A garden at the end of the Earth

Australia's first modern settlers were hardbitten, luckless British convicts who had been banished to the desolate desert land beyond India. As early governments of this continental penitentiary struggled to find a punishment worthy of its most relentless repeat criminals, permanent exile to remote Tasmania seemed the natural choice. But what those earlier governments mistook for an inhospitable and weatherbeaten rock was, in fact, the lushest corner of the continent. Eco-friendly Tassie is a greenie's paradise, and its amazing wilderness offers many possibilities for exploration. Wildlife, spectacular scenery, and some of the best outdoor activities in the Southern Hemisphere reward the ambitious visitor, since the island's geographic seclusion has spared it from the ravages of tourist hordes and preserved its beauty for those willing to hop the Bass Strait from the mainland.