Travel > Travel Guides > Tasmania

Tasmania

- by Bettina James

Tasmania is usually the forgotten chunk of land down the bottom of Australia when people are asked to draw Australia. Located 200km south of the eastern part of continent, it is separated by the Bass Straight. The population is around 500,000 and the capital city is Hobart. Hobart is located on the estuary of the Derwent River, with a metropolitan population of just over 200,000. There are two major airports, one in the capital Hobart and the other in the second largest city in Tasmania, Launceston.

Things to do > Tasmania > Port Arthur > Salamanca Place > Wineglass Bay & Freycinet Peninsula > Barilla Bay Oyster > Tasmanian Devil Park > Tahune Air Walk > Tahune Eagle Glide > Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs > Sea Kayaking

Getting to Tasmania

The easiest way to reach Tasmania is by plane. There are frequent and cheap flights to and from Tasmania. Budget airlines such as VirginBlue and JetStar often have fares for $39 one way from Melbourne (1 hour), which makes Tasmania a very affordable destination. Another way to get to Tasmania is to take the Spirit of Tasmania, which departs from Sydney and Melbourne and arrives in Devonport. You can take you vehicle on this ship, or go as a passenger. Prices start from $123 off-peak one-way from Melbourne for one adult and $160 for passengers from Sydney. A standard vehicle will cost $69 from Melbourne and $59 from Sydney.

Tasmania is often seen as the backward cousin of the mainland. With its relative isolation from other cities, it has been unfairly labelled as a backward country town. It does have the country feel and Hobart certainly does not have the urban vibrancy of Sydney and Melbourne; however it’s not supposed to. It’s got its own sweet charm. Old world charm, real history and gourmet food and wine in a pristine environment.

When I first arrived in Tasmania, my first breath of air was of pungent aeroplane fumes, but out of the airport, the air is clean and fresh. If people wanted to buy fresh mountain or sea air, to rejuvenate and revitalise, then this is where you’d fill up your jars of fresh air, to use in the polluted cities. I was surprised that the coastline wasn’t filled with high rises and residential buildings since the scenery was beautiful. Then I realised that most of the state overlooks some sort of scenic waterway, be it a lake or the coast. This makes for some very spectacular scenery, prevents a lot of potential fire dangers, and makes tourist touring rather dangerous.

The weather is described as similar to England’s, which is basically cold and rainy. Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons are opposite to what most know as normal. Summer is from December to February, and the average maximum temperature 21 degrees Celsius (about 70 Fahrenheit). Winter weather averages 12 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), which is between June and August.

So what are the people like? Outside of Hobart, the tempo is a lot slower, and many of the people are older. I had one comment recorded on my dictaphone that went something like “here you feel like you’re living in the 1800’s, with 1800 year old people”.

Not to be disrespectful, but it is like most country areas, it’s just slower pace of life. But that’s what you’re here for, you want a change, you want to slow things down – a bit of R&R. The people here are like most other Australian cities, generally pleasant and will help you out if you ask. I didn’t see many homeless people around the city centre; I think this is probably because of the weather.

What are the main things to do in Tasmania?

Tasmania is all about the natural beauty, coupled with the fine food and wine. There are literally hundreds of wineries to visit and most of them have fine dining rooms to match. Most of the restaurants serve local produce and wine, and there’s no reason to import food here, as the weather is ideal for growing quality produce. Some of the regions more famous wineries are included on a list produced by Tourism Tasmania, called Cool Wine & Food. There are three to ten day itineraries that are quite comprehensive.

There are also many active things to do, hiking in the many parks and forests, sea kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing and abseiling, biking, boating, diving, hang gliding, white water rafting, caving and fishing.
Tasmania is steeped in Australian history, with the penal colony Port Arthur, located in the south east, a major attraction for many visitors. Port Arthur has great tourist facilities and guided tours of the historic site, with a museum and trip on the ferry to the surrounding islands. The other notable penal colonies housed around Macquarie Harbour are Sarah Island (also known as Settlement Island) and Grummet Island which are located on the west coast of Tasmania. You can now sail around the picturesque Macquarie Harbour, which is also called Hell’s Gate, due to the narrow and hazardous entry.

What I’ve mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other things to do here, and for more specific information, read the rest of the travel guides and see the tourism Tasmania website.