In fact, he was playing pool at Sporties Hotel in Launceston.

It was the first of multiple appearances in Tasmania from Scott Morrison over the course of a two-month period.

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This love affair with the state was not, of course, entirely unconditional.

Morrison knew that if he was to wrest from Labor even one of the three Tasmanian seats considered in play at the election - Bass, Braddon and Lyons - the Coalition would be in with a chance of winning a majority on the floor of the House of Representatives.

And his focus on the state appeared to pay off, with the Liberals seizing both Bass and Braddon.

The preceding campaign was colourful, maddening and unpredictable, often all at once. And no moment was more unpredictable than election night, where pollsters and pundits alike were left red-faced as the Coalition won a third term.

It's hard to believe that was little more than six months ago.

The campaign was marred by scandals which saw several candidates across the country step down.

In Tasmania, that was Lyons Liberal hopeful Jessica Whelan.

Whelan's personal Facebook account became the subject of intense media attention when several offensive posts she'd made were unearthed.

She was found to have made Islamophobic remarks online, including on state Labor leader Rebecca White's Facebook page. She claimed her posts had been doctored.

To add insult to injury for the Liberals, the party had previously been emboldened by strong internal polling showing Whelan could seriously challenge incumbent Labor member Brian Mitchell for his seat.

This was backed up months after polling day in Labor's election review, which found the Liberals were tracking to win Lyons. While Whelan ensured Labor MHR Brian Mitchell got another three years, the controversy didn't derail the Liberals' campaign in Tasmania like it threatened to.

Despite going on to contest Lyons as an independent, Whelan's chances were dashed.

During one of Bill Shorten's scant few visits to Tasmania, he appeared at Mona near Hobart, pledging $50 million for the museum's expansion.

This made Liberal tacticians' eyes light up. The party ignited a polarising debate by launching an advertising campaign calling Labor out for supposedly only caring about the South, highlighting also the ALP's commitment of $25 million to aid the push for a Tasmanian AFL team, which the Liberals claimed would be based in the Southern half of the state.

It was a cynical move that invoked the historical parochialism which has at times held the state back. While it was arguably base politics, the ads seemed to cut through in the North and North-West.

Then election day arrived, with a great deal of Tasmanians, like so many of their mainland counterparts, waking up with the expectation that a change of government was imminent.

As we all now know, it absolutely wasn't.

Incumbent Labor MHR Ross Hart lost the notoriously fickle Bass to Liberal candidate and George Town mayor Bridget Archer, who has a wafer-thin 0.4 per cent margin.

Liberal candidate Gavin Pearce, a military veteran, comfortably beat sitting Labor member Justine Keay in Braddon, winning a 3.1 per cent margin.

Labor senator Lisa Singh lost her seat, after history repeated and she was bumped to an unenviable position on the party's Senate ticket.

The state's lone Nationals senator Steve Martin failed to retain his seat, too, after he'd replaced Jacqui Lambie following her resignation due to holding dual citizenship in late 2017.

But as the old went out, in came the new, with Liberal Claire Chandler securing a place in Canberra.

It was a triumphant night for the Liberals, as they ultimately went on to win a one-seat majority, even as they were still smarting from the bruising leadership spill of 2018.

A lot has been made of Queensland's role in deciding the election and delivering a 4 per cent swing against the ALP, with the Coalition yanking two seats from under the party in the Sunshine State.

But let's not forget a similarly shocking result was produced in Tasmania, although there was a lesser swing of 1.4 per cent to the Liberals. However, the net gain in seats was the same in both states.

The prime minister rewarded Tasmania for showing faith in him by appointing Senator Richard Colbeck to his ministry, and Senator Jonathon Duniam to an assistant ministry. Before May this year, Tasmania had no senior representation in government ranks.

Shorten, meanwhile, shrunk into the shadows, having suffered a humiliating defeat. His replacement as Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, is described by colleagues as a great friend of Tasmania.

And well he should be. After all, it's a friendship that could be the key to him leading Labor to victory in 2022.