Tasmania’s Off Season is the perfect time to appreciate nature’s marvels. Discover luminous flora and fauna on a guided Glow Show Tasmania tour with biologist Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin or take to the winter wilds on a hunt for glowworms and the elusive Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). Curious minds come together at the quirky Beaker Street Festival over one glorious week, with the weekend of 9 to 11 August at its centre. Based in nipulana / Hobart and southern Tasmania, it’s a celebration of the dark skies above and delicious food and drinks earthside – culminating in a Dark Sky Dinner offering insights into the cosmos.

From 28 June to 7 July in Hobart, choirs, choral groups and anyone who loves to belt a tune will unite for the uplifting Festival of Voices. There are concerts such as the Hobart Chamber Orchestra performing Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, workshops focusing on songwriting and a cappella sing-a-longs all over the city. At its heart is the Big Sing Bonfire, which brings together professional and amateur vocalists to honour the ancient practice and deep communion of group singing.

If you love the idea of a dram of golden goodness as the nights grow colder, winter’s Whisky Week (from 5–11 August) is a great way to sample Tasmania’s best. Join tastings, tours and hosted dinners spanning Hellyers Road Distillery in the north-west and luxurious Overeem Whisky down south.

Hobart becomes a wild wonderland of creativity, chaos and delicious food at the annual ritual of the Winter Feast, two weekends of riotous revelling beneath the stars (13-16 June and 20-23 June). Expect dozens of stallholders selling the very best Tasmanian food, wine and spirits. Warm up with mulled libations as the smoky aromas from firepits and live music drift through the wintry air. 

Eat and drink to your stomach's content on a winter holiday in the Apple Isle. Book your flights now.

It wouldn’t be the Off Season without a plunge into the River Derwent’s icy waters from the shores of Long Beach in Hobart’s Sandy Bay, as part of the annual Nude Solstice Swim. On Friday 21 June, join thousands of swimmers wearing nothing more than a bright red swim cap for this invigorating and heart-racing thrill.

Gather round a fire pit, pop a marshmallow into the toasty coals and sample The Agrarian Kitchen’s take on campfire s’mores. Biscuits, marshmallows, gooey chocolate and preserved fruits combine to become a delightful winter sweet treat, best enjoyed with hot chocolate for the kids or a whisky-laced dulce de leche for grown-ups. The restaurant’s outdoor kiosk will be serving them every weekend throughout winter.

Black truffles are at their fragrant peak during the winter months, so the farmers at The Truffledore in the state’s north have created “A Day In The Life Of A Truffle Hunter”, an intimate and immersive two-night experience hosting just two to four guests at a time. You’ll bond with your own assigned truffle dog, unearth black gold in the crisp air of the truffière and learn how to make truffle pasta.

Owned and operated by palawa First Nations people, wukalina Walk is a four-day, three-night physical and emotional journey through wukalina / Mount William National Park and the larapuna / Bay of Fires area, in north-east lutruwita / Tasmania. Walk, share and learn stories of Country with your palawa guides while hiking through the grey-green eucalyptus forests and orange rocks of the coastline. Each day ends with an intimate dinner, featuring native ingredients such as wallaby and mutton bird, with your guides and fellow guests.

Most walkers experience the wild waterways and empty coastlines of the all-inclusive, four-day Freycinet Experience Walk in the warmer months. For the first time, the tour company is staying open in winter to offer unmatched immersion in nature on the state’s east coast. The Off Season offer includes overnight accommodation at the sustainable Friendly Beaches Lodge, where you and your walking companions will feast on freshly harvested oysters, vintage pinot noir and more Tassie produce. There’s also the chance to encounter local wildlife, while cold, clear skies make it the perfect time for evening stargazing. 

Book your spot on the Freycinet Experience Walk then head to qantas.com to start planning the rest of your trip. 

Winter turns the caves at Mole Creek, on kooparoona niara / the Great Western Tiers in the state’s north, into an aquatic playground teeming with fern gardens and moss. Beginners and seasoned hikers alike can uncover the caves’ craggy secrets with conservationist Deb Hunter from eco-certified Wild Cave Tours. Hunter provides all the necessary gear and helps you photograph underground waterfalls and tranquil pools like a pro.

The Winter Wine in the Vines experience with Long Lunch Wine Tour Co is your chance to get on a first-name basis with local winemakers and try their new vintages before anyone else. You’ll explore some of the state’s best vineyards around Coles Bay and Freycinet (some will open exclusively for your group), taste new-harvest wines, and enjoy cool-climate seafood and nibbles by the fire.

There’s no greater luxury at high-altitude than Cradle Mountain Lodge, two hours west of Launceston. Indulge in an energising hot and cold water treatment – a quick dip in an icy pool followed by a steam sauna – at the Sanctuary spa. Go beyond the retreat and check out Devils @ Cradle, the wildlife conservation in Cradle Mountain National Park – be sure to take up the chance to meet and pat joeys or join an after-dark feeding tour to see Tasmanian devils living their best lives. 

Enjoy up-close animal encounters, underground adventures and top-tier wine tastings in Tasmania this winter. Book now.

Scale a mountain then plunge into the iciest of rivers on the Wild Wellness Fire and Ice Walk with Walk on kunanyi. Your trek up kunanyi / Mount Wellington, 30 minutes from Hobart, begins with stories of the local culture, history and wildlife before you learn the basics of Wim Hof breathwork and dive into the invigorating waters of the North West Bay River. Afterwards, hearty burgers and Pigeon Whole baked treats will warm you up again. If you want to explore the region at night, join the Off Season-only kunanyi After Dark tour. You’ll explore the luwari wurungkali / night sky using professional telescopes – and maybe see the nuyina / Aurora – and spot wildlife including possums, pademelons, owls and bats. 

The wheels don’t stop turning at the West Coast Wilderness Railway in the state’s north-west. The Off Season Steam Under The Stars photography workshop takes place twice in July, giving amateur snappers and engine enthusiasts the chance to take their own night-time train shots, inspired by the black-and-white work of photographer O Winston Link. If you’re in a more festive mood, board one of the specially decorated Christmas in July carriages stationed at Lynchford Station or Lower Landing for storytelling, activities and Yuletide eats.

Enjoy up-close animal encounters, underground adventures and top-tier wine tastings in Tasmania this winter. Book now.

Private, small group tours seeking hidden gems and untold stories are at the heart of The Derwent Experience. Embrace nature on a leisurely road trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain that ends with a post-hike mulled wine, or feed your creative side with provocative displays at Mona (the Museum of Old and New Art) and artful fermented foods at the Agrarian Kitchen.

Small batches, big hearts: that’s the philosophy behind the Distillers’ Bench tour from Alchymia Distillery at Table Cape in Tasmania’s north-west. The experience will see you taste premium whisky paired with local produce in Alchymia’s new Bond Store – a place usually closed to the public.

There’s something a little off-kilter, and exquisitely Tasmanian, about a crop of mushrooms growing in a 19th-century railway tunnel on Hobart’s outskirts. Join the team from Tunnel Hill Mushrooms to see how these dark-loving delicacies are grown, then cook a few on the barbecue for a feast of all things funghi, accompanied by a few drops of the farm’s own Shiitake Vodka.

Every Gordon River Cruise, departing from Strahan in the state’s west, operates in “whisper mode” – so you can hear your guide’s stories, pick up every sound in this wild and historic region and take in the river’s mirrored reflections in quiet contemplation. The tour includes a buffet lunch and optional walking tours of Heritage Landing and Sarah Island.