TASMANIA’S WILDEST WINTER ADVENTURES REVEALED
From floating saunas and glow worm caves to snow kayaking beneath Cradle Mountain, Tasmania’s Off Season is turning winter into the ultimate outdoor escape.
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Tasmania is encouraging Australians to stop hibernating this winter and embrace the cold, unveiling 20 of the island’s wildest Off Season adventures across the state.
The experiences range from kayaking across Dove Lake beneath the snow-covered peaks of Cradle Mountain and cruising through ancient rainforest waterways on the Gordon River to glow-worm cave encounters, alpine scenic flights, and floating sauna cruises.
Here are some of the standout experiences luring travellers south this winter:
• Cradle Mountain Canyons is offering adventurous travellers the rare opportunity to kayak across Dove Lake beneath the snow-covered peaks of Cradle Mountain.
The three-hour guided experience, limited to just eight people at a time, uses handcrafted King Billy pine kayaks and includes hot drinks and snacks on a secluded shoreline surrounded by misty alpine wilderness.
Tours only operate when winter weather conditions allow, adding to the unpredictability and atmosphere of the experience.
• Kuuma Nature Sauna, Australia’s first floating sauna boat, has launched a series of winter sauna cruises on the icy waters south of Hobart.
Guests alternate between the crackling warmth of a wood-fired sauna and freezing ocean plunges while drifting through the still waters of North West Bay. One experience runs entirely after dark beneath the stars, while another combines sunrise cruises with cold-water dips in secluded coastal bays.
• Mole Creek Caves is inviting travellers underground for an immersive glow worm encounter deep beneath Tasmania’s limestone landscapes.
Limited to just eight guests per tour, the after-dark experience allows visitors to help scientists count glow worms as part of a citizen science initiative before lying beneath thousands of shimmering blue bioluminescent lights inside the cave system.
• World Heritage Cruises has unveiled a range of dramatic winter Gordon River experiences designed to embrace Tasmania’s famously moody weather.
One cruise offers a “Rain Guarantee”, allowing guests to return for free if rain falls continuously throughout the journey, while another includes upgraded upper-deck seating overlooking mist-covered waterways and rainforest-lined riverbanks. Families can also take part in a themed “Tiger Hunt” cruise inspired by the Tasmanian tiger.
• King Island Walks is leaning into the island’s rugged winter conditions with multi-day expeditions tracing the coastline walked by survivors of the Netherby shipwreck in 1866.
Guests trek through remote beaches, dunes and weather-battered headlands before retreating to warm accommodation each evening. Another winter experience sees visitors wrapped in puffer jackets, sipping Tasmanian pinot noir as they watch little penguins emerge from the surf at dusk.
• Par Avion is offering travellers access to some of Tasmania’s most isolated wilderness through two-day journeys into Bathurst Harbour and Port Davey.
Reached only by light aircraft, the experience combines scenic flights, guided boat tours and remote eco-cabin accommodation in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, far removed from roads, mobile reception and modern distractions.
• Ben Lomond Alpine Resort is embracing the alpine atmosphere with fireside mulled wine, skiing and snowboarding experiences, plus a Christmas in July celebration held high above Tasmania’s north-east plateau.
Following recent snowmaking upgrades, the resort says it now offers Tasmania’s most reliable snow season, with visitors able to drive directly into the ski village throughout winter.
Tourism Tasmania said the Off Season campaign was designed to encourage travellers to embrace the colder months rather than avoid them.
More than 500 bookable winter offers and events are running across the state as part of the initiative, spanning wilderness adventures, whisky tastings, dark-sky cruises, wellness escapes, long-table feasts and snow holidays.
The Off Season runs across Tasmania until August 31.
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Point Piper’s tightly held trophy-home market is beginning to stir.
Only days after Radford in Point Piper arrived with an $85 million price guide, one of the peninsula’s best-known waterfront estates has returned to the market.
Set directly above Lady Martins Beach at 16 Longworth Avenue, Deauville occupies one of the rare positions where the boundary between private residence and Sydney Harbour feels almost indistinguishable.
The property’s north-easterly orientation opens it towards the harbour, with views stretching across the water towards Sydney Heads. More importantly, its beachfront setting offers direct access to the harbour from the lower reaches of the estate — an attribute that places it within Point Piper’s most tightly held category of homes.
Deauville has long been associated with the Mediterranean architecture of the French Riviera. Its pale exterior, deep terraces and arched openings give the house a distinctly European presence, while its progression down towards the water is characteristic of Sydney’s great harbour estates.
The residence was originally built around 1935 and has undergone extensive alterations during its long history. A major rebuilding program commissioned during the 2010s substantially reconsidered the four-level property, with approved plans including a new pool, larger garaging, landscaped grounds and a new boatshed.
Earlier plans also involved landscaping by celebrated garden designer Paul Bangay.
The result is a home in which its historic Mediterranean character is paired with the scale, amenity and infrastructure expected of a contemporary Point Piper residence.
At the centre of the property is a sequence of formal and informal living spaces oriented towards the harbour. The progression from the principal rooms to terraces, gardens and the waterfront gives Deauville the relaxed rhythm of a European coastal villa, despite its location only kilometres from Sydney’s CBD.
Accommodation is arranged across multiple levels, creating separation between private bedroom quarters, entertaining rooms and the lower waterfront spaces. The home’s elevation allows harbour views to remain present throughout much of the interior, while the lower level establishes a more direct connection with the beach and water.
The waterfront position is complemented by a swimming pool and boatshed, allowing the property to function as both a substantial family residence and a base for life on Sydney Harbour.
Lady Martins Beach is one of Point Piper’s most discreet stretches of shoreline. The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club and Royal Motor Yacht Club are nearby, reinforcing the neighbourhood’s unusually close relationship with sailing and boating.
Deauville also carries a notable ownership and sales history.
The property sold for $13.5 million in 2012, when it was marketed as a five-bedroom Mediterranean-inspired home on approximately 800 square metres. It was subsequently acquired during a major rebuilding program by luxury-car importer and yachtsman Neville Crichton.
Contemporary reports placed that 2017 transaction at $39 million, although some coverage cited a value of approximately $45 million for the completed residence. Given the private nature of Point Piper transactions, both figures have appeared regularly in accounts of the sale.
That history places Deauville among a small group of Sydney homes whose value cannot be understood solely through bedroom numbers or land area. Direct waterfront access, orientation, harbour frontage and the scarcity of comparable properties carry far greater weight.
Point Piper contains only a few hundred homes and records remarkably little turnover. Cotality placed its median house value at more than $17 million in early 2026, although that figure tells only part of the story. Waterfront estates occupy a market of their own, with landmark sales reaching up to $130 million in recent years.
Fact box
- Property: Deauville
- Address: 16 Longworth Avenue, Point Piper, NSW
- Position: Directly on Lady Martins Beach
- Orientation: North-east
- Land: Around 800 sqm
- Residence: Multi-level Mediterranean-inspired waterfront home
- Key features: Harbour views, swimming pool, landscaped grounds, boatshed, garaging and direct beach access
- Previous sale: Reported at $39 million in 2017, with some contemporary reports citing approximately $45 million upon completion
- Current campaign: Ken Jacobs, Forbes Global Properties
- Price: $85m – $90m
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