Inhabited islands, protected reserves and remote sea Country

The Islands of Tasmania

Understand Tasmania’s island groups by geography, access and conservation rather than treating every named island as a visitor destination.

By Our Tasmania Editorial

Aerial view across the Furneaux Group and Flinders Island — Bass Strait contains inhabited islands and many smaller protected places.Graeme Bartlett, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tasmania is surrounded by thousands of islands, islets and rocks. Some support towns and roads; others are national parks, scientific reserves, lighthouse stations or breeding places where public access is restricted.

Bass Strait islands

King Island and Flinders Island have resident communities, airports, roads and visitor services. The Furneaux, Hunter and Waterhouse groups also include remote or privately managed islands with very different access.

Granite coast on Flinders Island — Flinders Island has public roads and services unlike most smaller islands.Lolatravola, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

East and south coast islands

Maria and Bruny islands are major visitor destinations, while Schouten, Tasman and Maatsuyker islands demand specific park, boating or authorised access arrangements. Offshore rocks such as Pedra Branca are important wildlife habitat, not recreation sites.

Darlington settlement on Maria Island — Maria Island combines national park, wildlife and convict heritage.Beth Proudley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Subantarctic Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island lies far south in the Southern Ocean and is a World Heritage Area and scientific station. It should never be folded into ordinary Tasmania touring advice.