How big is Tasmania?
The area of Tasmania is 68,401 square kilometres. That means the size of Tasmania, Australia’s island state, is slightly bigger than Florida or Sri Lanka.
Tasmania may be Australia’s smallest state*, but that doesn’t mean it’s a tiny insignificance. The island state covers 68,401 km2, of which 64,519 km2 is the roughly heart-shaped main island. It’s makes up just 0.9% of Australia’s area, but Tasmania’s size makes it the 26th largest island in the world, fact fans.
For rough comparison points to the size of Tasmania, the land area of the Republic of Ireland is 68,883. Sri Lanka, meanwhile is 62,732km2 and Lithuania is 62,680 km2.
Australia’s smallest state is considerably bigger than many European countries – Slovakia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark are around two-thirds the size of Tassie. And how big is Tasmania using the time-honoured comparison point? Well, Tasmania is more than three times the size of Wales.
To use an American comparison, Tasmania is a tiny bit bigger than Florida or Wisconsin. And, on Australia standards, South Australia is 14.5 times bigger. The Northern Territory is even bigger still, although the biggest Australian states are Western Australia and Alaska-sized Queensland.
Size of Tasmania vs population density
The size of Tasmania may not be remarkable, but its population density is. Around 540,000 people live in Tasmania. Compare than to 21.48 million people in Florida or 21.67 million people in Sri Lanka, and you get an idea of how essentially empty the smallest state in Australia is.
Almost all of the west of Tasmania is wilderness and National Park. A lot of Tasmania simply isn’t reachable by road. This includes the highly photogenic Wineglass Bay, which is best visited in the Tasmanian summer if you want to walk there in a T-shirt.
That said, distances between the major settlements are relatively manageable. From Hobart in the south-east to Stanley in the north-west, it’s 403km by road. This is by no means a direct route as the crow flies, but it should take about four-and-a-half hours to drive it. Car hire is available in Devonport, Hobart and Launceston. The drive from Hobart to Launceston via Ross takes about two-and-a-quarter hours.
By Australian standards, this isn’t that far. Sydney to Byron Bay takes at least eight hours, it’s at least nine hours from Melbourne to Sydney and you need to budget at least 13 hours for Perth to the Ningaloo Reef.
Other Tasmanian destinations are, of course, closer to Hobart. To Coles Bay, the jump-off point for Wineglass Bay, it’s 192km. To second city Launceston, it’s 202km and around two hours, 20 minutes in the car. And, to the Spirit of Tasmania ferry terminal in Devonport, it’s just over three hours’ drive.
*The Australian Capital Territory is smaller, but not a state.
More Tasmania travel
Do the Tahune Airwalk near Geeveston.
Take a psychedelic ride on the Mona Ferry in Hobart.
Swim at Splash Devonport.
Check out the strangely vivid Little Blue Lake, Tasmania.