Some Places of Interest in Tasmania
Tasmania is a natural island – a land of dramatic coastlines, rugged mountains, tall forests and sparkling highland lakes. Over a third of the state is reserved in a network of National Parks and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, a refuge and habitat for rare plants and animals, including survivors of the ancient southern super continent, Gondwana.

Tasmania is a rich in fauna and flora - some unique to the island. Because of the very good road network, it is easy to see many differing landscapes in a short time. Whether you have a few days or a few weeks, your touring will be rewarded.

The Capital - Hobart
The Lonely Planet Guide says of Hobart: "Hobart is Australia's southernmost capital city. The fact that it is also the smallest is the key to its particular charm. A riverside city with a busy harbour, its mountain backdrop offers fine views over the beautiful Georgian buildings, numerous parks and compact suburbs below. The city's conservative and provincial reputation among some mainlanders is undeserved. Hobart town has a thriving arts and crafts scene and a real sense of history, and for walking, eating and just soaking in the atmosphere it can't be bettered." (Thanks to Lonely Planet!)

Hobart is also the gateway to historic Port Arthur and to the pristine Tasmania wilderness areas and national parks.

Port Arthur has become one of Tasmania’s most prominent tourist destinations. Today, the spirits of the past seem to pervade the 40 hectares of the Port Arthur Historic Site as visitors walk its paths and view stabilised ruins and carefully restored buildings, experiencing how once it must have been when Port Arthur was a hell on earth as one of England's most notorious convict settlements.

There are guided tours of the area, which are a good way to cover the site in an orderly fashion. As well, there is the Historic Ghost Tour which is held after nightfall when the dark covers the land and the ghosts of the past may just be about.

Salamanca Place
Enjoy the sights, sounds, flavours, action and colour of Australia’s best outdoor market, every Saturday from 8.30 am to 3 pm at Hobart’s Salamanca Place. Salamanca Market is close to historic St David’s Park on the fringe of Hobart’s central business district, where city shops are open all day Saturday. From the market, it’s a short climb up Kelly’s Steps to reach the Georgian cottages and the village atmosphere of Battery Point.

Set between graceful plane trees and the mellow sandstone facades of historic warehouses, Hobart’s famous market at Salamanca Place attracts thousands of locals and visitors, every Saturday of the year. Visitors come for the food and music – hot baked spuds, crisp organic vegetables, fresh fruit, the warm aromas of coffee and croissants.

Hobart’s picturesque waterfront is also nearby – cross Salamanca lawns to the docks, where hard-working fishing boats are berthed close to cruising yachts and a square-rigger or two. Visit at New Year and see the finish of the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Richmond
Step back in time and visit Australia's most delightful Georgian village 24kms from Hobart.

Richmond is a genuine village of slate and cobbles, handmade brick and mellow stone, cottages and manors. Wander streets lined with sandstone buildings that now serve as showplaces for the best of Tasmania's fine art and crafts. Old convict-built sandstone bridges, the spired church, the old shops and houses - all take you back to yester-year to the history of very start of Australia.

There are quaint tearooms serving Devonshire teas and all kinds of delicacies, old fashioned sweets and baked delights, while a Georgian mansion offers fine fare. Richmond also includes a model village that has been largely reconstructed from original plans that depicts Hobart as it was in the 1820s.
(Reproduced in part from the 'Let's talk about Richmond' leaflet, available from tourist operators in the town.)

Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain greets the visitor on arrival at Dove Lake. Cradle Mountain forms the northern end of the wild Cradle Mt - Lake St Clair National Park, itself a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park has an area of 161,000 hectares and includes the glacial Lake St Clair which, at 200 metres deep, is the deepest in Australia. This is Tasmania's highest Alpine region and in the months before the Australian winter, deciduous trees turn from green to gold and brown, becoming bare as the cold sets in.

The jagged contours of Cradle Mountain epitomise the feel of a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest and alpine heathlands, buttongrass and stands of colourful deciduous beech provide a range of environments to explore. Icy streams cascading out of rugged mountains, stands of ancient pines mirrored in the still waters of glacial lakes and a wealth of wildlife ensure there is always something to captivate you.

• Explore Cradle Mountain National Park
• Discover Lake St Clair and Dove Lake
• Walk the Overland Track
• Go abseiling or rock climbing
• Enjoy horse riding or bird watching

Great bushwalking is available for the beginner and the experienced - just remember, this is a mountain area and you need to be especially aware of changes in the weather. The area is one of the most popular natural areas in Tasmania. A visit will reveal why.

The West Coast Tourist Areas
The towns of Strahan, Queenstown, Zeehan, Tullah and Rosebery have unique charm and history of their own. Strahan is a major tourism destination featuring wilderness related activities and a wide range of accommodation and activities. Zeehan was a main centre mining, and today is a small town of around 900; this area boasts a beautiful coastline and many memories of a glorious past with old buildings such as the Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel. Stop at the museum (once the School of Mines) and view the fantastic collection of minerals and photos dating back to the 1800s. Queenstown is the mining centre of the West Coast. Surrounded by wilderness this town is full of mining heritage and features the ABT Railway, a restored cog railway system which now runs as a tourist train through the bush to Strahan.

Freycinet & The East Coast
Tasmania’s East Coast is a coast of contrast - sunshine and sea life, wine and wildlife, crags and beaches, history and adventure. It’s a coast of national parks - Douglas-Apsley, with its quietly flowing rivers, eucalypts and Oyster Bay pines, Freycinet National Park, bushwalkers’ and sea kayakers’ paradise and Maria Island with its history, walks and fauna.

It’s a coast of fine food and wine and as you journey on you’ll discover the flavours of the area’s fresh, natural produce. Freycinet national park, which is less than a three hours’ drive from either Hobart or Launceston, is particularly noted for its breathtaking bays and beaches, pink granite mountains, lush wilderness. It has its share of walking tracks so popular with trekkers. Among them are a 27-kilometre walking track around the peninsula as well as a shorter walk of about three hours to the spectacular Wineglass Bay.

Guided Freycinet national park walking tours, for as many as four days, may be organised from either Hobart or Launceston or at Coles Bay. Be sure you are suitably attired and adequately provisioned, particularly for the longer walks. Check at the Freycinet national park visitor centre for walking requirements.

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