Tasmania is remote and wild in the most delicious ways. The small island state off the south coast of mainland Australia faces Antarctica to its south and is home to vast areas of undeveloped lands protected as nature preserves. A big part of its beauty is it’s not on everyone’s radar—yet. Buzz about “Tassie” has been building since the opening of the outrageously daring MONA museum courtesy of an eccentric Tasmanian billionaire. The thriving culinary scene entices food and wine lovers and the great outdoors beckon hikers and campers. While it does get its fair share of visitors these days, Tasmania’s hidden gem quality remains 100% intact. Between the wildness and its smaller population size (just over half a million), Tasmania feels like its own little country or planet. There’s zero sense of hustle and bustle; even the biggest cities of Hobart and Launceston with the largest population concentrations feel quite chilled out. My six-day introduction to Tasmania included four nights on the rural east coast and two nights in Hobart.