Photography Guide: The Most Instagrammable Spots in Tasmania

How to use this guide

Here is the short version. Details, access notes and tour matches sit under each section below.

Light, weather and the Tasmanian sky

Tasmania sits at approximately 42 degrees south, so the sun tracks low for much of the year and golden hour lasts longer than it does on the mainland. In winter you can shoot warm light from about 8am. In midsummer, sunset drags past 8.30pm and blue hour holds until nearly 10pm. That gives you long shooting windows at both ends of the day and a fairly forgiving middle.

The weather changes fast. A sunny morning at Cradle Mountain can easily turn to sideways sleet within an hour, then clear again by evening. Always carry a rain jacket, a warm layer and a microfibre cloth, even in January. Cloud is not always a bad thing here: overcast days are the best time for waterfall and rainforest photography.

Two habits will help:

1. Check the tide in advance. Some locations only work at low tide and fail to impress at high tide.
2. Pack a polariser. Tasmanian water sits somewhere between turquoise and bottle green, and a polariser brings that colour out.

The east coast

Wineglass Bay Lookout and Mount Amos

The curved outline of Wineglass Bay against the pink granite of the Hazards is the image most people picture when they think of Tasmania. The lookout track is 3 km return, graded 3, steep in places, and takes 75 to 90 minutes. The car park is 4 km from Coles Bay and fills up in summer, so aim to arrive by 9am.

Morning gives the clearest light on the water. For the elevated shot, Mount Amos rises above the lookout track and takes about an hour to climb. Do not attempt it when the rock is wet: it is very slippery and accidents happen regularly.

Freycinet is a national park, so you need a parks pass. If you would rather shoot than navigate, our Bay of Fires and Freycinet region page explains how we cover this stretch of coast. At Fun Tassie Tours, parks entry is included on every tour we operate.

Bay of Fires, larapuna

The Bay of Fires runs from Binalong Bay north to Eddystone Point. The three most rewarding spots are:

• Binalong Bay, the easiest to reach
• The Gardens, for lichen covered boulders
• Skeleton Bay, home of the weathered tree

Sunrise is the time to photograph here. In the first 20 minutes after sunrise, the lichen shifts from rust tones to neon, and side lighting brings out the texture in the granite. There is no charge to enter this conservation area, and it is easily reached in a 2WD vehicle from St Helens.

The region's Aboriginal name is larapuna. Using both names costs you nothing and means something to the local community. You can read more in our post on the Bay of Fires and its unparalleled beauty.

Bicheno blowhole and the little penguins

The blowhole fires best at high tide with a decent swell running. Stand with the sun behind you and use a fast shutter to freeze the spray, or drop to 1/15 for a softer plume. It is roadside, free and takes ten minutes.

Bicheno also has a little penguin colony that comes ashore after dusk. Photography rules matter here:

• Red light only. White light distresses the birds.
• No flash at all.
• Go guided. Guided viewing is the responsible way to see them.

Our post on fairy penguins in Tasmania covers the season and what to expect.

Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

Honeycomb patterns in sandstone, stained rust and cream by iron in the groundwater. They photograph best on a low afternoon tide, when the sun rakes across the surface and lifts the texture. High tide covers most of it, so check before you book the Triabunna ferry.

Maria Island is car free, so plan for a walking day. It is also one of the best places in Australia to photograph wombats in open grassland near the Darlington ruins.

Cradle Mountain and the highlands

Dove Lake boatshed

The old timber boatshed with Cradle Mountain behind it is the second most photographed frame on the island, and for good reason. The reflection works best in the half hour before sunrise, when the lake is still glassy and the light on the dolerite is soft pink.

The Dove Lake circuit is 6 km and relatively flat for most visitors. For other ideas, see our article on the best short and easy walks at Cradle Mountain, and our Cradle Mountain page for what a tour day there involves.

The local wombats graze the buttongrass around Ronny Creek in the afternoon and are used to people, which makes them some of the most approachable wild animals in Tasmania. Find out more in our post on Cradle Mountain wombats.

Chasing the fagus

Nothofagus gunnii is Australia's only cold climate deciduous native tree. It turns gold and red for about three weeks from late April to early May. Mount Field usually peaks one to two weeks earlier than Cradle Mountain.

• Easy access: Crater Lake and the Dove Lake shoreline at Cradle Mountain.
• The classic: the Tarn Shelf at Mount Field, which needs more walking time.

The window is short and varies each season, so build a few days of margin into your plans.

Hobart and the south

kunanyi / Mount Wellington

A sealed road climbs to the 1271 metre summit, where a viewing deck looks over Hobart, the Derwent estuary and the dolerite columns known as the Organ Pipes. It's only about twenty minutes' drive from the city centre, and free.

Sunrise faces east over the river, which is the stronger shot. Sunset works too, with city lights coming up in the blue hour afterwards. Take more clothing than you think you need: the summit routinely runs ten degrees colder than town and the wind is serious. The road closes when there is snow or ice.

Salamanca Place and the Hobart waterfront

Sandstone Georgian warehouses from the 1830s, fishing boats at Victoria Dock, and reflections on calm water at dawn. Photograph the wharf at sunrise before the cafes open, then climb Kelly's Steps into Battery Point for the cottages.

Salamanca Market runs on Saturdays and is a different shoot altogether: crowds, stalls, colour and plenty of candid opportunities. Arrive early so you have room to work.

Richmond Bridge

Built by convicts in 1823 and still carrying traffic, Richmond Bridge is the oldest bridge still in use in Australia. The reflection shot from the riverbank works at sunrise and sunset, and the village behind it has enough Georgian streetscape to fill an hour. Free, and 25 minutes from Hobart. We have a longer piece on historic Richmond.

MONA

MONA is carved into a sandstone cliff at Berriedale, and the building is as photogenic as the art inside. Take the ferry up the Derwent River from Brooke Street Pier for a strong approach shot. Check opening days before you go, and keep in mind that some pieces cannot be photographed.

The Neck, Bruny Island

A narrow isthmus with water on both sides and a timber staircase up to a viewing platform. The full 360 degree view makes it one of the few places that works at any time of day, though sunrise and sunset are best.

Getting there means taking the car ferry from Kettering, and the queue can stretch on summer weekends. Cape Bruny Lighthouse at the southern tip is worth the extra drive if you have time.

The Tasman Peninsula

Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen

The Tessellated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck is a siltstone platform cracked into a grid that looks like tiles. Shoot it at sunrise at low tide, when the pools reflect the sky. The rock is slippery, so take care with a tripod.

Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen are close by and right beside the road. For towering dolerite cliffs, choose between Cape Raoul and Cape Hauy.

Port Arthur Historic Site

Ruined sandstone against manicured lawns, with the shell of the Penitentiary as the anchor frame. Overcast light suits the stonework better than harsh sun. Drones are banned across the site.

The harbour cruise gives you angles on the Isle of the Dead that you cannot get from shore. Our Port Arthur and Tasman Peninsula page covers how we work the site.

The west and the wilderness

The Wall in the Wilderness, Lake St Clair and Nelson Falls

For the last twenty years, a sculptor at Derwent Bridge has been carving Tasmanian history into Huon pine panels. Photography is not allowed inside the gallery, so treat this one as a look and remember stop. We wrote about it in The Wall Tasmania.

Lake St Clair is the deepest freshwater lake in Australia, with calm water and mountains to finish your day. Nelson Falls, 30 minutes from Lake St Clair along the Lyell Highway, is an easy 30 minute return rainforest walk to a waterfall made for overcast skies and a two second exposure.

Strahan, the Gordon River and the West Coast Wilderness Railway

Morning on the Gordon is the glass off window, when tannin dark water mirrors the rainforest with almost no ripple. Cruises leave from Strahan. Queenstown, an hour inland, gives you something completely different: bare, mineral stained hills that photograph like a desert dropped into a rainforest.

The West Coast Wilderness Railway runs a restored steam engine between Queenstown and Strahan, and the departure is a good subject in its own right.

Tasmania's flower calendar

Bridestowe Lavender Estate

The largest lavender farm in the southern hemisphere, with rows of lavender curving down the slopes against the backdrop of Mount Arthur. It blooms from December to January, when the estate also holds its Festival of Flowers. By February the rows are harvested and the purple is gone, so timing is everything.

• Entry fee: charged in December and January only.
• Rest of the year: free, but the fields are green.
• Best light: afternoon.

Table Cape tulip farm

Ten hectares of tulips in blocks of solid colour on a volcanic plateau 180 metres above Bass Strait. The 2026 season opens on 26 September and runs to late October, with the strongest colour usually from early October into the second week.

• Adults: $18
• Concession: $16
• Children 6 to 17: $4

The Wynyard Tulip Festival falls on Saturday 10 October 2026 at Gutteridge Gardens. The drive out to Table Cape Lighthouse is free and gives you the cliff edge view. Wear boots: it is a working farm and the rows get muddy. See our post on tulips in Tasmania for more.

Waterfalls worth the tripod

Russell Falls in Mount Field National Park is the accessible one: a flat, well surfaced 10 to 25 minute walk to a three tier drop framed by tree ferns. Overcast days and a one to two second exposure give you silky water without blowing the highlights.

Other falls that reward the effort:

• Liffey Falls, near Deloraine
• St Columba Falls, in the north east
• Montezuma Falls, on the west coast
• Nelson Falls, the easier west coast option

A neutral density filter helps, but Tasmanian rainforest is often dark enough that a small aperture and low ISO will do the job.

Photographing wildlife with respect

Tasmania has wildlife found nowhere else, and it is more photogenic than you might expect. Wombats graze at Cradle Mountain and on Maria Island. Echidnas turn up beside walking tracks. Pademelons come out at dusk almost everywhere.

Three rules keep wildlife photography ethical:

1. Use a long lens instead of moving closer.
2. Never use flash on nocturnal species.
3. Never feed anything.

Tasmanian devils are harder. Wild devils are nocturnal and rare, and the population is still recovering from Devil facial tumour disease, so sanctuaries are the realistic option for photographs. Our posts on the Tasmanian devil, the short-beaked echidna and wildlife and nature encounters in Tasmania go into more detail.

Shooting the Southern Lights and the night sky

Tasmania is one of the few inhabited places positioned to see the aurora australis regularly. The best months are May through August, when nights are long and dark, though a strong geomagnetic storm can light up the southern horizon at any time of year.

You need three things:

• A clear sky
• No moon
• A southward view with no town glow

Cockle Creek, Bruny Island, Tinderbox, Goat Bluff and Seven Mile Beach all face the right way. Activity usually peaks between 11pm and 3am.

Starting camera settings, then adjust from there:

• f/2.8Aperture
• ISO 3200Sensitivity
• 10 to 20 sShutter
• ManualFocus on a bright star

The aurora often reads stronger on the sensor than to the eye, so take a test frame before you decide nothing is happening. Our post on the aurora australis has more on forecasting.

For something different underground, the glow worm displays in the Mole Creek caves need a tripod, a long exposure and no light at all. We covered them in glow worms at the Mole Creek caves.

Park passes, drones and place names

Three practical rules catch visiting photographers out. All were checked in September 2026, and it is worth confirming current prices before you travel.

Park passes

• Where you need one: gazetted national parks, including Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, Mount Field and Tasman.
• Where you don't: coastal reserves such as the Bay of Fires, and town sites such as Richmond.
• Daily Pass: valid for 24 hours but does not include Cradle Mountain. If Cradle Mountain is on your itinerary, you need a Holiday, Annual or Two Year Pass.
• Holiday vehicle pass: around $95.50 for up to 8 occupants, with a 20% discount for concession card holders.

Drones

This is the most commonly misunderstood rule. Recreational drone use is not allowed on or over any reserved land in Tasmania, which covers all national parks, under the National Parks and Reserved Land Regulations 2019. Permits are only considered for commercial and research purposes and are not guaranteed. Port Arthur and other historic sites also ban drones. CASA can issue fines of up to $1820, and court imposed penalties can reach $18,200.

Place names

Tasmania has 14 officially recognised Aboriginal or dual names, all from the palawa kani language, including kunanyi / Mount Wellington, takayna / Tarkine, larapuna (Bay of Fires) and lutruwita (Tasmania). Using both names is a simple way to recognise their significance. When photographing Aboriginal sites, particularly middens and rock shelters, keep your distance.

Accessible viewpoints

Not every good frame needs a hike. These spots are easy to reach:

• kunanyi / Mount Wellington: sealed road to the summit and lookout.
• Cataract Gorge, Launceston: flat riverside walkways and a lift.
• Russell Falls: a wheelchair accessible walking track.
• Table Cape Lighthouse and Binalong Bay: reachable by car with only a short walk.

At Fun Tassie Tours, we generally keep our own walks under about 35 minutes at a leisurely pace. Same principle: get to the view without needing to be a hiker.

Letting someone else drive

The hardest part of a Tasmanian photography trip is not finding the locations, it's getting to them. In midwinter there are very few hours between sunrise at the Bay of Fires and sunset at Cradle Mountain, and the roads in between are narrow and winding, with plenty of wildlife crossing at dusk.

Fun Tassie Tours is owner operated by Robert and Morgan Wilson. Robert has run small group tours here for about 15 years and has been travelling the island for around 25 years.

• Small groups: a maximum of 12 guests in a 17 seat vehicle, so there is plenty of space and comfort.
• All inclusive entry: attraction and national park fees are covered.
• Reviews: currently rated 4.9/5 from 488 TripAdvisor reviews.
• Fleet: four Iveco vehicles and one Mercedes 8 seat van. See our vehicles.
• Lower footprint: we offset some of our emissions through our Green Initiative.
• Tour length: 5 to 13 days.

Which tour suits your shot list

• East coast and Tasman Peninsula: the 6 Day East Coast Scenic tour or the 5 Day East Coast tour.
• The west: the 5 Day Western Wilderness tour.
• Both coasts: the 8 Day Tour in Circle, our most booked itinerary.
• The whole island, slower: the 13 Day Premium tour, with more time at each stop.
• Specific light windows: a private charter, where we build the days around your shot list.