Tasmania’s wildlife comes into its own this Off Season, with a collection of winter-only experiences offering travellers the chance to get up-close with some of the island’s most unique and loved animals.
From hand-feeding Tasmanian devils, meeting tawny frogmouths and watching penguins waddle ashore after dark, to joining guided night tours, tracking down an elusive goat and spending time with joey devils, wombats and quolls, these experiences reveal a side of Tasmania’s wildlife rarely seen during the rest of the year. Many are led by the people who know these animals best, with keepers, guides and conservationists sharing stories and insights along the way.
To help travellers plan their winter escape, Tourism Tasmania has highlighted a selection of the island’s most distinctive Off Season wildlife experiences below.
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary – Mole Creek, Northern Tasmania
Offer: Hidden in plain sight
Perched motionless among the branches, tawny frogmouths – nocturnal birds often mistaken for owls – can be remarkably difficult to spot, their mottled feathers allowing them to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. This Off Season, guests at Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary can meet and hand-feed these masters of disguise while keepers share insights into the behaviours and adaptations that make them one of Australia’s most camouflaged birds. Winter’s stripped-back landscapes only heighten the effect, revealing just how easily these elusive birds can vanish in plain sight.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary – Mole Creek, Northern Tasmania
Offer: Devil dominance
Hidden within the bushland surrounds of Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary, this Off Season encounter offers a rare chance to spend time with one of Tasmania’s most recognisable animals. Guests are welcomed into a resident devil’s den to hand-feed a Tasmanian devil before testing their strength in a supervised tug-of-war with the powerful marsupial. Equal parts wildlife encounter and conservation experience, the intimate session is accompanied by stories from keepers about the species’ behaviour, significance and ongoing protection.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Bicheno Penguin Tours – Bicheno, East Coast Tasmania
Offer: Bicheno’s little penguins and winter lights
This Off Season, Bicheno Penguin Tours is offering guided evening encounters that bring travellers up close to the world’s smallest penguin species as they waddle ashore under the cover of darkness. Accompanied by local guides, guests gain a deeper understanding of the birds’ behaviour and lifecycle while witnessing a nightly ritual that has played out on Tasmania’s East Coast for generations.
Valid 27 June – 18 July 2026.
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary – Brighton, Southern Tasmania
Offer: Bite-size after-dark wildlife tour
Winter’s longer nights provide the backdrop for this after-dark wildlife encounter at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Over the course of an hour, guests can hand-feed Forester kangaroos, wombats and eastern quolls before joining keepers as Tasmanian devils emerge for their evening feed. Designed with families in mind, the experience offers a rare opportunity to encounter some of Tasmania’s most iconic native species after hours, while learning about Bonorong’s wildlife rescue and conservation work along the way.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Little Things Farm – Snug, Southern Tasmania
Offer: Open the gate! Operation ‘Winter Escape’
At Little Things Farm, Poppy Seed the goat has developed a reputation as the property’s most elusive resident. This Off Season, guests can follow a trail of clues through paddocks, barns and hidden corners of the farm, solving puzzles and cracking codes in an effort to track down the cheeky escape artist. With help from a cast of four-legged accomplices along the way, the experience transforms a simple farm visit into a whimsical goat chase set among the rolling Tasmanian countryside.
Valid 1 May – 30 August 2026.
Paradise Road Farm – Cygnet, Southern Tasmania
Offer: Winter walk with the farm goats
Guests staying two nights at Paradise Road Farm can join the property’s resident goat family for a guided walk through the farm’s paddocks and pastures. Led by the hosts, this Off Season-only experience explores the goats’ role within the farm’s regenerative farming practices, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the seasonal workings of the property. The package includes accommodation for two, continental breakfast and a guided farm walk.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Saintys Creek Cottage – South Bruny Island, Southern Tasmania
Offer: Birdwatching retreat on Bruny Island
At Saintys Creek Cottage on South Bruny Island, birdlife takes centre stage this winter. Overlooking native bushland from the property’s dedicated bird observatory, guests can watch yellow-tailed black cockatoos wheel overhead and keep an eye out for the endangered forty-spotted pardalote, one of Tasmania’s rarest birds. Mornings begin to a chorus of birdsong, while evenings offer the chance to watch resident birdlife return to roost with a glass of Tasmanian wine in hand. This Off Season package also includes a $20 voucher to Lunawanna Café.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Devils@Cradle – Cradle Mountain, North-West Tasmania
Offer: Dessert with the devil
At Devils@Cradle, guests can spend an evening in the company of one of Tasmania’s most iconic animals. This winter-exclusive experience begins with an up-close encounter with a young resident Tasmanian devil, followed by a guided tour of the sanctuary and an opportunity to meet its resident quolls before watching the devils feed beneath Cradle Mountain’s star-filled skies. Afterwards, guests gather around a crackling campfire to toast marshmallows and enjoy a selection of Tasmanian sweet treats and a warm drink.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Devils@Cradle – Cradle Mountain, North-West Tasmania
Offer: Twilight joey encounter
As twilight settles across Cradle Mountain’s alpine landscape, guests joining this small-group experience are introduced to Devils@Cradle’s younger Tasmanian devil residents. This guided encounter offers a rare opportunity to watch the joeys play, interact and explore their surroundings while learning about their development and the conservation work helping to secure the species’ future. The evening concludes around a crackling campfire with toasted marshmallows in hand, framed by the crisp mountain air and one of Tasmania’s most loved winter landscapes.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
Crowne Plaza Hobart – Hobart, Southern Tasmania
Offer: Neon nightfall stay and tour
Crowne Plaza Hobart has paired an overnight city stay with one of Tasmania’s most unusual after-dark animal experiences. Led by Dr Lisa Gershwin, the two-hour Glow Tour reveals a hidden side of the natural world, where UV light transforms possums, fungi and invertebrates into vivid displays of colour and pattern. Following the evening adventure, guests can retreat to a standard guest room, with glow-themed Simple Glow chocolates, buffet breakfast for two and a leisurely midday checkout included.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
East Coast Natureworld – Bicheno, East Coast Tasmania
Offer: Devils in the dark tour
East Coast Natureworld is offering a front-row seat to one of Tasmania’s most fascinating wildlife spectacles. From the comfort of a purpose-built hide, guests can observe Tasmanian devils feeding after dark while guides provide insight into the behaviour and conservation of the endangered species. Served alongside Tasmanian wine and local cheese, the experience combines wildlife viewing with an intimate look at an animal rarely seen this closely in action. Throughout June and July, adults can attend at children’s prices.
Valid 1 June – 31 July 2026.
Wing’s Wildlife Park – Gunns Plains, North-West Tasmania
Offer: Ultimate wildlife and wine – private winter tour
Offering a more intimate way to experience one of Tasmania’s largest wildlife collections, Wings Wildlife Park’s private winter tour pairs keeper-led encounters with local food and wine. Across 90 minutes, guests can meet wombats, Tasmanian devils and koalas, take part in a private trout feeding and spend time with young animals being cared for by the park. Afterwards, Tasmanian cheeses, seasonal fruit and a glass of local wine provide a relaxed conclusion to the experience. Guests booking additional animal encounters receive a 15 per cent saving.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
King Island Walks – King Island, North-West Tasmania
Offer: Penguins, pinot and puffer jackets
On King Island, winter evenings are best spent rugged up beside the coast waiting for the day’s smallest arrivals. This after-dark experience invites travellers to watch little penguins emerge from the Southern Ocean and make their nightly journey home, accompanied by a glass of Tasmanian pinot noir and insights from local guides. Weatherproof jackets are provided, making it easy to settle in and enjoy one of the island’s cutest wildlife spectacles.
Valid 1 May – 31 August 2026.
