As the world’s closest gateway to Antarctica, Tasmania has a well-earned reputation for being cold. Winters here range between an icy three to 12 degrees, while summer temperatures rarely climb above 20 degrees – which, if you’re not from Australia, is chilly compared to the mainland. Having grown up near Sydney’s sunny shores, I’ve always been a bit of a winter weakling – so the idea of visiting Tasmania in its coldest months never really appealed to me. But after heading south this winter, I’ll never think of the Apple Isle the same way again. I discovered why it’s the coolest place to visit — both literally and figuratively – with countless Off Season experiences waiting to show you the magic of winter here too.
Earlier this year, a study confirmed what many of us already knew – Hobart is Australia’s coldest city to live in. I can vouch for that firsthand with my ears turning numb the moment I stepped off the plane in Launceston, where temperatures were a frosty eight degrees. Side note: I was genuinely shocked to see many Tassie locals strolling around in T-shirts. I guess it’s something you become accustomed to!
The first stop on my trip was Cataract Gorge – home to what’s believed to be the world’s largest single-span chairlift (with a 308-metre central span). I lucked out with timing, arriving just after a thick blanket of fog and drizzle had been swept away. Despite the cold, I was so distracted by the stunning views of the river gushing through the gorge below that the chill barely registered. And the coolest part to me was the fact that a five-kilometre natural wonder like this could be hiding just ten minutes from Launceston's city centre – something you won’t find near any of Australia’s other major cities.
From Launceston, I took a scenic two-hour drive to Binalong Bay, which is part of the famous Bay of Fires – a string of beaches crowned Australia’s best beach for 2025. Staying by the beach in winter might seem like an odd move, but let me tell you, the ocean air feels even fresher in the cold. While the Bay of Fires is a summer hotspot for road trippers, I was pleased to see plenty of camper vans parked along the waterfront, where travellers could wake up to magical sunrises over the iconic orange lichen-covered granite rocks. And for the record, I did brave an icy swim in the Pacific Ocean – and it left me feeling so alive. I will emphasise that it was a dip, rather than a proper swim (I’ll leave that to the crazy locals), and I was thankful to have a hot shower waiting for me afterwards.
For the ultimate hot-and-cold therapy, though, you can’t beat one of Tasmania’s floating sauna boats — easily one of the coolest ways to warm up in the wild. With sub-ten-degree waters, Tassie is probably the only state that can pull off an experience like this without needing a man-made ice bath. I was lucky to secure a session at Sauna Boat Tasmania – a tiny Scandi-inspired floating sauna moored at Little Oyster Cove in Kettering. After heating up in the timber-clad hot box while watching boats bob by through the misty glass, I took the plunge into the nine-degree sea. Like my Binalong Bay ocean dip, it was one of those surreal moments that made me feel completely alive — and also think, “only in Tasmania.”
Honestly, four days in Tassie during winter were barely enough to fill my cup (of ice water). The state really turns it on during the Off Season, serving up a stack of winter-only experiences that make braving the chill totally worth it. From forest bathing at a Japanese-inspired retreat and harvesting mushrooms in an abandoned railway tunnel to truffle hunting with dogs, lantern-lit ghost tours at Port Arthur, morning kayaking at Cradle Mountain and fireside whisky tastings, here are all the coolest Off Season experiences you can have in Tasmania this winter.