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Tasmania certainly seems to move at a much slower pace than the mainland - affording visitors the time and space to relax. Over 360 km (224 mi) long and 306 km (190 mi) wide, it's big enough to allow you to head for the hills on the back roads and escape everyday life. Along the way are magnificent peaks, old colonial settlements and empty beaches. It also purports to have some of the cleanest air in the world.
Corners of Tasmania are often likened to the green pastures of England but here there are also vast wildernesses: the west is wild and untamed, inland are glacial mountains and roaring rivers. For less adventurous, there is the cosmopolitan capital Hobart - spread out over seven hills and with a waterfront location to match Sydney's. In the heart of countryside lies sleelpy old Richmond - with some Australia's finest and most pristine colonial architecture it's a now a Mecca for artists and artisans.
