It’s usually dark by 6pm during winter in Tasmania. This is good news, for when night falls in Tassie the cities and surrounds offer an invitation to explore and embrace the dark in ways few other places in Australia can offer.
This winter there are loads of events designed to take advantage of the pristine night skies, excellent produce and natural beauty. Here are six night-time adventures you can only get in Tasmania during the winter.
Walk on kunanyi
Mount Wellington (traditional name kunanyi) is Hobart’s stunning backdrop, standing 1271 metres tall over the city and featuring walking trails, lookout points, cliffs and views for miles. But at night in winter when the temperature plummets, the mountain is also the closest spot in town to the stars. Walk on kunanyi takes advantage of this by hosting stargazing tours from the mountain. On select dates, astronomers from the Astronomical Society of Tasmania will show you around the pristine night skies, including the moon, solar system, the Milky Way and deep space. On other nights, you’ll hear from palawa / Tasmanian Aboriginal people who will share their cultural understanding of the night sky. It’ll be cold, but hot drinks and a lively fire are included to keep you toasty. It’s a rare occurrence, but you might see the Southern Lights from your mountainside vantage point.
Sarah Island Lantern Tour
Sarah Island – established in 1821 as a convict settlement on Tasmania’s remote west coast – is known for both its wild beauty and dark history. The Sarah Island Lantern Tour is a walk around the isolated island by the light of a lantern while a tour guide regales guests with stories of its history and inhabitants. While you’re being led around, you’ll learn about Tasmania’s harshest convict settlement that lies seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it's the perfect wintry, Off Season activity. A ticket includes a cruise from Strahan Wharf to Sarah Island, plus a beanie, nibbles, dinner and a whisky or gin tasting to ward away the chill.
Nocturna
The “dark sky” movement is a worldwide campaign to reduce light pollution in our night skies, which not only impairs our view of the stars and affects the lives of nocturnal animals, but also our mood and sleep. Spring Bay Mill (an award-winning venue about an hour’s drive from Hobart) plays host to various night-time activities during Beaker Street Festival’s Nocturna weekend. On-site at the mill, the Dark Sky Dinner offers a tantalising meal by candlelight celebrating local food and drink from Tasmanian producers, alongside a number of talks from scientific experts to feed your minds. Plus, there’s Nocturna’s quintessential Off Season activity: sipping warming mulled wine in the crisp night air while looking up at some of the most pristine, inky skies in the world. A shuttle bus is available to book from Hobart, Orford and Triabunna, so you can have a mulled wine without worrying about driving home.
Bicheno Beams
About an hour’s drive further up the east coast from Spring Bay Mill lies the sleepy beach town of Bicheno. It’s here that Bicheno Beams takes centre stage from July 1 to 22 – with a laser show illuminating the night sky in a vibrant technicolour display of light and movement. To engage all the senses, bring your headphones and download a dreamy piece of music, composed especially to soundtrack this free event.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Tourism Tasmania.
Explore more wild, weird and wonderful experiences during Tasmania’s Off Season.
