Sport & Activities
Watersports
Boat or sailing cruises are popular ways to explore the port cities of Launceston and Hobart, as well as the outlying islands. Tamar river cruises offer short morning, afternoon, lunch and evening tours on Tamar River in Launceston. Companies operating around Hobart include Port Arthur Cruises and Hobart Cruises to Peppermint Bay, and Derwent River Cruises. Gordan River Cruises operate out of Strahan on the west coast, where the World-Heritage-listed South-West Tasmanian coast can be explored. can easily be arranged on Tasmania’s the Huon River, with its orchards and salmon farms; the Pieman and Arthur rivers in the northwest of the island; or the mighty Gordon River which flows through the rainforest in the World Heritage Area. Options for more active visitors are sea kayaking (kayaks and equipment can be hired and guided voyages arranged: this is available in Hobart and Freycinet National Park on the east coast and Strahan on the west coast) or rafting on the Franklin, Derwent, Arthur, Picton, South Esk, Mersey and Meander rivers. Trips last one to 11 days. Jet boating, on flat water or on the rapids, is available on the Derwent, Huon or King rivers. Speeds average 70kph (43mph). Diving is a fantastic way to explore the shipwrecks and kelp forests near King and Flinders Islands. Professional dive operators around the islands and the east coast all offer equipment for hire.
Outdoor activities
Tasmania’s air is reckoned to be the cleanest in the inhabited world. Its pristine scenery and balmy climate make it a delight for lovers of the outdoors. Furthermore, the island contains the largest expanse of temperate wilderness in the world, a unique landscape, rightly listed as a heritage site. On land, visitors can experience the spectacular countryside in a variety of ways. Cycling can be undertaken independently or on pre-arranged tours. A favourite route is from Devonport to Launceston via the dramatic Elephant Pass, and possibly all the way south to Hobart. Mountain bikers can opt for forest trails in the reserves, and those looking for strenuous activity can ride ‘The Wild Way’ through the World Heritage Area. All-terrain touring to more remote and wilder areas can be arranged through specialist operators. Transport is in 4-wheel-drive vehicles or 4-wheel motorcycles, well suited to the island’s extensive network of off-road trails. For aerial views, wilderness flights can be booked in Hobart; these travel over the mountains towards the southwestern wilderness.
Wildlife
Tasmania’s 20 national parks are home to a rich variety of animals, many of them unique to the island. They include wombats, possums, platypus, wallabies, fairy penguins and the rare orange-bellied parrot. The Tasmanian Devil, a small, black, dog-like marsupial can be readily seen at night in the Narawntapu-, Mount William- and Cradle National Parks. Although it looks fierce, it is not usually harmful to humans. The hunt still continues for the so-called Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine, not sighted for 60 years and thought to be extinct. This creature, actually a marsupial wolf, is the state’s official mascot.
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