The closer you are to the South Pole in winter, the better your chances of seeing the swirling green and purple Aurora Australis (Southern Lights), which makes a Tasmanian getaway in the Off Season your best bet for catching sight of the natural phenomena. Orchards Nest cabin in Huon Valley, 30 minutes south of Nipaluna/Hobart, overlooks the Sleeping Beauty mountain range (named for its resemblance to a resting woman). It features a custom-built mineral hot tub for soaking, which is the ideal setting for watching what owner Esther Griggs calls “Lady Aurora”. “It’s just magical,” she says. “You can see dancing green, purple and pink strobe lights in the night sky.” 

It became one of the hallmarks of Tasmania’s Off Season – and now it’s back. Created by the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in 2013, the wild merriment of Dark Mofo returns in June after last year’s scaled-down program. Mona’s trademark midwinter program of art and music events pack the Hobart calendar from 5 to 15 June with annual crowd favourites such as the Winter Feast, the effigy-burning Ogoh-Ogoh and the wild parties of Night Mass. But the part doesn’t end there – on 21 June, the now infamous Nude Solstice Swim will return for some old-fashioned skinny dipping en mass. Watch the website for the full program announcement.

Celebrate the winter solstice – 21 June, the day with the shortest amount of daylight  – and embrace the dark on the West Coast of Tasmania with Strahan Solstice Festival’s (19 to 23 June) markets, food events and bracing solstice swim. The following weekend (27 to 30 June), festivities will take place all over again at nearby Queenstown for Colours of Queenstown.

From off-beat events to off-grid cottages, every single corner of Tasmania embraces the Off Season in its own unique way. Plan your perfect winter holiday with qantas.com

Dressing gown, check. Hot tub, check. Chilly southern winter waters… naturally. A Chill and Thrill stay at Little Beach Co Resort, near Bicheno on the East Coast, begins with a soak in a private hot tub and a stretch in the glass-sided sauna before ending – for the brave – in a rockpool plunge at the kelp-fringed rocky shore. In between, there’s complimentary sparkling wine, plus whale watching and stargazing with (fingers crossed) the Aurora Australis making an appearance. 

Though they’d look right at home on another planet, these futuristic domes are in fact a forest wellness retreat that’s just 30 minutes east of the ferry terminal in Devonport. Gleneagle Tasmania, near Mount Riana, offers an immersive nature fix while taking glamping to a whole new level.

The glassy lakes of our southernmost state harbour rainbow and wild brown trout ripe for the catch. Lack of fly-fishing experience is no deterrent at Currawong Lakes, an 800-hectare adventure playground complete with luxury lakeside cabins, set two hours north-east of Hobart. And while trout fishing season is predominantly between August and April, the private waterways of Currawong Lakes ensure you can hook a trout in the winter, too, making for a particularly unique experience. Get some expert instruction on how to navigate the lakes – or try your arm on the clay-target shooting range – then book a hamper, barbeque or degustation dinner with the property’s private chef.

Escape the city grind and embrace the slower pace of nature in Tasmania this Off Season. Plan your relaxing getaway with qantas.com

Whether you’re travelling solo or with up to 30 of your favourite intrepid travellers, a winter glamping getaway at the Bay of Fires Bush Retreat near Binalong Bay is the ultimate winter escape. While you could spend the time wandering the nearby bush trails, take your retreat to the next level and join the Cold Plunge Club, where a guide will show you the ideal spots for an icy dip. Then warm up by the fire with prepared dinners and complimentary marshmallows and retire to your well-equipped bell tent or bunkhouse. 

In the mid-2010s, the hilly former mining country around Derby in the state’s North East was repurposed as a world-class mountain-biking area. Now, 125 kilometres of winding trails – including the Rusty Crusty and Upper Flickity Sticks – get bikers’ hearts racing and legs pumping an hour and a half from Launceston, where the rainforest sparkles in winter. Comfortable accommodation, guides and bikes are included on an Off Season three-day, fully catered Blue Derby Pods Ride. The reward for your effort? Dinner and a bed in an architecturally designed pod nestled in the forest.

Breathe what’s said to be the cleanest air in the world and savour the rich flavours of the area’s produce at the Stanley and Tarkine Forage Festival in Tasmania’s North West. From 15 to 18 May, Stanley plays host to a street feast, foraging adventures and a Taste the Region dinner showcasing world-class beef, crayfish, oysters and abalone.

Not only will you get a warm welcome from the locals but you’ll also taste the best of the state on a plate. Plan your gourmet getaway to Tasmania now.

Possibly the only way to improve on a private penguin parade in Tasmania is to watch the flightless birds go about their night with a hand-delivered Penguin Pack containing a warm rug, fire-starting kit and red-light torches for safe spotting. This special experience is just one part of adults-only retreat The Cove Tasmania’s Pinot and Penguins stay this Off Season. It also includes two-or-more nights accommodation, a bottle of Devil’s Corner wine and a decadent homemade double-chocolate lava cake. 

Winter is prime comfort-food time and Tasmania’s topnotch produce makes the ideal foundation for trying your hand at an Italian cooking class. Make pasta, ragu, veal marsala and tiramisu with Gert & Ted Catering at Twamley Farm in Buckland, an hour north-east of Hobart. For hearty fare of a different kind, sign up for the team’s French cooking class and learn how to prepare green peppercorn pâté and roasted pheasant. 

In winter, the waters of St Columba Falls at Pyengana, two hours east of Launceston, are in full roar. The surrounding ancient rainforest once hosted Tasmanian tigers (thylacines) and is still home to Weld River sapphires. For Off Season guests at The Whimsy, a 1900s miners cottage, sieves, spades and other equipment is supplied to fossick for these treasures (you might also uncover topaz, zircon or smoky quartz). 

Whether it’s stumbling across rare jewels or rediscovering your sense of calm, an Off Season adventure is enriching. Get started on your trip planning here.

Tasmania’s Off Season is the perfect time to appreciate nature’s marvels. Discover luminous flora and fauna on a guided Glow Show Tasmania tour with biologist Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, or take to the winter wilds on a hunt for glow-worms and the elusive Aurora Australis. Curious minds come together at the quirky Beaker Street Festival over one glorious week. Based in Hobart and southern Tasmania, it’s a celebration of the dark skies above and delicious food and drinks earthside – culminating in a Dark Sky Dinner on 14 August, which offers delectable feasting amid stargazing and expert insights into the cosmos.

From 27 June to 6 July in Hobart, choirs, choral groups and anyone who loves to belt out a tune will unite for the uplifting Festival of Voices. This year marks the 20 year anniversary of the festival and there are concerts, such as the festival’s flagship family-friendly event The Big Sing on 27 June, and the Classical Choral Workshop: Verdi’s Requiem, where you can sing this masterwork alongside choristers from across Australia and beyond, under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor David Lawrence (UK). Take part in multiple workshops focusing on songwriting, musical theatre and raise your voice at dedicated sing-a-longs all over the city.

If you love the idea of a dram of golden goodness as the nights grow colder, winter’s Whisky Week (from 4–10 August) is a great way to sample Tasmania’s best. Join tastings, tours and hosted dinners spanning Hellyers Road Distillery in the North West and luxurious Overeem Whisky in the South.

Hobart becomes a wild wonderland of creativity, chaos and delicious food at the annual ritual of Dark Mofo’s legendary Winter Feast, two long weekends of riotous revelling beneath the stars (5-8 June and 12-15 June). Expect dozens of stallholders selling the very best Tasmanian food, wine and spirits. Warm up with mulled libations as the smoky aromas from firepits and live music drift through the wintry air. 

Eat and drink to your stomach's content on a winter holiday in the Apple Isle. Book your flights now.

It wouldn’t be the Off Season without a plunge into the River Derwent’s icy waters from the shores of Long Beach in Hobart’s Sandy Bay, as part of the annual Nude Solstice Swim. On 21 June, join thousands of swimmers wearing nothing more than a bright red swim cap for this invigorating and heart-racing thrill.

Gather round a fire pit, pop a marshmallow into the toasty coals and sample The Agrarian Kitchen’s take on campfire s’mores. Biscuits, marshmallows, gooey chocolate and preserved fruits combine to become a delightful winter sweet treat, best enjoyed with hot chocolate for the kids or a whisky-laced dulce de leche for grown-ups. The restaurant’s outdoor kiosk will be serving them every weekend throughout winter.

Black truffles are at their fragrant peak during the winter months, so the farmers at The Truffledore in the state’s North have created “A Day In The Life Of A Truffle Hunter”, an intimate and immersive two-night experience hosting just two-to-four guests at a time. You’ll bond with your own assigned truffle dog, unearth black gold in the crisp air of the truffière and learn how to make truffle pasta.

Winter turns the caves at Mole Creek, on Kooparoona Niara/the Great Western Tiers in the state’s North, into an aquatic playground teeming with fern gardens and moss. Beginners and seasoned hikers alike can uncover the caves’ craggy secrets with conservationist Deb Hunter from eco-certified Wild Cave Tours. Hunter provides all the necessary gear and helps you photograph underground waterfalls and tranquil pools like a pro.

There’s no greater luxury at high-altitude than Cradle Mountain Lodge, two hours west of Launceston. Indulge in an energising hot and cold water treatment – a quick dip in an icy pool followed by a steam sauna – at The Sanctuary spa. Go beyond the retreat and check out Devils @ Cradle, the wildlife conservation in Cradle Mountain National Park, and be sure to take the chance to meet and pat joeys or join an after-dark feeding tour to see Tasmanian devils living their best lives. 

Enjoy up-close animal encounters, underground adventures and top-tier wine tastings in Tasmania this winter. Book now.

The wheels don’t stop turning at the West Coast Wilderness Railway in the state’s North West. The Off Season Steam Under The Stars photography workshop takes place twice in August, giving amateur snappers and engine enthusiasts the chance to take their own night-time train shots, inspired by the black-and-white work of photographer O Winston Link. If you’re in a more festive mood, board one of the specially decorated Christmas in July carriages stationed at Lynchford Station or Lower Landing for storytelling, activities and Yuletide eats.

Small batches, big hearts: that’s the philosophy behind the Distillers’ Bench tour from Alchymia Distillery at Table Cape in Tasmania’s North West. The experience will see you taste premium whisky paired with local produce in Alchymia’s Bond Store – a place usually closed to the public.

Elegant, architectural and completely isolated, The Keep, perched on a rocky outcrop in the state’s rural North East, is a getaway straight out of a fairytale. Enjoy a long soak in the property’s craggy stone bath while breathing in the scent of eucalypts, then take the 10-minute stroll to find Tasmania’s largest myrtle tree. Or you could always just top up your pinot noir from nearby winery Priory Ridge beside the wood fire. 

[CTA] Embrace winter with an Off Season escape in Tasmania’s north. Book your flights to Launceston now.

There’s something a little off-kilter, and exquisitely Tasmanian, about a crop of mushrooms growing in a 19th-century railway tunnel on Hobart’s outskirts. Join the team from Tunnel Hill Mushrooms to see how these dark-loving delicacies are grown, then cook a few on the barbeque for a feast of all things fungi, accompanied by a few drops of the farm’s own Shiitake Vodka.