DESTINATION : Tasmania

DISCOVER...

Separated from mainland Australia by the 240 km stretch of Bass Strait, Tasmania is a land apart – a place of wild and beautiful landscapes; friendly, welcoming people; a pleasant, temperate climate; wonderful wine and food; a rich history; and a relaxed island lifestyle.



According to experienced travellers who’ve criss-crossed the globe in search of excellence, Tasmania has one of the world’s ten best beaches (Wineglass Bay, US-based Outside magazine), the world’s best little town (Strahan, Chicago Tribune) and is rated as ’the best island in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific’ (Travel + Leisure magazine) and ‘the world’s best temperate island’ (Condé Nast Traveler magazine).

Tasmania is an island roughly the size of West Virginia, located 240 km off the south-east corner of mainland Australia. Next stop south is Antarctica, 2000 km away.



Encircled by the Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea and Bass Strait, we breathe the world’s cleanest air and rejoice in pure water and fertile soils – our wine and food are acclaimed around the world.

Tasmania is a natural island – a land of dramatic coastlines, rugged mountains, tall forests and sparkling highland lakes. Over a third of the state is reserved in a network of National Parks and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, a refuge and habitat for rare plants and animals, including survivors of the ancient southern super continent, Gondwana.



Our European heritage dates back to the early 1800s, while Tasmanian Aboriginals first reached here 40,000 years ago.

Tasmania also has a vibrant cultural life, boasting one of the best small orchestras in the world and literary authors such as Richard Flanagan, winner of the 2002 Commonwealth Writer's Prize.

EXPERIENCE...

Tasmania’s capital lies in the south-east of the state, near the mouth of the Derwent River at the foot of Mount Wellington.

The 19th century waterfront warehouses for which the city is famous once bustled with whalers, soldiers, petty bureaucrats and opportunist businessmen. Now they house cafes, restaurants and studios and bustle with shoppers and visitors. Polished glass winks in the windows of settlers’ cottages, and brass doorknobs gleam in the lofty porches of colonial edifices.



Hobart is warm sandstone, bright spinnakers on the water, fish punts at the docks, the slap of halyards on masts, coffee under the striped sun umbrellas of Salamanca, an occasional frosting of snow on Mt Wellington, bush tracks and birdsong.

Square-riggers still put out on the river, tacking among the yachts and fishing boats. Parliament House looks out on its lawns, once the market garden for old Hobart Town, and historic Government House sits serenely in its park, where the Governor’s cows graze as they always have in their city-centre paddock.



Hobart ’s busy arts scene takes in art, craft, music and theatre. Here you can enjoy Irish jigs or pub rock, a flutter at the Wrest Point casino, street buskers and string quartets, and theatrical performances both classic and contemporary. In galleries and studios, our artists and craftspeople make bold and beautiful statements in pigments, glass, pottery and fabrics.

STUDY...

Studying in Tasmania means studying in Australia's only island state and enjoying a place of great charm, hospitality and friendliness that has all but disappeared from the rest of the country. Tasmania's education system is dominated by one of Australia's original universities, the prestigious University of Tasmania, with a study and learning history going back to its establishment in 1890. A university which has more than 100 years of academic excellence and where excellence has now become a tradition.



Taking a break from the study in Tasmania means you can enjoy many different ways to relax and unwind including taking advantage of the magnificent natural environment and enjoying the rich cultural life that the Tasmanians have developed.