Tasmania is a small island at the edge of the world, closer to Antarctica than northern Australia. Our rich maritime heritage draws from a deep current of Aboriginal coastal life, whalers, convicts, polar explorers, ship building, and global trade. The deepwater harbour of Hobart is a working port where ship's horns echo through the suburbs and seagulls wheel in city streets. Our long dark winter nights are lit by the Aurora Australis, our weather dominated by the Southern Ocean.