Flinders Island lies 60 km off the north-east tip of Tasmania and has dramatic and varied landscapes – from the pink and grey granite cliffs of Strzelecki and Killiecrankie to the gentle, green farmland that rolls through the northern part of the island.
The island has prolific birdlife and wildlife that increases each year when thousands of migratory birds stop to rest at the island’s eastern lagoons and inlets on their long flights north to the Arctic Circle. The island’s dense coastal scrub also provides shelter for wallabies and wombats.
Flinders is an island of friendly locals – take a stroll through the towns of Whitemark and Lady Barron or the little settlements of Emita and Killiecrankie and you’ll soon meet people with the time and inclination to stop and chat.
The island’s colonial heritage is evident at the historic site of Wybalenna where in 1834 the government resettled over 100 aboriginal men, women and children to be “civilised”. The graveyard contains unmarked aboriginal graves along with the graves of some of the first European settlers. This place is a must for history lovers, though hauntingly sad.
Regular flights to Flinders Island leave from Launceston or Essendon in Victoria. Visitors can also reach the island by ferry from Bridport in Tasmania and Port Welshpool in Victoria.