How could anyone forget the majestic island that is Australia’s most southern state, Tasmania?

The history, beauty, heritage and art is packed into the Apple Isle is not to be beaten, yet it is often being left off our maps.

Tomorrow we celebrate Australia Day and just recently the supermarket giant Woolworths produced celebration hats including a map of Australia – without Tasmania.

When people expressed their outrage, the product was removed from the shelves.

This is not the first time it has happened to that beautiful little island.

The swimsuits for members of the women’s 2014 Commonwealth Games team did not show Tassie on the Australian map featured.

In 1982 during the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, performers formed a map of Australia – again no Tassie.

In fact, it has happened so often there is a section in Wikipedia on the many omissions.

A TRIBUTE TO TASSIE

How can this delightful island packed with wonders be so easily forgotten?

There are many more than 10 reasons Tassie should never be forgotten, but I’ll give you those and a few more.

It boasts Australia’s oldest brewery still in operation (Cascade Brewery, Hobart) which in itself should be enough to guarantee a prime spot on any map.

Given its extraordinary beauty, 42 per cent of the island is World Heritage-listed, national park and marine and forest reserves.

10 REASONS TASMANIA SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

1. Boasts Australia’s oldest arch bridge still in use – The Richmond Bridge, built in the 1820s by convicts. 

   

    

2. Home to Huon pines trees which are unique to Tasmania and some thought to be more than 4000 years old (one is estimated to be up to 10,000 years old).
3. The only place to find Tasmanian Devils in the wild
4. Home to the largest lavender farm in the world
5. Tasmania has 68 golf courses – more than any other state in Australia per capita.
6.  The first colony to have a compulsory state education system – introduced in 1868.
7. Home to Australia’s oldest golf course – Ratho Golf Links at Bothwell. 

   

    

8. First Australian electric tramway was built there in 1893
9. Introduced Australia’s first underground sewage system in Launceston in 1860. At the time, Launceston was one of only three cities in the world with underground sewage.
10. One of the most prominent apple growing areas in the world.

UNFORGETTABLE TASMANIA IS ALWAYS ON OUR MAP

Around 12 thousand years ago rising sea levels covered the land bridge to Victoria, cutting off Tasmania from the rest of Australia.

This isolation has given the island a very distinct heritage as well as amazing wildlife diversity.

A few years ago Hubby and I had a driving holiday around the island and instantly fell in love with it.

The friendliness, the food, the sights – all feasts for any traveller.

We took our car over on the Spirit of Tasmania, the cruise ship that takes you from Melbourne to Devonport and then drove around as much of the island as we could during the two-week break.

The beaches are breathtaking, Cradle Mountain is magnificent and the Bruny Island tour, awe-inspiring.

Seems like every little town has its own claim to fame in Tassie.

Wilmot is known for its novelty mailboxes using recycled materials.

Sheffield is the town of murals, where almost every blank wall is covered in a mural.

Dootown is known for its house signs – they have a great sense of humour in that town!

Lilydale is known for its painted telegraph poles and Stanley is known for The Nut, an old volcanic plug that rises 143 metres high and has a flat top.

At every twist and turn in Tassie, there is some scenic delight and the prolific wildlife is amazing.

Everywhere we walked we would get up and close to pademelons, which are similar to small wallabies.

Tassie is the only place I’ve seen a wombat in the wild.

This beautiful island is being challenged on all levels right now, experiencing their worst drought on record while tackling dangerous bushfires, some of which are still burning.

There are power shortages due to a fault in the Basslink cable.

On top of that one of the two Spirit of Tasmania cruise ships lost its mooring in bad weather, slamming into a sandbar just metres from Port Melbourne beach and causing major damage.

The last thing it needs is to be forgotten.

We love you, Tassie. Happy Australia Day. Have a gleeful week, Tamuria.