Tasmania - The Island State

Tasmania, the island state of Australia, lies 40 degrees south of the equator sitting just 240 kilometres (150 miles) south-east of mainland Australia . An archipelago of 334 islands in the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere, it is a land of dramatic coastlines, rugged mountains, spectacular wilderness and sparkling highland lakes.

Tasmania is Australia's only island state.  It is a heart-shaped island of lush green valleys, uncrowded towns and villages and still undeveloped coastlines. 

It is one of the world's most mountainous islands and while our peaks do not tower to great heights, they are unique in their serrated profile. Our geology reflects our connection millions of years ago to Antarctica, and we are one of the few places in the world where ancient dolorite rocks dominates the landscape. 

Tasmanians breathe some of the world's cleanest air and drink the purest water. Unpolluted coastal seas and rich, fertile soils enable them to produce the finest foods and wines.
Historic sites, spectacular landscapes, bustling markets, award-winning restaurants and scenic wineries - almost everywhere you look in Tasmania there’s something special to see, do, taste, hear or smell. This extraordinary place is well served by sea and air links to Australia’s biggest cities, so it is hardly surprising that tourism is a major industry.

Tasmania has more than 1,000 mountain peaks, four mild seasons, more than 40 per cent of our Island is protected as national parks and reserves, and we have some of the world’s rarest animals. Our main Island, which compares in size to West Virginia, the Republic of Ireland or Hokkaido, is home to about 500,000 people.

Tasmania's Seasons

Tasmania has four distinct seasons. The warmest months are December, January, February and March. Autumn has still sunny days and riotous colours as 200 year-old oaks, elms, birches and our own native beech, turn from gold to red in preparation for winter. Winter runs from May through August. However, because we sit in the Southern Ocean, the world's weather engine, and our climate can vary greatly - on any given day.

The average maximum daily summer temperatures sit between 17 and 23 degrees Celsius (62 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit) and winter daily between 3 and 11 degrees Celcius (37 and 51 degrees Fahrenheit). Our location below the 40th parallel means our summer evenings have long languid twilights.

Rainfall varies dramatically across the Island. Hobart, with an average of 626 millimetres (24 inches) is Australia's second-driest capital city (after Adelaide). While on the west coast an annual average of 2,400 mm (95 inches) ensures the rainforest thrives.

The minimal artificial light in Tasmania's night sky means it is an exceptional location for viewing one of the wonders of the cosmos, the magnificent Aurora Australia.

Tasmania - a natural haven.

Tasmania’s isolation from mainland Australia has ensured the survival of many plants, animals and birds that are rare, or even extinct, elsewhere in the country. Visitors are often surprised at how accessible Tasmania’s native wildlife is. In many areas on even a short bushwalk you can come across a pademelon, wombat or wallaby.

If you are lucky you will see the one of our most endangered birds, the 40-spotted pardalote - Maria and Bruny islands are their preferred environments. Of the many birds that make Tasmania their home 12 are endemic.
Many of the animals are nocturnal, so your best chance of spotting one is in the evening. Because many of the animals are active at night, we ask all visitors to take particular care when driving at dusk or after dark.

Tasmania's Sealife

Tasmania's marine animals are among its most impressive wildlife, ranging from magnificent southern right whales surging past our east coast to delicate sea dragons drifting near forests of giant kelp. You can cruise beside some of the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere in search of seals, dolphins and albatrosses. But even many easily accessible beaches offer up their secrets at dusk, as little penguins waddle in from the ocean beneath clouds of shearwaters returning to their burrows.

Because our oceans are still clean "forests" of giant kelp - the fastest growing plant in the world - are found off the east coast; perfect for diving.

Tasmania's Rare Plants

Tasmania is home to living dinosaurs – plants that date back to the Gondwana super-continent more than 95 million years ago – and trees so tall they appear to touch the sky. Trees such as Huon, Celery Top and King Billy pine are found nowhere else in the world.