Tasmania is an island located to the south of the Australian continent. Tasmania is the 26th biggest island in the world and it also has 334 other small islands. The state capital is Hobart and it is part of the Commonwealth of Australia.
It is such a big island that it has a huge diversity of tourist attractions. It is not easy to decide what to see, what to do and where to go. Here I will propose 5 top attractions that everybody going to Tasmania should visit.
For more help on how to travel to Tasmania, check out these sites:
- Cruise1st Australasia Tours
- Daily Telegraph Travel Guide
- Tasmania Guide
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Port Arthur
This place is a small town situated 60 kilometres south east of Hobart, the state capital, and it is considered a World Heritage property. Port Arthur is one of the 11 Australian convict sites that the British Empire created along the coast of Tasmania, Sydney, Fremantle and Norfolk Island. The hardest British criminals were sent there, so the security measures were absolutely strict.
The town is remembered for being the scene of a terrible mass murder event in 1996. Port Arthur was abandoned as a prison in 1877 and, since then, Australians have tried to convert it into a tourist attraction, leaving the bad reputation of the place behind. The prison was put up for auction but it has gone into decadence as the years past. After the fires of 1895 and 1897 and earth tremors, the prison was totally destroyed and Port Arthur was developed as a tourist place for enjoyment.
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Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Placed in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania, this park is the perfect option for nature lovers. There are many different walks through the park, from short circuits of 20 minutes like the Enchanted walk, to longer circuits of 6 days long.
The main attraction of this park is the autochthon flora and fauna. The most famous animal is the Tasmanian devil, but it is not the only one. Tasmanian tiger is also an example of the peculiar wildlife.
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Cataract Gorge
To see this cataract you must go to Launceston, a city in the north of Tasmania. In this place is the famous King’s Bridge-Cataract Walk, that goes along the north of the Cataract Gorge. It is also interesting that it has the longest single span chairlift in the world.
This is a place to take pleasure in, a place full of beauty, nice views, nature, green mountains and a beautiful river.
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The Museum of Old & New Art
The museum was built as “the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities” by David Walsh, the owner of an art collection. It is located in Hobart and is the largest private museum in all of Australia, so the visit is worth it.
It closed in 2007 but then reopened in 2011 with a new name: The Museum of Old & New Art. It contains around 400 artistic works from antiquities to modern and contemporary art from David Walsh.
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Mount Wellington
Nobody can leave Tasmania without seeing the fantastic views from the peak of Mount Wellington. The mountain is 1270 metres over Hobart, so it is the highest summit of the city. From the top you can see the entire city, the suburbs, Derwent Valley, Port Arthur and even to the southeast the forest if it is a clear day.
Snow is almost always present in the peak, which makes it nicer if it is possible. All of this makes Mount Wellington one of the most important and visited places in Hobart.
So many options of things to do and see in Tasmania. This is just a small sample of the wide range of offering the country has to offer.
For more information on Tasmania and things to see, you can check out these sites:
