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Go Wild in Tassie's Wild Outdoors
By Jasmine Wallace
For those wanting to explore Australia while avoiding the 40-degree heat-waves common in January, Tasmania's lush pristine outdoors is the perfect playground. From December to March, the country's southern-most state happens to be at its climatic best. The average temperature in Hobart during December-January is an unbelievably civilised 21 degrees. A green island much like England's Surrey but with frequent Antarctic winds, Tassie in the summer can make exploring its expanse of (normally chilly) wilderness more pleasurable.
The great outdoors make Australia truly original. Nature can also provide a much-needed sanctuary for city-folk trying to escape the urban grind of everyday life. Running along a desolate beach or breathing rainforest air can reignite that spark in your eyes and create a truly regenerative Christmas setting.
Filled to the brim with natural wonders, Tassie can be explored actively or just soaked up at a relaxed pace. Whichever pace you choose, exploring Tasmania can seem like visiting the end of the earth with its pristine nature and isolated location. It's hard not to see it with the awe of a wide-eyed child. Scoop a hand-full of tannin-stained water from a pristine creek. Watch the summer rain fall under the shelter of an ancient tree. Smell the summer air sweet with wild flowers. Trek, taste, fish, fossick, and stroll. Climb a remote peak. Shout out at the top of your lungs under a blue sky. See flora and fauna that exist nowhere else on earth. Plan a day horse back riding, or hiking through the lush rain forests and along alpine lakes. Visit the numerous national parks that cover all sorts of terrain from tranquil beaches to untouched old growth forests. On the isolated shores of a wilderness beach, swap glances with a Tassie devil, fairy penguin or laughing kookaburra.
The summers may be mild, but Tassie's wilderness is extreme. The majority of Australia's national parks have some trails marked for walking enthusiasts. Don't expect that in Tassie. Some of the forest in the Tarkine has not been explored for centuries. Take an extreme adventure. Outdoor pursuits on the island range from diving to white-water rafting, to trekking through untouched ancient forests. Caving. Cycling. Diving. Gliding/cable hang gliding. Jet boating. Kayaking. Off-road touring. Rock climbing/abseiling. Surfing. White water rafting. Want locations? Picton or Franklin's rapids are particularly amazing for rafting. Soar over Trevallyn on a cable hang glider. Kayak from Kettering, Coles Bay, Strahan, Hobart or Port Arthur. Rope up on Hobart's Mt Wellington or Launceston Gorge. Abseil off a coastal cliff at Freycinet. Freycinet is also famous for its seafood and lobster-sized crayfish and is Tassie's oldest coastal park. While there, you can also go whale-watching and run along the white-sand beaches of Wineglass Bay and swim in lapis-blue ocean while you're at it.
Take in Cradle Mountain's rugged peaks and high moorlands and walk through a dense eucalyptus forest to the shores of Lake St. Clair, carved out by glacial ice over the past couple million years. The nightly "leftover extravanganza" at Cradle Mountain – when the kitchen scraps are put out on a nearby platform for the forest's nocturnal wildlife including Tassie devils. Treks depart from and return to Launceston. Getting around the slow-paced island on public transport is possible if you plan to stick to the main towns and routes. However, a car is recommended to visit all remote gems. You can find some cheap car rental specials, especially if you book online.
About the Author
Jasmine Wallace is a travel writer and works for http://VroomVroomVroom.com.au - a car hire website that guarantees cheap deals by letting you compare prices of the major car hire companies in Australia.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/17863.html
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