Located 74 km north of Hobart, Bothwell is a quiet farming town on the Clyde River. It was named after a town in Lanarkshire, Scotland by Governor George Arthur in 1824.

The first European into the area had been Lieutenant Thomas Laycock whom, while navigating the island from Port Dalrymple (Launceston) to Hobart in 1806, camped beside the Fat Doe River (subsequently renamed the Clyde River) near the present site of the town.

The town was laid out in 1824 with the two broad main streets being named Alexander (after Alexander Reid of 'Ratho') and Patrick (after Patrick Wood of Denistoun). The strong Scottish element in the early population is evident everywhere. The second oldest Presbyterian Church in Australia is the town's St Luke's Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church, which was built between 1828-31. It is claimed that the first game of golf in Australia was played on Alexander Reid's property 'Ratho' in the 1820s - the course where this famous event took place is still in use and can be played by keen golf lovers. Take a look at golfing history in the Australasian Golf Museum. Bothwell is the home of Australia's first Aberdeen Angus stud.

The lakes region is located in Central Tasmania’s region to the south of the Great Western Tiers, and is largely responsible for Tasmania's growing reputation as an angler's paradise. Peak trout fishing occurs in January and February. When lake levels are high, it is possible to participate in sighted fishing, where the angler wears polarised glasses allowing an individual fish to be spotted and a fly presented to it.

Fishing is not the only activity of interest in the lakes region. Some of the thousands of lakes were formed through glacial action, whereas others are due to well-established hydro-electric schemes. The Waddamana Power Museum is at the site of Tasmania's first power station, built in 1910. Wayatinah is another "hydro town", and is close to many operational dams and power stations.

Some of the better trout fishing areas and related accommodations are:

• Miena area
• Bronte Park area
• Tarraleah area
• Derwent Bridge area
• Interlaken area