Transport in the Australian state of Tasmania consists of road, rail, maritime, air and pipeline networks. As the sole island state of Australia, Tasmania is highly dependent on ferries and shipping with 99% of goods leaving and entering by sea. In 1976, the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme was introduced by the federal government to subsidise freight shipments in and out of the state. Ferry services include the Tasmanian government-owned Spirit of Tasmania which links to the mainland in approximately 9 -11 hours. Tasmania is the only Australian state to use roll-on/roll-off freight transport.
Convicts built Tasmania's first road in 1810. The Bass Highway connects the three northern cities of Burnie, Devonport and Launceston. Northern city Launceston is connected to the southern capital Hobart directly by the Midland Highway, and via an eastern route by the Tasman Highway. Buses are the only mode of public transport in the state. The Tasman Bridge in Hobart carries five lanes of traffic and is the longest bridge in Tasmania.
The first railway was opened in 1871. Ports in the north of Tasmania feature good connections to the rail network, however intermodal freight transport is popular. The last operational public passenger rail service in Tasmania was withdrawn in 1978. Old railways have been repurposed, for example to provide rail trails for walking and cycling.
Tasmania's first airport was established in 1914. Currently, Tasmania is served by four major domestic airports—the largest being Hobart Airport that is responsible for over 60% of air traffic to Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Gas Pipeline runs from the mainland state of Victoria and supplies natural gas.
In March 2026, the Tasmanian government announced a new body called Building Tasmania that will coordinate infrastructure for the state.
Pre-European settlement The first people arrived in Tasmania about 40,000 years ago. At that time, the Bass Strait did not exist and Tasmania was connected to Victoria by a land bridge called the Bassian Plain.
The Palawa people, Aboriginal Tasmanians, lived on the island prior to European settlement.
Foot and canoe were the methods of transport used by Aboriginal Tasmanians.
About 12,000 years ago during the ice age, Tasmania was separated from mainland Australia.
Aboriginal people transported useful stone up to 100 kilometres from its origin. In 2007, the a group organised by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery made a traditional Palawa canoe based on scans of 1840s canoes in the collection. The canoe was 5.35 m in length and was made using bark from the stringybark tree.
Maritime transport Tasmania is reliant on maritime transport; 99% of freight that enters and leaves the island state is transported by ship. Tasmania's maritime transport network also includes commercial operations, including the Spirit of Tasmania, Bass Strait ferries and the Bass Island Line.
The first Tasmanian port was established in 1804 on the Derwent River. Convicts were sent to the then-Van Diemen's Land from 1812.
In 1877-85 the Pieman River goldfield on the west coast of Tasmania predominantly relied on maritime transport via the ocean due to limited land access, the only such situation across Australian goldfields. Coastal shipping linking to Launceston and Hobart was relied upon for communication, passenger transport and freight of the materials required for mining.
In January 1975, the bulk carrier Lake Illawarra collided with some of the pylons supporting the Tasman Bridge, which subsequently collapsed partially. The incident killed twelve people and cut off Hobart from its eastern suburbs across the River Derwent.
Tasmania is a shipping gateway to Antarctica. As of 2021, four round-trips from Hobart to Dumont d'Urville Station are completed during the summer.
Ferries
The first major ferry in Tasmania was James Austin's ferry, which began operating from 1817. In September 1959, the MS Princess of Tasmania made her maiden voyage across the Bass Strait; she was the first roll-on/roll-off diesel ferry in Australia.
The Spirit of Tasmania ferry connects the port city of Devonport and Geelong in Victoria. This is one of the major ferry services around Tasmania, served by the Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II. In April 2021, Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland signed a contract with Spirit of Tasmania for the construction of the Spirit of Tasmania IV and Spirit of Tasmania V. As of June 2026, these two ships are still not in service.
The Derwent River Ferry runs a service that crosses the mouth of the River Derwent, between the Hobart CBD and Bellerive.
The Australian ferry company SeaLink also operates a service that goes from Kettering to Bruny Island.
The "Mona Roma" is a catamaran ferry that operates between Brooke Street Pier in Sullivans Cove and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Berriedale.
Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme In 1975, Gough Whitlam announced the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme, which was established to financially help freight shippers operating between Tasmania and Mainland Australia. The program began in July 1976. In the original scheme, except in special circumstances, air cargo is excluded, as is bulk cargo. In 2016 the scheme was expanded to international markets with a mainland Australia transhipment requirement.Risbey (2018) Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme : review of the expanded component : final report. p. 1. In the 18 months to 20 June 2017 the scheme paid out $200.12 million in total, with 15.1% coming from the expansion. In 2010 dollars, the scheme had spent $2.6 billion from 1976-2011.
Ports and shipping The first port in Tasmania was established in 1804 on the Derwent River at the locations of present-day Hobart.
Due to its geography, over 99% of Tasmania's goods that are imported and exported are delivered via shipping. The main four ports in Tasmania are Port Burnie, Port of Bell Bay, Port Devonport and Port Hobart, and there are also several other minor ports that serve the island. The operator of all these key ports is the organisation of TasPorts, operating ten ports across the island. As of 2019, no direct international freight liner services visit Tasmanian ports. Frequent services run between Melbourne on the mainland and the northern Tasmanian ports of Burnie, Devonport and Bell Bay. The shipping lines Toll, SeaRoad and TT-Line run daily services between Tasmania and Melbourne with a 55%, 24% and 21% share of trade volume respectively. Tasmania is the only place in Australia to use both traditional container and roll-on/roll-off freight transport options. Cargo destined for interstate that is time-sensitive is moved on refrigerated trailers on the Davonport to Melbourne Bass Strait ferry.
In 1988 the Tasmanian Confederation of Industries complained that it cost $72 per tonne to ship milk powder to Taiwan, whereas it cost $82 per tonne to ship it to Melbourne. In 1988, Tasmania accounted for the majority of cargo transported by coastal ships in Australia.
Major ports
Port Burnie Port Burnie is located in the northern side of the city of Burnie and was established in 1827. A deep-water port, around of Tasmania's general freight is transited through this port yearly. It is serviced by a fleet of four tugboats.
Port Bell Bay Port Bell Bay is a deep-water port located in the north of Tasmania. It sits right beside the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone, which helps provide all-weather access to it. The port's industries include minerals, forestry and project cargoes. The port is serviced by five different boats, including tugboats, landing barges and pilot launch boats.
In 1995, BHP ore-carrying ship Iron Baron grounded on Hebe Reef, two kilometres from the entrance to the Tamar River. It leaked tonnes of fuel oil into the ocean. Parks and Wildlife officers were sent to northern Tasmania to care for affected birds.
Port Devonport Port Devonport is in the centre of Devonport, near the mouth of the River Mersey. It is the docking port of the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, but primarily operates as a cargo port, with of freight being transited through this port every year. It is serviced by four boats.
Port Hobart
Port Hobart is located near the centre of Hobart, near the mouth of the River Derwent. It is Australia's second oldest port, and it is a key gateway to the Antarctic and an active fishing port. It is serviced by five boats.
Minor ports Tasmania also has a collection of minor ports that service the local communities. Historically, some minor ports include Port Arthur, Coles Bay, King Island, Flinders Island, Beauty Point, and Stanley. The privately operated Port Latta is the island's largest bulk export port, primarily iron ore from Savage River mine.
Road transport
Tasmania has a network of roads that connect multiple cities, including the major urban centres of Hobart, Devonport and Launceston. The main agency responsible for the management of arterial Tasmanian roads is the Department of State Growth, while almost all local and urban roads are managed by local government. Some private roads are managed by landowners, or other government departments such as the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania.
Major roads in Tasmania include the Bass Highway, which connects the northern coastal cities of Burnie, Devonport and Launceston; the Midland Highway, which connects the north and south of the state, and the Tasman Highway, which connects both Hobart and Launceston to the east coast of the island.
The first road in Tasmania was constructed in the 1810s by convict road gangs. This road ran between Hobart and Launceston and is now named the Heritage Highway.
From 1997-98, engineering construction on roads, normalised for population, had fallen behind the national trend. The difference achieved record levels leading up to 2007-08. Bridge, railway and harbour construction also trailed behind the national levels from 1988-89 to 1997-98.
By 2001, Tasmania had applied local area speed limits of 50 km/h and 40 km/h to residential areas. Along with the ACT and the Northern Territory, Tasmania maintained a greater urban speed limit of 60 km/h whereas other Australian states moved to lower speed options.
In 2013 the State government announced $1.5 million in funding for projects to aid in protecting road pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
In 2014 the Tasmanian government funded the Cars for Communities community transport scheme. Charging passengers is governed by the TAS Passenger Transport Services Act 2011.Shaw (2016) Paratransit p 225
A 1997 survey found that that 76.1% of Tasmanians drove themselves to work or education in a motor vehicle. Reasons for not using public transport included 31.2% stating that there was no service available and 20.4% stating there were public transport difficulties, such as service infrequency, flexibility and timing.
According to the Department of State Growth, there are over of roads in the state, as well as 1,280 bridges and major structures.
In 2022, the Department of State Growth awarded a contract to McConnell Dowell Constructors for the building of the new Bridgewater Bridge, and in June 2025, the New Bridgewater Bridge near Hobart opened to traffic which provided safer travel and better efficiency to transport. As of 2026, there is progress ongoing in dismantling the old bridge.
Buses In October 1935, the first and only trolley bus service in Tasmania opened in Hobart, which was operated by the Hobart City Council. The fleet operated in Hobart from 1935 to 1969. Hobart's trolley bus network ceased operating in 1969. It also had a network of electric trams initiated in 1893 that ran until 1960. The trams were replaced by the Bedford bus fleet in the late 1950s and early 1960s.