Tasmania

Australians like to think of their offshore island state as a homegrown version of England – and the northern and northwestern regions of Tasmania seem to be right be out of Somerset or Surrey. While the historic shipping-port city of Hobart celebrates the arts and has many fine restaurants, the unspoiled wilderness areas set apart this jewel in the Australian crown. More than 20 percent of the island is listed as a United Nations World Heritage Area, in recognition of natural treasures that range from rain forest to beach to impenetrable bush. Throw in a temperate climate, and you have the perfect setting for outdoor adventure, from world-class hiking – such as that found along the 50-mile Overland Track, which begins near Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair National Park – to trout fishing, skiing, and white-water rafting. Those seeking adventures on well-manicured greens can tour the 69 golf courses, including Rathos, Australia's oldest. Tasmania is also a gastronome's delight. It has superb seafood, fine produce (including Australia's best strawberries), and excellent beer and wine. A visitor to Tasmania in 1856 wrote to friends: "We stayed nine days, indulging in very good fishing, very good beer, and capital whiskey." Some things, thankfully, remain the same.