EVER dusted off an old pair of pants left hanging in the cupboard and found a forgotten $50 bill in one of the pockets?
It is not the money, necessarily, that offers the thrill. It is the sheer surprise. Taking delight in the unexpected.
Now, a neglected pair of pants might not have much relevance to Tasmania, the island state of Australia. But the serendipitous fifty, well, that is another matter. That is a surprise. And it is a bit like Tassie, as the locals call Tasmania.
Sydney is one of Australia's most coveted destinations and the gateway for the country's international visitors. But little Tassie rarely gets packaged into travel plans.
In fact, only about 3 per cent of all international visitors to Australia visit Tasmania. But for those who fly south, Tasmania can offer a wardrobe's worth of forgotten fifties.
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmania claims the southernmost point of the country, just an hour's flight from the Australian mainland. And just as some of the world's famously alluring islands are tagged 'unspoilt' and 'pristine' so, for the most part, is Tasmania.
Tasmania is about 100 times the size of Singapore. But while Singapore has a population of 4 million, Tasmania has just 500,000 souls.
Around 20 per cent of Tassie is Unesco World Heritage Area stretching from the Great Western Tiers to the southernmost tip - the next landmass is Antarctica.
There are vast tracts of temperate rainforests where footprints can be still considered something of a novelty. Much of it is home to indigenous fauna including wallabies, platypus and the unique Tasmanian Devil, the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial.
Clean air, fresh food
As an island, Tasmania is quarantined from many forms of pollution and from a number of pests and diseases that affect plants and animals in other countries.
Rich and blooming produce is fuelled by air streams travelling over cleansing waters stretching beyond Tasmania to South America, Antarctica and Africa. Between Tassie and these great continents, there is little else.
The air in north-west Tasmania is, reportedly, among the cleanest recorded in any populated place.
Tassie seems to have an altogether uncluttered and pure view of the world.
On the state's east coast, a string of charming fishing villages and their intimate seaside restaurants offer freshly harvested oysters, mussels and crayfish. You would only get seafood fresher if you caught it yourself.
Part of Tasmania's intrigue is that fine food and wine are never far from the wild. Tasmania's wilderness can be experienced without suffering any of the privations normally associated with plunges into expansive wilds.
Companies as boutique as the island's cool-climate vineyards (pinots are a speciality) can take you into the remote, while serving up fine food and wine.
Bay of Fires
The Bay of Fires is a wilderness coastline on the edge of the Mt William National Park. The park is home to Forester kangaroos, echidnas and wombats.
The Bay of Fires Lodge is the only building for miles. Access to this east coast retreat is either by helicopter or on foot.
Most visitors arrive via a two-day, fully escorted walk along pristine beaches. The guides are trained by chef Daniel Alps, one of the state's most celebrated chefs. Packet noodles have no place here. This is as gourmet as hiking can be.
The walk begins at Boulder Point with views north to the Bass Strait Islands, stepping stones of the land bridge that once connected Tasmania to the Australian mainland. Secluded beaches are tucked between sand dunes and rocky headlands - the perfect place for a relaxed lunch.
Visitors to the Bay of Fires Lodge spend two nights in architectural designed accommodation after the hiking component.
The lodge hosts a maximum of 10 visitors at a time. Somehow this ensures that not only the house, but also the guests, blend in with the environment.
Rainwater is collected and stored for use in the bathrooms and kitchens. A solar panel provides power for all lighting and the composting toilet ventilation.
Still, most people may remember the lapping waters of the Tasman Sea and the wombats before the surreptitious highlights of sustainable accommodation.
But the good news for climate change advocates is that in Tassie, there are, increasingly, more experiences like the Bay of Fires.
