From Aboriginal contact to whaling and sealing post, from penal settlement to Italianate rural utopia and health resort, Maria Island inspired both intense sorrow and huge dreams in its long history of human habitation.
Today it is a wildlife refuge - home to the threatened Cape Barren goose, Forester kangaroo and Flinders Island wombat, which never lived here naturally but have been introduced from mainland Tasmania and thrive amongst the few remaining buildings.
Maria Island is one of the best places in Tasmania for bird-watching. You won't be able to miss the geese, but there are also many Tasmanian endemics, including the rare forty-spotted pardalote and the Tasmanian native hen.
If you enjoy scuba-diving, you'll find a rich underwater environment ripe for exploration in the marine reserve at the island's northern end.
Even if you keep to the shore and cliff tops, you may catch sight of dolphins, whales, seals and sea eagles. The spectacular Fossil Cliffs walk reveals shellfish fossils so prolific that they were once mined for their lime deposits. Or let your imagination conjure up the reality of the once-thriving settlement at Darlington from its many remnants. When it was known as San Diego, after the entrepreneur Diego Bernacchi, it included a vineyard, a coffee palace and a grand hotel, all of which contributed to the promotion of the island as a pleasure resort.
Accommodation on the island is basic and must be booked through the Parks and Wildlife Service. You can sleep bunk-style in the Old Penitentiary in Darlington or camp on one of the many level sites around the island. There are no shops or cars on the island, but you can bring your own mountain bike across on the ferry if you enjoy getting around on two wheels.
Maria Island is one of many attractions on Tasmania's mild east coast. If you don't want to stay on the island overnight, you can visit it in a daytrip from Hobart, but you might find it more comfortable to stay at Triabunna, the ferry's departure point, or at Orford a short distance to the south.
The departure point for the ferry services is approximately a 90-minute drive from Hobart. Take the A3 to Sorell, then follow the signs to Orford and Triabunna. Departure point: Triabunna Wharf/Marina.
Contact Maria Island Ferries for their ferry timetable phone 0419746668, or East Coast Cruises who operate taxi and cruises to Maria, phone 03 62571300. Seasonal variations occur, so it is worth making contact to clarify departure times.
Maria Island can also be reached by air. Phone Par Avion on (03) 6248 5390 for information on charter flights.
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