Heritage Island

Tasmania is a small island, located at the southeast corner of mainland Australia. It is Australia's smallest state in terms of both size and population. Tasmania enjoys much the same temperate climate as other southern Australian states. The capital city of Tasmania is Hobart, located in the south-east of the island. Launceston is the largest city in the north.

Tasmania is a major tourist attraction due to the diverse and spectacular scenery. Rugged coastlines, unspoilt wilderness, interesting geology, and extraordinary wildlife are the natural heritage of the island. Tasmanian food producers rely on the pristine environment to manufacture high quality delicacies. Beer is brewed from probably the cleanest water in the world, and the green pastures of King Island are ideal for cheese making. And finally the island has a rich history, as it has one of the first English settlements in Australia.

The limestone distribution is mainly in the western half of the island, in a sort of belt along the coast from the northwest to the southeast. There are numerous caves all over this limestone areas, and numerous show caves or semi wild cave tours. Most of western Tasmania was covered by limestone during the Ordovician period. Much of it was later covered by younger rock formations. The limestones were mostly formed as coral reefs in a shallow, oxygen rich sea. But in deeper parts of the sea was also limestone deposited through the accumulation of microscopic marine organisms.