West Coast Wilderness Railway, between Queenstown and Strahan
Tourism Tasmania & Rob Burnett
HISTORY AND HERITAGE
From ancient Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) culture spanning more than 41,000 years to colonial settlement and industrial innovation that shaped modern Australia.
Tasmania's history and heritage give visitors enticing opportunities to connect deeply to the island's layered past. Our stories can be uncovered across the island on Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) led tours, at moving convict sites and colonial settlements, in museums and industrial remnants that sit alongside the present.
Highfield Historic Site, Stanley
Sean Scott Photography
What the research tells us
Heritage: Heritage places and experiences are popular with interstate and international visitors, with more than 600,000 visitors last year including a visit to one or more of Tasmania's convict sites, museums and historic attractions.
Convict heritage: Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Tasmania's most visited attractions, drawing more than 300,000 visitors in the past year to experience Australia's convict heritage. Hobart Convict Penitentiary is another highly visited attraction. The quality and uniqueness of the experience saw it named the number one experience in Tripadvisor's 2025 Travellers' Choice Best of the Best Awards, based entirely on visitor reviews.
Cultural infrastructure: The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Australia's second oldest, offer a peaceful pause in the heart of Hobart for more than 220,000 interstate and international visitors a year. The gardens include many well preserved historic buildings and structures.
UNESCO Recognition
Tasmania's heritage is globally recognised, with five sites granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Richmond Gaol
Samuel Shelley
What sets Tasmania apart
Oldest continuous culture: The Palawa people have cared for these islands for more than 40,000 years, one of the world's oldest continuing cultures. Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) owned and operated experiences offer visitors the chance to learn from living culture and enduring connection to Country.
Convict heritage significance: Tasmania played a central role in Australia's convict history. The sites remain remarkably intact, telling stories of punishment, survival, innovation and transformation.
Industrial innovation: From mining and hydroelectric development to maritime heritage and timber industries, Tasmania's industrial past shaped the island's landscape and communities.
Intact colonial architecture: Well preserved Georgian and Victorian buildings, bridges and settlements provide tangible connections to colonial life, both the good and bad.
Layered narratives: Tasmania's heritage sites reflect complex, often uncomfortable histories that continue to shape contemporary understanding of the island.
TVS Analyser
Learn more about who comes to Tasmania and how they get here.
Key messages: talking about history and heritage in Tasmania
Ancient and enduring: These islands have always been the ancestral homeland of the Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) people. Palawa owned tourism experiences allow visitors to form deeper connections with the island, learning about tens of thousands of years of cultural knowledge, resilient history and continuing connection to Country.
Convict legacy: Tasmania's convict sites tell powerful stories of hardship, punishment and perseverance. From Port Arthur to the Cascades Female Factory and Coal Mines Historic Site, these UNESCO listed sites preserve remarkably intact evidence of Australia's convict past.
Tasmania's industrial heritage: Mining settlements, hydroelectric schemes, timber mills, maritime infrastructure, they all reveal how innovation and industry have shaped the island's communities and landscapes.
Living history: Heritage is not just found in museums. Historic buildings work as modern cafes, hotels and galleries. Colonial bridges still carry traffic. Industrial sites have been reimagined as cultural attractions. Tasmania's past sits alongside the present, working, not just preserved.
Stories of place: Every town, building and landscape carries history, of Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) custodianship, colonial settlement, industrial endeavour and community resilience. These overlapping stories provide rich context for understanding Tasmania today. Not simple. Not sanitised, just honest.
Explore more content pillars
Capitalise on our content pillars, designed around six themes that guide how we represent Tasmania to the world.
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Sources
All data sourced from the Tasmanian Visitor Survey YE Sept 2025