5 Things You Didn’t Know About Tasmania

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Australia is massive and it offers just about every type of experience a vacationer could want. Between the outback to the Sydney coast, you can tailor a trip down under that’s perfect for you. Tasmania, an island state off of Australia, only enhances the mystique and allure of the continent. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the island:

1. The island was a convict haven.

Tasmania’s Port Arthur served as a dumping ground for over 165,000 English criminals. The English government displaced these convicts to Tasmania, primarily, and other parts of Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries.

2. The Tasmanian Devil is based off a real animal.

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The animal, which the Looney Tunes character is based off of, is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. You can only find them in Tasmania, and they have distinct features like high-pitched screams, a wide mouth with sharp teeth and a foul odor when they are under stress.

3. Tasmania is home to some of the oldest trees in the world.

Deep in Tasmania’s wooded areas, you can find Huon pine trees, which can live to be 4,000 years old when they’re not cut down. In Western Tasmania, a small cluster of Huon trees have been standing for at least 10,000 years, making them some of the oldest trees to ever have existed.

4. Holland may be home of the tulips, but the country imports its bulbs from Tasmania.

One would not think of Tasmania as a major breeding ground for tulips, but they grow in the fertile volcanic soil of Table Cape on the northwest coast. Holland started importing tulip bulbs from Tasmania in 1984, and since then, the collection of tulips has expanded to over 80 varieties.

5. 42 percent of Tasmania is considered a World Heritage site.

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Over 1 million hectares, or 3,861 square miles, is pure forest area protected as World Heritage sites. There are dozens of hiking trails and outdoor activities to experience. The best part: Tasmania experiences four seasons, so it accommodates just about every outdoor sport .