BURNIE

 Burnie is Australian's newest city, proclaimed by Her Majesty the Queen on 26th April, 1988. The rapid expansion of Burnie, now Tasmania's forth largest town, is based on one of the state's largest industrial enterprises, Associated Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. Situated on Emu Bay, 148 km west of Launceston, Burnie has a busy deepwater port, which serves the west coast mining centres. Other important industries includes plants for the manufacture of titanium oxide pigments, dried milk, chocolate products and cheese. The area’s natural attractions include forest reserves, fossil cliffs, waterfalls and canyons and panoramic ocean views from nearby Round Hill.      

Tasmania North West Coast. View over the city of Burnie

Along its main streets are many attractive 19th-century buildings decorated with wrought ironwork. Today the city has shed its industrial character, although some industry survives, notably the Lactos company, which has won many awards for its French- and Swiss-style cheeses. The sampling room has tastings and a café. Burnie also has a number of gardens, including Fern Glade, where platypuses are often seen feeding at dusk and dawn. 

DEVONPORT

Named after the county of Devon in England, the state’s third-largest city is strategically sited as a river and sea port. It lies at the junction of the Mersey River and the Bass Strait, on the north coast. As the terminal for a vehicular ferry from Melbourne, Devonport has become a busy industrial and agricultural-export town, as well as a major tourist centre. Devonport has its own airport, and is ideally suited as a visitor base  for seeing scenic northern Tasmania.
It is the southern terminus for the Spirit of Tasmania ferries operating between Devonport and Melbourne.

LAUNCESTON

Launceston was settled in 1804 and is Australia’s third-oldest city. Although it is Tasmania's second largest city and a busy tourist centre, Launceston manages to retain a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Nestling in hilly country where the Tamar, North Esk and South Esk rivers meet, Launceston is also at the junction of four main highways and has direct air links with Melbourne and Hobart. It is sometimes known as the Garden City because of its beautiful parks and gardens. Launceston has one of the best-preserved early cityscapes in Australia with its elegant Colonial and Victorian architecture and century-old parks. It has a charming ambience of old buildings, parks, gardens, riverside walks, craft galleries and hilly streets lined with weatherboard houses.

 

HOBART

Hobart is an enchanting city built around a beautiful harbour and under the spell of nearby majestic Mount Wellington. A strong seafaring flavour and sense of the past give Hobart an almost European air. This feeling heightened in winter when Mount Wellington is snow-capped and temperatures dropped to a crisp 5C. It has an incredible waterfront location, similar to that of her “big sister”, Sydney.

The deepwater harbour on the broad estuary of the Dervent River is Hobart's lifeblood and the port is always busy. The suburbs nestle right up to the lower slopes of Mount Wellington and the city's population spreads both side of the graceful Tasman Bridge. Australia's second oldest capital, Hobart has a wealth of beautiful Georgian buildings. It is the centre of attention in late December every year as the finish line of the famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

The Spirit of Tasmania is a large ferry that runs daily between Melbourne, on Australia’s south coast, and Devonport in northern Tasmania. It was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line. Between 1993 and 2002 the ship was named MS Spirit of Tasmania, owned by the Tasmanian Government and operated by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and used on traffic across the Bass Strait. Measuring 161m long, 27.6m wide and weighing over 31,000 tonnes, the ship can carry 490 cars, plus 60 buses or trucks, with berths for 1278 persons. One of Australia’s most iconic travel experiences, Spirit of Tasmania makes travelling across Bass Strait flexible, convenient and easy. The trip on board Spirit of Tasmania takes approximately 9-11 hours.

Operating between Devonport and Melbourne, The Spirit of Tasmania is the largest ferry to carry the Australian flag.

SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

WEST COAST WILDERNESS RAILWAY

 The West Coast Wilderness Railway is an award-winning railway and wilderness experience located on the west coast of Tasmania. The lovingly restored steam journey connects the historic towns of Queenstown and Strahan and is a wonderful way to experience a combination of Tasmanian wilderness, history, cuisine and hospitality. Three of the original trains now command the railway, built in 1896 (ABT 1), 1898 (ABT 3) and 1938 (ABT 5), and are beautifully restored to their former 28 tonne glory. 

The West Coast Wilderness Railway was originally built during the 1890s to transport copper from the mines in Queenstown to the port on the coast at Strahan. The railway operated until the 60’s when it became too expensive to run, and road transport became a more efficient way of travelling. The trains were decommissioned and the track fell into disrepair. However, reconstruction work started in the 1990s and in 2003 the railway was officially reopened. 

The West Coast Wilderness Railway embodies a wealth of stories, stories that tell of the ingenuity, resilience and determination that turned the west coast of Tasmania into one of the wealthiest mining regions in the world.   

West Coast Wilderness Railway

TASMANIA

 Tasmania has certainly won many more hearts than it can claim square kilometres. It has only 68,000 of the latter, but it crams into them its rugged west, a central plateau broken by steep mountains and narrow river valley, and an eastern coastal region offering a soft 'English' pastoral beauty. Its diverse charms have made it a popular tourist attraction. 

The Nut, Historic Stanley Tasmania. The township of Stanley nestles under the massive headland called the Nut. Many old historic sights can be seen, including Joe Lyons' Cottage, Poets' Cottage, Plough Inn and the original Bluestone Grain Store - each with its own unique history.

First sighted by Abel Tasman in 1624, it was later claimed by Capitain Cook for the English and was first settled in 1803. Tasmania was first called Van Diemen's Land; these days it is known as the'heritage island', 'treasure island' or the 'apple isle'. Its economy is basically agricultural, but secondary industries such as tourism and minining are gradually taking over.

TABLE CAPE NORTH WEST TASMANIA Tasmania has some of the most spectacular rural scenery in the world and this region contains features of astonishing beauty

TASMANIAN DEVIL

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is noisy, fierce, potentially vicious and one of only three marsupial carnivores that inhabit the island. Now exclusive to the island state of Tasmania. These animals are adept at climbing, sleeping by day in well hidden dens and emerging at night as efficient scavengers and hunters.