The flavours of Tasmania are seemingly endless – from mouthwatering seafood to colourful fresh fruit and vegetables, which are plentiful and authentically Tasmanian. Its idyllic temperatures and fertile lands offer optimal conditions for an abundance of fine food to flourish here. From sampling fresh oysters in the north to sipping fine wines in the south, Tasmania is a playground for your tastebuds.

The Tasmanian beef production involves organic, sustainable, and stress-free practices, yielding a superior quality product that is entirely free from antibiotics, hormone growth promotants (HGPs), and genetically modified organisms (GMO), all of which are forbidden in Tasmanian beef farming. Succulent steaks go well with Tasmanian black truffles, and they are often enjoyed with a glass of fine Tasmanian Pinot Noir wine.

As well as beef, Tasmania has a world-class cheese industry, with cheesemakers creating local cheeses across the island - sample brie and camembert from markets or specialist shops and look out for cheese infused with whiskey or wasabi. Leatherwood honey, from bees that collect nectar from the leatherwood tree (Eucryphia lucida), is prized for its floral aroma and buttery texture.

Heading to Tasmania in February? Then check out Festivale in Launceston, a three-day summer showcase of Tasmanian food and drink with live music for all ages.

Each town you come across in Tasmania has a unique character, and many have stories dating back to a time long before Australia was an independent nation. Tasmania has remnants of many colonial buildings and estates, some of which remain just as they did when they were built whilst others have been converted into hotels, bookstores, or cafés. You can visit 19th century estates including Clarendon or Woolmers and tour around Port Arthur, a former prison colony.

Tasmania’s capital, Hobart, has a vibrant arts scene, with architecturally interesting museums, such as MONA, which houses artefacts that uncover the Aboriginal culture and heritage of the island. The island is also home to numerous festivals celebrating cultural life and reflecting Tasmania’s sense of fun year-round. Discover a cinematic event with a difference at Launceston’s innovative Breath of Fresh Air film festival (1–3 September), or listen to the sounds played out at the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival in Hobart (October).

About 40% of Tasmania is protected as national parks, reserves and World-Heritage wilderness, so it’s no wonder Tasmania is awash with stunning flora and fauna which can’t found anywhere else - not even mainland Australia! Ancient and amazing trees and forests flourish in Tasmania and in particular, the Australian mountain ash can reach to more than 100m rivalling redwoods for size. Some specimens of Lagarostrobos franklinii, also known as huon pine, are thousands of years old and takes this slow- growing tree 500 years to reach its height of 30m. 

At the other end of the floral scale, alpine plants abound in areas such as the Central Highlands – some forming cushions just centimetres in height, including endemics Abrotanella forsteroides bearing tiny yellow flowers. Visitors to Tasmania in the southern hemisphere’s autumn (April and May) can see the island’s spectacular seasonal show: ‘the turning of the fagus’. Nothofagus gunnii (tanglefoot or deciduous beech) is a Tasmanian native shrub with twisted branches and unusual crinkled leaves. Its foliage turns fiery oranges and reds, providing swaths of colour that rival autumnal leaf displays anywhere else in the world. 

Wombats and wallabies, possums and pademelons, as well as the famous Tasmanian devil, call Tasmania home. Locals in Tasmania adore their special creatures, and they have many expert guides to help you identify them. So whether you want to watch echidnas nosing through the leaf litter or take up an underwater encounter with a leafy seadragon – there’s a tour whatever the season to help you achieve this.