Hobart, Tasmania’s capital, is a port city built around the River Derwent. Fishing boats and cruise ships moor right by the central business district. The 19th-century convict heritage of Australia’s second-oldest capital city is woven through modern Hobart. Beyond the wonderful sandstone facades of the waterfront are many of Hobart’s grand colonial-era homes, public buildings, workers’ cottages and heritage gardens. Battery Point might be the most faithfully preserved colonial-era suburb in Australia. With a population of about 200,000 people, Hobart is wonderfully uncrowded. The forested Mount Wellington, rising steeply behind Hobart, is a reminder that the state’s vast World Heritage wilderness is just a few hours away.

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Whether they are fishermen, wine makers or walking-guides, you will hear a different life story from friendly locals whose values are shaped by the rhythms of nature, and the stunning beauty of the east coast. At its northern extremity is Flinders Island, where you can hunt for the Killiecrankie 'diamond', or dive into a world of giant crabs and crays.

At Mount William National Park, in Tasmania's north east, Forester kangaroos acknowledge visitors with casual indifference. Heading south, around the Bay of Fires, the sea is aqua and deserted shell-strewn beaches stretch for kilometres of silica sand. House-sized granite boulders reddened by lichens, are polished smooth by waves that thump and sigh as they crumple onto the shore.

Just before the small fishing town of Bicheno, is the Douglas-Apsley National Park, a landscape of rugged river gorges, waterfalls, and gently flowing rivers. Nearby, occupying a whole peninsula, is spectacular Freycinet National Park, with Coles Bay at its entrance overlooking crystal-clear Oyster Bay, an ideal place for diving, snorkelling, kayaking, boating and fishing. The park is dominated by the pink granite of the Hazards Mountains and best known for the perfect curve of Wineglass Bay.

Enjoy superb seafood of cray, scallops, oysters, salmon, and berries in Swansea, before the journey south and the first sight of Maria Island. The whole island is a national park, free of vehicles. It is a refuge for Forester kangaroos, wallabies and the round small pademelons. You can stay in the tiny settlement of Darlington, watch the Cape Barren Geese or any of the 130 resident bird species, and relax as you learn of the Aboriginal, convict and settler histories.

Tasmania's “northern capital” of Launceston was established in 1806 by free settlers. It has fine Victorian buildings from the 1870s and 1880s and elegant contemporary architecture. The unique attraction of Cataract Gorge is a natural wonder only a 15-minute walk from the city centre, and not far from the J Boag and Son brewery. Cool climate wines and fine dining are the essence of the new Launceston experience and the city is a perfect base from which to explore the surrounding region. The tidal River Tamar flows north from Launceston to George Town and Bass Strait, past forested hills and pastures, lavender plantations, vineyards, strawberry farms and orchards. Excellent restaurants, superb boutique wineries and simple roadside stalls ensure every appetite is indulged and this idyllic setting will satisfy other interests too, from history enthusiasts to nature lovers. You can explore by road or cruise the long curve of the Tamar River. North east of Launceston is Scottsdale with its Forestry EcoCentre, en route to the popular port and seaside town of Bridport, famous for fishing; the purple haze of lavender fields at Nabowla; and the links golf course, Barnbougle Dunes. Beneath the Great Western Tiers, to Launceston's west, is the pretty town of Deloraine, that every year hosts Australia's biggest working craft fair, while to the south down the Midlands Highway, are authentic examples of Tasmania's “living history”. In Evandale, Longford, Campbell Town and Ross, you will find 19th century grand country manors, workers’ cottages and peaceful town centres that are home to thriving country communities today.

Tasmania's north west coast is where you can forget the rat race and join the human race; it is understated not under-rated. Step into a bush studio where an international designer crafts fine furniture. Share a wine with a jeweller while he shows you his creations. Open an ordinary door to extraordinary handcrafted paper – it’s made world headlines. Look out for farmgate bounty, from handcrafted cheeses to raspberries and produce fresh from rich, red soil. At Latrobe, see tempting truffles rolled by hand then savour the chocolate maker’s favourites in the tasting room.

Westward is the Arthur River and the Tarkine, Australia's largest temperate rainforest, where the stillness of centuries-old trees, encourage respite from the urban bustle.

Travelling beside Bass Strait your journey takes you from Devonport through Penguin, Burnie and Wynyard to Stanley and the roaring surf of Marrawah. The hinterland is farming country, an idyll of gently rolling hills and deep-red volcanic soil where cattle and sheep graze on the lushness of fertile pastures.

The picture-book appeal of coastal Stanley contrasts with the hillside prettiness of inland Deloraine, both places where craftspeople draw inspiration from the pace of life and their surrounds, to invest their creations with beauty and style, whether furniture, jewelry, sculpture or painting. Other creators work with food and drink rather than artifacts, but bring the same integrity and passion to their work, like King Island Dairies, on King Island, whose unique creations have won gold in international competitions, or the whiskey makers at Hellyers Road. An equal enthusiasm inspires a farmer turned conservationist who can show you Tasmanian devils in the wild.

This is where you travel to see some of the most significant World Heritage Areas on earth and the iconic sight of Cradle Mountain reflected in Dove Lake. It’s a place of ancient Gondwana landscapes, dense forests, wild rivers that tumble through steep gorges and wide deep lakes.

As you head into Queenstown, you enter another world and the road spirals for more than 90 bends down into what remains of the world's richest gold and copper mine. When you reach Strahan, on Macquarie Harbour, you can take an exhilarating cruise to the wide ancient Gordon River; travel by narrow gauge railway across the mountain range; fly in to land on the Gordon River to search out a thousand-year-old Huon pine; or just relax and indulge in great food and wine.

You can explore the area by four-wheel-drive, jet boat, kayak or sail the rivers and waterways and walk the long expanse of Ocean Beach. You are on the edge; from here – more than 11,000 kilometres (6,800 miles) west - is South America.

From Queenstown drive north along the Western Explorer, an unsealed highway, that takes you to the world’s largest remaining stretch of temperate rainforest - the Tarkine. When you reach the lower reaches of the Pieman River you board a simple vehicular barge across the River. The little town of Corinna is the perfect place to stay to explore this area.

In Zeehan, once a wealthy silver town, stop for a while and explore the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum where you can learn of the town's rollicking mining past. Further north are the tiny historic towns of Rosebery and Tullah that once housed hundreds of miners but are now quiet and peaceful. Look out for Montezuma Falls our tallest waterfall, near Rosebery.

The jagged peaks of Cradle Mountain marks the boundary of this wild and ancient area. If you are approaching the Western Wilderness from there you will pass through Mole Creek with its nearby caves.