Have you ever been to a destination so full of exotic islands, that you could have your pick of them for an adventure? To swim in crystal clear water, sail away on white frothy waves, observe the exotic marine life? Where you need to head to is Tasmania, to enjoy its many exotic islands. Just irresistible!
King Island
King Island is your best bet if you’re looking for clean, fresh air and long, empty beaches. This island is an explorer’s delight, with its magnificent offshore reefs, over 70 shipwreck sites, lighthouses, and rocky coasts and so on. What’s more, it’s the best place in the world to buy exotic cheeses, from the King Island Dairy. The proud and independent people of this island make their living diving for abalone and fish. You can spot wallabies and peacocks at dusk, and spot albatrosses and sea eagles nesting in the shearwater rookeries that cover the hillside tussocks.
Maria Island
Maria Island has an amazingly diverse birdlife – about 130 bird species have been sighted so far, including the endangered Pardalotus quadragintus. Animal wildlife is superabundant and you can spot kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, and pademelons everywhere. This ancient aboriginal island was used as a colonial penal colony, then as a farming and industry station. While there, do take the time to climb the 709-meter tall Mount Maria, walk through eucalyptus forests and explore the tiered headlands and towering sea- cliffs off Tasmania’s east coast. Explore the pristine beaches here, and observe the frolicking fur seals on the Isle des Phoques.
Robbins Island
This island is separated from the other islands by a highly tidal part of the ocean called the Robbins Passage. Robbins Island is Tasmania’s seventh largest island. Visit the estuary at Mosquito Inlet to observe four unique bird species including the Masked Lapwing, Eastern Curlew, Sooty Oystercatcher and the Pied Oystercatcher. Visit the five islets towards the northwest to observe migratory birds such as Red Knot, Great Knot, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Lesser Sand Plover, Common Greenshank, Lesser Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint and Ruddy Turnstone.
Flinders Island
This 70 km by 40 km island is bigger than King Island. It has two main towns, Whitemark and Lady Barron. This island is remarkably beautiful with green landscapes and fields, a prosperous natural world and plenty of pristine white beaches. Climb Mount Strzelecki in the south west, and explore the island’s rugged and mountainous landscape. Explore the sandy beach dunes and relax in the teal blue coastal lagoons. There’s a lot of interesting and unique fauna here, including the cape barren goose, the short-tailed shearwater, the eastern pygmy possum and the Tasmanian pademelon.
Bruny Island
Bruny Island is divided into two halves, connected by a narrow sandy isthmus which is the perfect breeding ground for short-tailed shearwater and fairy penguins. The South Bruny National Park has plenty of thick forests with thriving flora and fauna. Beach lovers will love Bruny’s two long beaches – Cloudy Bay and Adventure Bay. The island is rugged for the most part. Visit the oldest lighthouse in Bruny, the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, which is now a part of the South Bruny National Park. There’s an oyster farm, a cheese factory, a vineyard, a smokehouse, an art gallery and museum here.
Three Hummock Island
Three Hammock Island has sweeping beaches, rugged granite coastlines, amazing diversity of plant and animal life and cozy, protected coves. People visit this island not just for its beauty but also because it has one of the purest environments on our planet. The beaches are white sand, the water is crystal clear and pure, and the forests and inland lakes are largely untouched. A Baseline Air Pollution Station measures the air quality here consistently and declares that it’s the cleanest air in our polluted world.
Teena has backpacked around the world; she uses her extensive travel experience to write travel articles for Adrenaline.
