Almost lovingly the Australians call it "Tassie". A nickname for this island, which belongs to Australia, but after the separation from the big Down Under continent towards the end of the last ice age has developed in many ways a life of its own.
For a long time Tasmania moved under the radar of the big tourist streams. Australia? Quite far away! Tasmania? Incredibly far away! And lonely, rough and cold! Oh yes, there is a lot of landscape and then a lot of salmon. And a rare and strange animal called the Tasmanian devil, who completely devours his prey with skin, hair and bones.
It's like always. It is only by traveling and collecting one's own impressions that someone can dispel prejudices and often an enthusiasm develops for a hitherto completely foreign country. So we went to Tasmania. A few impressions in loose order.
Hobart. If you come from Melbourne or Sydney here, the difference to Australia suddenly becomes aware. When traffic in the metropolises is still dense and there are masses of tourists in the metropolises, there is a sense of tranquility suddenly soothing in Hobart. The island's largest city, with just over 200,000 inhabitants, exudes a touch of colonial spirit. Everything is smaller, comfortable, you could almost say village and comparatively cute. Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia. As in the case of Sydney, the oldest city on the Red Continent, settlements began in Hobart with the establishment of penal colonies for inmates from the mother country of England around 1800. And here, too, the indigenous Tasmanians had to give way by expulsion or extermination by force or by introduced diseases. Or they were enslaved. The buildings around the harbor are still witnesses of this past - the former customs building, the court and not to forget - the oldest Inn in Tasmania, into which the liquor barrels could be rolled directly from the ship.
In recent years, a hip and stylish in-quarter has developed around the harbor, which attracts the rich, beautiful and connoisseurs, not only in the time of the fashionable Sydney Hobart sailing regatta.
Culinary. Culinary delights are very important in Hobart. Just around the harbor you can switch from one fine dining restaurant to another. Exclusive cuisine can be found for example in the Landscape Restaurant & Grill and in the Peacock & Jones. The Franklin just minutes away has made it to the 50 Best Restaurants of the World. And the outstanding quality of the Frank Restaurant and the Tempo in the immediate vicinity are no longer "best kept secrets".
But even if you drive over land, you will be spoiled in many places. And if it is just at one of the many shops offering delicious home-grown cheeses or full-bodied home-grown berries.
Mount Wellington. This 1271 meter high mountain on the outskirts of Hobart is a must do during nice weather. A variety of trails offer already on the way a spectacular view of Hobart and the surrounding area. For all less athletic ambitious, a road leads to the summit. At the very top, it becomes clear to you how beautifully this city is nestled down there between the mountainous hinterland, the estuary of the Derwent River and the sea.
Landscape and nature. Lots of exotic animals like in Australia (kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, venomous snakes), green, juicy mountain tops like New Zealand or Ireland, a jerky change to steep cliffs like in Scotland - but it's this mixture of everything that creats a large part of the fascination of Tasmania. Fortunately, the signs of the times have been recognized and many of the landscape areas have been declared as national parks. A quarter of Tasmania is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Worth seeing are, for example, the Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park, the Freycinet National Park with the picturesque Wineglass Bay and the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park with its almost deserted wilderness.
Bruny Island. Within sight of the Tasmanian east coast is Bruny Island, a very special example of the beauty of Tasmania and the surrounding smaller islands. Although on public holidays and weekends sometimes considerable waiting time must be taken in order to get one of the coveted places on the ferry from Kettering, the effort is worth it anyway. In a record-breaking number comes a "Wow" on the lips, if you discover this only about 50 times 20 km large island. The north and south islands of Bruny are connected by an extremely narrow strip of land that is rightly called "The Neck" and where you can enjoy a 360 degree view of the island and the sheer endless beach on a small wooden vantage point. The most beautiful of all bays, however, is Adventure Bay, which simply invites you to pause and enjoy. Hundreds of years ago, James Cook and later Captain Bligh did just that in this bay with his bounty shortly before the mutiny.
Accommodation. Of course, there are accommodations of all kinds and categories across Tasmania. For lovers of the exclusive and special, the Sacrire Luxury Lodges thrive in the Freycinet National Park. Located in the Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge is located on the edge of the Wilderness National Park, with access to the best hiking trails. The MACq 01 is of course an absolute highlight in Hobart due to its location directly at the pier. If you want to venture out of the city into the rural surroundings, Villa Howden, with its almost Tuscan flair, is in good hands in the waterfront Villa Howden.
Tip. The Museum of Old and Modern Art (MONA) in Hobart is well worth a visit. The museum displays ancient, modern and contemporary art. But the location in the winery Moorilla and on the adjacent cliffs is breathtaking. Much of the 3-story building was laid underground. An excellent restaurant completes the excursion. And with a bit of luck, there will be a festival or another performance in the large, green outdoor area with its open-air stage, where locals and foreigners chill out on the lawn and relax.
Image Source: Blog Alana Rose
Summary. Tasmania is incredible. Incredibly diverse and exciting. Incredibly soothing and relaxing. Incredibly surprising and touching all the senses. Incredibly sympathetic. It has always had the flair of the special. We are right! Even if we (maybe fortunately) did not come across the Tasmanian devil during our visit.
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