Best arts and culture experiences

Discover art with heart at the edge of the world.  

The big names are here – think Mona and TMAG – and a constellation of edgy collections and thought-provoking public art around the state. Explore sculpture trails and myriad museums, uncover quirky festivals and rich cultural heritage, or delve into distinctive galleries tucked inside historic buildings and chat with the artists.

Here are a few of the best places to immerse yourself in Tasmania’s arts and culture.

The Heavyweights

Mona (Museum of Old and New Art)

A trip to Hobart isn’t complete without a pilgrimage to provocative playground Mona – Australia’s largest private museum and one of the most controversial and curious art collections in the world.

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)

Head to Hobart’s TMAG for contemporary works, blockbuster exhibitions and cherished heritage collections. This combined museum, art gallery and herbarium is the second oldest cultural heritage organisation in Australia.

Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery (QVMAG)

Giant dinosaur skeletons, a planetarium and revered Tom Roberts paintings are just some of the favourites at QVMAG, in Launceston. The largest regional art gallery in Australia, it’s also home to plenty of interactive and ever-evolving exhibits sure to interest the kids.

Get into a gallery 

Salamanca Arts Centre

Explore the galleries, shops and artist studios tucked away in Salamanca Arts Centre, amongst the historic sandstone warehouses of Hobart’s Salamanca Place. Head upstairs for local and international artworks in the Long Gallery or catch live music downstairs in the courtyard.

dAda mUse

Find Australia’s largest collection of Salvador Dalí works on paper at dAda mUse, a Launceston gallery housing Surrealist and Dadaist art.

Design Tasmania

Delve into one of Australia’s leading centres for design at Launceston gallery Design Tasmania. Check out the permanent collection of contemporary wood designs, as well as handcrafted works in metal, ceramics and wicker from the island’s top artisans.

Devonport Regional Gallery

Devonport Regional Gallery greets you with not one but three vibrant art spaces showcasing textiles, ceramics, glass, sculpture, paintings and drawings by emerging local and Australian artists.

Connect with culture

Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) culture

Immerse yourself in authentic Palawa experiences led by proud Tasmanian Aboriginal guides – think bush food walks, shared storytelling and cultural activities like kelp basket-making. Absorbing Tasmanian Aboriginal galleries also await at TMAG, QVMAG and Devonport’s Tiagarra Cultural Centre.

Convicts, colonials and cultural heritage

Peek into the past as you uncover Tasmania’s rich cultural heritage at five of Australia's 11 World Heritage-listed convict sites. Beyond Port Arthur, you’ll find open-air convict farms, isolated outposts and evocative reminders of 19th colonial century life. From maritime and mining museums to hydro heritage, Antarctic exploration and even apples – there are countless culturally significant collections across the island.

Arty accommodation

Henry Jones Art Hotel

Art, history and hospitality collide at the Henry Jones Art Hotel on Hobart’s historic waterfront precinct. The building itself – a former IXL jam factory – is an artwork. Take an art tour of the hotel and hear the stories behind the pieces, told by emerging and established Tasmanian artists.

MACq 01 Hotel

Rest your head at Australia’s first storytelling hotel; MACq 01 Hotel in Hobart, where the halls and walls spark your imagination with tales and fables from Tasmania’s history. You won’t want to miss the unique Hidden Hobart Storytelling Tour, complete with retro viewfinders.

Hadley’s Orient Hotel

Step back in time at the oldest continuously operating boutique hotel in Tasmania. This Victorian-era hotel in the heart of Hobart is home to the annual $100,000 Hadley’s Art Prize, so it’s no surprise the onsite gallery is a must-see. Try the immersive audio Trail of Terrific Tales to shed light on almost two centuries of stories, scandals and secrets.

Follow a sculpture trail

Battery Point

Step back in time on the Battery Point Sculpture Trail. Start from the impressive Georgian sandstone warehouses of Salamanca and follow the trail along the waterfront to the picturesque Hobart suburb of Battery Point.

Meander River

See the characters that helped shape the history of the region along the Great Western Tiers Sculpture Trail. Starting on the main street of Deloraine, the trail traces the riverbank and goes further afield to Mole Creek and the town of Meander.

Western Wilds

Take a break on a Western Wilds road trip to see three stunning installations, each inspired by a story from the region. Mirrored marvel Forest Specular reflects on the activists who campaigned to stop the damming of the Franklin River. See Bitumen Bones at the foot of the Sentinel Range, and prepare for the confronting image of the Extinction Story, depicting a Tasmanian tiger.

Tasman National Park

It won’t just be the views that take your breath away on the Three Capes Track. Tasmanian artist Alex Miles has created five artworks along the track that celebrate elements of the Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula environment, from wedge-tailed eagles, abalone and sea kelp to she-oaks, shipwrecks and whale bones.

I spy 

Artistic surprises pop up often on island road trips; think novelty letterboxes in Wilmot and the self-styled ‘town of topiary’, Railton. The Heritage Highway features 16 roadside silhouettes from convicts to bushrangers, between Kempton and Tunbridge. Spot the Tasmanian tiger on the drive into Maydena in the south west, and wander among the carved trees in Legerwood in the state’s north east.

Birchs Bay

Explore art in the southern landscape on the 2km trail at Art Farm Birchs Bay. There’s an eclectic mix of installations inspired by the environment – birds, whales, flowers and fruit – and plenty of sculpted seats along the way.

Explore the regions 

Town of murals 

Sheffield, aka “the town of murals”, nestles in the foothills of Mount Roland in the north west. Stroll around the streets to view more than 140 murals showcasing the history of the region, including the mysterious Tasmanian tiger, and pioneers from the past.

Derwent Bridge

It’s a challenge to describe the Wall in the Wilderness as anything but extraordinary. Three metres high and more than 100m long, the Huon pine panels carved by artist Greg Duncan depict the history of the Central Highlands, and stories of hardship and endurance of the region’s pioneers.

Cradle Mountain

Allow time to get lost in the six expansive galleries at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery. There’s a photography section and revolving exhibitions displaying botanical and landscape pieces. Feeling inspired? Take time out to sketch in the Drawing Room. Can’t find the kids? They’ll be in the Children’s Room.

King Island

The unique experiences of living on an island-off-an-island are captured in the exhibits by local artists at the King Island Arts and Cultural Centre. As well as exhibitions, there’s a range of workshops and masterclasses run in this vibrant and creative space for locals and travellers. Drop in for a glimpse at island life.

Zeehan

The West Coast Heritage Centre takes you back in time to the glory mining days of this former ‘Silver City’. Pour over the comprehensive collection of photos, mining memorabilia and machinery. Check out the unique mineral display and pop into the pioneer women’s gallery, then watch a 1920s silent film in the grand Gaiety Theatre.

Festivals and events

No matter the season, the Tasmanian calendar is crowded with festivals and events celebrating arts, crafts, science and song, food and film, even garlic and chocolate creations.

Biennial drawcards

Go offbeat at the Unconformity festival in Queenstown, celebrating the west coast’s paradoxical past and present. Also held every two years, Tasmania’s international arts festival Ten Days on the Island puts on a program of parties and profound performances around the state.

Cool-season rituals

Dark Mofo stirs up winter festivities in Hobart with its signature events including boundary-pushing performances. Raise your voice at the Festival of Voices, get starry-eyed at Bicheno Beams, unlock secret stories behind the scenes at Permission to Trespass, and delve into a melting pot of science, art and nature experiences under dark skies at Beaker Street Festival.

Cultural arts celebrations

Junction Arts Festival sees odd and extraordinary art, music and installations spill into Launceston’s streets and venues, while agriCULTURED’s recipe of food and culture offers a menu of shared meals, bold conversations and creative experiences.

Meet the makers

Hit the Huon Valley Studio Art Trail to meet the makers at open studios or head to the Tasmanian Craft Fair – the largest working craft fair in the Southern Hemisphere.

Amazing spaces

Whether it's the venerable, such as Australia's oldest working theatre (the Theatre Royal, in Hobart) or oldest Catholic church (St John's, in Richmond); the architecturally splendid (the art-deco Paragon Theatre, in Queenstown); the cheeky (Hobart’s inner-city hanging beer garden); or the ambitious (performances on a giant block of ice suspended over Launceston's Cataract Gorge), Tasmanians don't just think outside the box. They live and play there.