TASMANIA

Tasmania - Luxury Travel Magazine

Touring Tasmania

By: Claire Cassey, Megan Cuthbert, Lucy Jones and Nella Scott, Issue 39 – Winter 2009

(Tasmania, Australia)

DISCOVER AN ISLAND RICH IN HISTORY, WORLD HERITAGE WILDERNESS AND WORLD-CLASS WINE AND FOOD; A PLACE WHERE ADVENTURE, CULTURE AND LUXURY CONVERGE.

In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first sighted the west coast of the island he would name Van Diemen’s Land in honour of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. 35,000 years earlier the island had been part of the mainland of Australia, connected by a land bridge that spanned Bass Strait. It was across this land bridge that the earliest Aboriginal inhabitants came to Tasmania, only to be isolated by rising sea levels around 12,000 years ago.

It was not until 1803 that Tasmania saw its first permanent European settlement, when a small party comprising mainly convicts and guards established a colony at Risdon Cove. The Risdon settlement was not a success and the following year a second settlement was established on the western bank of the Derwent River. It would come to be known as Hobart Town. The purpose of the settlement was primarily as a British penal colony. The prisons were renowned for their severe and soul destroying punishments and Van Diemen’s Land became synonymous with convict hell.

The name Tasmania had been in unofficial use from the 1820s and many pushed for an official change to counter the ‘evil reputation’ of the Van Diemen’s Land penal colony; the new name became effective on January 1, 1856. Today, visitors can enjoy some of the state’s history through a range of attractions.

PORT ARTHUR

Tasmania’s best known penal settlement, Port Arthur, started life as a timber station in 1830. By 1883 it was the destination for the hardest of the British and Irish criminals. The historic site on the Tasman Peninsula is the most intact and evocative convict site in Australia. With over 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes set among 40 hectares of landscaped grounds, Port Arthur has been attracting tourists since the 1920s.

BAY OF FIRES

In 1773 Captain Tobias Furneaux saw numerous fires burning along the coastline leading him to believe the country was densely populated. These fires were in fact made by the Aboriginal people to ward off the arrival of boats to what is now known as the Bay of Fires. Today the pristine beauty of the Bay is coming to worldwide attention, with Lonely Planet deeming it the world’s number one tourist destination in 2008.

SALAMANCA PLACE

Salamanca Place itself consists of rows of sandstone buildings, formerly warehouses for the port of Hobart Town that have since been converted into restaurants, galleries, craft shops and offices. It was named after the victory in 1812 of the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Salamanca in the Spanish province of Salamanca. Each Saturday, Salamanca Place is the site for the Salamanca Markets which is popular with tourists and locals. Salamanca Place is also popular after dark with bars and eateries located there and the nearby wharves.

THE PILOT STATION AND MARITIME MUSEUM

The Pilot Station and Maritime Museum (c.1805) is located at Low Head in northern Tasmania. The museum exhibits maritime and communication memorabilia. A Pilot Station was established and manned at Low Head in 1805, but convicts did not build the stone buildings to shelter workers from the Bass Strait weather until 1835. The pilot station still guides ships into the Tamar River and it is the oldest continuously operating station in Australia.

HOBART

Formed around the River Derwent and with Mount Wellington rising as a backdrop, the state’s most populous city of Hobart is never far from the rugged landscape that Tasmania is so well known for. It is Australia’s second oldest capital city, a heritage that is reflected in the city’s architecture.

Hobart is the finishing point for the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which sees the city erupt in celebration, as it also marks the beginning of the yearly Hobart Summer Festival which runs from Christmas to mid-January.

Saturday’s weekly Salamanca Markets is also a big drawcard for the city. Here visitors can search the large selection of local produce, gifts and novelties, although the crowds can be a real hurdle.

Visitors can make a trip to the 17-storey Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Sandy Bay. Opened in 1973, the casino is Australia’s first legal casino and Hobart’s tallest building.

LAUNCESTON

While Hobart began as penal colony in 1803, its northern counterpart, Launceston, was established in 1806 by free settlers. The city was once inhabited by a small population of nomadic Tasmanian Aboriginals, and is now has one of the largest number of 19th century buildings in Australia.

The city of Launceston is well known for one of its natural attractions, the Cataract Gorge which is only 15-minutes’ walk from the city centre. Visitors can cross via the King’s Bridge-Cataract Walk, or take the longest single span chairlift in the world to the other side.

And for the bookish types, make time to visit A.W. Birchall & Sons, the country’s oldest bookshop. It opened in November 1844 and still operates from its original site on the Brisbane Street
Mall.

As a state with such dramatic landscapes, it’s fitting that both of the state’s urban centres have been built around natural wonders. A stay in either of the state’s metropolises means you can enjoy the best of the city comforts, while never being too far from the tranquility of nature.

WILDERNESS

Windy, rugged, and isolated, Tasmania is a land of diverse geographic landscapes. From the craggy grey peaks of Cradle Mountain to the chill beauty of the beaches of Wineglass Bay, 20 per cent of the state is designated as a World Heritage Area, covering some 3.5 million acres. It is home to one of the last temperate rainforests in the world and incorporates Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair, the Walls of Jerusalem and the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The World Heritage site protects one of the last true wildernesses on earth and provides a haven for many rare and endangered plants and animals.

The Tasmanian devil is perhaps the best known of these endangered species. The reputedly bad-tempered carnivorous marsupials have been devastated in recent years by a deadly facial tumour disease that has killed almost 90 per cent of adult devils in densely populated areas. To combat the decline in numbers, places like the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary at Cradle Mountain breed devils in captivity and give visitors first hand encounters with this fascinating creature. As well as the devils, Tasmania offers numerous opportunities to see other species such as fairy penguins and platypus in their natural environment.

Tasmania is also home to a number of rare and unique plant species. Found in western and southern Tasmania the native Huon Pine often reaches ages in excess of 2,000 years, making it one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. The Huon Pine recently made international headlines when a patch of genetically identical trees over 10,000 years old were discovered near Mt. Read. Many of the Giant Swamp Gums found in the small Styx Valley Reserve are over 90 metres tall, making them the second tallest species of tree in the world.

The Tahune Airwalk is a great way to experience the magnificent forests of Tasmania. This cantilevered walkway in the Tahune Forest Reserve allows people to walk among the treetops of the unique tree species, which includes the world’s tallest flowering plant. At 48m high, and over 597m long, it’s not a journey for the feint-hearted, but is well worth it for the one of a kind vistas.

The unique geography and climate of Tasmania have given rise to a number of distinct regions within the state. In the northwest, the Tarkine Reserve is a vast area of temperate rainforest, sand dunes and coastal heathland and is said to contain the greatest concentration of Aboriginal sites in the country.

Further down the west coast is the famous Cradle Mountain and the start of the 65-kilometre Overland Track that circles the national park. There are many tracks throughout the state, and with such varied landscapes it’s one of the best ways to appreciate the state. North of the island in Bass Strait, Flinders Island is the largest of 52 islands that once made up a land bridge connecting Tasmania to the mainland. Erosion has created stunning rock formations and the area is famed for its dramatic scenery and excellent diving among the many shipwrecks in the surrounding waters.

On the mild east coast, Freycinet National Park’s landscape of contrasting colours – pink granite mountains, stark white beaches and turquoise seas – make it a dramatic wilderness destination for nature lovers. It is home to the renowned Wineglass Bay, one of Tasmania’s most stunning and celebrated locations, and offers visitors superb snorkelling, diving and fishing in the crystal clear waters.

FOOD AND WINE

While Tasmania’s well known production of a certain fruit has affectionately branded it the “Apple Isle”, the state is now associated with an abundance of other quality fresh produce. The mild, sunny climate, clean air and fertile soil have made it a gourmand’s heaven; local produce is available at seemingly every corner, and the quality is recognised worldwide.

In the world of dairy, King Island has earned its royal title. The island has become synonymous with premium cheese, cream, and other dairy products. Tasmania is a hotbed of dairy production, with other notable large-scale companies, like Tamar Valley, continuing the high standard of dairy, along with smaller boutique operations.

Of course nothing accompanies a great cheese like a glass of top-notch wine. Tasmania’s climate is similar to the great wine producers of Europe, and has made it one of the few places in Australia to produce similar style grapes and wines. The state’s cool climate wines are the product of mild summers and long autumn days that help to ripen the grapes slowly. The first ever Tasmanian winery was started at New Town, in Hobart in 1821 and it shortly afterwards gained an award at the Paris Exhibition. While Australian wines have gained surer footing in the international wine scene in the meantime, Tasmania wineries are contributing to the production of pinot noir, Riesling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, carbernet sauvignon, pinot gris and sparkling wines, with many cellar doors located around the state.

While Tasmanian wines have been much lauded, it is the state’s ales and lagers that have earned a reputation by regularly winning international awards. Hobart is home to the historic Cascade brewery, while Launceston has James Boags Premium brewery, which are open, along with some smaller breweries, for tours.

Given Tasmania’s Pacific location, it seems strange that the state is such an important source for Atlantic Salmon. The cool, clean waters produce not only quality salmon, but also quantities of oysters, abalone, mussels, scallops, crayfish, snapper, flathead, and more.

In Tasmania, local produce is king, and visitors don’t have to go far to experience quality goods. Numerous boutique cheese producers, wineries, and beekeepers selling fresh leatherwood and clover honeys are dotted throughout the countryside.

And for those visitors who want it all in one place, every year right after Christmas a famous food and wine festival called The Taste takes place along Hobart’s waterfront. Running for eight days, it celebrates the best of Tasmanian food, produce, arts, culture and sporting activities.