Highland fling

Wander the village of Hamilton to admire the colonial-era buildings, including the Old Schoolhouse, built by convict stonemasons.

Visit Lake Meadowbank for a picnic or barbecue on the lake’s shores, and cast for brown or rainbow trout.

Whisky lovers can stop for cellar-door tastings at Lawrenny Estate Distillery in Ouse, en route to the old hydro town of Tarraleah, built in the 1930s by the Hydro Electric Commission. Migrants came from across the world to work on Tasmania’s hydro system, and the scale of this work is visible in the massive steel water pipes running down the mountainside.

Overnight at Tarraleah Lodge.

Visit the ambitious art installation Wall in the Wilderness at Derwent Bridge, where 100m of carved Huon pine panels depict the pioneering stories that helped shape the Central Highlands.

Lake St Clair is Australia's deepest freshwater lake and marks the southern end of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Choose wilderness walks ranging from a leisurely 45min to overnight trips, exploring the lake’s shores and dense forests of ancient pines with dramatic mountain backdrops, and spotting wildlife such as wombats, echidnas and platypuses.

Further immerse in nature with an overnight stay at the lakeside wilderness retreat Pumphouse Point.

Spend the morning on Lake St Clair – take out a rowboat or cruise to its northern end on the little Ida Clair ferry.

Travel to Lake Augusta for a peaceful day and night at Thousand Lakes Lodge, a perfect way to unplug and recharge. 

Outdoors, prepare for fly fishing, walking or e-biking. Or take a drive out to Pine Lake, with its shores covered in ancient pencil pines. Or simply curl up inside with a book.

If geology is your thing, nearby are geomorphological features known as lunettes – beach-like, low-lying dunes formed from fine dolerite rock. They're the only alpine lunettes in Australia, formed around the region's lakes after the last glacial period.

Skirt the Central Plateau Conservation Area, known as the “land of a thousand lakes”, with its impressive glacial and alpine landscape much loved by anglers and bushwalkers. Visit yingina / Great Lake, Australia’s second-largest freshwater lake, on the way to Miena.

Break up the drive with a short bushwalk along the lake’s shores – be sure to check the weather and layer up, as this region experiences snow and ice.

The self-guided Highlands Power Trail is a unique insight into Tasmania's hydro history, with interpretive signage at designated stops along the route. Stop at Shannon, Waddamana Canal and Penstock Lagoon, before visiting historic Waddamana Power Station, once the centrepiece of the hydro power scheme. Allow at least an hour to explore this heritage site, and pack lunch – it's a great spot for a picnic.