Regions of Tasmania
Hobart region Hobart is a city of historic buildings, fine restaurants, great markets, festivals and entertainment. It is also breathtakingly beautiful, set between the broad Derwent River and the majestic dolomite cliffs of Mount Wellington. As Australia's second oldest settlement after Sydney, it is also home to some of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the country, and is reputed to hold over one third of Australia's National Trust listed properties. From its beginnings as a penal settlement in 1803, Hobart has grown up around its splendid deep-water port. The harbour bustles with a mixture of historic wooden sailing vessels, state-of-the-art scientific exploration ships, cargo ships, fishing boats, river cruisers, luxury liners, kayaks and other small craft, and every January plays host to the hundreds of yachts competing in the famous Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race.
SoutheastAlmost its own island, the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania's southeast is a land apart, with spectacular natural attractions, rugged coastal panoramas, gentle landscapes, a maze of walking trails and the island's most popular attraction, the Port Arthur Historic Site. Past and present merge in this south-eastern area known as the 'Convict Trail', now as popular for its scenery, native fauna, food, wine and outdoor pursuits as for its famous landmarks and fascinating history.
HuonThis is an area of hidden bays and sheltered anchorages, fishing villages, orchards, forests and beaches, and the special beauty of Bruny Island. Two of Tasmania's signature products, apples and Huon pine, are honoured at museums here, the Apple and Heritage Museum at Grove and the Forest and Heritage Centre in Geeveston. A seaside trail past valleys of flowering eucalypts, hidden dolomite caves, and sleepy fishing towns leads past Recherche Bay to the southernmost tip of Australia, and the waters of the mighty Southern Ocean.
Derwent Valley and Central HighlandsNorth of Hobart, the Derwent Valley is an idyll of historic towns, opium poppy paddocks, willow-shaded river banks, orchards and hopfields. Further on, the Central Highlands are a beautiful wilderness of rivers, lakes and mountains with small hamlets nestled in the strips of farmland. The road to Strathgordon leads past Mount Field National Park to the rugged surrounds of Lakes Pedder and Gordon through a landscape of rainforest and knife-edge quartzite mountains. The stark beauty of the Central Plateau is a reminder of the glaciers that tens of thousands of years ago sculpted this magnificent landscape.
Launceston and Tamar ValleyThe Tamar River has created a fertile valley of beautiful and rich contrasts on its journey from Launceston to the sea. The river meanders through scenic pastures, orchards, vineyards and forests, passing interesting towns and beautiful natural attractions. At its head, Launceston is an attractive city of parks and gardens. It is Australia's largest inland port and Tasmania's second largest city. Geographically, its most attractive feature is the Cataract Gorge Reserve, a piece of wilderness just 15 minutes from the city centre.
Throughout the Tamar Valley, road signs indicate the Tasmanian Wine Route, with most of the wineries open daily for cellar door sales. Several have their own excellent restaurants.
MidlandsA rich farming and grazing area, the Midlands was one of the first regions settled in Tasmania. Many of the little towns along the Heritage Highway from Hobart to Launceston are of great historic significance, with probably the largest array of Georgian architecture and colonial buildings in Australia. The Heritage Highway follows the route pioneered in 1807 when these towns were staging posts, and travellers were prey to the state's infamous bushrangers. The region is also a testament to the labours of its settlers, farmers and explorers, and the convicts who quarried and shaped the stone for bridges and churches.
East CoastTasmania's East Coast is noted for its holiday towns, sheltered ocean beaches, food, wine and magnificent national parks. The region is a paradise for bushwalkers, fishers and nature lovers, with rivers and bays, rainforest and peaceful havens for native animals and birds. Sealers and whalers were here as early as 1800, and the coastal towns were established as ports for the inland coal and tin mining industries and as military garrisons during the colonial days. Today they are peaceful fishing villages attracting families and tourists during the summer months with their excellent beaches and mild weather. One of the highlights of the East Coast is the Freycinet Peninsula. From the holiday resort town of Coles Bay it is a short walk to Wineglass Bay, with its perfect half-moon formation and what has been described as one of the world's best beaches.Further south, Maria Island provides a slice of history, being the first convict settlement established in Tasmania in 1852.
North EastThe northeast corner of Tasmania epitomises everything rural. The main town in the region is Scottsdale, and the surrounding countryside is a colourful patchwork of vegetable farms, hops, paddocks dotted with cattle and sheep, belts of forest, and, in summer, fields of lavender and poppies. The small inland towns are reminders of the areas rich tin mining heritage, and the Blue Tier, once swarming with tin miners, is now criss-crossed with walking trails. The Sun Coast, Tasmania's favourite holiday playground, has sheltered beaches, rocky coastline, terrific surf and great fishing.
Flinders IslandFlinders Island is the largest of a collection of the 70 islands that make up the Furneaux Group, a scattered chain of islands in Bass Strait between Wilson's Promontory, in Victoria, and Tasmania's Cape Portland. Flinders Island's pleasant maritime climate makes it a year-round holiday destination. The island has many deserted beaches and secluded coves with good fishing, mountains and nature reserves. A historical chapel at the settlement of Wybalenna is a monument to the remnants of the Aboriginal tribes of Tasmania, who were brought here in 1831.
Central North and Cradle MountainThis is Tasmania's 'frontier' region, linking coast with wilderness - a region of rivers, caves, forests, lakes and mountains. From the bustling city of Devonport, gateway to Tasmania for those who arrive on passenger and vehicle ferries, to the splendid isolation of the World Heritage Area of Cradle Mountain, this is a region of interest and diversity, art and adventure. The region comprises the rich agriculture and orchard area of the Mersey Valley, the historic towns of the Meander Valley, and seaside towns with rugged coastal scenery and beautiful, safe beaches. This little wedge of Tasmania has world famous attractions – the limestone caves near Mole Creek, the Lake Barrington International Rowing Course, the dolerite cliffs of the Great Western Tiers, and the Cradle Mountain track, which attract bushwalkers from all corners of the globe.
North West The northwest corner of Tasmania is a land of spectacular capes and coastal scenery, rich paddocks over rolling hills, untouched wilderness areas and historic mining towns. This area was once the home of the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger. Although much of it is inaccessible to the average visitor, the immense beauty of the coastline with its craggy bluffs and crashing seas reward those who venture to this rugged corner of Tasmania.
Along the coastal strip, there are good beaches, river and ocean fishing and endless bushwalking trails. For the archaeologist, Rocky Cape National Park has 700 million year old geological formations and some of the richest Aboriginal sites in Tasmania. The towns in this region, of which Burnie is the largest, mainly nestle between the sea and a rich farming and forestry belt. Almost surrounded by the wild waters of Bass Strait, the port of Stanley is famous for The Nut, Tasmania’s answer to Ayers Rock.
West CoastThe rugged wilderness of Tasmania's west coast draws tourists from all over the world. The rainforest, the wild hills, the tannin-stained rivers, the immense trees and the wind-swept beaches all convey the feeling that this is one area that civilisation has not yet touched. The unique geology reflects the area’s harsh history when settlers carved a living from the mines, forests and sea, but the Huon pine forests are preserved not plundered. The towns of Queenstown and Zeehan display proud reminders of their mining heritage and their glorious heydays.
Sarah Island, in Macquarie Harbour, is now a National Trust historic site, but was once a bleak prison where the very worst convicts were held under the most brutal conditions. Macquarie Harbour, the only safe anchorage on this wild coastline, and its port of Strahan, welcome visitors as the gateway to the World Heritage listed Gordon-Franklin Wild Rivers National Park.
King IslandKing Island is located off the northwest tip of Tasmania, and is served by daily flights from Wynyard, Launceston and Melbourne. Renowned both nationally and internationally for its fine dairy produce, beef and rock lobster, the island is also a popular tourist destination because of the host of outdoor pursuits possible in its diverse landscape. The north and east coasts feature wonderful sandy beaches, while the shipwrecks along the rugged southern coastline have created a diver's paradise. A testament to its maritime history is the lighthouse at Cape Wickham, Australia's largest, w
hich marks the most northern point of Tasmania.
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