on Maria Island, off the east coast. With great energy he founded a silkworm farm, marble and limestone quarries, a cement works, a timber company and a small town for workers. The Grand Hotel was one of its many amenities and comforts. In the light of modern industries perhaps his most important achievement was to plant 99 hectares (245 acres) of grape vines and produce wines that won medals in Melbourne competitions. He eventually became ill, moved to Melbourne and died. The industries and settlement that he had founded declined and the town was abandoned. Visitors to Maria Island (now a national park) will see fascinating remnants of Bernacchi's endeavour.

Oatlands

Oatlands Tasmania: On the Midlands Highway (A1), about 84km north of Hobart. Actually, Oatlands is now just off the Midlands Highway. The highway used to go through the town but was rerouted, making Oatlands wonderfully peaceful. It is a very pretty colonial town and has more Georgian and early colonial buildings than any other town in Australia. Many of the old cottages are now cafes and restaurants. Lake Dulverton is nearby, and also a golf course, a bowls green and a swimming pool.

Midlands

Midlands
Today's 'Heritage Highway' follows the route pioneered in 1807. Stay in a charming colonial cottage. Enjoy a meal at a country pub. Relax on a sunny riverbank by a 19th century bridge. Search for treasures in an antique shop. All along Tasmania's 'Heritage Highway' time moves slowly - and so should you.

King Island

King Island: off the north-west tip of Tasmania, about halfway across Bass Strait. Wild seas surround the rocky coast - there are more than 70 submerged shipwrecks. From the northern one at Cape Wickham, if the day is clear, you'll see mainland Australia. wildlife: including platypuses, heath, dunes, wonderful beaches and a world-renowned wetland bird habitat, especially in the 6,800-hectare Lavinia Nature Reserve in the north-east. In the south of the island there's an ancient calcified forest and fairy penguins returning in the evening to their burrows. Currie, the main town, is on the west coast.

National Park Pass

Where can I get a National Park Pass?
A fee is charged for entry to Tasmania's National Parks – all money raised protects and maintains the parks for the future. For just $33.00, a Tassie Holiday Pass allows entry for your car and passengers to all 17 National Parks, and is valid for two months. Also valid for two months is a $13.20 backpackers pass for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Occasional users can buy a 24 hour pass costing $9.90 per car (up to 8 passengers), while walkers, cyclists and motorcyclists and coach passengers pay $3.30 per day. Passes can be purchased from most Australian travel agents, and at all major National Parks and Tasmanian Visitor Information Network centres.

Campbell Town

Campbell Town
Situated 68km south-east of Launceston, Cambletown was established in the 1820's as one of a chain of garrison stations between Hobart and Launceston. The town has grown into a prosperous farming centre with wool, beef cattle and timber milling being the main industries. There are many building of historic interest dating back to the 1830's.

Tasmania's emblems

What is the flora and fauna emblem of Tasmania?

The Tasmania Bluegum (Eucalyptus Globulus Labill) is the official floral emblem. The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus Harrisii) is the unofficial fauna emblem of Tasmania.

Mathinna

Mathinna
Mathinna was a child in the Flinders Island Aboriginal community when Sir John Franklin became governor in 1837. His wife, Lady Jane Franklin, became fond of Mathinna, decided to bring her up as a daughter and took her to their home in Hobart. When the Franklins returned to England, however, Lady Franklin's motherly inclinations evaporated and Mathinna was taken to the Hobart Orphan School where she was extremely unhappy. She later moved to Oyster Cove, south of Hobart, to even more unhappiness. She was found drowned in a creek and was believed to have fallen in when drunk.

Matthew Brady

Matthew Brady (1799-1826)
Brady was born in Ireland and transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1820 for forgery. During his first four years he received 350 lashes for trying to escape and other crimes. He was sent to the infamous Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour on the west coast but in 1824 escaped to Hobart by boat. He formed a gang of bushrangers who lived in the wild by stealing farm stock, robbing travellers and other criminal activities but whose code of behaviour forbade molesting women or injuring the helpless. In 1824 the gang occupied the town of Sorell, east of Hobart, for a whole night, locking soldiers and the local police in the town gaol. Brady was arrested in 1826 and charged with stealing, arson and murder. The gang's ethics stood him in good stead - the public petitioned for clemency, testified to his gentle treatment of women and brought presents to him in gaol. He was hanged in May 1826 and was reported to have died 'in the manner of an educated gentleman'.

Ross

Ross Tasmania: On the Midlands Highway (Highway 1), roughly halfway between Hobart and Launceston. A beautiful old town established as a garrison in 1821. It has a fine collection of Georgian cottages and a fascinating sandstone bridge carved by a convict in 1836 - the work earned him his freedom. The remains of the old female factory, a prison for women between 1847 and 1853, have been restored and are open to the public. There are also antique and crafts shops, a wool centre (the town is in the middle of the sheep-farming area) and a toymaker.

Devonport

Devonport Tasmania: at the centre of the north coast at the mouth of the Mersey River was founded as two towns. They merged in 1890 to become the city of Devonport. The terminal for the Bass Strait ferry service - the Spirit of Tasmania - is in this pleasant city. There are interesting features such as the Tiagarra Aboriginal Culture and Art Centre, the Maritime Museum, the Don River Railway and Museum and Home Hill, the house that Australia's only Tasmanian prime minister, Joseph Lyons, built when he married. Joseph and Dame Enid Lyons lived in the house, now owned by the National Trust, for the rest of their lives. It is preserved as they left it and open to the public.

Salamanca Place

Salamanca Place: in Sullivans Cove, Hobart's historic waterfront, is a long row of stylish Georgian sandstone warehouses built in the 1830s, now boutiques, bars, bookshops, restaurants, outdoor cafes, art studios, craft galleries and jewellers. Each Saturday there's the famous market, where you can buy anything from a handmade wooden toy to a handspun, hand-knitted sweater to a fresh peach to a 50-year-old china plate. Behind Salamanca Place is Salamanca Square, where you can sit by the cooling fountain with a cup of coffee and a muffin and listen to a guitar or a flute player before visiting Antarctic Adventure.

Launceston

Launceston is a city of contrasts The scenic Cataract Gorge Reserve, with its tree rhododendrons and peacocks, fern glades and spacious lawns, where you can try rock-climbing, hang-gliding or whitewater rafting. The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and Macquarie House, house the work of today's artists and craftspeople. Fine food is served in the city's bistros and restaurants - enhanced with a fine Tamar Valley wine or James Boag beer.

Mutton birds

mutton birds
These birds get their name from their flavour. Their Aboriginal name is 'yolla' and their other common name is the short-tailed shearwater. They grow to about 40cm long, with wingspans of about 90cm. They are dark brown with pale underwings, shiny bills and short tails. They live and breed in burrows in the ground, to which they return year after year after an amazing migration through southern Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the west coast of America.

Derwent Valley/Central Highlands

Tasmania: Derwent Valley and Central Highlands
North of Hobart the highway snakes through the Derwent Valley towards mountains and wilderness. Decades ago explorers, bushmen, farmers and dam-builders carved a living in this wild and rugged country. From New Norfolk, with Australia's oldest Anglican church, to Salmon Ponds where brown trout have been hatched for 150 years to provide some of the world's finest fly fishing. The historic towns of Hamilton and Ouse are the centre of the surrounding farming area. Onwards the highway crosses rivers harnessed for hydro-power and reaches the stark beauty of the Central Plateau. Ten thousand years ago glaciers carved out Lake St Clair, Australia's deepest lake.

Cataract Gorge

Cataract Gorge Tasmania: reaches almost to the middle of the city of Launceston. You'll emerge from the narrow part of the gorge into an elegant Victorian park with tree rhododendrons, fern glades, a swimming pool, a chairlift, barbecues, a suspension bridge and mewing peacocks. (The chairlift is the longest single-span chairlift in the world.) Walk back to the city on the other side of the river, through bushland, and think about joining one of the whitewater rafting or rock-climbing adventures in the gorge, or go hang-gliding at nearby Trevallyn.

Latrobe

Latrobe Tasmania: Just off Highway 1, about 10km southeast of Devonport. A lovely little historic town with streetscapes redolent of the 1880s and '90s and early 1900s. Many of the buildings are National Trust registered. It is a delight to walk through the town, along the riverbank and through the orchid reserve.

Swansea

Swansea Tasmania: A delightful historic town that overlooks Great Oyster Bay, about halfway up the east coast. There are lots of lovely beaches, bays and rivers and if you want a change from sunbathing, swimming and fishing you can take yourself on a local tour. There are the old saltworks ruins, the very unusual Spiky Bridge, vineyards where you can taste and buy, Nine Mile Beach that forms the southern edge of Moulting Lagoon. Visit the Swansea Bark Mill and East Coast Museum and learn about life and work in the early European settlement.

Port Arthur

Port Arthur Historic Site: Between 1830 and 1877 about 12,500 transported convicts were imprisoned at Port Arthur, many of the sandstone prison buildings remain and have been preserved. There are day and evening guided tours of the historic site (125 hectares/309 acres), giving you an impression of what life might have been like in the 1800s for the convicts, soldiers and civilians. One in seven convicts at Port Arthur died there - you can take a cruise to the Isle of the Dead, where convicts and civilians were buried (you need to make special arrangements to go ashore).

Hastings Caves State Reserve

Hastings Caves State Reserve

Take a day out from Hobart and tour the Newdegate Cave, a rarity that formed in dolomite rock millions of years ago. Stalactites hang from the soaring ceiling and stalagmites stand like totem poles. Take your swimming costume and have a dip in the thermal outdoor pool, heated by energy from deep in the earth. Walk on the Sensory Trail through the surrounding forests, listen to the birds as you relax on the grass and munch your lunchtime picnic or a barbecue.

Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain: In 1827 Joseph Fossey saw a dramatic mountain peak at the northern end of what he called the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, in the World Heritage Area. The mountain is one of the favourite features in the park and is surrounded by stands of native deciduous beech, rainforest, alpine heathlands and buttongrass. Icy streams cascade down the mountainsides, and ancient pines are reflected in the still glacial lakes. The track to the top of the mountain is an eight-hour return walk, but there are many other shorter, easier walks lower down, such as the walk around Dove Lake.

About

Tasmania [tazmA'nEu]
Tasmania , island state (1991 pop. 359,286), 26,383 sq mi (68,332 sq km), SE Commonwealth of Australia. It is separated from Australia by the Bass Strait and lies 150 mi (240 km) south of the state of Victoria. Tasmania includes many offshore islands, among which are Bruny, the Hunter Islands, the Furneaux Group, King Island, and Macquarie Island....Read this entire Article:About Tasmania

Whales

Whales
Whales are mammals that live in the ocean. Southern right, blue and humpback whales are most often seen off Tasmania's east coast in June, when they are on their way from Antarctica to warm tropical waters, and between September and December, when they are returning to Antarctica. During the 19th century whales were hunted for meat, oil and cartilage, but they are now protected.

Seals

Seals
Tasmania has several species of seal, which breed on rocky islands and reefs around the island, especially on the north coast. They eat cuttlefish, squid, octopus and fish. During the 19th century sealing was a busy industry, for meat, oil and skins - seals are now protected.

Orange bellied parrot

orange bellied parrot
This is one of the rarest birds on earth and is endangered. About 50 breeding pairs are thought to exist. In spring they migrate from South Australia and Victoria to breed in Tasmania. They are about 20cm long, have bright green backs and yellow fronts with a bright orange patch in the middle. They eat seeds and nest in hollows in eucalypt trees - couples mate for life. They can be identified by their distinctive zit-zit-zit call. In autumn the parents with their young migrate back across Bass Strait to Victoria and South Australia.

Architecture

During the first half of the 19th century Britain sent unwanted convicts to Tasmania. Remains of the penal settlements can be seen at Port Arthur, Sarah Island, Ross, Maria Island, Saltwater River (Tasman Peninsula), Eaglehawk Neck historic site and other places. Some convicts had trained in the professions and the trades, including architecture and building, and many of Tasmania's notable older buildings were designed and built by convicts or former convicts.

Tasmania/Antarctica Link

The Tasmania - Antarctica Link
About 50 million years ago Australia and Antarctica were joined together and formed part of the supercontinent called Gondwana. At the time Antarctica was not glaciated and the continent was fully vegetated. As Australia moved north from Antarctica, separating at about 7cm per year, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current evolved and Antarctica became glaciated - resulting in the extinction of plants and animals. Only mosses, lichens, liverworts, and some small invertebrates remained....Read On: The Tasmania - Antarctica Link

Antarctic/Southern Ocean Experience

History books suggest Tasmania's Antarctic experience began with the arrival of Captain James Cook at Bruny Island in 1773, however the first real human contact with Antarctica came from the exploits of the sealer Captain John Briscoe. Briscoe arrived in Hobart on 10 May 1831 on the Brig Tula after travelling in Antarctic waters and naming the area east of Mawson Station, Enderby Land. Since that time most of the explorers of the heroic age including, Dumont d'Urville, Scott, Borchgrevink, Amunsden and Mawson have used Hobart as a base for their quests.........Read on: Tasmanian FAQ's

Strahan

Strahan Tasmania: West coast, on the shores of Macquarie Harbour. In January 1999 'The Chicago Tribune', an American newspaper, named Strahan as 'The Best Little Town in the World'. The travel editor, Randy Curwen, wrote that 'With fewer than 1,000 year-round residents, this is the only settlement on the entire south-western coast of Tasmania … Downtown is a one-block postcard shot, and the only real nightlife is the spectacular sunset over Australia's largest bay.' Curwen also enthused about '… cruises on the harbour, hikes into the wilderness, jet boat rides, walks on a nearby beach.

Sheffield

Sheffield Tasmania: On the B14, 25km south of Devonport. A rural town with a most unusual collection of murals, more than 30 of them, that illustrate the history of the area. Arts and crafts are among the important activities in the area and galleries and studios display high quality hand weaving, leatherwork and pottery. There is also a community museum, a deer farm and an emu farm. The town is near Lake Barrington, the venue of international rowing competitions, and is surrounded by wonderful scenery.

Facts

The population of Tasmania is 472,000. Main centres are Hobart (the capital city with 195,500 people) Launceston (98,500) Burnie (18,000) and Devonport (25,000)
Tasmania has more than 2000 km of walking tracks and 17 national parks.
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area covers 1.38 million hectares.
Hobart has the nation's second-lowest rainfall (626 mm or 24 inches) of all Australian capital cities.
The average summer temperature is a comfortable 21°C (70°F). Winter's average is 12°C (52° F).

Oatlands

Oatlands Tasmania: An historic town which has changed little from the 1830's, Oatland has the largest collection of sandstone buildings of a village situation in Australia, and is reputed to have the largest collection of pre 1837 buildings in Australia. The town was established as a military garrison in 1827 and the Court House, Officer's Quarters, gaol building, commissariat store and watch house still survive from this period.

Rossarden

Rossarden
Rossarden is a village built mainly for the workers of the wolfram mine. The road from Avoca through Rossarden to Fingal offers spectacular mountain scenery as it follows the southern slopes of Ben Lomond.

Convict settlement

Britain sent convicts to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) as early as 1804. The first shipment arrived, with soldiers and free settlers, in Sullivans Cove (Hobart). During the next 30 years convict stations were established at Sarah Island, Maria Island, Port Arthur and many other places. Today they are historic sites, where you can see buildings and artefacts and hear about convicts' existence of cold, hunger, hard labour and cruel punishment. These conditions drove many to escape, either to be recaptured, or die for lack of survival skills or become bushrangers, such as Matthew Brady and Martin Cash.

Olegas Truchanas

Olegas Truchanas (1923-1972)

Truchanas was one of the first Europeans to realise the value of the primal beauty of Tasmania's south-west wilderness. He was born in Lithuania and fought in the Lithuanian Resistance Movement. In 1945, after Lithuania was handed over to the USSR, he fled to Munich. He enrolled at university to study law but was sent with other students to a camp for displaced people. He migrated to Tasmania in 1948. Under an Australian law of that time he had to work for two years in industry or public works. He worked at the Electrolytic Zinc Company at Risdon, Hobart, pushing old trucks loaded with metal along worn and rusty rails. He relieved this drudgery by photographing the Tasmanian wilderness, first in monochrome and later in colour. In 1958 Truchanas sailed in a kayak into Strahan, at the top of the vast Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. When he appeared from the southern end of the harbour the people were stunned - they knew that the only road in the area came into Strahan, and that he had not left from there. He had kayaked down the Serpentine and Gordon Rivers, a feat never before accomplished in the years of European settlement. He had no paddle, but had rigged a foot-controlled groundsheet as a sail so that he could read as he sailed along. Truchanas had negotiated the narrow gorges, rapids, rocks and whirlpools of the Gordon River, reputed to carry more water than any other river in Australia. Truchanas devoted his life to exploring and photographing the wilderness, bringing it to the notice of thousands of people who might otherwise not have been aware of its beauty. During the bushfires of 1967 he lost his house and many of his photographs. He drowned in 1972, trapped in a kayak on the Gordon River.

Haughton Forrest

Haughton Forrest (1826-1925)
A painter best known for his fine Tasmanian landscapes. He migrated to Tasmania with his family in 1876, was granted 100 acres (40 hectares) of land in the north-east of the island and was appointed superintendent of police at Sorell in 1877. He became associated with John Watt Beattie, who photographed the wilderness areas of Tasmania in which Forrest painted. Forrest's work was frequently exhibited during his lifetime, both in Australia and abroad, and his pictures can be seen in larger art galleries.

Possums

Possums
Tasmania has several species of possum, which are marsupials - mammals with pouches. Depending on the species their thick fur varies from gold to black. Their tail is usually bushy and as long as the body, which varies from nine to 40cm long. They are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in trees, between rocks or in house roofs. They eat food such as fruit, vegetables, leaves and insects.

Forty-spotted pardalotes

Forty-spotted pardalotes
This is one of the smallest and rarest birds in Australia, and is classified as endangered. It is pale green, with yellow around the eyes and on the rump. Its wings are black with white spots, from which the bird gets its name. They are found only in eastern Tasmania - on Flinders Island, Maria Island and Bruny Island and near Tinderbox, Lime Bay and Conningham in the Huon Valley. They are most likely to be seen in the foliage of the white gum, a eucalypt tree in which the pardalotes eat insects and a sugary secretion from the tree

Stanley

Stanley Tasmania: At the western end of the north coast. An attractive fishing port established in 1826 by the Van Diemen's Land Company. In 1832 the company built the nearby Highfield House as its first headquarters. This historic little town, with its original cottages and other buildings, has been well preserved. It is dominated by The Nut, an unusual flat-topped circular headland 152 metres high, with a path and a chairlift to the summit. The town sits against a backdrop of beautiful countryside.

Franklin River

How can I see the Franklin River?

The Franklin River is the epicentre of Tasmania's acclaimed World Heritage Area. It has captured the world's imagination with its wild rivers and exhilarating rafting opportunities. To experience the Franklin River you can do this by scenic flight, by foot or by rafting down the River, however the latter option is a demanding multi-day descent. By cruising the Gordon River out of Strahan on the west coast you can take an unforgettable day journey across Macquarie Harbour and deep into the Gordon where it meets the Franklin River.

Salamanca Market

What day does Salamanca Market operate?

Visit Salamanca Market and Salamanca Place on Hobart's waterfront. The market is open on Saturdays from 9.00am to 3.00pm. The 1830's sandstone warehouses are home to galleries, studios, restaurants, shops and cafes.

Tamar Valley

The quiet Tamar is a haven for waterbirds. Walk through Notley Gorge's dense fern glades and rainforest to crashing waterfalls. Further north at Low Head, fairy penguins return each evening to their burrows in the coastal scrub. Offshore, at Tenth Island, Australian fur seals bask on the rocks. Australia's oldest pilot station still guides ships into the river at Low Head, and the historic buildings of Beaconsfield recall the early gold rushes. Discover the boutique wineries, taste their pinots, chardonnays and rieslings, and reflect on the bounty of nature and the skill of the winemakers.

King Island

King Island: It's an island of empty beaches, clean air, offshore reefs, rocky coasts and shipwrecks - when the 'Cataraqui' grounded here in 1845 it was Australia's worst maritime disaster. This was before Wickham lighthouse, the tallest in the southern hemisphere, was built to guide travellers into Bass Strait. Beef and dairy cattle, Kelp are the major industries. Wallabies and peacocks are common on the island, Shearwater rookeries pepper coastal hillsides, albatrosses and sea eagles at Reid Rocks, a short boat trip away, Australian fur seals breed.

Huonville

Huonville Tasmania: On the A6, about 30km southwest of Hobart. A busy town on the tranquil Huon River, and gateway to the Huon Valley, where fruit orchards froth with blossom in the spring and produce luscious fruit all summer and autumn - plums, cherries, apricots, peaches, apples, pears … A short drive takes you to lovely walks at the Pelverata Falls. A thrilling jet boat whizzes you down the river and back again. You can play golf, lawn bowls and tennis, ride a horse, take a fishing rod out on a rowboat. Think about the Frenchman, Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, rowing his boat here in 1792. The river is as lovely now as it was then.

Coles Bay

Coles Bay Tasmania: On the Freycinet Peninsula, east coast. Get away from it all to peace and beauty in this fishing village that overlooks Great Oyster Bay, with the Tasman Sea just a step away on the other side of the peninsula. Spend hours exploring the beaches, bays, inlets and lagoons and then climb The Hazards, jagged pink granite peaks. You'll be astonished by the view of glorious Wineglass Bay in the Freycinet National Park. Go fishing, diving, sailing, water skiing, canoeing … have a round of golf or just sit down somewhere and absorb the beauty. Imagine the bird's eye view from a scenic flight - do it!

Derby: About

Derby Tasmania: was once a thriving tin mining township, in its heyday having a population of 3 000, and home to the Briseis mine, the richest find in the area. The mines are now closed and Derby today is a quiet old town with a population of only 300. The Derby school and some of the old mine buildings have been transformed into a mine museum, which displays the fascinating history of tin mining in the South East. The complex also includes a shanty town with a blacksmiths shed, mine office, miner's cottage, general store and butchers shop.

About Tasmania

Shops in main centres are generally open from 9 am to 5 or 6 pm, Monday to Saturday. Convenience stores are open for longer hours, 7 days a week. ATMs and EFTPOS facilities are widely available. Most banks are open 9.30 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday. Petrol is available 24 hours in major centres. Petrol prices vary between $0.95 and $1.20 per litre. Speed limits are 60 km/h in built up areas with a maximum of 100 km/hr outside cities and towns, unless otherwise indicated. Speed cameras and random breath testing units operate throughout Tasmania. Seat belts must be worn in motor vehicles - motorcyclists and bicyclists must wear helmets. Contact police, fire and ambulance by dialling 000. The Australian GST (goods & services tax) of 10% applies to most purchases. Tasmania operates on Australian Eastern Standard Time. For daylight saving, clocks are advanced one hour between October and March. Electricity is supplied at 230/240 volts (50 hertz)

West Coast

West Coast Tasmania: Follow the dark Gordon River into the rainforest. Taste a west-coast crayfish or Macquarie Harbour salmon, fresh from the sea. Cross the waters of Macquarie Harbour to Sarah Island. Feel the cold stones dressed by convicts. In the jaunty old streets of Zeehan you'll feel the west coast's rich mining heritage - deep below nearby Rosebery the drilling goes on. In Tullah the work is over and fishers and boaters enjoy the scenic hydro-storage lakes. In Waratah pioneers once mined a mountain of tin - now they bottle pure west-coast rainwater.

Lavender

When is the lavender in bloom?

Tasmania is famous worldwide for its lavender, and visiting lavender farms has become a popular activity. When in flower the fields offer a spectacular scene. The French Lavender is in full bloom before and during the harvesting season from the 10th December to the 26th January. The English lavender comes into full bloom in January and harvesting is completed at the end of February.

How do I get there?

What times and what are the costs of passenger ships to Tasmania? Do They take cars and dogs?

The Spirit of Tasmania makes three return crossings per week between Melbourne and Devonport. The Spirit makes an overnight sailing, leaving port at early evenings and arriving the next morning approximately a 14 hour journey. The Devil Cat is a fast wave-piercing catamaran ferry, which is currently makes the journey from Melbourne to George Town in approximately 6 hours. The Devil Cat service operates from December to April. The Spirit and Devil Cat carry cars, campervans and caravans. Early bookings for both vessels are strongly recommended, in particular over the Christmas/New Year period. A limited number of kennels are available at a cost of $21.00 per pet per sailing. (Please note: There must be documentary proof of Hydatid Tape worm treatment for dogs and that they are not permitted in Tasmania's National Parks).

Convicts transportation

Convict transportation was the system by which governments of some countries in Europe got rid of unwanted convicts. They shipped them overseas to colonies - lands overseas that countries such as Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal had long been exploring and taking as their own. By the late 1700s British colonies included New South Wales in Australia and this is where Britain sent its convicts......Read On: Tasmanian Convict transportation

Franklin and Gordon Rivers

Franklin and Gordon Rivers: Two wild rivers hurtle through mountainous rainforest wilderness and merge as the Gordon River, which flows into the vast Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. The rivers were the centre of a controversy in the 1980s, when they were to have been dammed for hydro-electricity, but the scheme was quashed by an environmental campaign. If you're looking for adventure you can join a group to shoot the rapids by raft. For a gentler river experience drive to Strahan on the west coast and join a cruise up the Gordon River, or take a scenic flight from Hobart that includes a Gordon River cruise.

Snakes

Snakes
There are three species of snake in Tasmania - the tiger snake, the copperhead and the white-lipped whip snake. They are most likely to be seen in February and March (the mating season) and although they are venomous they will not bite unless they are provoked or frightened.

Sullivans Cove

Sullivans Cove
Some of the oldest buildings in Hobart cluster round Sullivans Cove, where fishing boats bob in the picturesque docks and fish punts sell the freshest of fish. Take a walk round the cove and admire the elegant colonial architecture - the sandstone glows in the sun. The old warehouses of Salamanca Place are a magnet for anyone looking for a cup of good coffee, a delicious snack or meal, a piece of handmade jewellery, a secondhand book or a sweater knitted from handspun wool.

Trout Fishing

Tasmania offers the ultimate in trout fishing. The myriad rivers and streams, lakes and tarns are an anglers' paradise. It is a beautiful, unspoilt environment that attracts fishermen from around the world.....Read the full article: Tasmanian Trout Fishing

Weather

Tasmania's climate: Autumn is calm, sunny and cool. Deciduous trees add a blaze of colour to the landscape – farms, vineyards and orchards are busy with the harvest. Winter is brisk and bracing – snow dusts the high peaks and the air is crisp and clear. It's the season to enjoy a crackling log fire.Spring is cool, fresh and green – daffodils and apple blossom brighten the countryside
For up to date weather reports go to: Tasmanian and Antarctic Weather and Warnings

When should I visit?

When is the best time to visit Tasmania?

More than anywhere else in Australia, Tasmanians enjoy four distinctly different seasons, and each one has its own unique pleasures and appeal. Generally it is warmer on the coast and cooler inland. The average maximum temperature in summer (December to February) is 21 degrees Celsius (70F) and in winter (June to August), the average maximum is 12 degrees Celsius (52F). Spring and Autumn are very pleasant with temperatures in the mid-teens. For the current weather

National Trust

The National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) was formed in 1961 identifying, registering and caring for buildings that preserve our history and exemplify architecture that's unusual, interesting and beautiful. Buy a Tasmanian Heritage: visit all of these historic properties during a three month period for $25.00 for adults. The Trust also co-ordinates the annual Tasmanian Heritage Festival, held over the month of April, and includes a number of festivals, events, tours, walks, exhibitions and activities around the State. For further information please e-mail: nat_trust@vision.net.au.

Neil Davis

Neil Davis (1934-85)
Davis was a photojournalist. He was born in Nala, east of Oatlands in the Tasmanian midlands. From 1964 to 1975 he covered the Vietnam War - one of his most illustrious achievements was to film North Vietnamese tanks crashing through the walls of the presidential palace in Saigon. In 1975 he joined the American NBC and continued his work in south-east Asia, becoming the most respected war photojournalist of his time. In September 1985, while filming an attempted military coup in Bangkok, Thailand, he and William Latch (USA) were shot. Davis continued filming until he lost consciousness - he and Latch both died.

Fauna general

Tasmania is richly populated with mammals, birds and frogs. Some mammals give birth to young in the usual way, but some lay eggs and some give birth to tiny partly formed young that live in the mother's pouch until they are fully formed. Many mammals are nocturnal and not easy to spot in the wild. Whales, dolphins, seals and many kinds of shell and scale fish are found in the surrounding oceans.

Galleries/Museums

Once a far-flung colonial outpost, Tasmania is rich in history and cultural diversity. You can sense it in the 10,000 year old stone carvings at Tiagarra, Devonport; view it on the outdoor walls of Sheffield's murals; touch it in a Huon Valley wood turner's studio; hear it in Australia's largest collection of steam-driven relics at Pearn's Steam World, Westbury and experience every aspect of our culture and heritage in the fine exhibitions at Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum or the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart.

Peter Dombrovskis

Peter Dombrovskis (1945-96)
For 25 years Dombrovskis specialised in photographing the Tasmanian wilderness. He was born in Germany of Latvian parents and came to Tasmania in 1950 as a refugee. Most of his photographs were published as collections in books, sometimes with accompanying essays. He also produced hundreds of calendars and greetings cards. His work shows the beauty and uniqueness of the Tasmanian wilderness. In 1983, during the campaign to prevent the damming of the Gordon River, he and Bob Brown published 'Wild Rivers'. He died while taking photographs near Mount Hayes in the western Arthur Range.

Echidnas

Echidnas
The echidna is a monotreme - a mammal that lays eggs. It has a long snout, dark brown fur and its back is covered in strong spines. The males have a venomous spur on their hind legs. They live throughout drier areas of Tasmania and eat ants, termites and other small invertebrates. Travellers often see them near the side of the road.

Game Fishing

Tasmanian game-fishing waters stretching from St Helens in the north, all the way down the east coast to the Tasman Peninsula, are home to more than 20 national gamefish records. During the season the challenges on offer include striped marlin, broadbill swordfish, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, albacore tuna, and mako sharks. Increasingly popular these days is the hunt for mako sharks, a superb gamefish. While St Helens has the largest charter fleet, Bicheno, the Freycinet Peninsula, and the Tasman Peninsula, are also popular. The St Helens Game Fishing Classic, is the highlight of the year for locals and an increasing number of interstate visitors.

Maritime museums

Maritime museums tell the story of the founding of modern Tasmania, the coasts are rocky - on stormy nights before lighthouses were built many a sailing ship came to grief on treacherous uncharted rocks. Present day divers, especially around King Island and Flinders Island, find hulls, cargo and fittings lying sadly on the seabed. But there is a happy heritage of the sailing ships. The international Tall Ships Race has now visited Tasmania twice. The fleet of more than 80 barques, clippers, brigantines and many more classes docks in Hobart at the end of January for a few days, their masts and colours transforming the waterfront. The ships leave to continue the race with a spectacular Parade of Sail down the River Derwent.

Heritage walks

All around the state there's a range of guided and self-guided walking tours to help you explore our cities, towns and country villages. Take a stroll along the quiet streets of Heritage Highway towns like Ross, Oatlands and Campbell Town; through the historic lanes of Battery Point and Hobart's docklands; past Launceston's grand Victorian-era streetscapes; around the seaside village of Stanley in the far North West or the broad streets of Bothwell, on the edge of the Central Plateau

Pontville

Pontville Tasmania: On Highway 1 (the Midlands Highway), 27km north of Hobart. In the middle of the 19th century this was a garrison town, where transported convicts built the bridge over the Jordon River. The soldiers and convicts are gone now but the historic buildings remain: St Matthew's Catholic Church and St Mark's Church of England, the Crown Inn (1835), the Sheiling (1819) and other cottages that now offer colonial accommodation. Walk along the riverbanks, read the headstones in the old churchyards and admire the pottery and crafts at studios roundabout.

Huon Trail

The Huon trail is a driving trail. At 24 roadside locations there are dramatically designed, timber crowned signs telling tales of frogs and fossils, logs and lighthouses, tall trees and tall ships, Gondwana plants and Golden Delicious apples, wooden boats and whalers, bandicoots and blackcurrants. Other activities in the region: jet boating, cruises to Atlantic salmon farms from Dover and Port Huon, alpine walks in the Hartz Mountains, riverside forest walks in the Southern Forest, shopping for arts and crafts in studios in Margate, Cygnet, Huonville, Franklin and Geeveston, boutique vineyards and in season pick-your-own berry farms, and beach and headland walks on Bruny Island.

Whales and penguins

Where can I see whales and penguins? There are no guarantees or specific tours for whale-watching, but they are often sighted along the East Coast off the Freycinet Peninsula. Usually this is in the spring months of September to November when they migrate to warmer waters to breed.Penguins may be observed at various areas around the State. At Turners Beach on the north west coast, off Low Head in the north, at Bicheno on the east coast and in the south on the neck of Bruny Island and South Arm. Guided tours are available at Bicheno on the east coast and at Low Head and Stanley on the north coast.

Tasmanian Devil

Where can I see a Tasmanian Devil?

The Tasmanian bush is alive with animals- but where are they all? It isn't always easy to see our wildlife in its native habitat because most animals are nocturnal, including the Tasmanian Devil. Specialist wildlife observation tours will take you to places where you are very likely to observe animals and birds. Wildlife parks offer another way to see our native fauna.

Skiing

Where can I go skiing?

Following good winter snowfalls, downhill and cross-country skiers head for Ben Lomond, an hour's drive south-east of Launceston, (public accommodation is available) or Mt Mawson in the Mt Field National Park, two hours drive from Hobart. (day facilities only). During the season, ski-tows operate at both locations. When conditions are right, good ski-touring is also available in the Cradle Mountain area.

Swansea

Swansea Tasmania: is situated at the head of Great Oyster Bay overlooking the Freycinet National Park. Settled in 1827 as a military outpost the town is the administrative centre of Australia's oldest municipality, Glamorgan, proclaimed in 1860. There are many buildings of historical interest as well as the unique Prisoners Bridge, built by convicts in 1843 also named Spiky Bridge because of its stone spikes designed to prevent cattle falling over the side.
Swansea has safe sheltered beaches with great places for swimming and fishing in the river and bay.

St Marys

St Marys
Sitting at the eastern most end of the Fingal Valley, 129km south-east of Launceston, St Marys was once the main coal mining town in the state and most eastern railway terminus. The road north passes through St Marys Pass and Elephant Pass providing some magnificent coastal and mountain views.

North East

North East Tasmania: Nature paints with a bright brush in Tasmania's north-east. Red soil nourishes acres of vegetables. In summer, poppy fields colour the landscape, and rows of lavender glow purple. In old tin-mining towns, slopes of grey gravel nudge dark forest, where springtime growth sprouts red on myrtles and eucalypts. Beaches glitter on the coast, pink and grey rocks, splashed with orange lichen, soar straight out of the water. Tended farmlands give way to natural habitats, waterfalls roar in rainforest and sunshine pours onto beaches, mountains rise to craggy summits and dairy pastures roll away to the distance.

Fishing

Fishing in Tasmania
Tasmania has one of the world's last great wild fisheries. In the estuaries of our rivers, you can troll for big, hard-fighting sea-run trout and salmon – or head for blue water and test your game fishing skill against tuna and marlin.Fishing guides and charter boat skippers know times, tides and weather – they can provide everything you need for a memorable fishing holiday.

Strahan

Strahan: picturesque village on the shores of the isolated Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. Local history is told in text and displays at the excellent Strahan Wharf Centre, and on most days the Round Earth Theatre Company presents a play that tells the story of Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour, where in the 1800s transported convicts worked timber, built boats and endured terrible conditions. The village is surrounded by wilderness. You can walk there or on the beach, or take a cruise on the harbour or up the splendid Gordon River, or a ride on a jet boat. The sunsets are dramatic.

Wombats

Wombats
Wombats are marsupial mammals - they have a pouch in which to carry their newborn young. They have a rather square, stocky shape and their tiny tail is hidden in their dark brown fur. Wombats live throughout Tasmania, eat grass, shoots and roots and live in labyrinthine burrows. Their presence is often spotted in the form of distinctive square droppings. They have a cartilage plate in their rump that that they use in times of danger to block the entrance to their burrow. The plate is strong enough to crush an interfering hand. In spite of their unstreamlined appearance, wombats can run at up to 40km an hour.

Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn (1909-59)
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn was born in Hobart, the son of a professor of biology. As a young man he spent some years in New Guinea as an island trader, patrol officer and tobacco planter. In 1936 he signed a contract with Warner Brothers in Hollywood and embarked on a film career and notorious personal life - marriages, divorces and scandals conducted in a blaze of publicity. Among his best films were 'Captain Blood', 'Robin Hood' and 'Elizabeth and Essex'. He was an accomplished writer, publishing two autobiographies, 'Beam Ends' and 'My Wicked, Wicked Ways'. He died in Vancouver of a heart attack.

Aboriginal Culture

Tens of thousands of years ago, the first Tasmanians walked here across the land bridge from mainland Australia. When sea levels rose after the last Ice Age, Tasmanian Aborigines were isolated for 10,000 years until Europeans arrived and settled in the beginning of the 19th century. Today's Tasmanian Aboriginal community retains strong links to the land. On many Tasmanian coasts there are Aboriginal midden sites, where generations of people cooked shellfish meals – please respect these special places and leave them undisturbed. To gain some insights into the Tasmanian Aboriginal community's view of life and land, visit the Tiagarra Centre on Devonport's Bluff.

Richmond

Richmond Tasmania: On the B31, north-east of Hobart. Georgian cottages of mellow sandstone stand in pretty cottage gardens in this beautiful old town. The colonial gaol built in 1825 is now a museum, thankfully peaceful after its unhappy, noisy past. Ducks on the Coal River swim to and fro under Australia's oldest bridge, built in 1823-25. Galleries and boutiques sell a wide range of quality arts and crafts - other attractions are a maze, a large and detailed model of old Hobart Town, and an amusement park specially for young children. The teashops and restaurants are excellent.

Huon, Channel, Bruny

Huon, Channel, Bruny
In the waterways and wilderness of the Huon Valley and D'Entrecasteaux Channel south of Hobart there's art and heritage; apple blossom and vineyards; farmers, foresters and fishers. The town of Huonville bustles on the willow-clad banks of the Huon River, which flows quietly past Franklin, where boat-builders learn traditional skills with timber. Further south the towns of Geeveston, Southport and Dover shelter in their bays, and dolomite caves guard their secrets at Hastings and Lune River. The road ends at the tiny settlement of Cockle Creek.

East Coast Tasmania Attractions

East Coast Tasmania Attractions
The Tasmanian Wool Centre: Traces the evolution of Ross from its early days as a garrison town. Japanese buyers frequently pay world record prices for the extra superfine Merino wool from this area, and the centre displays samples, production techniques and finished articles. A number of interesting tours can be taken from the Centre, including the restored Female Factory, a probation centre for female convicts and their babies.
Church Street Ross, Tasmania 7209 Phone: (03) 6381 5466

Freycinet National Park

Freycinet National Park: Situated 212km north-east of Hobart Freycinet National Park is accessed through the town of Coles Bay. Three spectacular rugged red granite peaks, Amos, Dove, and Mayson are surrounded by charming bays, white beaches and rocky headlands. There many good walks including a day walk around the peninsula with a lunch stop at Cookes Beach and a walk to the top of the Hazard's which offers fantastic views.

Douglas Apsley National Park

Douglas Apsley National Park: Situated in the middle of the East Coast, Douglas Apsley National Park is Tasmania's newest park. Spectacular river gorges, waterfalls, tranquil pools, large stands of dry eucalypt and pockets of rainforest combine to make a visit to the park a memorable experience.

Joseph Lyons

Joseph Lyons (1879-1939)

Joseph Lyons was born in a tiny cottage in the village of Stanley on the north coast of Tasmania. In 1909 he was elected Labor member for the state seat of Wilmot and became premier of Tasmania in 1916. In 1929, after two terms in office, he switched to federal politics. In 1932, as leader of the new United Australia Party, he became prime minister of Australia. He was a devout Catholic, a pacifist and was against conscription. While prime minister he cracked down on communism, introduced harsh censorship laws, retained firm imperial ties and placed little importance on social welfare.

Flora

Widely varying rainfall and altitudes in Tasmania have resulted in a wide variation of vegetations, categorised as: montane, rainforest, wet sclerophyll, widespread, riverbanks and wet places, dry sclerophyll and coastal heath. More than 2,000 species of native flowering plants grow in Tasmania, and more than 200 of them have not been recorded anywhere else on earth.
Read all about the flora of Tasmania:
Tasmanian Flora

Antarctic Link

Hobart is Australia's national Antarctic base, site of the Australian Antarctic Division's headquarters and home port for our Antarctic supply ships. Through the exciting interactive displays at Antarctic Adventure in Salamanca Square; in the rich collection of Antarctic memorabilia in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and our Maritime Museum; and at historic sites such as Hadleys Hotel in Murray Street, where Roald Amundsen stayed before his successful journey to the South Pole in 1912, or Franklin Square, you'll learn the stories behind the 1898-1900 Antarctic Expedition, the first to spend the winter on the ice.

Zeehan

Zeehan Tasmania: A fascinating historic town on the B27, near the midwest coast. Once a booming silver-mining town known as 'silver city' - for a time it even had its own stock exchange. It also had a lot of bars, a thriving theatre and a rollicking social life. Much of its jaunty history is preserved - the Gaiety Theatre is restored to its former glamour, other buildings of the old mining town are still used, and the Pioneer Memorial Museum has a great display of transport, mining equipment and minerals. When you've identified the local minerals you can go fossicking for your own gemstones - or just go fishing at Granville Harbour or Trial Harbour.

Evandale

Evandale Tasmania: On the C416, 15km south of Launceston. A lovely Georgian village with well preserved cottages, houses, churches, inns and old shops. There are good antique galleries and art and craft shops and the Sunday morning market is a mecca for bargain hunters. Clarendon, a Georgian mansion owned by the National Trust, is just outside the village. The Penny Farthing Bicycle races have become a national institution. The Launceston airport lies between Evandale and Launceston.

Description

Tasmania is an island roughly the size of West Virginia, located 240 km off the south-east corner of mainland Australia. Next stop south is Antarctica, 2000 km away.Encircled by the Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea and Bass Strait, we breathe the world's cleanest air and rejoice in pure water and fertile soils – our wine and food are acclaimed around the world.Tasmania is a natural island – a land of dramatic coastlines, rugged mountains, tall forests and sparkling highland lakes.

Golf

Golf in Tasmania?

Tasmania has more golf courses per head of population that any other State. The historic township of Bothwell in Tasmania is also home to Australia's oldest golf course. With over 80 golf courses, Tasmania is a perfect destination for a golfing holiday, and you will find a warm welcome for members of registered interstate clubs at city and country club courses around the State. While there are some public courses around the State, most courses in Tasmania are run by private golf clubs.

Tasmanian Winter

Is it too cold to come in winter?

No. The days of winter are bright and crisp, the mountains and highlands sparkle with snow. Enjoy rugging up, nestling into cosy beds, dining on winter fare and relaxing by cheery first. Expect an average of 13 C. For the current weather

Triabunna

Triabunna
A small fishing town, with a history as a whaling station early last century, Triabunna is an administrative and service centre for the surrounding area. Attractions include many water sports, fishing and beautiful coastal reserves and walks.

St Helens

St Helens
A popular resort area, St Helens is the largest town on the East Coast with a population of 800 swelling to over
8 000 during the summer holidays. The town which is built on the western and southern shores of Georges Bay is based on fishing, timber and especially- tourism. St Helens is a popular base from which to explore the South East region boasting some of Tasmania's finest beaches and coastal scenery.

Robert Knopwood

Robert Knopwood (1763-1838)
Knopwood was born in England where, as a young man, he squandered an inheritance in what would become a lifelong inability to manage his business affairs. At the age of 40 he was again short of cash; to make ends meet he became a naval chaplain. In that position he arrived in Hobart Town in 1804, acquired land grants, ran up huge liquor bills, entertained grandly and became known as the 'sporting parson of Van Diemen's Land'. He was an avid recorder of contemporary events, writing journals that later provided historians with invaluable information. However, by 1821 Governor Macquarie felt that Knopwood was doing more harm than good and retired him on a pension. He was pursued by people to whom he owed money and died in poverty. The Knopwood Pub in Salamanca Place, Hobart, is named after him.

Architecture

It is fortunate that, for various reasons, buildings of each historic phase remain. Tasmania's rich heritage is not confined to Hobart and Launceston. Richmond, Ross, Evandale, Latrobe, Hamilton and Oatlands are particularly noted for their fine collections of historic architecture. But there is hardly a town without its examples of early timber houses and shops, Georgian, Regency, Federation, Victorian Revival and Italianate 'wedding cake' styles (especially in church and civic buildings and the large houses of the rich) and fine examples of 1930s houses and cinemas - the 'ocean liner' style.

Scottsdale

Scottsdale Tasmania: On the A3, about 40km northeast of Launceston. This pleasant, busy town is surrounding by farmlands, where you'll see crops growing, contented dairy cows grazing and forests providing shade and tranquillity.If you like sport this is the country town for you: work off your energy at tennis or lawn bowls or squash or golf and then relax with a swim in the heated pool. For a relaxing afternoon take a picnic to the Mount Maurice Forest Reserve. Drive a mere 20km to the north coast beaches, where three people make a crowd.

Tasmanian Conference/convention

Who can I speak to about organising a conference or convention in Tasmania?

The Tasmanian Convention Bureau will assist you further with any Conference and Convention enquiry in Tasmania. Their e-mail is mail@tasmania-conventions.org.au

Research and Education

Research and Education - A reason to visit Tasmania
Hobart's rich polar history and privileged position as a support base for Antarctic expeditions attracts a large number of research personnel involved with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean environment. As a result Hobart now contains one of the worlds most fertile and diverse cultures in Antarctic research and education......Read On: Research and Education - A reason to visit Tasmania

About Tasmania

Tasmania: Physical
Separated from mainland Australia by the 240 km stretch of Bass Strait, Tasmania is a land apart – a place of wild and beautiful landscapes; friendly, welcoming people; a pleasant, temperate climate; wonderful wine and food; a rich history and a relaxed island lifestyle. According to experienced travellers who've criss-crossed the globe in search of excellence, Tasmania has one of the world's ten best beaches.

Cradle Mountain

How do I get information on the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain? Are the numbers limited?

Widely regarded as one of the world's best walks, the Overland Track threads its way through the heart of the Cradle Mountain- Lake St Clair National Park, jewel of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. You do not need to book, but only register on arrival at the start of the Track. Numbers are not limited. A National Park pass is required.

Genealogy

Was one of your forebears an early settler in Tasmania? Many people come here to find information for their family trees.
Genealogical research takes time and will be easier if you prepare before you arrive. Look in your local bookstore or library for a reference on genealogical research or family trees. You might like to contact someone in Tasmania:Genealogical Society of Tasmania
19 Cambridge Road,
Bellerive, Tasmania, Australia 7018.
(Bellerive is a suburb of Hobart.)
Telephone from other Australian states: 03 6243 6200.
Telephone from overseas: + 61 3 6243 6200.

Campbell Town

Campbell Town Tasmania: On the Midlands Highway (Highway 1), roughly halfway between Hobart and Launceston. A lovely old country town settled on the banks of the Elizabeth River in the 1830s. It was, and is, the centre of the sheep-farming region of Tasmania. There is an impressive collection of colonial buildings such as The Grange (the local wealthy doctor's house built in the late 1840s), the Foxhunters Return (1834), St Luke's Church (1939) and the Red Bridge (1836). The town was the birthplace of Harold Gatty, the first person to fly around the world.

Bicheno

Bicheno Tasmania: On the east coast, just north of the Freycinet Peninsula. Sand, surf, sea and sun epitomise Bicheno, a pretty fishing town founded on the sea and its bounty. Nearby there's the Governors Island Marine Reserve with fascinating underwater scenery and sealife. See it from a glass-bottomed boat or get right into it with some scuba equipment. In the town there's the Sea Life Centre, where creatures of the deep swim in huge glass tanks. The town is a centre for endless outdoor activity - fishing, sailing, golf, tennis and much more.

Mount Wellington

Mount Wellington
On a clear day drive 22km to the top of Mount Wellington, which you've seen every day since you arrived in Hobart. And every day it's been different - bathed in a rosy glow at dawn, resplendent in the noonday sun, darkly silhouetted at dusk. From the top you'll see miles and miles up the Derwent Valley, down to the Southern Ocean and across to Port Arthur. The inlets, bays, hills and this beautiful city are spread out in a stunning panorama, explained in detail in the lookout at the summit.

Parks forests & waterways

Tasmania has 17 accessible national parks, from mountains to the coast. Tasmania has more than 2000 kilometres of world-class walking tracks, thousands of highland lakes and tarns, hundreds of clean ocean beaches, extensive underground caverns, large and small islands both remote and accessible, and enough peaks and crags to keep the keenest walkers and climbers busy.

St Helens

St Helens Tasmania: Near the northern end of the east coast. This is the largest town on the east coast and is well known for wonderful beaches, huge sand dunes, good fishing and lovely scenery, both on the coast and inland. The town, a fishing port, is sheltered by Georges Bay. The bay is formed by St Helens Point, a long headland, 1,066 hectares of which is reserved as a recreation area. The other side of the bay - Humbug Point - is also a recreation area. The history of the town and the region is told in displays in the St Helens History Room.

New Norfolk

New Norfolk Tasmania: On the A10, 20km north-west of Hobart. Settlers from Norfolk Island established this town on the banks of the River Derwent in 1807. Early townspeople planted hundreds of poplar trees, which in autumn turn bright gold. he town is the centre of the hop-growing area of Tasmania and there are several old oast houses (kilns) left from the early days of hop-processing. The town has many old buildings, including one of Australia's oldest inns, the Bush Inn, and Australia's oldest Anglican church - St Matthews (1823).

Westbury

Westbury Tasmania: 25km west of Launceston. A lovely village surrounded by beautiful countryside. There are many interesting attractions here - the Culzean gardens established in the 1840s, the Pearns Steam World collection of hundred-year-old agricultural machinery, the Westbury maze, the National Trust's White House built in the 1840s, and antique shops.

The Meander Valley

The Meander Valley is a creative valley - Deloraine is home to the southern hemisphere's largest working craft festival. Here, artists take inspiration from the environment, shaping metals and clay into beautiful jewellery and ceramics, capturing the light in oils and watercolours. In the historic towns of Westbury, Deloraine, and Latrobe, there are well-preserved reminders of earlier days. In the antique shops you can search Huon Pine or the shine of silver. Latrobe's Axeman's Hall of Fame commemorates the timber industry heritage, while on the land, farms harvest the bounty of rich soils. This is a land of milk and honey - and of sweet berries and fresh vegetables, grass-fed beef and superb farm cheeses.

The Wine Trail

The Wine Trail: Tasmanian wine is legendary - cool climate, fertile soils and expert viticulture have combined to produce a 'menu' of reds and whites, still wines and sparkling, that keep the wine world talking. Chardonnays, sauvignon blancs, pinot noirs, rieslings, cabernet sauvignons, semillons are just a few. On the Tasmanian Wine Route you'll visit 14 wineries in the Tamar region, between Launceston and the north coast. Taste before you buy, and have a gourmet lunch in a winery restaurant. Get a wine route map from the nearest Visitor Information office and make a day of it.

Martin Cash

Martin Cash (1810-77)
Cash was born in Ireland. At the age of 17 he wounded a rival in a love affair, was convicted of attempted murder and transported to New South Wales for seven years. Good behaviour earned him his freedom; in 1837 he came to Van Diemen's Land with his de facto wife Bessie Clifford and settled in Campbell Town. Three years later he was convicted of larceny and sentenced to seven years in Richmond Gaol. He escaped and worked in the Huon district until he was recognised, arrested and sent to Port Arthur Prison. He escaped again, this time into the bush around New Norfolk (north-west of Hobart). He lived by bushranging (bushrangers lived in the bush and supported themselves by stealing and other crimes). In 1843 he killed a constable who was trying to arrest him and was sentenced to life imprisonment on Norfolk Island. Ten years later he was released, married a convict servant, was appointed caretaker of Government House gardens in Hobart and later bought an orchard at Glenorchy. In 1870 he published 'Martin Cash, the Bushranger of Van Diemen's Land' and became one of Australia's best known romantic robbers. He was buried at Cornelian Bay cemetery in Hobart.

Bothwell

Bothwell Tasmania: On the A5, 73km northwest of Hobart. A lovely old town on the Clyde River, where Australia's first herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle grazed and the first golf course was built. Walking round the town is to walk back in time - more than 50 colonial cottages, houses and official buildings cluster around the trees and grass of Queens Park. Go fishing, swimming or hang-gliding. Then see the studio that created the Tasmanian tartan, examine superb local crafts and have a homemade afternoon tea in a cosy tearoom.

Queenstown

Queenstown Tasmania: On the A10, 30km inland from the midwest coast. The town was established in the 1890s when copper was discovered in the surrounding mountains. The mountains, stripped by mining of all their vegetation, became a tourist attraction, but technology has progressed and the vegetation is now slowly returning. The town has an interesting collection of timber architecture left from early mining days and is the main focus of the national project to restore the old and rare Abt railway. There is an excellent museum that covers a hundred years of mining and community development in the area. The road into and out of the town passes through stark mountain scenery and drivers need to keep their wits about them.

Hobart

Hobart
Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, blends heritage and lifestyle, scenery and culture. It's a place of mellow sandstone, dockside fishmongers, al fresco coffee shops, art, craft, music and theatre. Hobart is shaped by water. Take a river cruise, or drive to the summit of Mount Wellington. Twenty-five kilometres away the historic town of Richmond, with its fine Georgian architecture, remembers days gone by. In Richmond Gaol Tasmania's convict past seems just a clink of chains away.

ATM's

Do you have ATM'S? What banks are there in Tasmania?

All major banks can be found around Tasmania. They operate under normal working day trading hours, with ATM and EFTPOS facilities available in all major centres.

Thylacine (tasmanian tigers)

Thylacine (tasmanian tigers)
The last thylacine died in captivity in 1936. Since then they have been classified as extinct but many people claim to have seen them in remote bush areas. Just in case any have survived they have been declared protected animals. The thylacine is a marsupial - a mammal that bears young that are very small and only partly formed. The young crawl through the mother's fur to her pouch, and live there until they have grown and developed limbs and can follow their mother. The thylacine is light brown with dark brown stripes across its back and is about as big as a medium-sized dog. During the late 1800s and early 1900s farmers and bounty hunters protected sheep by killing hundreds of thylacines. Nowadays this probably extinct animal is part of the logo of Tourism Tasmania and often appears in other government logos.

Tasmania Physical

AREA: 64,519 sq km., POPULATION: 479,000
CAPITAL: Hobart (300,000)
The island state of Tasmania is located some 200 kilometres south of the mainland of Australia and is Australia's smallest state (65,000 sq. km.), measuring only some 200 kilometres from north to south and east to west at its broadest points. Rich in Australia's young history, it was the second settlement in Australia after Sydney and the first settlers arrived in 1803 to what is now Hobart. It was primarily established as a penal settlement to house prisoners from the United Kingdom and much of this early penal history can be seen around the state. It takes its name from Abel Tasman who first charted the island in 1642 and originally named it Van Diemens Land. Like those who visit it today he was struck by its intense and varied beauty. As Australia's most southern land mass, it is snow capped throughout much of the year, and the mountainous terrain and many lakes provide a tranquil and beautiful island which is a popular destination for holiday makers from all over the world. For travellers, the island can be divided mainly into 4 sections. The north west, where the ferry from Melbourne disembarks at Devonport, the North East, with beautiful beaches and snow capped mountain peaks, the South West, renowned for the system of rivers and the beautiful rain forests which comprise a magnificent World Heritage Area, and the South East, which houses the ruins of the penal settlement of Port Arthur, and has a rugged and beautiful coastline interspersed with many fine beaches. The principal cities are the capital, Hobart, in the south, and Launceston, in the north.
The main attractions for tourists include the Great Lakes and Cradle Mountain parks in the centre of the state, the Port Arthur penal settlement ruins on the Tasman Peninsula, and the Gordon Franklin Wild Rivers World Heritage Area in the south-west.
There are limestone caves at Hastings, and a magnificent view across Hobart from Mount Wellington, a short drive or walk from the city centre.

Lake St Clair

Lake St Clair: is the deepest in Australia (190 metres / 623 feet), scooped out by glaciers 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age. High dolerite cliffs rise sheer from the water and there is a drowned moraine at the southern end. The lake, in which fishing and boating are allowed, is surrounded by forest and is the southern gateway to the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. There is a regular ferry the length of the lake, used by visitors and by walkers on the Overland Track who like to do a little of the journey by water.

Orford

Orford Tasmania: Situated on the sheltered Prosser Bay, Orford was once an important port when the main means of transport was by sea . Today it is a popular holiday resort and fishing town. Orford is an attractive holiday area and offers excellent fishing, and sight seeing by charter boat. There are many excellent walks, the two kilometre track from Shelly Beach around Luther Point to Spring Beach provides spectacular vistas, and a two hour return walk to Three Thumbs Lookout and picnic area provides magnificent views up and down the coast and to Maria Island.

George Town

George Town Tasmania: Near the mouth of the River Tamar on the north coast. The town was established in 1804 and is well endowed with historic houses and other buildings. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside, white beaches, many vineyards. The historic Low Head Lighthouse and Pilot Station are nearby.

Deloraine

Deloraine Tasmania: On the Midlands Highway (highway 1), 40km west of Launceston. A charming town on the Meander River with an attractive collection of old buildings of the 1830s and 1840s, many of which now house galleries, restaurants and studios. The town has lovely views of the spectacular Western Tiers and is surrounded by wonderful countryside - a plethora of caves, waterfalls, cliffs, lakes and nature reserves.

Wineries

Do you have information on wineries in Tasmania?

Tasmania has superb cool-climate wines, winners of many prestigious national awards. In vineyards, pinot, chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc grapes ripen slowly, concentrating the flavours and most aromas of the fruit. You will find most Tasmanian wineries by the Tamar and Pipers River in the north – east region or south on the banks of the Derwent River, south in the Huon region or on the east coast of the island.

Maria Island National Park

Maria Island National Park: Located six kilometres offshore the island is accessed either by a short ferry ride from Triabunna or by light aircraft. Maria Island was Tasmania's second penal settlement and later became a convict probation station, grazing property, the site for vineyards, and a cement works. Finally the island was declared a National Park and wildlife sanctuary, mainly for the breeding of threatened indigenous wildlife.

Wallabies

Wallabies
The Bennetts, or red-necked, wallaby grows to about 80cm high. Its fur is brown with a reddish neck and shoulders. Their young, called joeys, stay in the pouch for about nine months. Wallabies live in scrubby areas and eucalypt forests and eat grass and other plants. They are inquisitive, and are notorious for raiding backpacks and picnic baskets.

South East

South East Tasmania: Past and present mingle on the magnificent Tasman Peninsula, almost an island apart. When you turn right at the historic town of Sorell, you're heading south for scenery, wildlife, heritage and adventure. You may see a majestic sea eagle soaring from the cliffs. Further south, Port Arthur has overlooked the dark waters of a quiet bay for more than 150 years. On your return journey, turn off through the magnificent forests of Wielangta, where rare parrots flash through the blue gums. Beyond the trees are the gentle landscapes of the east coast.

Port Arthur history

Convict chain gangs: In 1830 Port Arthur was a timber station, but hardly three years later, because it was hemmed in by the sea and access by land was solely through a tiny isthmus at Eaglehawk Nest, it became a prison settlement where the worst of the convicts were thrown, sentenced to work in chain gangs. Flogging became a way of life -- 100 lashes being the normal punishment for, for instance, attempts to escape the penal settlement. The prison closed in 1877, and in the next two decades the penitentiary and the church were gutted by fire.

Enid Lyons

Enid Lyons (1897-1981)
A teacher and politician, Enid Muriel Lyons (nee Burnell) was born at Duck River (now Smithton) in the far north-west of Tasmania. In 1915 she married future prime minister Joseph Lyons and bore 12 children. In 1943, four years after her husband's death, Enid Lyons contested the seat of Darwin (western Tasmania) and became the first woman member of the Federal House of Representatives. In 1949 she became vice-president of the Executive Council - the first woman appointed to Federal Cabinet. Illness forced her to retire in 1951, but she remained active, promoting family and women's issues and working as a newspaper columnist and a commissioner of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. She also published three books: 'So We Take Comfort', 'The Old Haggis' and 'Among the Carrion Crows'. Dame Enid died in 1981, remembered as 'a sort of matriarch among politicians'

Diving

Encounter another Tasmania – with clear waters and great visibility, this is temperate diving at its best. Experience the mystery of a wooden sea-skeleton – the waters of King and Flinders Island abound with shipwrecks. Dive through kelp beds, explore sea caves, ebb and flow with tangled underwater forests moving with the tides. Go with an expert – professional dive operators on King and Flinders Islands, the East Coast and Tasman Peninsula have all the gear, skills and local knowledge you need.

North West

North West Tasmania: From Burnie the highway follows the coast westward, between Bass Strait and green, fertile farmland, massive bluffs - Table Cape, Rocky Cape and Circular Head. The sturdy stone cottages of Stanley, established around 1826, and the graceful facade of Highfield homestead, reflect the town's fishing and farming history. The highway passes through remote farmlands and forests towards Marrawah. The historic property of Woolnorth covers Tasmania's north-west tip, Cape Grim, where air from the Southern Ocean is tested as the world's cleanest.

East Coast

East Coast Tasmania: A coast of contrasts - Sample fine wine and food - along the East Coast Gourmet Trail. Three national parks, Douglas-Apsley, Freycinet and Maria Island, are paradise for bushwalkers. On the Freycinet Peninsula visit the holiday town of Coles Bay - from here it's a short walk across a saddle to the perfect half-moon of Wineglass Bay. Above Coles Bay's quiet beaches, The Hazards pink and grey granite rocks, painted with orange lichen, rise steeply. Travel inland through the Fingal Valley, where rainforest clings to steep mountain passes.

Gustav and Kate Weindorfer

Gustav Weindorfer (1874-1932) and Kate Weindorfer (1864-1916) Gustav Weindorfer was born in Austria and arrived in Australia in 1900. Kate Cowle was born in Tasmania's Fingal Valley, between the east coast and Ben Lomond. Kate and Gustav were keen bushwalkers and were also interested in botany, music and singing. They married in 1906 and worked on Kate's brother's farm at Kindred, about 21km (12 miles) south of Ulverstone until they could afford their own farm. In 1909 Gustav and a friend camped and walked in the area of Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain and were spellbound by the beauty of the terrain, the lakes and the vegetation. In January 1910 both the Weindorfers and some friends returned to Cradle Mountain to climb it. The Weindorfers fell in love with Cradle Mountain and began to lobby the government to improve road access and protect the area as a park. They built 'Waldheim' ('forest home') and opened it as a tourist resort in 1912. When Kate died Gustav lived on the mountain for another 16 years, becoming something of a legend. In 1922 the area from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair was proclaimed a scenic reserve. A replica of Waldheim chalet was built in 1976 using similar techniques and materials as the original.

Hamilton

Hamilton Tasmania: On the A10, 74km northwest of Hobart. This pretty town on the Clyde River is full of history, from quaint old cottages that now house craft galleries or offer bed and breakfast, to street foundations that colonials laid out for the ambitious town they dreamt of. The stories of the town's lively past are told in the Hamilton Heritage Centre. It's a quieter place now, but not too quiet - you can fish (Meadowbank Lake is close by), swim, play tennis, go water skiing, and you're surrounded by beautiful countryside to explore.

Merle Oberon

Merle Oberon (1911-79)
The film actress Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson was born in St Helens on the east coast of Tasmania. When she was seven her family moved to India. Merle was educated in Bombay and Calcutta and did her first work in drama with the Calcutta Amateur Theatrical Society. At the age of 17 she went to England and worked for London Film Productions for five years. She starred as Anne Boleyn in 'The Private Lives of Henry VIII' and in many other films including 'A Song to Remember', 'Wuthering Heights', 'Love and Desire'. She also starred in the television series 'Assignment Foreign Legion'. She married four times. When she retired she moved to California.