Best Places to Visit
Hobart is an ideal base for some great Southern Tassie day trips! One is the Tasman Peninsula, home to Port Arthur UNESCO heritage historic site with its well-preserved penal colony buildings. Once known as an 'inescapable prison, Port Arthur is now a beautiful and rugged destination with ample history to discover. A guided introductory tour gives a taste of the island's different heritage sites. Delve into Port Arthur's fascinating - and sometimes spooky - history with an after-dark tour. Heading south from the city, explore Bruny Island, or head west into the Huon and Derwent Valleys to sample some of that famous fresh Tassie produce.
From seafood to wine to wildlife, Tasmania's East Coast is something special, and nowhere is its wonder better embodied than on the Freycinet Peninsula. A great wilderness choice for those in search of Tasmania’s rugged natural beauty, Freycinet offers terrific hiking, picture-perfect azure bays and white sand beaches such as the Bay of Fires, with its stunning orange-tinted rocks and turquoise waters, or the endlessly photographed Wineglass Bay. A visit to Maria Island is a must for spotting wallabies and wombats in the wild. The Freycinet area is also home to some of the best oysters in the world, best enjoyed with a glass of boutique local white. It's a great spot to break up a trip between Launceston and Hobart while immersing yourself in the Tassie wilderness.
Tasmania’s second-largest city, Launceston, is a heritage haven and is one of only two Australian cities to be titled a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Sample fine sparkling wine from the rolling Tamar Valley, hit the world-renowned mountain bike trails at Derby and tee off into Bass Strait at Barnbougle. Don't miss nearby Narawntapu Park. A complex of small islands, headlands, wetlands, dunes and lagoons, Narawntapu offers an amazing variety of plants and animals including kangaroos, wallabies and wombats.
Full of colour and flavour, the northwest is your gateway to some of Tasmania’s most pristine natural beauty, including the alpine wilds of Cradle Mountain. Immerse yourself on coastal drives, food trails, national parks, and in allegedly the world’s cleanest air – found on the northwest tip of Kennaook /Cape Grim Peninsula.
Pack your waterproof jacket, it's worth it! Home to untamed rivers, ancient Huon pines and giant sand dunes, the west coast is the heart of Tasmania's World Heritage Wilderness Area. Challenge the infamous Franklin River on a white-water rafting expedition, cruise the majestic Gordon River, hike through age-old rainforests and visit historic mining towns.
Hear the heartbeat of the surf, take your pick of oceanside golf courses, or roam the lush pastures that nourish King Island’s renowned produce. On Flinders Island, settle into relaxation – walk the length of a beach, explore a granite headland painted by nature, or sip whisky flavoured by island peat.