Tasmania

The ‘Apple Isle’ off Australia’s southern coast offers visitors a relaxed and spectacular holiday destination. With a population just under 500,000 Tasmania offers a state almost untouched by civilisation across most of it’s land. Small towns and villages nestle into the landscape, in harmony with the stunning environment, and huge tracts of the state are protected national forests and wildlife reserves.

The main cities of Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport offer 5 star accommodation, fine dining and cosmopolitan nightlife, but travel just a few miles from their outskirts and find yourself amongst the true Tasmanian wilderness. Stand in the middle of the South West National Park and you could honestly believe you were the only human left on the earth, or explore the streets of Hobart surrounded by relaxed and welcoming locals.

An overnight cruise across Bass Strait delivers you to a state which offers top quality food and wine, cultural experiences, world heritage listed national parks, spectacular scenery and millions of hectares of untouched wilderness.

Tasmania offers unique opportunities to explore a landscape virtually untouched by man, with a rich environmental diversity. Tassie – as it is affectionately called by Aussies – boasts some of Australia’s most stunning scenery, from untouched rainforests through to the pounding surf of Cloudy Bay. Wineglass Bay has been praised as one of the world’s best ten beaches, and over 2000 kilometres of walking tracks lead you through some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever experience.

Tasmania offers opportunities to see a variety of wildlife in natural environments unmatched on the mainland. Macquarie Island – the gateway to Antarctica – teems with penguins and elephant seals, while visitors can catch glimpses of quolls, wombats, platypus and a myriad of other native Australian animals during a visit to any national park.

Across the state opportunities to see wildlife in natural, untouched habitats abound. A hike along any of Tasmania’s 2000km walking trails will bring opportunities to see much of Australia’s wildlife, or visit one of the many animal parks such as Tasmanian Devil Park at Taranna on the island’s south to see Tassie’s wildlife up close.

If adventure sets your blood ringing, then Tasmania is the state for you. White water rafting down the Picton River, viewing Trevallyn from a cable hang-glider or abseiling from Frenchmans Cap in the Tasmania Wilderness World Heritage Area are just a drop in the ocean of the range of outdoor adventures awaiting you.

Watersports such as kayaking, diving, fishing and rafting are well catered for across Tasmania. Tassie’s network of rivers allow for some spectacular rafting experiences, and jetboats offer full-on adrenaline rushes with high speed trips down the Huon, King and Derwent Rivers.

Divers will enjoy what is known as one of the best temperate-water dive sites in the world, and can explore the many shipwrecks scattered around King and Flinders Islands.

Tasmania is an island state that has something to offer for any visitor. Come on down to enjoy the best the world has to offer !