10 Amazing Things To Do In Tasmania

Discover the uniqueness of Tasmania and fall in love with nature like never before!

Nature, food, history – you’ll find all of them in abundance in Australia’s island state, Tasmania. The cooler climate makes Tasmania a lovely place to explore. Winter between June and August has occasional rains, frosts, and snow in the higher areas; and the summer months December to March are pleasantly warm and not too hot. Here are ten of our favourite things to do and see in Tassie 😎

🚀 Walk, Trek, Hike

Tasmania is never short of scenic beauty and the best way to absorb it all is through walks! There are 19 National Parks in Tasmania with trails of varying difficulties and duration. Explore Cradle Mountain and the Overland Track in St Clair National Park, Mount Field National Park (home to the famous and gorgeous Russel Falls), Mt Wellington (offers vistas of Hobart and its coastlines), Mount Misery (that’s not one bit full of misery), and our absolute favourite Hartz Mountains National Park! So lace up them hiking boots, will you?

🚀 Discover Hobart City

Instead of towering skyscrapers, quaint Georgian style architecture line the streets of Hobart city, the capital of Tasmania.

• Salamanca Square has numerous restaurants, cafes, and craft shops. The famous Saturday Salamanca market (open 8:30am to 3:00pm) is a great place to find some local delights, hand-made souvenirs, and buskers performing.
• MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art is a must visit; the exhibits are no where close to boring, for they are interactive and will immerse you into an experience that are either delightful or provocative (depends on how you perceive it).
• Don’t forget to check out Cascade Brewery in South Hobart, the oldest operating brewery in Australia that has a lovely garden and a cafe serving some nice meals. We loved the pecan tart there!
• Not to mention the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens hosts a wide array of native Tasmanian plants and internationally themed gardens such as the Japanese and Chinese garden.

🚀 Visit the Lavender and Tulip Farms

Tasmania is home to the largest privately owned lavender farm in the world. While you’re visiting Bridestowe Lavender Farm, do try their aesthetically pleasing lavender ice cream! Tassie is also home to some of the world’s loveliest tulips at Table Cape Tulip Farm. Interestingly, at one point when the Aussie dollar was low, the family that owns the farm exported their tulip bulbs to Holland during the European off season. Both the farms are located in the northernmost part of the state and promise post-card pretty sights to all visitors during flowering season. For the lavenders the best time to visit is between mid-December to mid-January, and for the tulips go between the third week of September and third week of October.

🚀 Visit Rupertswood Maze Farm

The Rupertswood Farm was the most unique place we visited in Tasmania, well-known for its crop maze attraction. It’s a family friendly destination that’s filled with exciting activities. Navigate your way through the crop maze, enjoy a farm fresh lunch, shop some local produce and honey, and pick your own veggies that you can bring home. They are open seasonally for five weekends a year, with a unique maze design every year. Entry fees apply, and all the information is available on their website.

🚀 Soak in some history

The Port Arthur Historical Site is one of the most fascinating, moving, and interesting places you’ll visit in Tasmania. Formerly a convict settlement, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Port Arthur was a place of punishment and hardship, and it’s uncanny how despite its history, the site brings about a contrasting perception of peace and beauty. Guided walking tours of the Port Arthur site are conducted throughout the day and are part of the site’s entry ticket. Don’t miss out on the 90-minute lantern-lit ghost tour that uncovers the site’s infamous buildings, ruins, and strange stories! Check out their website for more information.

Closer to Hobart City is New Norfolk, where the Willow Court Asylum Complex is. This place is of national historical importance being the longest continuously operating mental health institution in Australia. In the The Willow Court Antique Center, you’ll find the largest collection of antique pieces in Tasmania, and a delicious lime cheesecake at the cafe in the vicinity.

🚀 Visit the East Coast

The East Coast of Tasmania is home to some of the best white sandy beaches in Australia, and we suggest getting there on a road trip to experience Tasmania’s raw and rugged land.

• Visit the Freycinet National Park where many hiking trails wind through the park. Base yourself in Coles Bay and walk for 2 hours up and downhill to reach the absolutely gorgeous Wineglass Bay – super famous for its curved ivory-coloured sand beach and sapphire blue water. Hazards Beach also makes for a fantastic stopover while you’re visiting Freycinet.
• Head to the Bay of Fires where powder-white beaches along Binalong Bay, the turquoise ocean, and the orange-hued granite (coloured due to lichens) will entice you to go on coastal walks and camp there for a night or two!
• Not to mention, Bicheno is another lovely place to visit that promises fantastic wildlife and marine experiences.

🚀 Visit a conservation area or two

Tasmania has 438 conservation areas, an area of protected land left to be in their natural state. It’s both impressive and exhilarating to go and explore the wildlife, history and geology of these protected areas, and of course leaving them unspoiled. We had the chance to visit Fossil Cove, which was a short 30-minute return trek through light bushland. As the name suggests, you’ll find heaps of fossils as you walk down to the cove located over the crystal clear waters of the Derwent River.

🚀 Cuddle with animals

Encountering animals in Tasmania is a delight and some of them can be super cuddle-friendly. The photos will testify all the glee Australian animals can bring! You may encounter a Tasmanian devil in the wild when you drive and spot the yellow and black signs with silhouettes of a toothy Tassie devil; but chances of spotting them are guaranteed in Launceston’s Tasmania Zoo, East Coast Natureworld at Bicheno, Devils@Cradle in Cradle Mountain, Trowunna Wildlife Park in Mole Creek, Tasmanian Devil Unzoo in Port Arthur, and Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary near Hobart. Being vulnerable to the devil facial tumor disease, Tassie devils are mostly found in sanctuaries and rehab centres being taken care of by experts.

🚀 Catch the Aurora Australis

The southern lights are there for you to feast your eyes on in Tassie. Aurora Australis can be caught all year round as long as the KP index is high enough and light pollution is minimal. You can use your phone’s compass to locate the southern lights by making sure you’re facing and heading south. Check out the Aurora Australis Tasmania Facebook group where you can find and share sight postings, photographs, and discussions about the southern lights. For alerts join the Alert NOW group.

🚀 Have a Melting Moment

One of the best things I’ve eaten in Tassie is a melting moment – the most delicious shortbread-like melt-in-the-mouth bikkie that will make you oh so happy! The local produce and wine in Tasmania is some of the best in the country. We highly suggest heading to the Hobart Waterfront to have some delicious ice cream at Mures, packing a fresh loaf of sourdough plus a slab of mouth-watering Tasmanian cheese, and grabbing some succulent locally-grown cherries when you visit the markets in town. Tasmania will grant you food experiences you’ll cherry-ish for a long time 😉

Tasmania is a gem of a place and the friendly people of the island will enrich your visit further. So don’t hesitate to smile at a stranger, say hello, join Meet Up, and attend local events! Besides photos of all your explorations, you may also return with truckloads of memories and a good friend or two ☺️