Heritage Highway —Tasmania

Discover Heritage Highway as you travel along the Tasmania’s touring route from its two major cities, Launceston and Hobart. The path, filled with scores of tales and historical accounts of the early settlers, bushrangers and convicts in the 1800s, promises breathtaking views of historic country scenery, and beautifully crafted sandstone buildings as well as bridges.

Travel back through time as you hear the inspirational stories of people who went before – the convicts who shaped the enduring stone for bridges and churches; the bushrangers who swept down on unsuspecting travelers; and the farmers and graziers who opened up the new land, making their fortunes from bushels of wheat and bales of wool. See their legacy and their stories, and you will meet the Tasmanians who proudly protect the heritage and memories of the past.

Whether you are a tourist or a local, take your time traveling Heritage Highway’s region of country roads, stone bridges reflecting in quiet water, Georgian facades lining the streets, sleepy villages and towns where church spires overlook English trees, huge pastoral properties, and rolling farmlands.

Ben Lomond National Park
Tasmania's major ski field for both downhill and cross-country skiing is just 55 km south-east of Launceston.

Evandale
This quaint town is full of antique and craft shops. It hosts Tasmania's largest Sunday market. Architecture buffs should not miss Clarendon, arguably Australia's finest Georgian-style country home.

Longford
This is one of National Trust’s towns and burial place of artist Tom Roberts. Playing the Where There's Smoke skulduggery game is a superb way to explore the town.

Brighton
When traveling south along the Heritage Highway, you have to make a stop at the Bonorong Wildlife Park where you can enjoy watching a potoroo, a pademelon, a Spotted Quoll, or a Tasmanian devil.

Oatlands
Pull off the highway and look around the old gaol, the haunted Commissariat's Cottage. Look out also for the comical topiaries and striking silhouettes of metal sculptures by the roadside. A local tradition from the 1960s, the topiaries or wonderfully crafted trimmings of plants depict various scenes from the area's colonial history.

Ross
This delightful historic village offers visitors the chance to enjoy the Tasmanian Wool Museum and view local historical exhibits.

Getting There

Getting to Heritage Highway will require you to get to Tasmania first. You need to cross one of the roughest bodies of water in the world, the Bass Strait, to get to Tasmania from the Australian mainland. Air travel is the cheapest and fastest method of traveling across the Bass Strait. Main carriers Qantas and its subsidiary JetStar, and Virgin Blue, fly direct routes from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide to Tasmania’s major airports, Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport. The Tasmanian Government-owned TT-Line operates the Bass Strait passenger-and-vehicle ferries along the domestic sea routes. Once you are in Tasmania, you will find a selection of accommodations to suit your needs from hotels, motels, apartments, bed & breakfast/ guesthouses to local cottages. Book yourself for arranged tours or you may chose to rent a car, a mountain bike or perhaps go hiking to visit Heritage Highway’s exciting attractions.