| Cheap Flights | From |
| Sydney | 30 Mar$3948 |
| Cairns | 30 Mar$2235 |
| Melbourne | 18 Mar$1089 |
Tasmanian Natural Wonders
From Devonport, head south to the Warrawee Forest Reserve where you may see the mystical and fascinating platypus. Continue south to Deloraine, with colonial buildings reflecting the area’s early history and gentle pastoral landscapes set against the spectacular backdrop of the Great Western Tiers. Mole Creek, a short drive from Deloraine, is the starting point for excursions into the Great Western Tiers and the underground limestone caves of Mole Creek Karst National Park.
Peaceful farmlands, rugged mountain gorges, quiet streams, rivers well stocked with fish, waterfalls and virgin forests surround the town of Sheffield, at the foot of 1234-metre-high Mt Roland. The many outdoor murals for which the town is renowned depict the district’s pioneer history and other scenes of local interest.
Continue on to Cradle Mountain, the northern end of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park, which forms part of the Tasmanian World Heritage wilderness. The jagged dolomite peak of Cradle Mountain dominates this end of the park. Its name is supposedly derived from the mountain’s resemblance to a miner’s cradle. There are many other excellent walks in the area, ranging from the 20-minute Enchanted Walk past a cascading river, wombat burrows and magical old-growth forest to half-day and full-day walks and the world-renowned Overland Track, a spectacular walk of five to eight days that threads through the heart of the national park. With its glacial lakes, ice-carved crags, alpine shrubbery, waterfalls and tall forests, this is the jewel of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area.
Onwards to Queenstown - an historic mining town surrounded by bare hills that are a disturbing testament to more than 100 years of mining based on the huge Mt Lyell copper deposits. The restoration of the West Coast Wilderness Railway, currently Tasmania’s most exciting tourist venture, is breathing new life into Queenstown.
Forty-five minutes’ drive from Queenstown is the tiny fishing village and tourist hub of Strahan on the banks of Macquarie Harbour, the second-largest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere. Strahan is the gateway to the mighty Franklin - Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Cruise operators Gordon River Cruises and World Heritage Cruises both cross Macquarie Harbour to Hells Gates, where the harbour and Indian Ocean literally collide, creating a particularly treacherous stretch of water. On an optional visit to the ruins of the fascinating penal settlement of Sarah Island, you can see where the worst convicts from Port Arthur were sent.
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