Tasmania's nature

Want to immerse yourself in Tasmania’s ancient wilderness? Try these sustainable travel experiences on for size.

Nearly half of this land is protected in national parks and reserves, where 1000-year-old trees grow and wild animals flourish.

From sustainable foraging and Palawa bushfood tours to hiking through enchanting forests, get to know these vast cool-temperate landscapes and meet the environmental tourism innovators making Tasmania a better place.

Mic Giuliani – Sirocco South

Along the coast or in a forest, discover how to source local flavours right under your feet with Sirocco South founder and owner Mic Giuliani.

Find yourself on a foraging tour and a seasonal treasure hunt for lunch – from wild asparagus to delicious mushrooms, native greens and other nourishing finds.

A day out with Mic isn’t just about keeping an eye on what may end up on the dinner plate, but what wildlife thrives around you. Meet bandicoots, wallabies and Tasmanian native hens (or ‘turbo chooks’, as the locals say) while foraging in a coastal forest closer to urban life than you’d expect – right beside Hobart International Airport, in fact.

“We’ve got some of the most fertile soil in the world,” Mic says.

Everything you’re eating is so fresh it doesn’t even know it’s been picked.

“We are positioned in a really spectacular place. Every corner you turn around, there is another breathtaking view.”

Mic runs Sirocco South below net zero, meaning his business is helping to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits. The energy that goes into his full-flavoured feasts can be measured in food metres rather than food miles. Every feast is different – yielding chestnuts, wild spinach and saffron milk cap mushrooms.

“The very nature of foraging means that it is seasonal,” Mic says. “It is what Mother Nature is giving you at that very moment in time. It’s watching people's eyes open for the first time to their environment. Because if you don’t know what’s there, you don’t really care.”

On his tours, Mic offers fresh asparagus tops, then ferments the often-overlooked stems so guests can enjoy the varied flavours of this humble vegetable.

“I hate food waste,” Mic says. “As Australians, we waste a phenomenal amount of food that is still good. It’s still edible but we just don’t know what to do with it.”

Then there are the health benefits of eating produce fresh from the soil. Mic says wild spinach is packed with vitamin C and juicy foraged mushrooms are “vitamin D bombs”. Sirocco South eases you into this nutritious new world, embracing the gift of nature at your fingertips.

“What we do makes people look at what they do and think about little changes in their lives or in their environment, because that’s what it’s all about,” Mic says.

“It’s a very meditative process getting out into the [forest].”

Kitana Mansell – Palawa Kipli

Tasmania’s only Aboriginal food business Palawa Kipli celebrates the history and timeless palate of Tasmanian Aboriginal food in a modern way, with all proceeds going directly to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.

In Tasmanian Aboriginal language, “palawa” means “Tasmanian Aborigine” and “kipli” means “food”.

Join proud Palawa woman Kitana on her Kipli Takara tour: a 90min bush tucker experience offered on Aboriginal land at Risdon Cove. The land was returned to Tasmanian Aboriginal ownership in 1995. Today, Palawa guides deliver a culturally rich exploration of the area’s abundant natural pantry. It’s not just for travellers – even locals are astounded to learn about the natural resources around them.

“A lot of them are saying, ‘I had no idea that these were edible. I have these all in my backyard’,” Kitana explains.

The Palawa Kipli food experience features modern dishes using traditional ingredients: think bush tucker loaded fries with pepperberry sea salt; kunzea and crispy wallaby salami; or pepperberry and leatherwood honey ice-cream, served up with wattleseed and coffee liqueur ice-cream.

Then there’s mutton bird – a unique-tasting meat used by the Palawa for many generations. Drink some mutton bird oil on the tour. Kitana’s people have “survived and thrived” on this traditional medicine for thousands of years to fight cold and flu.

“It’s over 65,000 years of traditional knowledge that Palawa people hold and share on these tours,” Kitana says. "It’s the oldest cultural food in the world and we’re showcasing how sustainable Palawa people have been when it comes to our food practices.

We don’t just put our food on a plate in a restaurant and walk away. We are more than just feeding you.

For Kitana, sharing cultural knowledge through food sparks a feeling of instant spiritual connection with her ancestors. She feels heartened by the encouragement she receives from the Palawa community.

“Everyone's so positive about it and that's what really keeps me going, is that I'm doing this for my community,” she says.

“Seeing the Elders so happy and proud of what we’re doing just really makes everything so worth it.”

Kitana says Palawa Kipli is 100% owned and operated by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community through their community representative organisation, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC).

She says all Palawa Kipli profits support TAC community programs, from health and justice initiatives to aged care and childcare.

“By supporting Palawa Kipli you are also supporting the health and wellbeing of the whole Aboriginal community,” Kitana says.

Heath Garratt – Tasmanian Walking Company

From the Three Capes Track to Wineglass Bay and Larapuna / Bay of Fires area, Heath Garratt knows Tasmania’s trails through and through.

The Head of Values and Standards at Tasmanian Walking Company (TWC), Heath is all about “walking the walk” in sustainability.

“We focus on our purpose as a company, which is introducing the guests to the place; connecting to the place so they understand the need to protect these sorts of areas,” Heath says.

TWC has been leading walks into the wilderness since the 1980s. Heath’s favourite? The Overland Track, a famous alpine wonderland in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

“[It’s] a six-day walk but there’s just so much diversity along the way – and grandeur, splendour, beauty,” Heath explains.

“I just love spending time on the Overland Track with people but, importantly, without people as well. Just to hide by a waterfall and really make the most of the time in the rainforest.”

Walking, for Heath, is a mindful way to experience Tasmania’s wilderness – savouring precious moments with wildlife, from dolphins to eagles. On such a small island, it doesn’t take long to find pristine patches of nature.

“We’ve got some pretty special wilderness areas, like the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area,” Heath says. “We’ve got so much amazing environmental and cultural value to protect.”

We want to have our guests go away with an understanding, either consciously or subconsciously, that these places need protecting.

Heath leads walkers to mountaintops, through forests and to the ocean’s edge – sometimes encouraging them to hike in complete solitude and silence through safe sections.

“So often, people are almost speechless at the end of it,” Heath says.

One of TWC’s sustainability efforts is a seed collection walk with the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. Tag along and you can help gather seeds from vulnerable plant species, creating a seed bank to preserve biodiverse plant species in the face of climate change.

Heath hopes all tourism ventures can work together to find the balance the world needs to sustain itself. He describes Tasmania as a “world leader” in this space and invites travellers to join the journey.

But protecting what’s precious on-land is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Find out how to experience Tasmania’s pure waterways and clean air, and meet the creative community of tourism innovators delivering opportunities for mindful travel.