HASTINGS CAVE STATE RESERVE: Take a day out from Hobart and tour the Newdegate Cave, a rarity that formed in dolomite rock millions of years ago. Stalactites hang from the soaring ceiling and stalagmites stand like totem poles. Take your swimming costume and have a dip in the thermal outdoor pool, heated by energy from deep in the earth. Walk on the Sensory Trail through the surrounding forests, listen to the birds as you relax on the grass and munch your lunchtime picnic or a barbecue.

attractions include:

• Excellent accommodation catering for all needs from scenic campsites and cabins to the luxurious Cradle Mountain Huts, Lakeside St Clair Lodges and Cradle Mountain Lodge.
• A paradise for nature lovers, with prolific wildlife, migratory birds and native plants.
• Excellent bushwalking, in particular the famous 60km Cradle Mountain Overland Track. Hikers may take fully escorted and catered tours, or carry their own equipment and stay in huts or camp along the way.
• Numerous walking trails suited to day trips, such as the 3hr return walk to Ballroom Forest.
• Australia's deepest lake, the serene Lake St Clair.
• Interpretive displays of the geology of the region, a video on glaciers, and a giant hologram of a family of thylacines (Tasmanian tigers), which can be viewed at the Cynthia Bay Visitor Centre.