The 2006/07 season saw Hilfenhaus named Tasmania's Player of the Year as the club won the Pura Cup for the first time.

[2] The 19-year-old Hilfenhaus was one of 25 young players given scholarships to go to the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in May 2002,[3] and later that year he was given a rookie contract with Tasmania for the 2002/03 season.

[5] It was not until 17 October 2005 that he made his senior debut aged 22, playing for Tasmania in the Pura Cup, Australia's first-class competition.

The match ended in a draw and Hilfenhaus took a single wicket, that of Mitchell Johnson bowled, while conceding 126 runs.

Hilfenhaus was rewarded with a full contract with Tasmania for the first time and he was given a place in the Australia "A" squad for the winter Top End series.

[11] He was included in Australia's squad for the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship, his first tour with the senior national side, as a replacement for Shaun Tait.

He also received a call up to the Test squad to take on Sri Lanka when South Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait was ruled out with injury.

A stress fracture of the back prevented him from departing with the touring party and ruled him out of playing; instead fellow fast bowler Doug Bollinger was selected in his place.

His performance in the first Test, with match figures of 5/70, earned Hilfenhaus a Man-of-the-Match award as Australia won by an innings.

Across the five Tests, Australia used four front-line fast bowlers: Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, and Hilfenhaus with support from all-rounder Shane Watson.

[31] Though Hilfenhaus was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a price of $100,000,[32] he did not play in the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) held in April due to injury.

The intention was to give him the opportunity to find some form before the full Australia team toured Sri Lanka and South Africa later that year.

[34] When the squad to tour Sri Lanka was announced in July, Hilfenhaus was omitted, according to selector Greg Chappell this was because he was not fit enough.

[35] By the time New Zealand toured for two Tests in December, Hilfenhaus was back in contention for a place in the national squad.

National selector John Inverarity explained that "I think [Hilfenhaus] had a few body concerns and his action deteriorated a little bit last year and he seems to have got it back and been playing in very good form.

Hilfenhaus took four wickets in each of India's innings and as a result broke into the top 10 of the ICC's ranking for Test bowlers for the first time.

[40] An injury to Brett Lee and Hilfenhaus' form in the Test series against India meant the latter was included in the ODI squad for a tri-nation tournament in February.

[46] After being dropped from the Test side, Hilfenhaus was encouraged by his captain at Tasmania, George Bailey, to use more variation in angle and length.

[48] Hilfenhaus, of German ancestry,[49] is an avid golfer with an eight handicap[50] and was Mr September in the McGrath Foundation's 2009 Men of Cricket calendar.