Why 'Nobody' Lives On Australia's Big Island State: Tasmania

Tasmania is a fascinating, if not often overlooked, state of Australia. But while it's small compared to Australia itself, the island is actually quite large! All told, Tasmania is roughly the same size as the island country of Sri Lanka or the U.S. state of Florida. Despite this size, however, it remains Australia's least populated state and is often forgotten about, even for many Australians. So why don't more people live in Tasmania, Australia's big, empty island?

[RantingLoudly]

I'm one of the 577000 people that live in Tasmania.
It truly is a wonderful place to live, but don't tell everybody as we like it just as it is!
Also, that was the most scabby wombat I have ever seen.

[thephoenix]

Tasmania is actually more habitable than Mainland Australia, because it has a cooler wetter climate similar to the UK, even though it is mountainous it doesn’t have earthquakes because the mountains are so old they are eroding away, it somewhat has a similar landscape to parts of Canada, Scotland or New Zealand. Tasmania is an absolutely phenomenal place!

[CTREDNECKLL]

Retired U.S. Navy. Whenever I am asked what was my most favorite place to visit...it was the port calls in Hobart, Tasmania! I visited Tasmania twice on two separate ships. I loved the ruggedness of the island, the history, surrounded by the ocean, the weather, and most importantly the people!! They are absolutely wonderful! I have even entertained the thought of retiring there, unfortunately the family has a way of pulling you back in...

[jonnythunder]

As an Australian and having visited the state of Tasmania (Tassie) several times I can say that Tassie is the undisputed jewel in our crown.
It is an amazing place to visit, beautiful environment and has a fantastic local culture.
If you ever visit Australia....it is a must visit.

[auntiem]

I grew up in Tasmania in the 1960’s & 70’s, a high percentage of my peers left Tasmania, for mainland Australia, after completing our education to find work. Some returned to raise families many didn’t. Unemployment is still a major concern but it is a stunning Island with a lot to offer. Tasmania gets into your blood and the pull is strong. I love going home to visit family.

[andybrockbank]

My wife and I came to Tasmania 18 years ago for a vacation and only left long enough to pack our lives up and move here. Never looked back.

[thattassiewargamer]

My family (wife, 2 kids and I) moved to Tasmania in 2011 from Western Australia and it was the best decision we ever made. I went from a 3 hour daily commute across the scorched landscape of Perth to a 30 minute commute from the beautiful Huon Valley to Hobart. The small population here means everything is accessible and comfortable. We we warned about the “harsh” weather before coming but you adjust to the occasional -3c days in Winter and on some days you can spend the morning at the beach and the afternoon in the snow with only an hour between them. I now work outside only a few minutes from home and wear shorts all year round when working. This place is paradise. I couldn’t help but laugh when you identified Devonport and Burnie as the northern towns and not Launceston because the folks in Launceston are a little sensitive about not being the centre of the world. 😂

[raydionangy]

I lived in Tassie for 12 years, and loved the place. The people are friendly, the air is clean, and housing is more affordable (though still expensive) than on the mainland. I lived in Launceston in the north, which has retained many of it's beautiful old buildings. The winters are relatively cold, but it's a fair trade-off for avoiding the blistering heat of the mainland summers. I hope to return one day, when circumstances permit.

[digitalfootballer]

I am American and have a friend who lived in Australia for years and when I told him one of my bucket list places to visit was Tasmania, he got a puzzled look on his face and simply said "but why"? Apparently the mainlanders view Tasmanians as backward and the island as a whole as boring with not much there. That's exactly why i want to go there, for the natural aspects, and the quaintness. I've been to enough big cities.

[brendand]

Im Tasmanian, my family were early settlers and I have a farm built in 1856 in the south. The stories go deep and i know so much history that many dont. But being so isolated i got curious with life, im currently writing from Thailand after travelling 31 countries in 7 years. Very few places are more beautiful than Tasmania, and it'll be sought after in years to come. Due to over 20% of it being protected by world heritage im so grateful for our farm. Something we will never sell. Truly grateful.

[garryferguson]

Im born and raised in Tassie (64 years).Just to give a perspective Holland is 2/3 the size of Tassie with 17 million people, we have low crime and no wars as there are no neighbours to fight with, if you like out door activities its a great place, I have driven around, bush walked, kayaked, sailed, dived and motorbiked all over Tassie and still haven't seen it all, once talked to a mainlander (what we call people from the big island to the north) who on her first visit done 3 weeks travelling around and said she needed to come back for another 3 weeks as there was so much to see here .Also the island is diverse the west coast is different to the east coast and the central highland are different again ie weather, scenery and vegetation, also weather is not extreme here it can get a bit cold over winter, I live in Burnie and only see snow here once in 30 years and summers aren't scorching hot like on north island, we could probably do with a population growth to help support more diverse industries here, but like most tasmania's we dont want to many people here as its pretty good the way it is

[officialpierluk]

Can i just compliment you for the quality of your educational content and also for making videos that say all the relevant information without making 50 minutes long videos which is a trend we see more and more on youtube keep on the great work thanks 🙏😊

[peterkramer]

I’m . a Tasmanian. I can assure that the vast majority of us like our State just the way it is.

[stefche]

Fun fact:

The island state of Tasmania shares a land border with Victoria. Not many Australians know about this. The two states share the shortest land border in the country on Boundary Islet, located in the Bass Strait.

[xanderthomson]

I visited Tasmania during my first trip across Australia and it was absolutely stunning, and the people who live there are incredibly kind! I went to Devenport, Launceston and Hobart! Winter was rolling in during my time there and I experienced snow which is something I never thought I’d come across in Australia! The cities are beautiful and the wildlife, forests and mountains are stunning. If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d most likely choose Tasmania!

[lenuhc]

Hi Geoff! There are many of us that watch your channel that use the metric system. I'm sure people would love it if you used both!!

Great video about Tasmania and why "nobody" lives there!

Keep up the good work!!!👍

[VanillaMacaron]

It's quite something to stand on a beach on Tasmania's west coast. Did it at dusk in February, decades ago. The waves were roaring so loudly we could hardly hear each other speak; the waves seemed about 20ft high, the sky and sea were inky grey. It's amazing to stand there with your arms out, knowing that the wind is blasting at you from right around the planet!
All the boats coming to Australia from England would head south after the Cape of Good Hope in order to hitch a fast ride on the "Roaring Forties". They could make fast time there, as long as they did not smash on to rocks along the coast of Australia, which some did.

[redshift]

Tasmania has had a long history of Hydro Electric power, and has produced renewable energy to power the island for well over fifty years. Whilst there are wind farms there with plans to build more, you’ve missed the story that the island already has a long history of 100% renewable energy production.

[markperkins]

I am an Australian "mainlander" who will be moving to live in Tasmania's North West when I retire in October. I had never been to Tassie until the XMAS or 2016 and so enjoyed the landscape, the fresh air (the cleanest on Earth) and temperate climate, but most important was the friendliness of the locals. Everywhere we went the locals all knew we were visitors and they were extremely friendly and generous with their time. Having lived in Sydney for decades I really appreciated how personable the Tasmanians are, and this contributed to my wife and I deciding to buy a house on acreage there so we could retire on this loverly island state.

[shawnamunyer]

My brother in law was born and raised in Hobart. My sister, him and my niece and nephew are currently visiting Tassie.