Southern Tasmania

Southern Tasmania is often an alternative name for Hobart and surrounds in the island state of Tasmania.

Southern Tasmania can be an entry point for many who travel by air to Hobart, where the airport is known as Hobart International Airport.

Regions

Southern Tasmania has four primary regions, divided by both natural barriers and unique climates and landscapes, each with distinct attractions and history.

Huon and Far South
Taking in Australia's most southerly permanent settlement (Southport), and a diverse range of small towns with strong local arts and culinary movements. Once one of Australia's most important apple producing centres, today this area still grows over 10% of the nation's apples.

Greater Hobart
The capital of Tasmania and its satellite suburbs straddle the River Derwent at the foot of kunanyi / Mount Wellington. One of Australia's best preserved Victorian cities, with a world class food & wine culture, the Southern Hemisphere's largest private museum MONA, and a wealth of boutiques, local artisans and unique shops to keep a visitor enthralled.

It also takes in Bruny Island, accessible only by ferry and home to its own unique community and food culture.

Derwent Valley
A region marked by its long history of agriculture, its iconic poplar trees and its many oasts & hop kilns, the Derwent Valley includes some of Australia's oldest buildings (including oldest pub and oldest Anglican church), and historic towns with renowned boutiques, antique stores and cafes.

Tasman and South East
Though most famous for its dark history as the site of the British Empire's harshest convict prison, the Tasman Peninsula and South-East are also home to a unique local culture. The South-East features many quintessentially Australian beach-shack communities, built to take advantage of some of Tasmania's best beaches; the vibrant regional centre of Sorell with its Georgian architecture and small town charm; and the remote Tasman Peninsula with its unique geography found almost nowhere else, including the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen in Eaglehawk Neck.

Cities

-42.882147.3241 Hobart - the state capital, Australia's second oldest city.
-43.03147.032 Huonville - once famous for its apple orchards, Huonville is now a busy regional centre
-42.9644147.28983 Kingston - a modern town on the beach
-42.782147.0594 New Norfolk - historic town on the River Derwent, with some of Australia's oldest buildings.
-42.733147.4335 Richmond - an almost perfectly preserved Georgian village now located inside one of Tasmania's best wine regions
-42.783147.5666 Sorell - gateway to the South-East and one of Tasmania's oldest towns
-43.0958147.7157 Nubeena - capital of the remote Tasman Peninsula
-43.0259147.23098 Margate - seaside town on the D'entrecasteaux Channel

Other destinations

-43.4147.2661 Bruny Island – Tasmania's most visited offshore island, with beautiful, quiet landscapes, cute wildlife, and the oldest operational Australian lighthouse
-43.2297146.7562 Hartz Mountains National Park – a small park that gives you the true feeling of "wilderness"
-42.655278146.58753 Mount Field National Park – famous for its waterfalls and alpine hikes
-42.8553147.9764 Tasman National Park – home to some of the world's most spectacular dolerite cliffs and coastal scenery
-42.8336146.1495 Southwest National Park – Tasmania's largest national park taking up 10 percent of the state
-43.15147.856 Port Arthur - famous world-heritage convict site
-42.87147.77 Southern Beaches

Understand

Tasmania has regions determined by geography, the south of Tasmania is one of the older settled regions in Australia, and it has many buildings and sites that can trace their origins back into the mid nineteenth century and the convict era. Many Tasmanians did not want to acknowledge the convict past into the late twentieth century, when the convict heritage was being explored in movies, books and sites, to the point that now in the twenty first century, convict culture and legacy is exploited wherever possible.

The Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas is a set of two peninsulas in the south-east of Tasmania. Located close to Hobart, this area is a popular day trip destination and is home to the former penal colony of Port Arthur along with many natural wonders within Tasman National Park.

The Derwent Valley is the largest drainage basin in Tasmania. It contains more differing ecosystems than any other area of Australia, from alpine to temperate rainforest to riverine reed beds. The area is scenic and beautiful, with tumbling streams, mirror lakes, poplars, rolling green hills and snow capped mountains in winter. Must sees include New Norfolk - the third oldest town in Australia with its history, Mt Field national park, Salmon Ponds where trout were first hatched in the southern hemisphere, the Styx Valley with the tallest hardwood trees in the world, the oldest golf course outside of Scotland at Ratho.

Get in

By plane

Southern Tasmania has one airport: Hobart International Airport (HBA^IATA). Flights to Burnie and Launceston, and to the mainland cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide arrive and leave regularly.

By car

Southern Tasmania is cross-crossed with natural geographic barriers, so routes by road are often winding and scenic. Roads may not be in the best repair outside of the capital city, so drive carefully and be aware of conditions. It's a three-hour drive using National Highway 1, and a two-hour drive from Launceston again using NH 1.

By boat

Several cruise lines stop at Hobart - sometimes first stopping at Port Arthur - usually for several days.

Get around

By car

Southern Tasmania is connected by a number of arterial highways

Brooker Highway (Highway 1): Hobart centre to northern suburbs and Derwent Valley
Tasman Highway (A3): Hobart to South-East, and South-East to Midlands
Arthur Highway (A9): South-East to Tasman Peninsula
Midlands Highway (Highway 1): Hobart eastern shore to Midlands
Southern Outlet (A6): Hobart to Kingston
Channel Highway (B68): Kingston to Margate and D'entrecasteaux Channel
Huon Highway (A6): Hobart to Huon Valley

Outside of major highways, road conditions may vary. Drive to the conditions and obey local speed limit signs.

Parking in Southern Tasmania is administered by local councils, and policies vary. Smaller towns may have free parking townwide, but some still operate parking metres. Hobart city centre has several parking towers, but they fill up quickly at peak times such as lunch and Saturdays, so plan extra time to find a park.

By bus

Skybus offer an Airport to Hotel service running from Hobart International Airport to the CBD. Metro Tasmania provide public bus services within the urban area of Hobart, and Hobart City Council offer a courtesy bus to Salamanca Market on Sundays. Bus services outside of Hobart are infrequent and may be expensive. TassieLink and RedLine Tasmania provide some services to the Derwent Valley, Sorell, Tasman Peninsula and Huon Valley.

By train

There are no public train services.

By ferry

Bruny Island can only be accessed by a passenger/car ferry, departing from Kettering and operated by SeaLink. The Museum of New and Old Art offer a catamaran passenger ferry departing the Hobart waterfront to the museum at Berriedale. A public ferry operates between Berriedale on the eastern shore of the Derwent River and Brooke Street Pier in Hobart. Several companies also offer looped river tours on the Derwent River and D'entrecasteaux Channel.

See

Out of the total eleven convict sites making up the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Australian Convict sites", four are located in Southern Tasmania; two on the Tasman Peninsula, one in Hobart and the Darlington Probation Station on Maria Island.
South Bruny National Park on Bruny Island contains wonderful coastal walks, wildflowers, birdlife, forests and a historic lighthouse, and is home to one of the last remaining population of white wallabies.
Cygnet has a rich arts culture

Do

Huon Valley

Eagle Hang Gliding.
Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs.
Huon Jet Boat.
Tahune Forest AirWalk.

Eat

Huon Valley

Beach Restaurant and Cafe, Ocean Esplanade, Blackmans Bay, ☏ +61 3 6229 7600.
Bruny Island Cheese Company, Main Road, Great Bay (Bruny Island).
Fleurtys, 3866 Channel Highway, Birchs Bay, ☏ +61 3 6267 4078.
Kyari, 13 Church Street, Geeveston, ☏ +61 3 6297 1601.
Pear Ridge, 1683 Channel Highway, Margate, ☏ +61 3 6267 1811.
Peppermint Bay, 3435 Channel Highway, Woodbridge, ☏ +61 3 6267 4088, admin@peppermintbay.com.au.

Drink

The Derwent Valley has wineries such as Stefano Lubiana, Laurel Bank, Derwent Estate, Meadowbank and Kinvarra Estate

The Nant Distillery produces single malt whiskey

Stay safe

As you travel further south, mobile phone reception does become weaker. Many city-based mobile phones on Optus, Vodafone, Virgin and other smaller carriers will not work in many areas of the Huon and Channel. Telstra NextG mobile phones provide the best coverage, although this is not guaranteed in all areas.
Observe speed limits. 50 km/h in built-up areas, otherwise 90 km/h on sealed roads and 80 km/h on gravel.
Watch out for wildlife - particularly at night.
Always notify somebody if you are going bushwalking and carry a (NextG) mobile phone if possible.
Carry an EPIRB if boating and wear life jackets.

Go next

This region travel guide to Southern Tasmania is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.