As many travellers know, Tasmania is a unique and unusual island – with plenty of quirky stories, characters, and places to keep you company on your adventures. If you’re wondering “Where is Tasmania exactly?” or “What is Tasmania?”, keep reading on.
The little island has everything a nature lover would need and also, offers amazing seafood, wines, and so much more. In fact, we’re always surprised more people don’t visit Tasmania every year.
READ MORE: Why Tasmania is going on all out on ecotourism
Besides the beautiful wildlife, beaches and amazing food, there is also a very quirky side to this little island. We thought it would be fun to showcase some of the unique aspects of Tasmania that make it so different.
However, before we do that, let’s first find out more about the island.
Where is Tasmania?
There might be some out there wondering where is Tasmania and what exactly is the place. Tasmania is actually a small island that sits between the Australian mainland and New Zealand in the South Sea. It lies just 240 km south of the mainland and is only a 45-minute flight from the city of Melbourne or just under 90 minutes from Sydney. That makes travelling there for the locals an easy and fun way to spend a weekend.
So, now we know where it is, let’s find out what makes it unique.
Tasmania has a lot of World Heritage sites
The unique history of modern-day Australia is well-known. So there is a lot of history and relics of the past. To recognise this, in 2010, UNESCO elevated 11 Australian convict sites to World Heritage status, of which five of these are in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian sites are:
- Port Arthur Historic Site
- the Coal Mines Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula
- the Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart
- Darlington Probation Station on Maria Island
- Woolmers and Brickendon Estates near Longford
Between 1833 and 1853, many of the 76 000 convicts sent to Tasmania did hard time here.
Tasmania makes an amazing sparkling wine
No, you cannot call it champagne. So don’t make the mistake of confusing French ‘champagne’ with the Tasmanian version. Winemakers in Tasmania started producing world-beating bottles of cool-climate bubbles in the 1990s and to avoid any issues with the traditional French wine industry, they named it ‘Tasmanian sparkling wine’.
They have done very well with it as well, as in 2020, House of Arras’ E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2004 was awarded the best sparkling wine in the world.
Abalone harvesting is heavily regulated
Despite supplying a quarter of the world’s wild abalone, Tasmania heavily regulates the industry to try to ensure sustainability. This industry alone brings in many millions in annual export revenue to the country. Even if you do spot one on a dive, don’t be tempted as if you get caught with abalone and you don’t have a licence, you could be facing some serious fines.
Tasmania has a lot of places with funny names
For those who have travelled a lot, there are a lot of funny names out there because of language and local quirks. However, Tasmania might have the most interesting collection of them all. Here are some of the funniest that we’ve found.
- Eggs and Bacon Bay
- Trousers Point
- Milkshake Hills
- Stinkhole
- Granny’s Gut
- Awesome Wells
- Hells Gate
- Ouse
- Snug
- Growling Swallet
- Pisspot Creek
- Dismal Swamp
- Break-Me- Neck Hill
- Bust-Me-Gall Hill
- The Nipples
- Lovely Bottom
You won’t struggle to find insta-worthy signs when you travel there.
There is a thriving whisky-making industry
Making whisky in Tasmania may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it is really a no-brainer. This island is known for its clean mountain waters, abundant barley crops and it even has the misty Highlands vibes. However, distilling was outlawed on the island in 1838 and it was more than 150 years before anyone made whisky there. The antiquated laws were repealed in 1992, and the industry exploded, so today there are 50-plus distilleries around Tasmania.
Go to Tasmania
If you were wondering where is Tasmania, hopefully by now, we’ve given you an idea. We highly recommend considering it for your next vacation and may catching some of these unique sites while you’re down there.
