Map of Tasmania - Click to Enlarge

Tasmania is a unique island state located at the southern tip of Australia. Roughly the size of West Virginia, or Switzerland, Tasmania is a land of stunning coastlines, tall forests, rugged mountains and sparkling highland lakes. Over a third of the state is reserved as National Parks and Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Areas, providing a refuge and habitat for rare plants and animals, including survivors of the ancient southern super continent, Gondwana. These environments are home to wonderful outdoor pursuits such as river rafting, sea kayaking, bush walking, cycling and world class fly fishing (to name a few).

Girt by the Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea and Bass Strait, Tasmania boasts the world’s cleanest air and rejoices in pure water and fertile soils – the resulting wine and food are acclaimed around the world.

The island’s European heritage dates back to the early 1800s, while Tasmanian Aboriginals first reached here 40,000 years ago.

Rich with heritage and spectacular natural history Tasmania also has a vibrant cultural life, boasting one of the best small symphony orchestras in the world and home to authors and craftspeople known for their skill.

A true natural paradise, Tasmania offers exceptional outdoor experiences at all levels combined with world class gourmet delights. And all that in less than two hours travel from Sydney or Melbourne!

Tasmania’s Population
The population of Tasmania is 492,740. Main centres are Hobart (the capital city with 200,525 people) Launceston (98,500) Burnie (18,000) and Devonport (25,000).

Tasmania’s Weather
Hobart, Tasmania has the nation’s second-lowest rainfall (626 mm or 24 inches) of all Australian capital cities. The average summer temperature is a comfortable 21°C (70°F). Winter’s average is 12°C (52° F).
For current Tasmania weather information go to: Current Weather in Tasmania

Tasmania’s National Parks
Tasmania has more than 2000 km of walking tracks and 18 National parks. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area covers 1.38 million hectares. Our Tasmania tours cover a number of visits and walks in National Parks. The Parks we visit on a regular basis are:
- Mount Field National Park
- Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park
- Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
- Narawntapu National Park, Rocky Cape National Park
- Freycinet National Park
- Mole Creek Karst National Park
For further information about Tasmania’s National Parks visit: www.parks.tas.gov.au.

Tasmanian Fine Food and Wine
Tasmania offers you the chance to savour hand-crafted wine, beer and fresh produce, and to meet the producers, chefs and growers.

Our island has restaurants to suit all palates and budgets – many of them offering a range of local cool climate wines to complement your meal.  Also, many vineyards serve tasting platters with their wines, others offer elegant a la carte menus.

On Saturdays, visit Salamanca Market in Hobart, Tasmania, and look for local Tasmanian produce. You can sample special herb vinegars, mustards, bush honeys and organic goods and meet the producers. You may like to visit one of the specialist delicatessen shops across Tasmania to taste locally produced condiments, smoked and fresh produce and luscious cheeses.

The Tasmanian 2005-2006 Cellar Door & Farm Gate Guide shows you where to pick cherries and sample world-class cheeses, beers and wines. It also lists annual wine and food events and Australian Gourmet Traveller’s recommended Tasmanian restaurants.

View The Tasmanian 2005-2006 Cellar Door & Farm Gate Guide part 1. (PDF, 4869kb)
View The Tasmanian 2005-2006 Cellar Door & Farm Gate Guide part 2. (PDF, 3711kb)

Let us show you Tasmania on one of our tours!

INFORMATION ABOUT TASMANIA
- Retail opening hours are unrestricted in Tasmania. Large supermarkets are generally open from 0700 to 2100 seven days a week. Many smaller convenience stores are open longer.
- ATMs and EFTPOS facilities are widely available.
- Most banks are open 0930 to 1600 h, Monday to Friday
- Petrol is available 24 hours in major centres.
- As in most parts of regional Australia petrol prices are slightly higher. The Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania tracks current petrol prices.
- The speed limit in built-up areas is 50 kilometres per hour unless otherwise indicated. The maximum speed possible on roads outside cities and towns is usually 100 kilometres per hour, although there is a limit of 110 kilometres per hour on a small number of high quality roads. On all open roads, however, lower speed limits are frequently indicated and these limits must be adhered to.
- Speed cameras and random breath testing units operate throughout Tasmania.
- Seat belts must be worn in motor vehicles - motorcyclists and bicyclists must wear helmets.
- Contact police, fire and ambulance by dialling 000
- The Australian GST (goods & services tax) of 10% applies to most purchases.
- Tasmania operates on Australian Eastern Standard Time. For daylight saving, clocks are advanced one hour between October and March.
- Electricity is supplied at European Standard, 230/240 volts (50 hertz)

(Source: www.discovertasmania.com.au. Last accessed on 8/1/08)