Fortunately, it's easy to see the wondrous beauty that is jam-packed into our smallest state - Tasmania. Drive from historic Hobart on the east coast through to the World Heritage Area wilderness to Strahan on the west coast, and the island's beauty will be indelibly imprinted on your mind.

Your journey takes you along the banks of River Derwent to New Norfolk, established in 1807, through hopfields and past houses once used for drying the hops, and out into open countryside.

You'll get to visit Hamilton - a quaint country village that gives you a chance to step back in time to the nineteenth century.

Just past New Norfolk detour to Mt Field National Park is a little more than one hour drive from Hobart and covers over 15 000 hectares but it feels an age removed from civilization. See the famous Russell Falls, or stroll between some of the tallest trees in the world. Dramatic mountain scenery and alpine plants feature in the higher areas.

Next is Hamilton, a classic example of a quaint 19th century village once settled by Scottish families.

You'll pass through the town of Derwent Bridge and then turn off to reach majestic Lake St Clair, a dramatic glacial lake scooped out of the landscape millions of years ago.

The drive to Queenstown takes you across the "roof" of Tasmania and through the World Heritage Area that extends from Bathurst Harbour in the south to Cradle Mountain in the northwest.

Then, you'll experience an unsettling awe at the fearsome barren landscapes of Queenstown, a former mining settlement that looks more like an alien world than part of the Australia.

After Queenstown, you'll be rejuvenated by the soothing lush rainforests of the west coast that form a magnificent backdrop to the wild west coast town of Strahan.