South of mainland Australia.

GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 from first Sunday in October to first Sunday in April).

68,400 sq km (26,409 sq miles).

493,300 (official figure 2007).

7.2 per sq km.

Hobart. Population: 205,600 (2006).

A separate island located 240km (149 miles) south of Melbourne across Bass Strait. Roughly heart-shaped, Tasmania is 296km (184 miles) long, ranging from 315km (196 miles) wide in the north to 70km (44 miles) in the south. The island has a diverse landscape comprising rugged mountains (snow-capped in winter), dense bushland (including the Horizontal Forest, so-called because the tree trunks are bent over parallel to the ground), tranquil countryside and farmland. Approximately 40% of Tasmania is protected in national parks and other reserves, over half of this being the World Heritage-listed temperate wilderness in the west of the island. Located midway between Victoria and the northwest of Tasmania in Bass Strait lies King Island. This rich and fertile island, famous for its beef and dairy products, is regularly serviced by air carriers and is a popular tourist destination. To the northeast of Tasmania, also in Bass Strait, can be found Flinders Island, part of the Furneaux group of islands. Flinders Island is also popular with visitors and is particularly noted for its excellent coastal fishing and pristine beaches. Bruny Island, south of Hobart across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, has superb beaches and an abundance of marine wildlife. The two parts of the island are joined by a narrow isthmus of sand dunes, the home of Fairy Penguins from August to April.