6 Best Sights in The Huon Valley, Tasmania

En route to Huonville, this museum, cider house, and café showcases the best of the local product. It's housed in a former apple-packing shed and is a remarkable time capsule, depicting the lives of the early Huon Valley settlers. Over the years this venue has evolved to offer regular events, great food, and even better cider. The Sunday Session is a great way to end a weekend in the valley.

To fully appreciate the dramatic panorama, take the three-hour, 50-km (31-mile) ecology-focused cruise run by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. You'll cruise past towering cliffs and hidden caves, and likely see dolphins, seals, and penguins. Eagles, albatrosses, and shorebirds also dart and dive overhead, and can often be seen nesting amid the craggy outcrops. During their migration period Humpback and Southern Right whales are commonly seen. Morning tours are available daily and additional afternoon trips between mid-December and mid-April. An all-day tour with bus transfers is available from Hobart.

Cockle Creek is the southernmost "town" in Australia. It consists of a a ranger station and a campground, but also a series of stunning beaches. The neighboring hamlet of Catamaran is similarly dotted with picturesque bays and beaches, surrounded by forests and mountains. French explorers landed here before English settlement and aspects of that history can be explored also. There are walking tracks including the awe-inspiring Lion Rock at South Cape Bay. Amenities: toilets. Best for: walking; swimming.

Spectacular cave formations and thermal pools amid a fern glade await at the Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs. The caves are about 125 km (78 miles) south of Hobart, past Huonville and Dover. You can take a tour of the chambers, or just relax at the well-equipped picnic areas and make use of the thermal pool. The route to the site is well marked from the town of Dover. Hours vary seasonally, so check ahead.

This is the first main swimming beach southwest of Hobart—it's less than 30 minutes' drive from the Huon Valley. The beach sits in front of the fairly developed town of Kingston, on the Derwent River at the mouth of Browns Rivulet. Shopping and housing sit behind and to the south of the beach, and a narrow reserve, picnic area, and playground back the sand. Kingston Beach is patrolled by the local Surf Life Saving Club; however, you should still keep clear of any boating activity in the south corner—the waters are quite deep directly off the beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Beyond Geeveston, the cantilevered, 1,880-foot-long Tahune AirWalk rises to 150 feet above the forest floor, providing a stunning panorama of the Huon and Picton rivers and the Hartz Mountains. The best views are from the platform at the end of the walkway, and if you have time, follow one of the trails that leads from the center through the surrounding forests. If one day isn't enough you can stay the night on-site in the reasonably priced Tahune Lodge or in a self-contained cabin. There's also a shop and a café with free Wi-Fi.