Discovering our hidden gems

Our island is home to a multitude of little gems — attractions well-known to the locals but not always included on tourist maps. We count down some of the state’s lesser-known treasures

25 MICKEYS BEACH

About an hour’s drive from Hobart via Huonville and Cygnet, Mickeys is a gorgeous, sheltered bush beach popular with locals, families, snorkellers and divers. Head to Randalls Bay, where there’s a barbecue and toilets, and continue to Eggs and Bacon Bay. Look for a sign on the left, which marks the entrance to a bumpy dirt road that leads to a car park above the beach. It’s a short walk from there down a narrow and fairly steep stairwell to a protected, sandy beach with rock platforms at either end. There’s a 30-minute return bushwalk around the headland to Randalls Bay.

24 COAL POINT

Snorkel at Coal Point near Adventure Bay on Bruny Island. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss it spot off Adventure Bay Rd (about halfway between The Neck beach and Adventure Bay), Coal Point is popular with snorkellers and divers. The water is crystal clear, there are rock platforms populated by sea birds, and the view across Adventure Bay to the spectacular Fluted Cape is beautiful. Bring a picnic, sunhat (there’s little shade) and your snorkelling gear, or buy basic equipment and other supplies at nearby Adventure Bay General Store (712 Adventure Bay Rd). A word of warning: Divers report having seen sharks in the area. Picture: SIMON BOUGHEY

23 EDGE OF THE WORLD

Located at Gardiner Point on the Arthur River, as far west in Tasmania as you can get, sits one of the area’s best-kept secrets, a spot locally known as the Edge of the World.

The spot, which is also included in the pristine Tarkine wilderness area, sits on a rugged storm-swept coastline, regularly lashed by the winds of the Roaring Forties at a point where a combination of ocean currents and river flow creates a churning effect at the river’s mouth that deposits ancient logs on the beach.

The spot also looks out on what is arguably the longest uninterrupted expanse of ocean on the globe.

Once you get out there and get buffeted by those winds and the clean pure air it really is quite possible to let all your cares drift away and it feels as though you really are standing on the edge of the world.

Arthur River is a two-hour drive (150km) from Burnie, in the state’s North-West. To get there take the Bass Highway from Stanley or Smithton and then the Arthur River Rd. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Ancient sandstone cliffs at the end of a beach are a treasure trove of fossils which make this spot a standout on Tasmania’s North-West Coast at Wynyard. Caves can be explored at low tide and the 30m cliff of 275 millionyear-old sandstone carries several hundred different types of fossils. ils. In fact it claims to be the location of Australia’s oldest fossil marsupial — a 25 million-year-old specimen found in the mid id 19th century. A short, sharp climb to a lookout is rewarded with a fantastic view of Bass Strait. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

21 DONAGHYS HILL

For anyone who has driven the Lyell l Highway to Tasmania’s n nia’s West Coast, it’s easyy to pass this signpost about midway between Dere went Bridge and Queenstown near the he Franklin River. It’s a very pleasant way to o break up the journey and on a clear day you will be rewarded with amazing views to both north and south. The walk is a 1.1km easy hike (40 min return) along the Donn- aghys Hill Nature Trail which ends with a lookout ookout on a ridge straddling two valleys. To the southwest est Frenchmans Cap dominates the skyline and to the north is Mt Rufus and the Collingwood River. Picture: PHIL YOUNG

20 SURVEYORS BAY

This gorgeous sandy beach is one of several rewards on a spectacular stretch of road between Surges Bay and Dover. Take the scenic Esperance Coast Rd and you’ll discover a wondrous part of southern Tasmania. The road mostly hugs the shoreline, offerings views of the Huon River and Huon Point, the entrance to the estuary. Heading south, Surveyors is the first of several beaches including Roaring Bay Beach and Little Roaring Bay Beach, which are also popular with locals. Surveys Bay at the foot of a hill, has crystal clear water and the beach is backed by pretty holiday cottages. Picture: JAMES KERR

19 TROWUTTA ARCH

This rare geological feature is an easy 15-minute walk

through rainforest at the Trowutta Caves State Reserve, located 50 minutes south of Stanley in the state’s North-West. Described by some as walking into another world, the stroll along an allweather path through lush green rainforest with towering gums and impressive man ferns, ends at the Trowutta Arch — a cave-like arch leading to a jagged wall of limestone with a pool of water at its base. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

18 STUMPYS BAY

Everyone knows the name Bay of Fires but few are familiar with Stumpys Bay — and it’s not really to do with the daggy name. Stumpys Bay is on the eastern coastline of Mt William National Park in the state’s North-East and not many people visit as it is a little out of the way and involves travelling on gravel roads. If you have seen any postcard

images of the Bay of Fires, it’s most likely they are from here — think blinding white beaches, bright-orange lichen-covered boulders and water so blue it makes your eyes water. There are four camp grounds dotted along the coast where you can fall to sleep to the sound of waves — campfires are allowed at different times of the year. There are easy one- to two-hour return walks to Mt William and Cobbler Rocks, there’s a boat ramp and some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving in the state. Picture: PHIL YOUNG

17 DEVILS GULLET

Don’t be put off by the name. If you’re ever in the Mole Creek caves area, a detour to this lookout is well worth the time.

It’s about a 35-minute drive from Mole Creek past Marakoopa and King Solomons Caves, then up the Mer- seyy sey Forestorest Fo Rd for a very short distance, turning left at the signposted road to Devils Gullet and Lake Mackenzie. The 14km gravel road winds its way up on to the Western Tiers and the easy 15-minute walk from a small cark park is rewarded with a breathtaking lookout on the edge of 220m cliffs overlooking a deep glacial gorge. On a clear day the views south take in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, Mt Ossa and Frenchmans Cap. Picture: PHIL YOUNG

16 LITTLE BLUE LAKE

Little Blue Lake delivers exactly what it promises. About an hour and a half from Launceston, past Derby, the lake is a vivid turquoise thanks to high mineral content in the water from the old mines of Mt Cameron. Little Blue Lake is highly instagrammable and stunning on a clear day. But be warned: it is

notot no safe for swimming. Pack a picnic and take your new profile pic instead. When you’re done, double back to Derby for lunch or try the Scottsdale Bakery. Well worth the trip.

Picture: PETE DIGGINS

15 BIRD RIVER TRACK

A ghost town that still speaks of its mining boom past lies 40km south of Queenstown via Mt Jukes Rd (11km gravel). East Pillinger was a busy town at Kelly Basin on the shores of Macquarie Harbour in the late 1800s to early 1900s before it was replaced by Strahan as the main port centre. Most of East Pillinger has been swallowed by rainforest but intriguing and surprisingly intact ruins remain. The return walk from the Bird River Bridge takes three to four hours, following the old railway track, and is lined by spectacular rainforest — and the tannin-stained water of

the Bird River for much of the journey. The track has some landslides and washouts but is not difficult and ideal for families. The walk can also be accessed by boat via Macquarie Harbour. There is a toilet at East Pillinger and the small jetty is a perfect place to have lunch. But you may need gumboots if attempted in winter! Picture: HELEN TIDDY

14 LIFFEY FALLS

Many claim this waterfall is Tasmania’s most beautiful and it’s easy to see why. The picturesque Liffey Falls is within a cool temperate rainforest reserve, surrounded by myrtle, sassafras and leatherwood trees. Liffey Falls is a series of four cascades on the Liffey River, culminating in the picturesque waterfall.

The shortest walk to the falls is via the 1km track from the top car park and takes about 45 minutes return. The falls can also be reached from

the lower car park on a longer, lower grade track. The Liffey Falls State Reserve is a 35-minute drive from Mole Creek. Picture: SCOTT SPORLEDER/ Tourism Tasmania

13 THE NEEDLES

A jagged ridge line known as The Needles on the northern edge of the Southwest National Park comes into view while travelling along the Gordon River Rd 16.5km past Maydena, beyond Mt Field. The trail starts opposite a small car park signposted on the highest point of the road (651m) and the twohour return walk is considered one of the most rewarding in Southern Tasmania. In the right conditions, the climb to the summit (1020m) offers uninterrupted views of Mt Anne to the south and Mt Field West to the north. Picture: LYNETTE GRAHAM /Tourism Tasmania