A prime destination for us all to consider is Tasmania.  What a superb island this is for our tour groups.  Tasmania lends itself and its fresh produce to fine foods and products.  A day on Bruny Island for instance gives something for everyone to eat and enjoy.  Famous for its cheeses, but so extra special when they serve it up on the spot with hot fresh baked bread!  Visit the smokehouses laden with a wide variety of smallgoods, meats and fish.

The industry in Tasmania also provides something to see.  Timber mills presented by way of many different timbers, milled and crafted into a numerous amount of timber products.  Salmon farms feature dotted around the coastline and these can be visited by cruise boat.  Places like Queenstown offers a look into the history books of mining and the ingenious railways of yesteryear. The top end, at the right time of year, is covered with tulip plantations and a lot of opium poppy farms.  The colours are a patchwork over the hills which you just have to photograph.

Tasmania is a very well preserved and presented page of Australia’s history.  Buildings and estates such as Port Arthur, Richmond Bridge, The ShotTower and many buildings throughout the island are testament to good and not so good era’s.  Yet as we see these places in real life, they reveal a commentary of both beauty and horror, which leaves us in awe.

Tasmania may be a bit more expensive to get to.  With the choice of sea or air, we have to choose one.  A voyage on the Spirit is an experience in itself.  As the ship loads up with all the supplies from the mainland the passengers gather on the upper decks.  A multitude of trucks and trailers file on to be secured in the lowest decks.  Cars, caravans, every other vehicle that has to get to Tassie is loaded on and secured.  There is even a trailer for all the animals that are making the crossing this evening.  Prepare yourself for chilling winds if you venture on the outer deck.  Inside though, do a bit of shopping eating and sleeping.  When it berths in the morning, its passengers disembark and set out on their adventures – the adventures that can only be experienced in a place like Tasmania.