"Tasmania's splendour flows from its subtle mixture of colours and textures and from the play of light between earth and sky. There are grander landscapes and broader heavens, but no where have I seen such breathtaking contrasts arise so naturally from the dialogue between mountain and forest, clarity and cloud, sun and moon. A person can disappear in beauty like this."
Arthur Rosenfeld Tasmania: Light at the End of the World Exhibition, 1991
Your discovery of Tasmania should be measured less by distance and more by time; by experiences immensely varied, yet always close at hand.With less than one per cent of the land surface of Australia and nowhere more than 115 kilometres from the sea, Tasmania's varied landscape is unrestrained by size.
The south-western corner is untamed and unyielding; the north-west, fertile and cultivated and despite a moody reputation, the west coast has its peaceful moments. To cruise its waters on clear, still days or walk in the vibrant under storey of its primeval rain forests is to glimpse the depth and magic of the natural world.
Towards the centre, the sharp ridges of Tasmania's western ranges recede to form the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes' -- a Mecca for anglers from throughout the world. And then the central plateau falls away to valleys, plains and country villages in quiet repose.
These are Tasmania's midlands, legacy of a British colonial heritage and a green-belt of history stretching from north to south. Unchanged since early settlement, sandstone cottages and grand country homes nudge the verge of the Heritage Highway inviting you to spend the night, to while away the hours and sample the pleasures of simpler days.
The east coast is swathed by white beaches, secluded, sheltered bays and spectacular headlands. It is Tasmania's sun coast, edged by crystal blue waters and clusters of holiday homes that have tied generations of families to annual bouts of rest and recreation. And the east coast beckons you to explore beyond the shore and beneath the sea to giant kelp forests and caves, or even further to the continental shelf, where the big game fish run.
Source © tasgreetings
