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 Mole Creek Caves on a guided glow worm tour. Become a citizen scientist for 90min, collecting glow worm data and seeing their bioluminescence up close.

Stay at Crowne Plaza Hobart to 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. 

Sticking to the east coast, unwind at Ripple HQ with an infrared sauna and cold plunge session. Dip and steam at Cooinda beach house, with Waubs Bay only a 20m walk away. Or head towards Hobart for a restorative sauna session followed by a plunge in the creek, all included in your winter stay at Myrtle Creek Farm.

Want the camaraderie of a group? Swim naked with a few thousand new friends at Dark Mofo’s Nude Solstice Swim on Hobart's 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 through the eerie basement of historic Hobart Town Hall on a paranormal investigation with Tasmania's Most Haunted. Equipped with ghost-hunting tools, unravel the spine-tingling past of the city's underground space.

Up north, test your nerves on a night tour with Launceston By Foot. You’ll hear convict tales from Launceston’s shadowy past and untold stories on the city’s historic streets.

Hoon at high speed

Hurtle down a snowfield at Ben Lomond Alpine Resort, with an all-day lift pass, snow chains and gear hire. Finish the day with a hot drink by the fire, all included in this winter-only experience.  

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 all-inclusive 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.  

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.