Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located 240 kilometres south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000, of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart precinct. Tasmania’s area is 68,401 square kilometres, of which the main island covers 62,409 square kilometres.

By Noodle snacks. C. Commons

Tasmania is promoted as the natural state and the "island of inspiration" owing to its large and relatively unspoiled natural environment. Almost 37% of Tasmania lies in reserves, national parks and World Heritage Sites. The island is 364 kilometres long from northernmost to southernmost points, and 306 kilometres from west to east.

It is believed that the island was joined to the mainland until the end of the last glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago.

Much of the island is composed of Jurassic dolerite intrusions (upwellings of magma) through other rock types, sometimes forming large columnar joints. Tasmania has the world's largest areas of dolerite, with many distinctive mountains and cliffs formed from this rock type. Mount Wellington above Hobart is a good example, showing distinct columns known as the Organ Pipes. In the southwest, Precambrian quartzites are formed from very ancient sea sediments and form strikingly sharp ridges and ranges, such as Federation Peak or Frenchman's Cap. In the northeast and east, continental granites can be seen. In the northwest and west, mineral-rich volcanic rock can be seen at Mt. Read near Rosebery, or at Mt. Lyell near Queenstown. Also present in the south and northwest is limestone with magnificent caves.

The quartzite and dolerite areas in the higher mountains show evidence of glaciation, and much of Australia's glaciated landscape is found on the Central Plateau and the Southwest. The combination of these different rock types offers incredible scenery, much of it distinct from any other region of the world.

By Noodle snacks. C. Commons

After reading it, Paco thinks: 'I wish we had a place like this in Spain', and starts packing his clothes.

¹ Adapted from Wikipedia.org

Read and listen to the passage carefully and answer the following questions:

1. Has the mainland of Tasmania always been an island?

2. What is Mount Wellington mainly made of?

By Adam Carr. Public domain

The big red and white ship which links Tasmania and the mainland, The Spirit of Tasmania, is docking at Hobart, the capital city. On this occasion, before going to the hotel he will stay in, Paco must go to the centre of the city to buy a new mobile phone, since his old mobile had fallen into the sea. As he walks, he notices all the houses in Hobart are of different shapes and colours. 'I wish I had a house like that', he thinks when he sees a tall square red house on the right.

He enters the shop and asks the shop assistant for a mobile phone. He buys a modern small black mobile ('This is the third mobile I buy this year, If only I had been more careful', Paco says to himself). While the kind shop assistant is preparing the bill, Paco asks him about the beautiful houses he has seen. The man says that Tasmanian people are very individualist and continues...

By mugley. C. Commons

One way Australians express their individuality is through the homes in which they live. Houses come in a great variety of shapes, sizes and colors, some with very interesting architecture, and virtually no two houses are alike. Houses built on level ground rarely have basements, but of course those thousands that are built on the steep hillsides of Tasmania have two or more levels. Houses in town tend to be very close together. Fences are found along almost every border between houses, as Australians value their privacy. Most houses have a ceramic tile or corrugated tin roof–virtually no other types of roofing are seen in Tasmania. Many Australians who live in city or suburban areas also have a shack or vacation home in the mountains or by the beach. An Aussie holiday shack is usually a fully-equipped home.¹

The vast majority of homes do not have central heat. Many use wood heaters (wood stoves), but electric heat is also very popular. Most electrical power comes from a network of hydroelectric power stations found all over the state. Gas heaters and heat pumps are sometimes installed...

The shop assistant was going to continue speaking, but Paco, amazed, tells him he is in a hurry. He thanks the shop assistant for both the service and the perfect explanation about Tasmanian houses and leaves the shop. At the street, he says: 'I wish I hadn't asked him about the houses...'

¹ Some information taken from A Yank's Guide to Life in Tassie, by Ben Armacost.

Read and listen to the passage carefully. Then answer the following questions.

1. What does Paco regret in the shop?

2. According to the text, what do Australians appreciate?