Contents
July climate.
Where to get more information.

Half a world away sits an undiscovered gem - an island untouched by the ravages of the 20th century, where the people still stop to say hello, the air is pure and the water fresh. This is an island of dramatic mountains, sweeping coastal plains, dense forest, rolling pasture and graceful beaches; an island whose rich soil nurtures lush, fresh produce and where the sea is teeming with life.

This is Tasmania, Australia's smallest and only island state. Travel south from Victoria across Bass Strait and you'll find a land of surprising diversity, where natural and human history have combined to create a perfect holiday destination.

Accessible wilderness, gourmet food and wine and history are the three key phrases which perhaps best encapsulate Tasmania's appeal.

Within an hour of Hobart, Tasmania's capital, you can be in native forest surrounded by the tallest species of eucalypt in the world.

Tasmanians are lucky enough to live in a place which is home to the world's oldest plant and oldest tree, a place which in parts still bears traces of its Gondwanan origins.

More than 30 per cent of Tasmania is protected wilderness, marine and nature reserves or forest, much of it granted World Heritage Area status.

Touch the surface with a short walk in one of the 13 national parks or delve deeper and let the wilderness touch your soul with an extended walk of two days or more. Take your sleeping bag and your hiking boots and do it DIY style, or choose a guided walk, complete with standing camp or hut accommodation and meals prepared each day.

Tasmania is also one of the best freshwater fishing places in the world - grab your rod and stalk the wily trout. There are many other activities, from rock climbing to diving, horseriding to a leisurely game of golf in which to indulge.

Outside the wilderness, Tasmania offers accessible history. In the 19th century when the state was called Van Diemens Land it was the final destination for thousands of convicts, the dregs of British society, sent to a land at the end of the world.

Their legacy remains today in the penal settlements at Port Arthur, Sarah Island and Maria Island.

Tasmania's colonial heritage is also evident in the gracious Georgian and Victorian architecture throughout the state. It is one of the first things that visitors to Tasmania notice. In Hobart, the second oldest Australian city after Sydney, mellow sandstone buildings line the waterfront. Once warehouses, they are now galleries, craft shops and restaurants. Join the locals at a pavement café and soak up the atmosphere of this small but stylish city.

Hobart's origins were on this waterfront in the early 1800s and this is still a city which loves the water.

Small enough to be intimate, large enough to have all facilities, Hobart enjoys a spectacular location. The majestic Mt Wellington is at its back and the River Derwent laps the city's toes.

All year fishing boats, yachts, Antarctic exploration vessels and 100 year-old ketches are moored side by side. And at the end of December the harbourside becomes a sea of masts at the conclusion of the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a blue water classic.

Launceston, Tasmania's second city, is a stately matron, her streets lines by Victorian and Edwardian mansions. Launceston is the gateway to Tasmania's premier wine growing region - the Tamar Valley. Here you will find vineyard after vineyard, where a warm sun and gentle rain provide the perfect growing environment for Tasmania's acclaimed cool climate wines.

And while enjoying a glass of Tasmanian wine, sample some of the other produce for which Tasmania is famous. Oysters are grown in clean, pure water - so clean that live Tasmanian oysters are exported to America - and salmon and trout thrive in crystal streams and sparkling seas.

On land, Tasmania produces award winning cheeses, succulent grass-fed beef and wonderful fruit and vegetables. Tasmanian crisp apples and summer's mouth-watering raspberries are renowned.

Venture out of Hobart or Launceston along the east coast. This is a region of pristine white beaches washed by a turquoise sea. Locals call this the sunshine coast - and with good reason, as the sine shines on average 300 days a year.

Visit Frycinet National Park to see stunning Wineglass Bay. Further north are the Bay of Fires, Mt William and Douglas Aspley national parks. Take a ferry to Maria Island National Park, one of Tasmania's three former penal settlements.

Tasmania's midlands offers historic towns and villages, many dating back to the State's days as a penal settlement. Look carefully at the houses as you stroll by - you may see the mark of a convict's chisel in the sandstone.

The west coast is a land apart, where wild rivers flow and vast wilderness of temperate rainforest covers mile after mile. Stay in Strahan, a quaint and secluded fishing village nestled serenely in Macquarie Harbour, and take a scenic flight to best appreciate the extent of the region's dramatic beauty.

Further north, Cradle Mountain rises majestically over Dove Lake on the edge of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The mountain is the single most famous icon of Tasmanian tourism. Its jagged peaks contrast with the peaceful lake, where the mountain is reflected in still waters.

This is not the Australia of sunburnt outback, desert and miles of vast emptiness - and that's just how Tasmanians and the State's 500,000 annual visitors like it.

The State is small, about the same size as the Republic of Ireland and a little larger then West Virginia or Switzerland, but you'll never find it crowded. Drive for miles along country roads and never pass another car. Or walk the wilderness and have the stunning scenery all to yourself.

Getting to Tasmania is easy. Its' an hour by air from Melbourne, or travel overnight on the Spirit of Tasmanian which sails three times weekly from Melbourne to Davenport.

You'll find the climate undemanding. Summer means warm sunny days and a long twilight; autumn offers sparkling, still days with blue skys; in winter the days are crisp, cool and bright and the mountains are dusted by snow; and in spring Tasmania becomes a land alive with blossoms and bulbs. Cool mornings become balmy afternoons.

Most of all, you'll enjoy meeting the Tasmanians themselves. Stop and chat, they'll be happy to share their love of this beautiful State with you.

July climate

Tasmania has a temperate, maritime climate. Winds and mountains produce different weather regions.

Mountains ranges down the west coast catch moist west winds, resulting in a rainfall that produces huge areas of temperate rainforest and wilderness.

Less rain falls in the centre of the island, a high plateau dotted with hundreds of lakes.

From the centre the land slopes down to the east coast, where the climate is drier and warmer.

Where to get more information

Please visit Tourism Tasmania's web site at http://www.tourism.tas.gov.au.

All material and images are provided courtesy of Tourism Tasmania. Tourism Tasmania remain copyright owners.