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Russell Falls in Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Plan by interest

Things to do in Tasmania

Explore walks, heritage places, landscapes and local experiences across Tasmania.

Choose an activity, compare places and open a detailed guide before you plan the day. These collections bring together practical visitor information with the history and local context behind each place.

01

Walks

Heritage walks, coastal tracks, short walks and longer routes.

02

Road trips

Routes with realistic driving advice and worthwhile stops.

03

Attractions, museums and galleries

Wildlife sanctuaries, museums, gardens, heritage railways and other places worth planning around.

Russell Falls in Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, AustraliaImage credit: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsAttraction

Mount Field National Park

Mount Field National Park is a varied World Heritage park within easy driving distance of Hobart. It offers wheelchair-accessible short walks to Russell Falls, tall eucalypt forests, alpine tarns and seasonal skiing at Lake Dobson. Prepare for rapidly changing mountain weather, purchase a parks pass, check alerts and pack to the standards recommended by Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania.

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Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery - InversekImage credit: Kspilling at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsAttraction

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

QVMAG in Launceston comprises two public sites that present art, history and natural science collections plus a planetarium. The Museum at Inveresk and the Art Gallery at Royal Park are free to enter; the planetarium runs on a ticketed schedule. Plan ahead: check opening hours and current exhibitions, book planetarium sessions if you want to attend, and review access and conditions of entry.

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Restored steam locomotive - Abt Loco Number 5 - on the w:West Coast Wilderness Railway , formerly the w:Mount Lyell Mining and Railway CompanyImage credit: Scott Davis, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia CommonsAttraction

West Coast Wilderness Railway

The West Coast Wilderness Railway runs heritage steam and diesel services between Queenstown and Strahan across rainforest, river gorges and historic mining country. Journeys range from short, fully seated trips to longer expedition-style experiences with station stops and off-train activities. The original line opened in the 1890s, closed in 1963 and was restored and reopened for passengers in.

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04

Beaches and coast

Beaches, headlands, islands and coastal landscapes.

Japanese knotweed growing on the shore of Esopus Creek near the former hamlet of Beechford, NY, USA, just north of Boiceville .Image credit: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsPlace

Beechford (George Town / Launceston region) — locality and beach

Beechford is a small north‑facing beach locality in the George Town / Launceston region of northern Tasmania. The shoreline is characterised by shallow basalt reefs, boulder flats and a river mouth that flows across the beach. The settlement is small and backed by hummocky dunes. Local council contact details and 2021 census figures are cited; check those and local conditions before travelling.

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05

History and heritage

Places understood through their people, buildings and industries.

06

Food and drink

Wine regions, markets, local producers and regional food guides.

The Point members pavilion and function centre at West Park Oval in Burnie, Tasmania.Image credit: Forfuxake ( talk ). Original uploader was Forfuxake at English Wikipedia, CC0, Wikimedia CommonsFood and drink

Burnie — fast food & quick-eat options (inferred)

A practical guide to grab-and-go food and short sit-down options in Burnie, focused on the CBD and foreshore. Covers market stalls, breweries and distilleries with hospitality, delivery apps that serve the town, foreshore conditions, accessibility features at key sites and simple checks to make a quick meal straightforward while visiting Burnie.

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07

Wildlife

Wildlife places and practical guides for watching animals responsibly.

The Big Penguin at Penguin, TASImage credit: Stuart Edwards, Public domain, Wikimedia CommonsFood and drink

Penguin (town) — cafes & places to eat

Penguin on Tasmania’s Central Coast offers a small-village café scene focused on relaxed meals, local produce and seaside atmosphere. For current opening hours, menus, events and accessibility details contact the Penguin Visitor Information Centre or use the Central Coast tourism listings. Nearby natural attractions shape when and where people eat, and council services can change around peak.

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Zoomable full resolution image available at davidrumsey.com . This image 14352.097 is a part of image group 14352.000 . Outer covers to Voyage de découvertes aux Terres Australes : Navigation et géographie. Contemporary boards with original pink papered edges and spine, with original paper spine label, which includes abbreviated title. Title translates to: Voyage to the Southern Territories : Navigation. Outer covers protect volume, which is bound in marbled wrappers. Volume, tucked within outer covers, is housed in a contemporary slip cover, with opening decorated in original pink papers. The rare complete official narrative and hydrography of the great French voyage of the Napoleonic period, the Baudin-Freycinet Expedition. The voyage has been characterized as the last great Enlightenment voyage, and was perhaps its purest expression, combining as it did scientific curiosity and research, territorial and geopolitical ambition, and the spirit of inquiry on the widest scale. As the first full atlas of the Australian coastline, its cartographical contribution is of extraordinary value, with a navigational section charting the coast. It is among the finest items of Australiana ever published, recounting an outstanding exploration. The six volumes were published separately over a period of ten years, commencing in 1816. In this complete form, the journals are exceedingly rare. The expedition was ordered by the French government in order to complete the cartographic survey of the Australian coast, covering the area not examined by Cook. Commanded by Nicolas Baudin, the crew was composed of twenty-two scientists, ranging from hydrographers, geographers and astronomers to zoologists, botanists and 'artiste-peintres’. The expedition left France in 1800 and sailed via Mauritius to the Western Australian coast in the region of Cape Leeuwin, arriving in May 1801. Peron sailed as naturalist on the expedition and Freycinet as cartographer. The vessels, Geographe and Naturaliste, sailed north from Cape Leeuwin, charting the mouth of the Swan River, the site of present day Perth. After three months in Timor, the two ships set out for Tasmania, continuing to make surveys and a close study of the indigenous Tasmanian people and their material culture. The expedition continued on to New South Wales, creating a fine panorama of the town of Sydney, as well as views and a town plan. They then undertook a complete survey of the southern coast and an examination of the northern coast before returning to Mauritius where, near the end of 1803, Baudin died. The voyage brought back to France a wealth of geographical information. The cartography of the voyage was of crucial interest. The French exploration coincided with the the English circumnavigation of Mathew Flinders. The two expeditions famously met up at the consequently named Encounter Bay in South Australia. With Flinders' subsequent imprisonment by the French, his captors were first into print with their mapping of Australia, the great Hydrographical Atlas appearing in 1812, two years before the publication of Flinders' narrative and charts, and thus the first full Australian atlas, a remarkable achievement for visitors rather than settlers. (See Flinders atlas in the collection under Pub List No. 10745.000.) The expedition narration was begun by Peron, and completed by Freycinet after Peron's death. A tacit agreement between Peron and Freycinet, both of whom disliked Baudin, kept the commander's name mostly absent from the present official account of the expedition. The narrative includes the first publication of a complete and fully detailed map of the Australian coastline. It is a cartographic milestone, artfully done, exemplifying the French artistry of the time. The southern coast is almost entirely named "Terre Napolean," indicating France's colonial ambitions. Highlights of the numerous plates and maps (many hand-colored) include an engraved portrait of Peron, done within days of his death; coastlines of Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, as well as two folding panoramic views of Sydney and Timor. Also included are nautical charts, coastal profiles, views and plans of Sydney, as well as detailed charts of harbors and islands around Australia, Tasmania and Timor. Complete set comprised of two volumes of historical text, two volumes of plates, including portraits and views, one volume of navigation text describing the voyage, and one atlas (see further details below). Together, the six volumes contain 87 plates, comprised of 61 maps, 39 views, 13 portraits and 13 illustrations. Maps shows cities, routes, ports, topography, vegetation, drainage, coastline, shoals, anchorage and islands. Maps include latitudinal and longitudinal lines, as well as legends, bar scales, compass roses and explanatory notes. Engravings, some hand-colored. In addition to the maps, views offer further detail of specific locations, such as the tombs on Maria Island, in the Tasman Sea. Details include flora and fauna, as well as indigenous people, along with their shelters. Ethnographic portraits beautifully capture indigenous individuals of Tasmanian and New South Wales, replete with their names, dress and ornamentation. Illustrations provide close studies of indigenous accoutrements, including baskets, vases, jewelry, weapons and fishing gear. Additional illustrations show animals of the continent, such as kangaroos, platypus and wombats. Most volumes in the original pink papered boards, with gilded titles, and with some pages still uncut. Collations: Vol 1 of Historique : Paris, de l'Imprimerie Imperiale, 1807. 4to, pp [4], (i)-xv, (blank) (3), 4-496, 2pp errata. -- Vol 2 of Historique : Paris, a l'Imprimerie Royale, 1816. 4to, pp [4], frontispiece portrait, v-xxxi; (blank); (1)-471pp. -- Atlas par Mm. Lesueur et Petit : Paris. Small folio, pp [6] text; original tissue guards; with 40 leaves of plates (2 folding). -- Atlas Deuxième Partie, Rédigée par Mr. L. Freycinet : Paris, 1811. Small folio, pp [6] text; with 14 leaves of plates, (2 folding). -- Navigation et Géographie Rédigée par M. Louis Freycinet : Paris, De l'Imprimerie Royale, 1815. 4to, pp [4]; v-vxi; (1)-576, 2pp errata, the last pages of text unopened, uncut. -- Partie Navigation et Géographie Rédigée par Louis Freycinet : Atlas. Paris, 1812. Imperial folio, pp [4]; with 32 leaves of plates (25 double-page). Original red diced calf, gilt decorated spine, original red papered boards with gilt border decoration. References: Ferguson 449, 563 & 603; Wantrup 78a, 79a , 80a & 81; Hill p. 1329 (Narrative volumes only); Davidson, Book Collector's Notes, pp. 108-110; Sharp, Discovery of Australia, pp.232-39; Dunmore, French Explorers in the Pacific II, pp.9-40; Plomley, The Baudin Expedition and the Tasmanian Aborigines 1802. (Full text images of all pages can be seen at the Biodiversity Heritage Library; link in Pub Reference.) For complete scans of all text pages see https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org References: Ferguson 449, 563 & 603; Wantrup 78a, 79a , 80a & 81; Hill p. 1329 (Narrative volumes only); Davidson, Book Collector's Notes, pp. 108-110; Sharp, Discovery of Australia, pp.232-39; Dunmore, French Explorers in the Pacific II, pp.9-40; Plomley, The Baudin Expedition and the Tasmanian Aborigines 1802. (Full text images of all pages can be seen at the Biodiversity Heritage Library; link in Pub Reference.) Subjects:Image credit: Péron, François, 1775-1810 J. J. Marcel, Public domain, Wikimedia CommonsAttraction

Platypus House

Platypus House in the Tamar Valley is a covered discovery centre where visitors can view live Tasmanian platypuses and echidnas in daylight. The operator emphasises that bookings are essential, offers guided tours and a takeaway café overlooking the Tamar River, and provides maps and local directions for access. Check current tour times, availability and any accessibility needs with the venue.

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08

National parks and reserves

Protected landscapes, access information and ways to explore them.

Fortesque Bay, Sunrise, Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia.Image credit: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsOutdoors · Hobart & South

Tasman National Park

Practical guide to Tasman National Park that explains where the park is split, primary access points, key short walks and day walks such as Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul, camping at Fortescue Bay, and what to check before you go. Includes safety checks for cliffs, windy conditions and fire alerts, plus suitability notes for grades and vehicle access.

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Evercreech Junction Railway Station Looking towards Bath and Highbridge. The actual junction of the two tracks lies in the middle distance.Image credit: Tudor Williams, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsWalk · Launceston & North East

Evercreech Regional Reserve

Evercreech Regional Reserve protects tall forest at the headwaters of the South Esk River. The famous White Knights loop is closed until further notice because of storm damage. The Falls walk, picnic facilities and basic amenities remain available. Access is via unsealed roads from Fingal or Ringarooma, so check park alerts, weather and road conditions before you visit.

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09

Waterfalls and waterways

Waterfalls, rivers, lakes and gorges across the island.

The main entrance to Highway 7 Access Area, a popular swimming/picnicking destination near DeGray Lake Resort State Park .Image credit: Buddpaul, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsRoad trip · Central Tasmania

Highland Lakes Road

Highland Lakes Road (A5) crosses Tasmania's Central Highlands from the southern Midlands through Bothwell and Miena to the yingina / Great Lake, then drops north toward Deloraine. The route runs along exposed high country and through isolated sections where services are sparse. Plan fuel, clothing and timing, observe lake and fisheries rules, and check road, weather and reserve conditions before.

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Browse more

Explore by region

Use a regional collection when you want to combine several activities without spending the day crossing the island.

Hobart and South

Launceston and North East

North West and West Coast

East Coast

Central Tasmania