LOCAL SEAFOOD
Blacklip abalone seared in butter, fresh sea urchin from St Helens, and sweet Pacific oysters shucked at marine leases along the Freycinet Peninsula.
Tasmania.
ASIA-PACIFIC/AUSTRALIA/42.0409° S, 146.8087° E
Salt air cuts inland across basalt headlands, carrying the scent of damp eucalypt and woodsmoke from small harbour kitchens. An island roughly the size of Ireland, the land breaks into jagged dolerite peaks at Cradle Mountain, ancient Huon pine stands in the wet west, and sunlit apple orchards rolling down the Huon Valley. You come here to eat spanner crab pulled straight from the pots, drink cool-climate Riesling, and walk tracks cut by convict gangs through dense temperate rainforest.
Last updated 4 Sept 2026
Field notes
Photographs · Wikimedia Commons© OpenStreetMap
What Tasmania is about
Twelve ways to read the region. Pick a town below and you can turn any of these into a timed 1, 2 or 3 day plan.
COOL-CLIMATE WINE
Tamar Valley chardonnay and Derwent Valley pinot noir, poured at cellar doors where the grower is usually the one standing behind the tasting bench.
WHISKY & DISTILLERIES
Single malt whiskies distilled from local barley and peat, aged in small oak casks across Sullivans Cove, Bothwell, and the Southern Midlands.
WILDERNESS HIKING
Multi-day traverses over the alpine plateau of the Overland Track and the sheer sea-cliff boardwalks around Cape Hauy and the Three Capes Track.
MODERN ART
Subterranean galleries carved into Berriedale sandstone at MONA, reached via a fast catamaran ferry up the Derwent River from Hobart docks.
CONVICT HISTORY
Nineteenth-century penitentiary stone ruins and solitary cells preserved at Port Arthur, alongside the remote penal station on Sarah Island.
COASTAL WALKS
Granite tracks skimming the pink hazard peaks and white sand of Wineglass Bay, framed by orange lichen rocks along the Bay of Fires.
FARMGATE PRODUCE
Leatherwood honey, heritage apples, and farmhouse cheeses sourced from roadside stalls with honesty boxes throughout the Huon and Meander valleys.
TEMPERATE RAINFOREST
Centuries-old myrtle beech, sassafras, and towering swamp gums strung with moss in the Tarkine and the dripping gullies of Mount Field.
PRODUCE MARKETS
Salamanca Market on Saturday mornings in Hobart, packed with woodworkers, sourdough bakers, and growers selling truffles and winter berries.
ISLAND ESCAPES
Short ferry rides to Bruny Island for wallaby sightings and smoked cheese, or flights north to the windswept pastures of King Island.
HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE
Georgian sandstone warehouses along Salamanca Place and intact early colonial cottages lining the quiet streets of Richmond and Battery Point.
Where to go in Tasmania
The bases worth booking. Each one has its own field guide with 1, 2 and 3 day itineraries.
- 01Hobart
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Walk Salamanca Place at dawn, take the ferry to MONA, and eat fresh fish and chips off the Constitution Dock punts.
- 02Launceston
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Stroll through Cataract Gorge and use the city as a calm base for touring the Tamar Valley wine route.
- 03Strahan
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Board the Gordon River cruise to navigate world heritage rainforests and the harsh penal settlement of Sarah Island.
- 04Stanley
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Climb the sheer volcanic monolith known as The Nut before ordering Southern rock lobster at the dockside pub.
- 05Bicheno
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Watch little penguins waddle ashore at dusk after walking the granite headlands along the relaxed east coast.
- 06Cygnet
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Explore organic farm shops, potter studios, and cider sheds tucked into the rolling green hills of the Huon.
- 07Coles Bay
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Lace up your walking boots for the climb over the pink granite Hazards to look down on Wineglass Bay.
- 08Queenstown
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Gaze at the stripped lunar landscape left by old copper mines and ride the restored West Coast Wilderness Railway.
- 09Richmond
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Cross Australia's oldest stone span bridge and browse antique shops among intact early nineteenth-century cottages.
- 10Bruny Island
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Sample raw oysters, artisanal cheese, and coastal cliffs within an hour's drive and ferry crossing of Hobart.
- 11St Helens
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
Ride world-class mountain bike trails through the bush before heading out to the orange rocks of the Bay of Fires.
- 12Sheffield
TASMANIA / AUSTRALIA
View outdoor murals painted across town walls before driving twenty minutes to the jagged base of Mount Roland.
What to do in Tasmania
Tasmania is a compact, heart-shaped island state anchored off the southern tip of mainland Australia. Days here follow the rhythm of the weather and the tides, moving between crisp alpine hikes on the Central Highlands and slow lunches at coastal cellar doors. It suits travellers who prefer quiet two-lane bitumen roads, independent growers, honest pub food, and wild ocean scenery over manufactured resort towns.
When to go to Tasmania
Summer from December to February brings warm walking weather and bustling harbours, though accommodation fills early. Autumn in April cools down with vibrant turning fagus foliage in alpine ranges and calm, crisp days. Winter from June to August is cold and dark, but ideal for open fires, dark mofo festivals, and uncrowded cellar doors.
Getting around Tasmania
Hiring a car or campervan is essential, as passenger rail is nonexistent and regional buses run infrequently. Driving times are deceptive; the winding Midland Highway connects Hobart to Launceston in roughly two and a half hours, but westward roads across the mountains to Strahan are narrow, steep, and demand a much slower pace.