Regions of Tasmania
Southeast
Almost its own island, the Tasman Peninsula in
Tasmania’s south-east is a land apart, with spectacular natural attractions, rugged coastal panorama, gentle landscapes, a maze of walking trails and the island’s most popular attraction, the
Port Arthur Historic Site. Considered
Australia’s premier historic site, the buildings at Port Arthur are a living reminder of a grisly convict past, many dating from 1840 and part of a landscape mostly created by convict labour. Past and present merge in this south-eastern area known as the ‘Convict Trail’, now as popular for its scenery, native fauna, food and wine, and array of outdoor pursuits as for its famous landmarks and fascinating history.
Hobart
Hobart has been described as a provincial capital city. Its scale is small enough to make it a dignified, personable place to live, yet large enough to have all the amenities of a thriving capital. The inner city flanks the harbour, Sullivans Cove, while its suburbs spread north and south along the shores of the Derwent River, east to the magnificent ocean beaches at Cremorne, Lauderdale and Clifton, and west to the dolomite cliffs of Mount Wellington. Established in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart prospered as a trading port. The affluence of the 19th century is still evident in Hobart’s central business district – the majestic public buildings of the Victorian era and the Georgian warehouses of Salamanca Place, all built in solid sandstone, are an active reminder of Hobart’s colonial heritage. Primarily a maritime city with a busy working waterfront right in the heart of its CBD, Hobart’s port plays host to cruise ships, cargo vessels, icebreakers, sailing boats and the yachts in the Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race. Hobart has a vibrant arts community with many festivals – Ten Days on the Island is internationally renowned and the Hobart Waterfront and Salamanca Place host the annual week-long Taste of Tasmania at the end of December.
Huon, Channel, Bruny
The Huon River was explored in 1773 by French commanders Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux and Captain Huon Kermandec. Their names and the names of their ships, the Recherche and the Esperance, are now synonymous with this picturesque area south of Hobart. This 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, at the edge of the mighty Southern Ocean.
North East
The north-east corner of Tasmania epitomises everything rural. Agriculture, horticulture, dairying, forestry and even trout farming all happen in this fertile triangle. 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. Inland, the small towns of Derby and
Weldborough are reminders of the area’s rich tin mining heritage and the Blue Tier, once swarming with tin miners is now criss-crossed with walking trails. From the lofty heights of Mount William in the Mount William National Park, there are breathtaking views all the way to the Furneaux group of islands in Bass Strait. Along the coast, the resorts of
Scamander,
Bridport and
St Helens are renowned as summer playgrounds, with attractive, safe beaches for both swimming and water sports.
Launceston and Tamar Valley
The 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 Cataract Gorge Reserve, a piece of wilderness just 15 minutes from the city centre. The Tamar Valley is an ideal day trip from Launceston, or an overnight stay in one of the historic villages or riverside hamlets. Throughout the valley, road signs indicate the Tasmanian Wine Route, with most of the wineries open daily for cellar door sales and several with their own excellent restaurants.
Derwent Valley and Central Highlands
North of Hobart, the Derwent Valley is a potpourri of historic towns, opium poppy paddocks, willow-shaded riverbanks, orchards and hop fields. Further on, the Central Highlands are a beautiful wilderness of rivers, lakes and mountains with small hamlets like
Bothwell and Waddamana 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. Along the Lyell Highway the historic towns of
New Norfolk,
Hamilton and Ouse feature some of the country’s oldest buildings and at Salmon Ponds a brown trout hatchery provides some of the world’s finest fly fishing. The road passes rolling paddocks and encroaching wilderness and crosses rivers harnessed for hydro-electric power. The stark beauty of the Central Plateau is a reminder of the glaciers that tens of thousands of years ago sculpted this magnificent landscape.
Heritage Highway
A rich farming and grazing area, Heritage Highway 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.
Freycinet
Freycinet 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 area 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.
Flinders Island
Flinders Island is the largest in the Furneaux Archipelago, a group of 70 islands that lie between
Wilson's Promontory in
Victoria and Tasmania’s Cape Portland. Its pleasant maritime climate without extremes of temperature make it a year-round holiday destination for those looking for activities such as camping, birdwatching, hiking, fishing and scuba diving. The island has many deserted beaches and secluded coves, mountains and nature reserves. Its southern peaks are protected by Strzelecki National Park, which also encompasses a stretch of pristine coastline. Commercial facilities, accommodation, shops and services are generally only available in the townships of
Whitemark and
Lady Barron at the southern end of the island. An historic chapel at the settlement of Wybalenna is a monument to the remnants of the Aboriginal tribes of Tasmania, that were brought here in 1831.
North West
The north-west corner of Tasmania is a land of spectacular capes and coastal scenery, untouched wilderness and historic mining towns. One of this region’s greatest charms is its coastline, and those who venture
to this rugged corner of Tasmania will be rewarded with spectacular scenery, good beaches, river and ocean fishing and endless bushwalking trails. The towns in this region, of which Burnie and Devonport are the largest, mainly nestle between the sea and a rich farming and forestry belt. The seaside towns of Penguin, Ulverstone and Port Sorrell have spectacular scenery and beautiful, safe beaches. Almost surrounded by the wild waters of Bass Strait, the port of
Stanley is famous for The Nut, Tasmania’s answer to Ayers Rock. The ancient environment of the area is highlighted with the new interactive eco-tourism attraction Dismal Swamp, 30 minutes south of Smithton, while Rocky Cape National Park has 700 million-year-old geological formations and some of the richest Aboriginal sites in Tasmania.
Central North and Cradle Mountain
This is Tasmania’s ‘frontier’ region, linking coast with wilderness – a region of rivers, caves, forests, lakes and mountains, art and adventure. Its principal town is the bustling city of
Devonport, gateway to Tasmania for those who arrive on passenger and vehicular ferries, and centre for the rich agricultural and orchard area of the Mersey Valley. In the Meander Valley, Deloraine is a reminder of bygone days, with buildings dating back to the 1830s. The towns of Sheffield and Westbury have also preserved their historic landmarks and attract visitors with their artistic pursuits. This little wedge of Tasmania is world famous; the King Solomon and Marakoopa Caves near
Mole Creek are world-renowned limestone caves, Lake Barrington has an international rowing course, and the dolerite cliffs of The Great Western Tiers and the Cradle Mountain track attract bushwalkers from all corners of the globe.
West Coast
The rugged wilderness of Tasmania’s west coast draws visitors from all over the world. The rainforest, the wild hills, the tannin-stained rivers, the immense trees and the windswept beaches all convey the feeling that this is a region where civilisation has not intruded. 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 glorious heydays. Macquarie Harbour, the only safe anchorage on this wild coastline, and its port of Strahan, welcome visitors to this adventure playground as the gateway to the World Heritage-listed Gordon-Franklin Wild Rivers National Park. Sarah Island was one of the state’s infamous prisons where the very worst convicts were held under the most brutal conditions, today.
King Island
King Island is located off the north-west tip of Tasmania and is accessed by daily flights from
Wynyard, Launceston and
Melbourne. Renowned both nationally and internationally for its fine dairy produce, the island is also a popular tourist destination because of a diverse landscape giving rise to a host of outdoor pursuits. The north and east coasts feature wonderful sandy beaches, while the shipwrecks along the rugged southern coastline have created a diver’s paradise. As well as its famous dairy products, King Island is also known for its beef and rock lobster, and has a thriving kelp export industry.
As in many other places around the Tasmanian coastline, the first settlers on the island were sealers. Its coast has claimed more shipwrecks than anywhere else in Australia, and a tribute to its maritime history is the lighthouse at Cape Wickham, Australia’s largest, which marks the most northern point of Tasmania.
More information
Images courtesy of Tourism Tasmania