Out of your comfort zone

Challenge your mind and body with exhilarating new winter experiences.

The Off Season is a time for sensory stimulation and outdoor exhilaration. From meltwater swims to slipping underground into wet winter caves, here’s how to infuse your trip to Tasmania with added adrenaline.

Embrace the winter dark

Sometimes, the best things happen in the dark.

Journey underground with Wild Cave Tours at Mole Creek on a guided tour with a speleologist, exploring the caves of the Great Western Tiers. You'll see reflection pools and cave waterfalls, only visible during the winter months.

Just south of coastal town Ulverstone are Gunns Plains Caves, formed by an underground stream that still flows. Keep your eyes open and you might spot giant freshwater lobster, fish and eel.

Uncover a hidden world of glowing flora and fauna on a tour by torchlight, best enjoyed in winter when the sky grows dark earlier in the evening. Armed with UV torches, you’ll be coached and guided by Dr Lisa Gershwin to spot glowing wildlife such as possums and pademelons, and an array of glowing plants and fungi.

Plunge into discomfort

Will Tasmania's cooler waters give you the shivers? Almost certainly, but outdoor swimming is not to be feared.

On the east coast, take a short walk through eucalypt forest to find the aqua-blue Apsley waterhole, then continue to smaller plunge pools in Douglas-Apsley National Park. Further north in the Larapuna / Bay of Fires area, take a salty dip in this perfectly blue water, framed by kilometres of white sand. 

Stay at Bay of Fires Bush Retreat and join their Cold Plunge Club. Dip and steam at Cooinda beach house, with Waubs Bay only a 20m walk away. Or head inland and pay a visit to Cedar Cottage Meander for a dip in the nearby lake followed by a long soak in the outdoor tub. 

Want the camaraderie of a group? Swim naked as part of Dark Mofo’s Nude Solstice Swim with a few thousand new friends in Hobart at Long Beach.

Breathe through the cold

Sharp inhale. Long exhale. There are many ways to take your air in Tasmania.

Fancy something a little steamy? Kuuma Nature Sauna offers sauna cruise sessions, ideal for warming up tired muscles on cold winter days. Housed in a pontoon boat, the floating sauna offers absolute water views and serenity.

If you prefer to stay on land, try hot-cold therapy during your stay at Aquila Eco Retreat or add a breathwork and contrast therapy session to your stay at Woodland Bay Retreat.

Spook yourself silly

Believe it or not, you’ll feel the spirit of the past in Tasmania.

Walk the haunted hallways of historic Anglesea Barracks on a paranormal investigation with Tasmania's Most Haunted. Equipped with ghost-hunting tools you will unravel the spine-tingling past at this former military gaol.

Test your nerves on a Port Arthur Ghost Tour - it's a very different place after dark, especially when these stories are shared via lantern light in the ruins and heritage buildings of Port Arthur Historic Site. 

Walk through the ruins of Sarah Island, Tasmania’s first penal settlement, established in 1822. The island, which sits in Macquarie Harbour, was battered by the elements and notoriously difficult to access. Explore some great escapes and prisoner stories on a guided tour from Strahan.

Hoon at high speed

Hurtle down a snowfield at Ben Lomond Alpine Resort, with ski and snowboard lessons available to get you started or improve your skills.

Gather pace as you slide down the 30m-high Henty Dunes near Strahan. A dune system formed by the Roaring Forties and flanked by rainforest, they’re the ideal spot for a riveting sand-board ride. Hire a toboggan in Strahan to really get flying.

To ride instead of slide, book in to the Blue Derby Pods Ride. Spend your days mountain biking on Derby's worldclass trails, stargazing around the campfire and cosying up in comfortable pod accommodation.  

On the east coast, take a four-wheel drive or dune buggy journey at the Peron Dunes near St Helens. Or hire a bike and explore the extensive St Helens Mountain Bike Trails, where you can ride from the mountains to the sea. Tasmania is threaded with world-renowned trails – head to the Wild Mersey Mountain Bike Trails for 100km of riding with trailheads in Latrobe, Railton, and Sheffield, or opt for the George Town MTB trails outside Launceston, with 70km of trails and counting.