Off the beaten track, Tasmania has much to offer: the population of just under half a million is concentrated mainly along the northern and western coasts.

Most of the remote western hinterland is a World Heritage Area. Best places to visit here include the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park, a region of mountains and rainforest that is renowned for its wildlife, including the Tasmanian Devil. South of here lies the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, with some fine hiking trails and its notoriously challenging white-water rafting. A useful base for visiting this park is the harbour resort of Strahan, on the west coast, which has beaches and from which you can take boat trips.

The east coast has gentler scenery, but there is some fine hiking along the Freycinet Peninsula. For some weird (but in its own way just as typical) scenery, try Penguin on the north coast. Off the north-west coast lies Flinders Island. For a century, ships foundered here at the rate of more than one a year; now the wrecks entertain scuba divers.

For information on the island’s two main centres, Hobart and Launceston, follow the links.

Tasmania may be only 300 km at its longest, but if you’re planning to explore off the beaten track you should allow at least a week.

TRANSPORT

The only feasible way to get the most out of the sights mentioned here is by car.