Nature Photography Guide to Tasmania
Tasmania has plenty to offer nature photographers, from a wide array of wildlife subjects, to rugged and diverse landscapes.
Tasmania is an island state situated 240 km south of the Australian mainland and separated by Bass Strait. Its landscapes are incredibly photogenic and range from alpine heathlands, dry midlands, and evergreen eucalypt forests, to temperate rainforests, and more.
There is a large diversity of wildlife found in Tasmania, including various species of kangaroos and wallabies, bats, wombats, possums, platypus, echidnas, quolls, as well as the iconic (and endangered) Tasmanian devil.
The island also has a wide assortment of bird species, reptiles, and frogs.
Some of the rarer bird species that bird photographers often seek to photograph include the endangered Orange-bellied parrot, the Swift parrot, the Forty-spotted pardalote, and the Shy albatross.
Reptiles and frogs can be found too. There are 18 different species of reptiles here, including the She-oak, Delicate, and White’s skinks. Frog species such as the Green and Gold, Eastern banjo, and Striped Marsh frogs are also found on this island state.
Tasmania is also a great location to photograph auroras (Aurora Australis), which can appear at any time of the year.
I have photographed auroras in Freycinet (from Coles Bay looking across to The Hazards) as well as Cradle Mountain, but they can appear almost anywhere across the state.
This is due to Tasmania’s closeness to the south magnetic pole towards Antarctica.
Travel to Tasmania
To get to Tasmania, you can fly to places such as Hobart or Launceston. If you are on the mainland and have a vehicle, you can drive it onto the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ ferry from Victoria, across the Bass Strait.
As far as travelling around Tasmania is concerned, by far the easiest way is to hire a vehicle (either a car or campervan). That way, you can travel wherever you want and stay in locations as long as you need.
I have personally hired a campervan a number of times, and this has given me plenty of flexibility.
You can also join one of the many organized tours on offer in the state, but unless it’s a photography-specific tour, your photographic options are usually limited and a tad rushed.
Read more: Travel Checklist for Taking Your Camera Abroad
Where to go in Tasmania
Whether you prefer to shoot landscapes or wildlife, Tasmania has a lot to offer a photographer. Here are my top places for nature photography around the island.
1. Cradle Mountain
One of my personal favourite locations, where I have travelled with my camera and presented photography tours numerous times over many years, is the Cradle Mountain region.
Cradle Mountain itself is situated in the central highlands region of Tasmania, within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, and rises 1,545 metres above sea level.
Apart from incredible landscape opportunities (especially of the mountain itself at sunrise and sunset), there are plenty of stunning rainforests and waterfalls to be found in the region.
Two waterfalls within easy reach are Knyvet and Pencil Pine, both of which are accessible by walking 5 minutes along a short boardwalk from the car park area in front of Cradle Mountain Lodge.
As far as wildlife opportunities go, you really are spoilt for choice! Echidnas frequent the area, wallabies are quite common, and around sunset and in the evenings, you will sometimes see tiger quolls, which are carnivorous marsupials.
Wombats are also common towards sunset around Ronny Creek. They are used to people, and you can generally get quite close to them with your camera.
Read more: 7 Tips for Photographing Mountains
2. Tarkine/Takayna
The Tarkine region (also known by its indigenous name Takayna), in northwest Tasmania, is a much quieter and less well-known area that features incredibly beautiful landscapes.
It contains high-quality wilderness as well as large tracts of rare, cool temperate rainforest. It also has eucalypt forest, dry sclerophyll, buttongrass, woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands, to name but a few.
As for wildlife, the Tarkine is home to 28 terrestrial mammals, 111 birds, 11 reptiles, 8 frogs, and 13 freshwater fish.
One of the best areas to stay and visit is the small town of Corinna, situated right on the banks of the Pieman River. This small village offers cabin accommodation, campsites, and meals (not offered in the off-season).
The Corinna Homestead also offers two different boat trips – the Pieman River and Sweetwater cruise, both of which are worth doing.
Read more: Bird Photography Tips – Shooting Bird Portraits
3. Freycinet
Freycinet, situated on the east coast of Tasmania, is a very popular tourist destination, and for a good reason. It features a peninsula defined by Schouten Island and a stunning mountain range known as the Hazards.
There are plenty of locations in Freycinet National Park worth visiting with your camera, the most popular being a hike that leads to a lookout overlooking the stunning Wineglass Bay. This hike is all uphill, so a decent level of fitness is required.
Another popular location is Cape Tourville Lighthouse, where you drive up a winding road to the carpark area and then walk along a boardwalk to reveal stunning views below!
Other locations worth taking your camera to include Sleepy Bay and Honeymoon Bay, both of which are easily accessible by parking in the designated carparks and hiking along well-signed trails.
Apart from an assortment of mammals to photograph, there are plenty of birds along the shorelines, including species such as Pacific Gulls, Pied Oystercatchers, White-bellied Sea eagles, and Red-capped Plovers.
Read more: How to Photograph Seabirds
4. The Bay of Fires
Travelling north from Freycinet and still on the east coast of Tasmania is the region known as the Bay of Fires.
Here you will find an incredible 50km coastline laden with massive granite boulders covered in orange lichen, snow-white sandy beaches and turquoise-coloured water.
Destinations well worth visiting with your camera include Binalong Bay, Mount William National Park, (including the very photogenic Picnic Rocks) and Eddystone Lighthouse. There are loads of bird species here too, similar to the Freycinet region.
Read more: How to Photograph the Coast
5. Mt Field National Park
Another area that is popular with photographers is Mt Field National Park, which is only a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Tasmania’s capital, Hobart.
Highlights include two majestic waterfalls – Russell and Horseshoe Falls. Both falls can be accessed very easily with a short hike from the Parks and Wildlife Service Information Centre, at the entrance to the national park.
It is important to note that Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife permits MUST be purchased at the information centre prior to you visiting each of the falls.
Another popular location is Tarn Shelf. By driving 16kms from the information centre, you end up at Lake Dobson carpark. You can then do a 12km hike known as the Tarn Shelf Circuit.
This walk includes a number of glacial lakes and is very colourful in autumn when the deciduous beech trees turn a rich yellow colour.
Read more: How to Photograph Waterfalls
Best time to visit Tasmania
When it comes to the best time of the year to travel to Tasmania, it depends on where you decide to go. Each season has its benefits.
For areas such as Cradle Mountain, I suggest visiting in April/May. At the end of April and early May, the deciduous leaves of the Beech trees (Nothofagus) change color, making for stunning landscape shots.
The cooler months in this region (if/when it snows) also make for great snow-covered mountain shots.
On the east coast, in the areas mentioned including Freycinet and the Bay of Fires, I recommend visiting in winter or spring, although most of the year can be quite decent to visit and photograph. The temperature is generally cooler, and the forests are quite lush.
For the Tarkine region and Mt Field National Park, anytime of the year is fine to visit and photograph.
Nature photography tips
Now that you know where to go, here are my top tips to help you take your Tasmanian nature photography to the next level!
1. Look for diffused light
The light can be very harsh in places such as Freycinet and the Bay of Fires, so when photographing seascapes, I prefer shooting at either sunrise or sunset. Subtle light wins over harsh, daytime light anytime!
When taking photos of waterfalls such as Russell and Horseshoe in Mt Field National Park, in the stunning rainforests at Cradle Mountain or forests in the Tarkine region, overcast days are always best.
Clouds act as ‘nature’s diffuser’ and help reduce harsh shadows that sunny days can produce.
To achieve smooth, milky waves crashing over rocks or onto the sand, or in cascading waterfalls, using a neutral density (ND) filter with a sturdy tripod and a remote or cable release (or using a phone App) is the best way to stabilise your camera/lens combo.
You can also use a circular polarising filter (CPL) to slow down the camera’s shutter speed by 1.5 to 2 stops, reduce glare created from water as well as saturating the image slightly.
Read more: The Essential Filters for Landscape Photographers
2. Bring a long lens
For photographing wildlife in locations such as Cradle Mountain, using a zoom lens with a decent focal length is best. I would certainly recommend a minimum focal length of around 400mm (or higher).
Even though some of the wildlife such as wombats are quite relaxed and used to people approaching them fairly close, the longer focal-length lenses are needed for the more skittish species such as Tiger quolls or the popular Pink robin.
The further away you are physically, the less the animal is disturbed and displays more natural behaviour.
Read more: What’s the Best Lens for Wildlife Photography?
3. Be prepared for low light
Some wildlife species, such as wombats, Bennett’s wallabies, and echidnas (one of only two monotremes or egg-laying mammals in the world), are more active early in the morning or later in the day when there is less light.
The wider the minimum aperture of your lens, the better, as it allows more light in and increases the camera’s shutter speed. A faster shutter speed minimizes blur when handholding your gear.
Using a monopod with a monopod head is another way of stabilizing a heavy camera/lens combination.
Read more: How to Photograph Wildlife in Low Light
4. Get low
For some of the most sought-after subjects such as wombats, Tasmanian devils or echidnas, which live on the ground, getting down to the animal’s eye level makes for more pleasing shots.
The main points to remember are to focus on the animal’s eye(s), leave room in the direction it is facing (if facing left or right and not looking directly at you) and watch for distractions in the background.
With the Tasmanian devil, sightings are quite rare nowadays, due to a spread of facial tumours which drastically wiped the populations of these unique mammals. You may, however, be fortunate and see them at dusk and in the evening.
5. Use fast shutter speeds
If you are planning to capture flying shots of bird species such as the Pacific Gull, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, or the Green Rosella, I suggest using continuous focus mode (AI Servo for Canon users) to help track your animal as it’s moving, coupled with burst mode.
Many mirrorless cameras have eye-tracking capabilities nowadays, which make tracking moving animals so much easier.
To freeze your subject, you need to use a decent shutter speed (I recommend at least 1/1500th to 1/2000th of a second), especially for fast-flying birds. The faster, the better!
If your subject is still, and you are wanting to take a few portrait shots, then you don’t need a high shutter speed.
Read more: 4 Essential Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight
In conclusion
Tasmania is a veritable photographer’s heaven!
It has recorded the cleanest air in the world, it’s covered in incredible scenery, and has many unique wildlife species.
If you do decide to take a trip to this incredibly rich and diverse island with your camera, you will not be disappointed!
