TASMANIA: Best New Hotels, Restaurants, Tours And Attractions In Tasmania For 2016

It’s not hard to see why Tasmania has become a tourist hot spot with places like this - Wineglass Bay Picture: Tourism Tasmania

IT’S a little like a good whisky. Tasmania seems to be getting better with age. Lonely Planet hailed it fourth best region in the world to visit in 2015 and speaking of whisky, a Tassie single malt was named the world’s best this year. So why the fuss about this once sleepy island, no bigger than West Virginia? Is it the prospect of walking in ancient rainforest or a museum that’s shaken the very definition of art as only MONA can? Whatever it is, visitors are coming in numbers never seen before and leaving with stories that only this island can deliver. Like hunting for Tasmanian sapphires or walking one of the world’s last wild frontiers.

TOURS

SAPPHIRE HUNTING

Ever imagined yourself knee deep in a far-flung river, hunting for Tasmanian sapphires with a master jeweller? Perhaps no. It’s not your typical day out, but Tasmania isn’t a typical destination. Founder of Metal Urges, Chris Hood, runs private tours to locations most will never see — beneath shadows of 100-year-old man ferns in search of rare jewels. Blue sapphire or black spinel, typically reserved for sparkle in a New York Tiffany store, could be in your next sieve. Suit up in neoprene and join the hunt.

THREE CAPES TRACK

It’s already been hailed Australia’s premier coastal walk and from 28 November walkers will vie to take the first steps. The Three Capes Track is forty-six cliff-hugging kilometres on the Tasman Peninsula, where next stop is Antarctica. Tip toe to the edge of Australia’s tallest sea cliffs, cross chasms and walk beneath shadows of towering Eucalypts on this four-day trek. Come nightfall, settle in to architecturally designed huts. On the Three Capes Track the Southern Ocean as your constant neighbour.