Welcome to The Off Season

Things get even more wild, weird and wonderful on the island in winter, which is why well over a third of Tasmania’s visitors arrive during this special time. Spice up your winter with The Off Season’s curated offerings from May (when it’s already chilly here!) through August.

As well as annual events like Chocolate Winterfest, Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast and Tasmanian Whisky Week, other tasty Off Season experiences include the Dive Into Winter Deep-to-Dish Tasmanian Seafood Cruise. On this half-day culinary adventure, watch seafood being harvested while savouring lobster, abalone, chowder and more prepared on board.

What do you do with an abandoned 1891 railway tunnel? Turn it into a mushroom farm! Tunnel Hill Mushrooms’ winter feast includes history and harvesting in their heritage space, and a fry-up on the beach.

Indulge in – or discover – the joy of s’mores at The Agrarian Kitchen. Transform packs of handcrafted biscuits, marshmallows and caramel into sweet, gooey treats around their firepits.

Other made-on-site fireside pleasures include New Norfolk Distillery’s hot rum cocktails, and the truffle-pizza finale to The Truffle Farm’s foraging experience.

On Cradle Mountain Canyon’s small-group morning kayak tour, see Tasmania’s iconic peak from Dove Lake before stepping ashore for a hot drink and rainforest walk. Or relax and watch the world slip by on Huon River Cruises’ Off Season jaunt with mulled cider.

Have you ever taken a wombat for a walk? East Coast Nature World’s wombat walkabout is an intimate half-hour with rescue animals that love doing their exercise with humans. Just beyond Hobart’s lights, discover plants, fungi and even wildlife that glow in the dark on Glow Show Tasmania’s scientist-led nocturnal tour.

Have an Off Season adventure (at a special Off Season price) even before arriving on the island with Spirit of Tasmania’s stargazing on the sea. Nothing, including light pollution, spoils the night-sky view in Bass Strait.

Dark Mofo brought Tasmanian winters alive, and other festivals are adding to The Off Season’s cultural excitement. For starters there’s Bay of Fires Winter Arts Festival, Festival of Voices, the Bicheno Beams light show and eclectic Permission to Trespass.

Beyond these festivals, be transported by Hive Planetarium’s Sound in Space. This concert series offers intimate performances within the dome’s immersive projections of space and art.

What better time for ghost-hunting than during winter’s chill? Sign up for the Paranormal Boot Camp Challenge, and don a soldier’s uniform in the dead of night at the old Anglesea Barracks Military Gaol.

Shutterbugs and trainspotters, don’t miss Steam Under the Stars. These workshops led by a professional photographer provide rare access to West Coast Wilderness Railway’s steaming locomotives.

Many of the best places to stay are offering special Off Season prices and packages. Snuggle up with three nights of fireside glamping at Bay of Fires Bush Retreat for the price of two. Or stay at Twamley Farm’s restored shearers hut, complete with posh fireside picnic and private outdoor tub.

The Picker’s Hut’s Starry Nights and Fireside Delights deal includes a mulled-wine kit and pinot from the vines yonder. Enjoy around your luxe cabin’s firepit. Walton House’s Hygge in the Huon package lets you embrace this Danish concept of warm, blissful times, with hot chocolate and books about hygge by the fireplace.

Explore more of The Off Season’s 500-plus events, experiences and offers, choose what warms your soul, and book an unforgettable winter holiday.

Visit the official Off Season website for more information about events, experiences, and everything else you can see and do in Tassie this winter.

Information included in this blog is correct at the time of publishing. Please contact individual operators for further information.