Things to Do in Tasmania

Tasmania's apple orchard, the Huon Valley is a lush and pretty region on Hobart's doorstep.

Centering on the little riverside town of Huonville, on the Huon River, it's a region of hillside orchards and villages. The large orchard industry now embraces berries, vineyards and stone fruit, and the towns offer tearooms and antique shops.

Book a jet-boat ride on the river, sample hundreds of varieties of apples, drop into a cellar door for some wine tasting, go fishing or relax at a country-style cafe.

The Huon Valley also makes a great base for exploring Tasmania's wild national parks and going for a stroll on the Tahune Forest AirWalk.

One of Tasmania's highlights is its historic Georgian-era towns, and Evandale is no exception.

With its Main Street lined with National Trust-listed buildings, the immaculately preserved little town offers a glimpse into centuries gone by. The best way to explore Evandale is to take a stroll past heritage buildings like St Andrews Church, Blenheim, the Royal Oak and the saddler's shop.

Evandale comes to life on Sundays for the weekly market, featuring local produce and crafts.

The annual Penny Farthing Championship turns back the clock each February and brings more camera-toting visitors than usual to the little town. Participants dress for the occasion in late-Victorian dress, and Evandale's Main Street becomes the route for penny farthing races.

There are some historic grand homesteads in the countryside surrounding Evandale, revealing glimpses into colonial days. Visit 19th-century Clarendon Homestead to admire neoclassical Georgian architecture and stroll through manicured formal parklands.

Pubs, bakeries and cafes are another Evandale attraction, the ideal pit stop for local produce, coffee, Tasmanian wines and gourmet cakes. You'll also find antiques stores and local crafts shops.

Hobart's heart lies on the sea, and as an island Tasmania's history is inextricably bound to the water.

If you'd like to learn more about Tasmania's maritime history, the Maritime Museum of Tasmania provides all the answers.

You'll see models of the ships that docked at Sullivans Cove, hear the stories of the men who sailed in them, learn about Australia's first explorers and see the navigational instruments they used.

The watercraft of Tasmania's original inhabitants, the Aborigines, are also displayed, along with artifacts rescued from shipwrecks, photographs, paintings and whaling equipment.

While it might look wide and inviting for boats, the Tamar River is a treacherous channel that's rife with rocks, patches of reef, and shifting sandbars that will swallow vessels that don't know exactly where they're going. Luckily for mariners on Tasmania's north coast, a pilot station at Low Head still operates and helps assist boats headed up the Tamar River toward Launceston. Established here in 1805, the Low Head Pilot Station is Australia's oldest continuously inhabited pilot station, and the museum is set in "Pilot's Row""” a string of buildings that were built by convicts in the middle of the 19th century. When visiting Low Head Pilot Station today, you can learn about everything from signaling and lights to the tools used in navigation, as well as look at some early maps that were drawn when much of modern Tasmania had yet to be explored.