Join the zookeepers of East Coast Natureworld between 1 May and 31 August as they help raise orphaned wombats and conduct daily health checks. Every day at 9am, a breakfast of grains, grass and root veg are served to these cute characters, who live within rehabilitation enclosures amid the wildlife park’s 60 hectares of coastal bushland and lagoons, situated in Bicheno on the East Coast. As an optional extra, groups with children aged six and above can stay around for the 90-minute Devils in the Dark tour at 5pm, where you can watch – from an enclosed viewing space – the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial (the state’s renowned Tasmanian devil) devour their dinner.

Nestled on Tasmania’s North West coast, Burnie’s newest boutique hotel, One North Terrace, offers spectacular Bass Strait views from every one of its 30 rooms. In addition to complimentary minibar snacks and late checkout during winter, the property’s location near West Beach means Little Penguin Observation Centre is within walking distance, while Hellyers Road Distillery and Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden are both short drives away.

On the Tamar Valley Wine Route, just 20 minutes from Launceston, Brady’s Lookout Cider opens its candlelit cellar every Sunday from May to August to screen a silent film revealing the secret lives of endangered wildlife. The perfect accompaniment? The cidery’s signature beverage, made using time-honoured Méthode Traditionnelle techniques, where fermentation is finished in the bottle.

From brisk walks to cosy film nights, Tasmania takes every classic winter activity and amplifies it to a new level. Start planning your ultimate trip at qantas.com.

The Tassie Scallop Fiesta on 3 August brings all things maritime, fishing and seafood to Bridport, in Tasmania's north-east. Expect music, cooking demonstrations, wine masterclasses and the festival’s famous scallop pie contest. There are two categories up for contention: the traditional curried scallop pie and a scallop pie with a filling of your choosing. What’s in it for the winner besides the shared $1000 prize? According to Director Tony Scott, it’s “bragging rights.” Tickets must be bought online ahead of time and will be available from May.

Meet the residents of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. On a private feeding tour during the day, you’ll get to hand-feed the stars of the show, including tawny frogmouths, echidnas, sugar gliders and Tasmanian devils. But on the Off Season’s Bite Size Night Tour, it’s all about breakfast for nocturnal species, including Forester kangaroos, wombats, eastern quolls and Tasmanian devils. Tours start at 5.15pm and run from May to September.

It starts in the paddock, where you’ll learn about regenerative farming systems in the company of a herd of miniature goats at the property in Penguin, on the state’s North West coast. Then Hideaway Farmlet’s host, Brad Palmer, will begin to spin the vinyl during your own two-hour winter Mini G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) Doof. Choose your genre – whether it’s disco and 70s, drum and bass, 80s and 90s pop classics, techno and house, jazz and blues, rock or punk – and let Palmer lead the way. After dancing up a sweat, rewind and relax by the fire with a glass of local wine or whisky before retiring to your self-contained cottage, where a queen bed, extra blankets, hot water bottles, board games and a continental breakfast (for the morning) await.

There’s no better way to battle the winter chill than working up a sweat on the dance floor. Get the party started by booking your flights to Tasmania now.

There’s no better time for a warming dram of Tasmania’s famous whisky than winter, but add to that a world-class wine tasting or two and you’ve got yourself a thrilling adventure for your tastebuds. Northern Tasmania’s Tamar Valley producers Tamar Ridge Wines, Pirie Tasmania and Turner Stillhouse will join forces this Off Season to host a dedicated Whisky and Wine Tour that takes you across all three estates. When you’re done, retire to your luxury digs at Pointe Rapide Estate, overlooking the Kanamaluka (River Tamar).

Usually moored at Margate Marina, 20 minutes south of Nipaluna/Hobart, Kuuma Nature Sauna can take up to eight guests on a unique cruising experience. But from 5 to 15 June, it’ll dock at Kings Pier Marina, right in the heart of the city’s waterfront precinct, for the avant-garde festival Dark Mofo. Guests aged 18 and over can book a one-hour Dark Dip 90º/6º ritual – the floating woodfired sauna features a music system, fire pit and an ice bath set to six degrees Celsius.

From wild parties to relaxing wellness breaks, winter in Tasmania can move as fast or slow as you like. Start planning your ultimate escape here.

And we mean the entire hog, from nose to curly tail, at low-waste, low-intervention Fork it Farm, 40 minutes from Launceston, where heritage Berkshire pigs are raised on open pastures. The Whole Hog Feast, served at a long table in a paddock on 3 May and 9 August (or a winter Christmas-themed feast on 7 June) includes crispy pig’s ears with apple and cucumber jam and slow-roasted pig’s head. Sleep it off in the on-site eco-cottage and tuck into farm-made bacon with eggs for breakfast.

Think of it as a licence to indulge: in the south-east corner of Tasmania at Dunalley, Bangor Vineyard Shed’s two-hour Bangor Lazy Winter Lunch kicks off with an invitation to challenge yourself with blind wine tasting – a sampling session where the drops you’ll taste could span anything from a late-disgorged blanc de blanc to a full-bodied pinot noir. Afterwards, wander through the vineyard with mulled wine (warmed with dehydrated orange and spices) in hand, then make your way to the private wine room for a meal that might include the likes of Spring Bay mussels or miso mushroom risotto, followed by white chocolate and mango cheesecake.

In the Off Season, the lunches are longer, the wine is bolder and the food is just sensational. Start planning your gourmet getaway to Tasmania here.

16 Winter Food Moments You Can Only Have in Tasmania