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Perception within Australia

Tasmania is perceived within Australia and internationally as an island with pristine wildlife, water and air. It is known for its ecotourism for these reasons, and is considered an idyllic location for Australians considering a "tree-" or "sea-change", or are seeking retirement because of Tasmania's temperate environment and friendly locals. In other parts of the world, Tasmania is considered as the opposite side of the planet to most places, and supposedly home to mythically exotic animals, such as the Tasmanian devil as popularised by Warner Brothers.

Stereotypes

Tasmania has a reputation within Australia that is often at odds with the reality of the state, or may have only been true during colonial times and has only persevered on the Australian mainland as a myth. Because of these stereotypes, Tasmania is often referred to as the primary "butt" of Australian jokes. In more recent times, references to insults against Tasmania are more sarcastic and jovial, but angst against the island still exists. The most commonly cited sarcastic comment is on the supposedly 'two-headed' Tasmanians. But as Tasmania receives higher volumes of inter-state tourists, the perceptions are in the process of changing, due to a higher awareness of the state's unique beauty, and an acknowledgement of the similarities and 'mateship' that hold Australia together.

The most prominent example of negative stereotype is of inbreeding due to the relatively small size of Tasmania compared to the rest of Australia (though Tasmania is nearly as large as Ireland in area, and more populous than Iceland). This is untrue of course, and if it had once been the case, it would have existed in the rest of colonial Australia as well, though Tasmania's penal establishments were some of the harshest in the entire colony and home to infamous bushrangers. This is a part of the also-receding global stereotype that all Australians are or were derived from criminals, even as most convicts were transported for petty crimes. During this period of European settlement, Tasmania was the second centre of power (and a significant port of the British Empire) on the continent after New South Wales, before being surpassed in the latter half of the 19th century by Victoria and regions sustained by mining booms following the cessation of transportation in 1853. A mentality developed in certain corners of Australia, and led to a general dislike of Tasmania amongst these people, even if the opinion-holder had never properly visited. It can rise to such an extent as to argue for the secession of Tasmania from the rest of Australia, in an effort to 'recover' Australia's reputation from Tasmania.

More commonly, stereotypes against Tasmania exist not maliciously, but as a generally-held thought. In some cases, these are true, but subjectively or from a certain personal perspective. This is particularly the case for the Tasmanian weather, which is considered notoriously cold, dark, and rainy in Australia. This is because Australia is partially sunnier and drier than most of Tasmania which is also situated at a more polar position, though the entire Australian continent on average is the sunniest on Earth. Tasmania could not be considered a cold or dark place by international standards (where it is maritime temperate bordering on Mediterranean), apart from the sparsely-populated West or South-West (where it is more on par with western Europe). Tasmania does get extreme weather events however, such as snow and strong winds.

Because of Tasmania's relative being of 'unknown', many Tasmanians would prefer for Tasmania to either achieve greater recognition, or remain a secret. This leads to sarcastic echoes of stereotypes or myths in order to deter mainlanders who are seen as wealthy intruders. On the other end, tourism provides one of the most important industries in modern Tasmania, and Tasmania has a lot to offer. There are also controversies within the state that have required external observation to be resolved, such as the Franklin Dam controversy, and so temporary attention is brought onto the issue. It is also because of Tasmania's perceived unimportance that it is often left off of maps containing Australia, these maps typically also omit New Zealand.

Tasmania
State
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle; Tassie
Motto(s):  Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness)
Location of Tasmania in Australia
Coordinates: 42°S 147°E
Country	Australia
Crown colony as Van Diemen's Land	1825
Responsible government as Colony of Tasmania	1856
Federation	1 January 1901
Australia Act	3 March 1986
Capital and largest city	Hobart
Government
• Type	Constitutional monarchy
• Body	Tasmanian Government
• Governor	Barbara Baker
• Premier	Peter Gutwein (Liberal)
Legislature Upper house Lower house	Parliament of Tasmania Legislative Council (15 seats) House of Assembly (25 seats)
Judiciary	Supreme Court Magistrates Court
Federal representation	Parliament of Australia House seats 5/151 Senate seats 12/76
Area
• Total	90,758 km2 (35,042 sq mi)
• Land	68,401 km2 (26,410 sq mi)
• Water	22,357 km2 (8,632 sq mi)
• Rank	7th
Highest elevation (Mount Ossa)	1,617 m (5,305 ft)
Population  (September 2020)
• Total	541,071
• Rank	6th
• Rank	4th
Demonyms	Tasmanian; Taswegian (colloquial)
Time zone	UTC+10:00 (AEST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+11:00 (AEDT)
Postal code	TAS
ISO 3166 code	AU-TAS
GSP year	2019–20
GSP ($A million)	$32,102 (8th)
GSP per capita	$59,779 (7th)
HDI (2019)	0.914 (8th)
Website	www.tas.gov.au
Symbols
Bird	Yellow wattlebird (unofficial) (Anthochaera paradoxa)
Flower	Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
Mammal	Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
Plant	Leatherwood (unofficial) (Eucryphia lucida)
Colour(s)	Bottle Green (PMS 342), Yellow (PMS 114), & Maroon (PMS 194)
Mineral	Crocoite (PbCrO4)