Facts & Figures
Airports: Hobart Airport is located 18km (approximately $30.00 taxi fare) from
the city centre. Launceston Airport is located 15km from the city
centre. Rental cars are readily available from all airports and major
centres.
Angling: Tasmania possesses the finest brown trout angling in the Southern Hemisphere and is the
source of all brown trout stocks in Australia and New Zealand.
Atlantic Salmon: Tasmania has the fastest growing, farmed Atlantic salmon in the world and one of the
world’s largest and most modern hatcheries.
Average Temperature: Tasmania’s average maximum temperatures are 22 degrees Celsius in summer and 12 degrees Celsius in winter. In comparison, Sydney’s average temperatures are 26 degrees Celsius in Summer and 17 degrees Celsius in winter.
Cascade Brewery: Is Australia’s oldest brewery, located in Hobart.
Climate: Tasmania enjoys a temperate, maritime climate. Nights can be cool
throughout the year, so some warm clothing is recommended. Hobart has
the nation's second-lowest rainfall (626 mm or 24") of all Australian
capital cities. The average summer temperature is a comfortable 21°C
(70°F). Winter's average is 12°C (52° F).
Convicted: Tasmania contains the most complete ruins of a convict settlement - Port Arthur.
Currency: The Australian dollar ($AUD) is the local currency. Traveller's cheques
may be cashed at most major hotels and banks. Accepted credit cards
include American Express, Bankcard, Diner's Club, Mastercard and
Visacard. Tipping is not compulsory in Tasmania nor a widespread
practice.
Entry Requirements: All overseas visitors to Tasmania require a valid passport and
pre-arranged visa (except for N.Z). Consult Australian Customs and
Quarantine on behalf of international delegates and exhibitors import
requirements. Interstate visitors should heed plant quarantine
regulations.
Equator: Tasmania is closer to the equator than Rome or Chicago.
Forested: 3.3 million hectares of Tasmania’s land area is covered with forest - nearly 50%. Almost half of this forest is in formal reserves.
Good Drop: The reputation of Tasmania's premium wines is protected by the only legislated appellation scheme in Australia.
History's Stage: The Theatre Royal in Hobart is Australia's oldest operative live theatre.
Land Area: Tasmania’s land area is 6.8 million hectares, similar in size to Ireland and nearly twice the size of Belgium.
Leading: Tasmania has the fastest growing farmed Atlantic salmon in the world and one of the world's largest and most modern hatcheries.
Naturally Unique: Tasmania’s isolation, the rugged landforms and the diverse soils of the Tasmanian Wilderness have contributed to its unique flora and fauna.
Over Par: Tasmania has 68 golf courses in total, more per capita than any other state in Australia.
Population: Tasmania has a population of 500,000.
Protected: More than 44% of Tasmania is protected in national parks and reserves.
Pure: Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world and its rainwater is so pure that quantities have been shipped to Australian Olympic Athletes competing overseas.
Rainforest: The dominant rainforest species are eucalypts, including the tallest stands of hardwood in the Southern Hemisphere and the biggest white gum in the world (89 metres tall and 10 metres around).
Richmond Bridge: The Richmond bridge is the oldest bridge in Australia built in 1823, while the Ross bridge is the second oldest, built between 1832-1836.
Settlement: Aboriginals migrated to Tasmania around 20,000 years ago. European
contact first occurred in 1642 when Captain Abel Tasman of the Dutch
East India Company sighted the rugged West Coast. Following Dutch and
French exploration, Van Diemen's land became a British colony in 1803.
It was renamed Tasmania in 1856 and joined the Commonwealth of
Australia in 1901.
Shopping: Locally crafted timber items, glass, pottery, leather and woollen goods
are worth pursuing. Most convenience stores and supermarkets are open
for extended trading hours 7 days per week (7.00am - 7.00pm or later).
Hobart's famed Salamanca Market is not to be missed each Saturday from
9.00am - 2.00pm. Duty free shopping is available in Hobart and
Launceston.
Significant: The World Heritage area contains an exceptionally rich and important collection of Aboriginal sites, revealing the distinctive ways the Tasmanian Aboriginal community developed to survive climate change and Ice Age conditions.
Southern Most State: Tasmania is the southern-most State and lies 240km south of the Australian mainland, on a latitude of 40 degrees south.
Stone's Throw: Tasmania is the most decentralised State and Tasmanians travel the shortest distances of any Australian workers between their homes and their jobs.
Tasmanian Devils: Tasmania is the only place where a Tasmanian Devil is visible in the wild.
Territory: Tasmania's territory includes Macquarie Island, halfway between the Australian mainland and the Antarctic continent, but the capital, Hobart is no further from the equator than New York or Madrid.
Unique: Tasmania has the longest and deepest caves and the deepest natural freshwater lake
in Australia.
Unspoilt: Western Tasmania's World Heritage Area is one of the last great unspoilt temperate wilderness areas in the world.
Up-Lifting: Launceston's Cataract Gorge Chairlift is the longest single-span chairlift in the world.
Vintage: Australia’s first vines were planted in Tasmania back in the 1820s. Vine cuttings from colonial Van Diemen’s Land were used to establish the first vineyards planted in Victoria and South Australia in the 1830s.
World Heritage: The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area covers more than 20% of Tasmania’s land area and was inscribed on the World Heritage list for its outstanding natural and cultural universal values.
World's Best: Tasmania has been named the 'Best Temperate Island in the World' twice, by the International travel magazine 'Conde Nast Traveler'
