by Alex Hinds

Created on: July 15, 2009

Don't forget Tasmania! The little island "down under down under" is often forgotten, overlooked and even derided, even by Australians themselves!

Tasmania, or Tassie as its often called, now enjoys much better transport links with the mainland in the form of frequent cheap flights and fast comfortable ferries crossing the Bass Staight between Melbourne from Devonport on Tasmania's North coast.

With a population of only around half a million Tasmania offers peace, quite and tranquility amongst stunning scenery. In a small island an incredibly diverse range of landscape is packed in from majestic mountain wilderness to stunning coastline. You can be on a beach in the morning, drive through countryside to visit the world famous Cradle Mountain during the day and be back on the coast fro dinner in the evening if you choose! Hobart and Launceston are both enjoyable small cities to visit and both boast excellent festivals well worth checking out if you're around at the right time. Of couse Hobart is a great place to be over New Year with the Sydney to Hobart yacht race finishers coming in around then.

For those with an interest in history Tasmania offers a fascinating insight into the early period of Australia's colonisation and the penal history in particular. Port Arthur, near Hobart, makes an excellent day out exploring and learning about the early colonisation of Australia. Tasmania also offers world class attractions for those into outdoor pursuits in pristine wilderness and gourmet visitors who enjoy indulging in the fresh produce offered by many highly regarded boutique operations. In fact an increasing number of enterprising tourism businesses are offering experiences to combine action and adventure in the day followed by comfort and fine dining in the evening!

Tasmania may not offer some of the more well known draws of a visit to Australia and that in itself makes it a great place to visit to get away from the Aussie, icons and cliches! Best of all, if the distance involved in travelling in Australia seem a bit daunting Tassie packs it all in on a much more manageable scale! There's no need to miss out on those Kangaroos and beaches either; you'll find both in Tassie! The Eastern grey kangaroo or Forester kangaroo is a protected species in Tasmania and makes a change form the mainland Red kangaroo. Beaches in Tasmania abound in all varieties, from the wild west coast surf that attracts pro surfers to Marrawah to the highly acclaimed picturesque bays on the East coast such as the Bay of Fires and Wineglass bay in Freycinet National Park. You could start to wonder if you actually need to visit the big island at all!

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