Why you should visit Tasmania in winter: Dark skies, warm saunas and fire feasts

From May to August, Tasmania settles into its coldest months – when fireplaces are lit and dark skies glow with winter festivals.

Temperatures dip to between 3 and 11 deg C, with snow dusting alpine regions across the state. Winter also brings earlier nights, with skies darkening by around 5pm. 

The longer evenings create ideal conditions for some of Australia’s most captivating stargazing moments. On clear nights, travellers might spot the Milky Way – a spiral galaxy of several hundred billion stars – stretching across the sky. 

With a bit of luck, they might also witness the Southern Lights. Also known as the Aurora Australis, this ethereal phenomenon appears as rippling waves of pink, green, yellow and blue light, caused by charged solar particles interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.

Tasmania’s southern latitude makes it one of the few places in the world where the lights can be seen fairly regularly.

For those who want to sleep beneath the stars, the Tamar Valley region offers a fitting base. 

Around a 30-minute drive from the city of Launceston, or about two hours and 45 minutes from Hobart International Airport, glamping property Domescapes in the Vines features three geodesic domes designed for celestial viewing.

Each 28 sq m dome has clear panels covering about a quarter of its structure, offering vineyard views by day and unobstructed skies after dark. Curtains can be drawn for privacy. 

A two-night stay in April starts at A$639 (S$572.20) and includes extras such as a wine tasting at the on-site cellar door and a breakfast voucher.

Alternatively, experience Tasmania’s dark skies from the water. The Sea to Sky Night Cruise by tour operator Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures is a two-hour catamaran tour (A$295 a person) run by multi-generational fishermen. 

It departs from the town of Margate, roughly 20 minutes by road from Hobart, and blends storytelling with open-water stargazing and includes a hot meal and beverages.

In Hobart, however, the darkness is punctuated by the mid-winter festival Dark Mofo, which takes place in June. Shopfronts and public spaces adorn themselves with red decorative lights, transforming the city into a hub of artistic expression.

The festival typically spans two weeks around the winter solstice, with a mix of free and ticketed events ranging from music performances to large-scale art installations to its signature food event, Winter Feast.

In 2025, the event – which is free on Sundays – had more than 70 food stalls serving winter favourites such as slow-cooked meats and hot apple cider, alongside music performances set up among outdoor fire pits. 

In 2026, Dark Mofo will run from June 11 to 22. The first release of tickets for Night Mass, one of the festival’s flagship music-and-art events, sold out within two hours when they went on sale on Jan 8. Organisers say registrations for tickets rose by 36 per cent compared with 2025’s figures.

For a more immersive way to keep warm, Tasmania’s sauna scene offers a distinctive winter ritual.

Kuuma Nature Sauna (A$90 a person) operates from a purpose-built sauna boat that sails from Margate to various locations in North West Bay, a coastal bay to the south of Hobart.

Guests can choose between a 90-minute and three-hour session, where they can cycle between a wood-fired sauna and cold plunges in the Southern Ocean. Water temperatures average around 9 deg C in winter.

Alternatively, travellers can head inland to Lake Derby Floating Sauna (A$55 a person), about a 3½-hour drive from Hobart. 

Set far from the city’s bustle, the wood-fired sauna – known as Australia’s first floating sauna – comfortably fits five people and opens onto the still waters of Lake Derby, where guests can opt for a bracing dip.

For more information, go to

Discover Tasmania.