Tasmania's World Heritage Area covers 1.4 million hectares - almost a fifth of the total area of the Island. Alpine landscapes, pristine wild coastlines, untamed forests, natural vaults of Aboriginal treasures and an extraordinary array of indigenous plants and animals are set in the world's largest tract of temperate rainforest.
Mark Webber has been quoted as saying "It is Planet amazing!" He is not wrong.
The landscape offers some of the most rewarding vistas and solitude on earth and is made up of iconic Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, the Southwest National Park, the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, the Hartz Mountains National Park, part of the Mole Creek Karst National Park, the eastern end of Macquarie Harbour on the west coast and the Central Plateau Conservation Area.
It also incorporates historic sites, such as Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour - which has now been recognised under another category 'World Heritage Convict Sites'.
Tasmania has five of the eleven Australian sites which were accepted for listing in July 2010.
You can explore the wildest parts of Tasmania with all its raw adventure, or take it down a notch. A number of short walks are located within easy driving distance of Hobart. Around one and a half hours from the city, the Hartz Mountains National Park offers visitors breathtaking views of remote mountain ranges as far as the southern coast and boasts picturesque waterfalls and small glacial lakes.
A journey to the Gordon Dam, an hour and a bit from Russell Falls, will have you meandering through the top of the magnificent South West wilderness overlooking Lake Pedder.
Download Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service’s 60 Great Short Walks App, and you can source a wealth of information about day walks from all around the state.
Remote from Tasmania, Macquarie Island joined our other World Heritage Areas in 1997, however it is not possible to visit unless on a scientific expedition.
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