Have you ever heard of Tasmania? I did. But there are lots of people who haven't and those of them, who travel to Australia and miss that state, should definitely think of going back one day and explore it, whenever they get a chance. There is so much to admire in this part of the world!
What is so magical about this place? Well... This remote Australian state with its unique wilderness of seventeen National Parks, one of a kind experience of Great Eastern Drive, cosy towns and great food and wine scenes has definitely loads to offer to please anyone.
Bay of Fires, North-Eastern Tasmania
Surroundings of Hobart, South-Eastern Tasmania
Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Bronte Lagoon, Tasmania
The capital of the state - Hobart - is a really lovely little city, much smaller than I could imagine for a metropolis, which was such a nice surprise... quite calm, with not too big daily traffic jam, beautiful scenery and lots of sites to explore, from interesting local museums and Salamanca Market, to mountains to hike, caves to explore and historic convict places to learn about. All not too far from Hobart.
Port in Hobart, Tasmania
Tasmanian's Convict - Port Arthur, World Heritage Historic Site
Mt. Field National Park, Tasmania
Russell Falls, Tasmania
Salamanca Market in Hobart, Tasmania
Hobart, Tasmania
And above that, Tasmania is just a land of natural beauty, which you won't be happy to leave once seen... long, sandy world-famous for its beauty, beaches, bays and lakes. River cruises... and beautiful train journeys offering unique breathtaking scenery. Impressive Cradle Mountains region to hike and climb - there are not the highest mountains I have seen, but the climbs/hikes I found pretty challenging. Rainforests and bushes. And remarkable islands surrounding the mainland.
Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Bay of Fires, North-Eastern Tasmania
Gordon River Cruise, Western Tasmania
Bronte Lagoon, Tasmania
Dodges Ferry Beach, Tasmania
Dodges Ferry Beach, Tasmania
Gordon River, Western Tasmania
Wineglass Bay Beach, Eastern Tasmania
Wineglass Bay Lookout, Eastern Tasmania
Forests of Mt. Field National Park
And my kind of things - amazing wildlife sanctuaries and natural parks to explore for days. The diversity of local vegetation is really impressive and includes some of the most ancient plant species on the Earth, the tallest flowering trees, the oldest plants and lots of endemic species.
Forests of Mt. Field National Park
Eucalyptus forest, Tasmania
Eucalyptus tree, Tasmania
Tasmanian rainforest
Tasmanian rainforest along Gordon River
Tasmania is also a natural heaven for Australian wildlife. Lots of unique birds; seals, platypuses, penguins, dolphins and whales; snakes, lizards and even scorpions (which my friend spotted on the forest trail to Wineglass Bay beach); wombats, wallabies, pademelons, echidnas and of course the famous Tasmanian devils (I will write more about them soon)... wild animals are just everywhere, during the day and night, so walk and drive carefully while doing the road trips. But obviously it's such a fun to spot them or even stop to watch them silently.
Tasmanian devil
Kangaroo in Bonorong Wildlife Santuary, Tasmania
Pademelons
Kangaroo in Bonorong Wildlife Santuary, Tasmania
Wild echidna, Tasmania
Koala in Bonorong Wildlife Santuary, Tasmania
Wild Wombat, Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Wild Wallaby, Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania
Lots of places to stay and relax, many campsites, great restaurants to eat and drink. You should definitely taste the local seafood and what many small producers have to offer here: cheese, bread, honey, nuts and locally grown fruits, intensely flavoured cool-climate wines, beer and whisky.
Local Raspberry Farm, Tasmania
Tasmanian wines
Delicious Tasmanian fudges
Tasmanian speciality - Bacon Pie
Local seafood, Hobart, Tasmania
And the most important - local people.... Tassie people are just lovely! You will find them super friendly, helpful, calm and interesting. Plus -they are amazingly proud of their beautiful land, nature-lovers. So they should be :) It's incredible nature-heaven!
Wish you to fall in love with Tasmania, like I did. Go and enjoy, when you only get an opportunity. You won't regret :)
See you soon,
Martita
