Hobart City Tours

Tasmania is the smallest of Australia's states and it's most diverse, with its capital Hobart providing a great hub for tours and destinations. Dense rainforests, unexplored wilderness, alpine moors, rich agricultural land, gentle valleys with historic towns and villages, hundreds of lakes and sweeping white beaches.

The Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was sent by the Dutch East India Company to search for the "Great South Land". Tasman sighted the rugged westcoast of Tasmania and named it Van Diemen's Land in honour of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Unimpressed by what he had seen he sailed further east and discovered New Zealand. Tasmania has a growing reputation for the production of gourmet food including salmon, trout, oysters, abalone, lobster, game, berry fruits, fine cheeses and prime-quality lamb and beef. The cool climate is suited to the production of quality sparkling and still wines. Its small wine industry is attracting investment from French wineries.

It's dense vegetation, rugged terrain and rainforest wilderness areas are home to Australian wildlife - kangaroos, wallabies, possums, echidnas and the nocturnal hunter the Tasmanian Devil. The last Tasmanian Tiger kept in captivity died in 1936 and the species Thylacine was declared extinct. More than 20 per cent of the state's land is classified as National Park or included in the World Heritage Area. ‘Must see’ sites include the convict settlement of Port Arthur, the stunning forest landscapes of the Huon Valley, and Cradle Mountain National Park.