Tasmania, Australia’s Wild & WONDERFUL island State

By Christian Baines

The idea of the digital nomad has taken off during the pandemic. So too has the idea of staying longer and exploring more to truly experience a destination as if you lived there year-round. North Americans have always jetted off to a Caribbean island in the winter for a week of fun in the sun, but rarely do these vacations stray from the resort. They’re all about leisure. Staying longer and exploring more is about truly immersing yourself in a specific destination.

There are some obvious benefits to staying longer and exploring more. For instance, it gives you the opportunity to eat where locals eat, go where locals go, and, most importantly, get to know some locals as new friends. Those casual experiences at cafés, restaurants, and grocery stores open up opportunities to engage with people you wouldn’t normally meet on the tourist trail.

When staying longer, it’s smart to choose a hotel or villa-style accommodation, which offers a blend of indoor and outdoor private spaces, and easy access to local amenities and attractions. It’s also worth splurging a bit on a room with a view, whether ocean, mountain, or city, and maybe a private pool or hot tub to help you unwind.

Walkability and convenience are key. You want to be able to easily get to local hotspots and cultural hubs. If you have a specific experience in mind, you also want to be able to access that experience with minimal fuss. For example, if you want to delve into a region’s wine culture, you’ll want four to six wineries nearby your accommodation—as well as a local driver available, so you can sample without risk. You won’t find this an issue in some of the world’s most popular wine regions, from the Douro Valley in Portugal to Tuscany in Italy, not to mention the many Australian wine regions, such as the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

An ideal destination to stay longer and explore more is one of the world’s five Blue Zones—Barbagia, Sardinia; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan—where people reportedly live the longest and are the happiest and healthiest in the world. I recently had the chance to spend 10 nights in Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. We stayed at a beachfront property, which gave us some personal space and comfort, as well as easy access to waterfalls, national parks teeming with wildlife, daily yoga classes, and miles of uninterrupted beach to walk on. The Nicoya Peninsula offers the perfect atmosphere to stay longer and explore more. There are laid back surfing beaches stretching along the Pacific. Every evening at 5pm, you can join the locals on the beach and watch the spectacular sunsets of ever-changing purples, reds, and yellows. There’s an abundance of local dining that emphasizes fresh ingredients, especially freshly-caught fish cooked in either the Costa Rican or Japanese style. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is calm. You can understand why people live so long here.

It’s also a convenient base for exploring nearby parks. You can easily extend your trip to more popular regions, such as Arenal, where hanging bridges, waterfalls, volcanoes, and ziplines abound, as well as Monteverde, home to the fabled cloud forest.

The birds of Costa Rica are particularly stunning, although don’t make the mistake of thinking you can go birdwatching without a guide. The jungles are dense and an expert guide has the equipment and experience necessary to spot all the delightful animals. My first time in Costa Rica, I ventured into Mistico Park on my own and saw nothing; the next time, I smartly went with a guide in the early morning and saw a delightful array of animals, from keel-billed toucans and magnificent scarlet macaws in the canopies to three-toed sloths dozing in cecropia trees and red-eyed tree frogs hiding under leaves. Whether you delve into a Blue Zone like the Nicoya Peninsula or venture to other beautiful destinations around the world, I encourage you to stay longer and explore more on your next vacation. Slow down a little, explore in depth, and experience the full breadth of what travel can be.

Tasmania is the wildcard of Australia, with unique wildlife, its own history, and its own way of doing things. Discover why this island state is the place to come down for air, and to relax and immerse yourself in nature, incredible food and wine, and adventure. Tassie has it all.

Hobart, A Place to Chill out in Style

The smallest of Australia’s state capitals, Hobart is a city punching well above its weight when it comes to culture, history, cuisine, and lifestyle. It offers one of Australia’s most charismatic waterfronts, top notch art and history museums, a vibrant creative community, and a surprising food scene. It’s not unusual in Hobart to step inside what looks like an ordinary Aussie pub only to be greeted with a menu serving up gently seared wallaby medallions, gourmet croquettes, delicious vegan creations, or a splendid spin on a pub favourite like the humble “chicken parm.” Nowhere is Hobart’s unpretentious style better embodied than at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), a short ferry ride up the River Derwent. Without a placard in sight, Mona instead invites you to wander its collection and focus on the art, with a handy audio device in hand if you want more information about the work you’re seeing. Explanations are tongue-in-cheek, so bring your sense of humour as you explore this incredible space built into a cliffside, then relax with a glass of wine from Mona’s Moorilla

Estate winery onsite.

If beer is more your scene, take a tour of Cascades Brewery, or Lark Distillery for spirits. You won’t want to take on either with an empty stomach, so stop by Coal River Farm for a fresh lunch. If it’s a clear day, work off those calories with a hike up kunanyi/Mount Wellington for incredible views (don’t worry, there’s also a bus). If it’s more of an indoor day, you can explore the less famous, but free, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, right downtown in Hobart. If your visit lands on a Saturday morning however, the Salamanca Markets are a must for delicious treats and uniquely Tassie souvenirs.

A Convict Past & a Bright, Devilish Future

As a penal colony, Tasmania was reserved for convicts the crown had no intention of reintegrating into society. A trip to Port Arthur Historic Site from Hobart reveals just how isolated Tasmania’s convicts were from the rest of the colony, even after free settlement began. It’s connected to the rest of Tasmania only by a thin isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck. The same geographical isolation that frustrated escape attempts has been a saving grace for the Tasman Peninsula’s Tasmanian devil population, isolating them from the deadly facial tumour disease that has ravaged the species. Stop in at Tasmanian Devil Unzoo on the peninsula, or Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary closer to Hobart, to see these furry furies up close.

Tasmania is a Nature Lovers’ Paradise

Does Tasmania have Australia’s best national parks? Ooof! Big call! But Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park surely ranks among them. Take the easy, picturesque walk around Dove Lake, climb Cradle Mountain itself, or strap on your camping gear for the full 6-day Overland Track hike. There are few places in Australia better for seeing echidnas, wombats, and Tasmanian pademelons (smaller than a wallaby but twice as cute) in the wild. You’ll have to look sharp to catch a glimpse of those devils however, unless you stop in at Devils@Cradle, one of Tasmania’s top sanctuaries devoted to the cute and furry carnivores. If beach tranquility grabs you more than epic multi-day hiking, follow the track down to serene Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park. This gorgeous slice of Tasmania’s east coast offers walking tracks, spectacular coastal views, and some of the best oysters you’ll eat anywhere.