The story of a place
Temperate rainforest, mountain lakes and deep time
Tasmania’s wilderness is a collection of landscapes rather than a single viewpoint. Glaciated uplands, dark lakes, ancient-looking forests and wild river country offer very different encounters. The World Heritage area also holds a long Aboriginal history, which should remain part of how this landscape is understood.
Choose a manageable part of the region and give it enough time. A short walk in rainforest can be as revealing as a long mountain route when you notice the change in vegetation, moisture and light. Travelling between distant corners of Tasmania is not the same thing as experiencing the wilderness within them.
The essential experience
Make time for this.
Pair a mountain or lake walk with time in a contrasting forest environment, adjusting both to current weather and your experience.
Explore the highlights
Look a little closer.
Tasmania’s forest, mountain lakes and ancient rock give the wilderness several different settings.
Glacial forms
Look for rounded basins, steep valley sides and the position of lakes.
Forest layers
Compare canopy, understorey and the damp ground beneath them.
Weather
Notice how quickly cloud and light alter both visibility and the feeling of distance.
For the curious reader
History, landscape
and context.
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, abbreviated to TWWHA, is a World Heritage Site in Tasmania, Australia. It is one of the largest conservation areas in Australia, covering 15,800 km² (6,100 square miles), or almost 25 per cent of Tasmania. It is also one of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world, and includes the South West Wilderness. The Tasmanian Wilderness qualifies for 7 out of the 10 classification criteria evaluated for World Heritage. Along with Mount Tai in China, it is the highest measurement attained for World Heritage Site status on Earth. The TWWHA was first placed on the World Heritage List in 1982 under joint arrangements between the federal government of Australia and the Tasmanian government during the Franklin Dam controversy, and expanded in 1989 following the Helsham Inquiry, a decision to protect a eucalypt forest from logging.
Background reading: an abridged extract from Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened for this guide. Retrieved 22 September 2026. Source revision ↗.
Turn curiosity into a visit
Plan your visit.
- Physical demands
- Options range from short formed paths to remote multiday walking. Choose the route before estimating the demands.
- The practical detail
- A national-park name covers many possible experiences. Select an actual walk and a poor-weather alternative, rather than treating a pin as a complete plan.
Before you set off.
Your ticks stay in this browser.Through the seasons
A place in the world
Find your bearings.
Select the pin to open a detailed map. Use Closer look to see the surrounding region. Drag to move a zoomed map.
Map: Natural EarthA closer view.
Load the local map to explore the surrounding area. Map tiles require an internet connection.
- 1Tasmanian WildernessOpen directions ↗ · Location reference ↗
A sense of place
In pictures.
Keep looking.
10 photographs, with full-size views and individual credits.
Go a little further
Sources & further reading.
The UNESCO link names the specific inscribed property. A broad entry in this project can extend beyond that property’s boundaries.
