Australia
Tasmania
Heritage, wilderness and unspoilt beauty abound in this the jewel of Australia's crown, Tasmania. Preservation of its natural assets is paramount to "Tas-stralians", as you will notice from the moment you set foot onto this colonial rich soil.

There’s an otherworldly quality to Tasmania; romantics can see a gothic landscape of rain clouds and brooding mountains, revelling in the island’s isolation and heavily wooded wilderness. This gothic notion extends to the ruins – evident everywhere – of a terrible colonial past: this was a prison island whose name, Van Diemen’s Land, was so redolent with horror that when convict transport ended in 1852 it was immediately changed. Another, quite different view is that of a tamed landscape roughly the size of Ireland, its distances comprehensible to a European traveller, and with resonant echoes of England: cream teas, old-fashioned B&Bs, and friendly, homespun people.

 
In winter, when the grass is green, the gentle and cultivated midlands, with their rolling hills, dry stone walls and old stone villages, can be reminiscent of England’s West Country, though in summer the light is too harsh and the grass too yellow to bear comparison. Town names, too, invariably invoke the British Isles – Perth, Swansea, Brighton and Somerset among them. It’s a “mainlander’s” joke that Tasmania is twenty years behind the rest of Australia, and it’s true that it’s very old-fashioned. At times this can be charming, but on other occasions frustrating and parochial.

Tasmania is the closest point in Australia to the Antarctic Circle, and the west coast is wild, wet and savage, bearing the full brunt of the Roaring Forties. Inland, the southwest has wild rivers, impassable temperate rainforests, buttongrass plains, and glacially carved mountains and tarns that have been linked to create a vast World Heritage Area. This region – crossed only by the Lyell Highway – extends from the South West National Park, through the Franklin Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, and across to the Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, providing some of the world’s best wilderness walking and rafting, and the stage for frequent and dramatic conflicts between conservationists and the logging and mining communities. It’s still one of the cleanest places on earth, though, despite attempts at industrialization, and a wilderness walk, where you can breathe the fresh air and drink freely from tannin-stained streams, is a genuinely bucolic experience.

A north–south axis divides the settled areas, with the two major cities, Hobart, the capital, in the south, and Launceston in the north. The northwest coast, facing the mainland across Bass Strait, is the most densely populated region, the site of Tasmania’s two other cities, Devonport (where the Bass Strait ferry docks) and Burnie, and several other large, conservative towns. Tasmania’s central plateau, with its thousands of lakes, is sparsely populated, though full of weekender fishing shacks. The sheltered, mostly flat east coast is the place to go for sun and water sports activities; it has plenty of deserted beaches, safe for swimming, set against a backdrop of bush-clad hills.

Don’t expect boiling hot weather in Tasmania. It rarely gets above 25°C, even at the height of summer, and the weather is notoriously changeable, particularly in the uplands, where it can sleet and snow at any time of year; the most stable month is February. However, the UV rays are particularly strong, with the ozone layer thinning every year, and in the middle of a summer day can burn unprotected skin in fifteen minutes. Wear plenty of sunscreen and a hat. Winter is a bitterly cold time to visit unless you choose the more temperate east coast; wilderness walks are best left to the most experienced and well-equipped at this time of year.

Captivating, invigorating and exhilarating will be just some of the words that will come to mind as you enjoy the offerings of this pleasant apple isle. From relaxing in the comforting ambience of the many village inns on the East Coast to hiking through the National Parks of the West, one of the last great wilderness areas in the world, Tasmania will revitalise your senses.
Tasmania is easily accessible from mainland Australia by ferry to the North Coast or by air to Hobart, so come enjoy this protected harmony and take a trip into our past and future, all in the one day.

For more regional information on the regions of Tasmania, go to:

Getting there & around
If you plan to be in Melbourne, or have a car you want to take over, a good way to get to Tasmania is across the Bass Strait on the TT Line Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Port Melbourne to Devonport (departing Port Melbourne Mon, Wed & Fri 6pm, arriving Devonport 8.30am; departing Devonport Tues & Thurs, Sat 6pm; tel 13 2010). 

If a rough, fourteen-hour overnight trip doesn’t worry you too much, this is the best way to travel. There are restaurants, bars and entertainment, and every passenger has a bed – there’s a hostel section ($110 one-way), as well as private cabins ranging from basic to luxury suites ($160–250 per person one-way); in low season prices can drop by around twenty percent. You’ll need to book in advance in summer, especially if you want to take a vehicle. Whatever standard of accommodation you choose, you’ll pay between $30 and $40 extra to take a car across, and $20 for a bicycle. 

There is also a high speed catamaran, the Devil Cat, which takes six hours to cross between Port Melbourne and George Town (January–April departing Port Melbourne Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun 7.30am; departing George Town at Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun 4pm; one-way passenger $160; vehicles as per Spirit of Tasmania), but prepare for a rough ride. Cheaper Apex return fares (21-day advance purchase) are available on both boats, and packages, including on-ground travel passes or accommodation and tours, are also worth looking into.

Several airlines fly from the mainland to Tasmania, as well as to King and Flinders islands. You can fly with Qantas from all the major cities, usually changing planes in Melbourne; it’s always cheaper to fly to Launceston direct from Melbourne, and you’ll save money if you book well in advance, with an economy return at $428 and an Apex return at $257. Other return fares are Melbourne–Hobart $494/$271 and Sydney–Hobart $716/$372 ($632/$372 to Launceston). Look out for special offers that can reduce prices further. 

There are also several Tasmanian- and Victorian-based airlines worth checking out. The major player is Kendell Airlines (free tel 1800/338 894) who have taken over Ansett’s Tasmanian routes: Melbourne– Launceston, Melbourne–Hobart, Sydney–Launceston and Sydney–Hobart. Kendell still also fly from Melbourne to Devonport (return $206), Wynyard (Burnie Airport; return $192), and King Island (return $172). All Kendell flights operate from Ansett Australia terminals, who provide reservation services and some ground handling at major capital city airports. Island Airlines (free tel 1800/818 455) flies from Traralgon in Victoria’s Gippsland to Launceston ($172 one-way) and Flinders Island ($143 one-way), from Melbourne’s Essendon airport to Flinders Island ($165 one-way); cheaper Apex return fares are available. 

The only international flights are with Qantas from Christchurch, in New Zealand, to Hobart, and with Air New Zealand (Nov–June) for roughly the same price. You could also add this part of your journey onto an international ticket via New Zealand.

Passenger train services no longer exist in Tasmania. Instead, six local bus companies and one charter service reach most destinations, the main two companies being Tasmanian Redline Coaches and Tasmanian Wilderness Travel. You cannot use a mainland bus pass with either of these, and services are limited, often not running at weekends, especially on the east and west coasts; in winter and spring services are even further reduced, which can be downright inconvenient. 

Frequent scheduled services are offered by the the largest operator, Tasmanian Redline Coaches (tel 03/6231 3233 or tel 1300/360 000), between Hobart and Launceston via the east coast or direct via the Midland Highway, from Devonport to Hobart via Deloraine and Launceston, and along the northwest coast from Devonport to Burnie and on to Smithton. 

Tasmanian Wilderness Travel (tel 03/6334 4442) specializes in bushwalkers’ transport, getting you to some of the more remote places all over the state in their minibuses which run scheduled services as well as “Wilderness” trips (minimum of four people) and separate tours. Scheduled services run from Hobart to Queenstown via Lake St Clair, with a connecting service to Strahan; Queenstown to Launceston via Cradle Mountain and Devonport; from Hobart up the east coast as far as St Helens; and from Launceston east to Bicheno. “Wilderness” services include routes running west from Hobart to Mt Field National Park and Scotts Peak or south to Cockle Creek via Huonville and Lune River, and from Launceston to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and to Cradle Mountain via Deloraine and Devonport.

Renting a car is a sensible option, considering the vagaries of the transport system, particularly if you can get a group together. Though distances seem short compared to the mainland, roads are often winding and mostly two-laned – there are few freeways, except some short stretches on the outskirts of large cities – so driving can be slow and tiring. At dusk and night-time you have to be especially careful of animals darting in front of your car, as evidenced by the saddeningly high number of dead native animals you’ll see by the roadsides. However, there are few cars on the road, so you should be able to relax a bit and enjoy the scenery. The lack of traffic also makes cycling an attractive option, especially in summer, and on the flatter midlands and east coast routes; otherwise, there are plenty of gruelling hills to keep you in shape. Several operators in Hobart, Launceston and Devonport rent bikes for touring (see the respective accounts).

For more general and product information on the Tasmania, go to:

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