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| Weather |
| Be prepared for anything!
In Tasmania, four seasons in one day are common. Summer temperatures (December to March) range from 14ƒ C to 30ƒC, occasionally topping 40ƒC. In winter, it occasionally snows to sea level in Hobart, with snow on Mt Wellington's 1270 meters being common. The 'sunny' East Coast is the warmest area with lower rainfall (as little as 250 ml per year), while the West Coast has up to 400 centimetres per year, the second highest in Australia. Currently much of Tasmania is suffering from a drought which has so far spanned 3 years, so rainfall is well below these figures. For surfers, look for low pressure systems to the south, which usually pump up the swells. The best surf is through winter, when the water is a brisk 10ƒ C. If there's fresh snow on Mt Wellington, don a 3/4, head to any of 'The Points' (Seven Mile is popular) and be prepared to render your brass monkey incomplete!! For current weather charts and forcasts visit the HOBART WEATHER BUREAU site. |
| What happens in Hobart? |
| If you talk to the right people, you'll discover Tassie's underground 'Rave' parties. Alcohol free, full on relaxing FUN, where everyone accepts you for what you are!! Otherwise, there are a plethora of pubs and clubs to choose from. Check out the 'PUB CRAWL GUIDE' for further info on Hobart's night life. The best times to party are from Christmas thru January when the Sydney to Hobart yachts arrive and the Taste of Tasmania is held on Hobart's warves; Targa Tasmania around April; when visiting ships arrive or in a large group and make your own fun! Salamanca Market near the waterfront is a must every Saturday morning, with markets at Northgate, Margate on Sunday's. There are a few vinyards which have bands and functions some weekends, ferries, a double decker bus ride and the odd train ride. |
| People and Culture |
| With just under 500,000 people, Tasmania is one of
the very few places in the world where the population is
actually decreasing. This is is more than likely
associated with the high unemployment rate. The people of
Tasmania are generally regarded as very friendly, until
they get behind the wheel of a car, where most,
unfortunately are downright rude – don't expect them
to let you merge into their lane! Like every aspect of Tasmania, extremes and variety prevail. Despite Tasmania's 'Clean, Green' image, there seems to be a noisy group (including a large majority of Government supporting multi-nationals) hell-bent on the destruction of our remaining natural assets, which compare with any in the world. Fortunately there's a small, but dedicated band of earth friendly thinkers who often manage to stop the biggest mistakes, the most prominent, The Gordon below Franklin dam. Unfortunately, many Tasmanian's are narrow minded and set in their ways, but hey! what a great place to live if it can be saved! |
| History |
| Tasmania's past is not one to be proud of. Called "Trowanna"
by it's natives, then "Van Dieman's
Land" by Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon
Tasman in 1642, it was next visited by the French in 1772
and first settled by the British in 1803 at Risdon Cove.
It soon became a penal colony for
Britain's undesirables. Port Arthur
penal settlement, which operated from 1830 to 1877 is
well worth a visit, it attracts 250,000 tourists per
year! Governor Sir George Arthur was responsible for trying to heard the native Aborigines into one corner of the island. They resisted the seizure of their tribal lands and were gradually exterminated. In 1835, evangelist George Robinson took 187 surviving members of the race to Flinders Island where they perished. The last full blooded native was a female named Truganini who died in 1876. Unfortunately, the testament of white man's greed and domination still pervades today - look out forests! There are over 600 species currently listed in the schedules of Tasmania's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. Many more species are in danger of becoming included on these lists. Visit the National Parks and Wildlife 'Tasmania Threatened Species Page' for more information. |
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