Tasmania has been on our bucket list for a very long time, ever since we learned about the Tasmanian Devil and watched videos of Wombats rolling around in the snow. Tasmania is the only place in Australia where we could see that. Its is a great place to explore with its beautiful scenery and changing landscapes. Think of a mixture of Australia’s best landscapes rolled into one small Island! There is a lot to see and do in Tasmania – the trick is picking where to start. With our helpful itinerary we hope to inspire and help plan your dream holiday for when you visit Tasmania.
Despite Tasmania being in our very own country, it has always ranked lower on the places to visit on the planner. In recent years we have favoured International travel instead of travelling domestically. With international travel still on hold this was the perfect opportunity for us to cross the ocean and visit Tasmania for the very first time. We visited in the month of February and we were extremely lucky with the weather. Most days were sunny and we even had a few days were it was around 26 degrees. The best time of year to visit Tasmania is in their summer, from December to February, when it is warm and dry. However Tasmania is a state of four seasons and every season reveals its own beauty and activities.
Best way to travel around Tasmania?
Although Tasmania is reasonably small, we recommend travelling around in either a van or car. This way you can truly grasp it’s beauty and discover more places. The drives around Tasmania are incredibly scenic and offer a wide variety of changing landscapes. There will be many times that you will want to pull over to snap photo’s of the beautiful scenery.
We chose to hire a sprinter van from Apollo in Hobart so we could have the flexibility to travel on our own schedule. There are also great camping sites scattered around Tasmania, it really is a Nomads ideal place! We used Apps like CamperMate or WikiCamps to help locate rest stops, camp grounds, caravan parks and dump stations.
Road tips to keep you safe.
To keep yourself, others and Tasmania’s wildlife safe be sure to follow these simple rule. Slow down and look out for animals on the roads. Pull off the road when stopping to take photos. Slow down on winding, gravel or icy roads. Take regular breaks and avoid driving tired over long periods. If you see injured or orphaned wildlife call Bonorong Wildlife Rescue on 0447264625.
Day 1: Explore Hobart
Hobart is a great starting point for when you visit Tasmania. Despite its small size in comparison to other Australian cities it sure does pack a punch. Tasmania’s state capital is the second oldest in Australia and impressed us in so many ways. Whether you are a wine connoisseur, a gastronomist, a wildlife lover or an outdoor enthusiast there is something for everyone.
Explore the towns variety of delicious cafes and quirky bars. If you love a great coffee and places to brunch then head to Room for a Pony and Born in Brunswick. Spend the afternoon bar hopping around Salamanca and the CBD. Visit the wide variety of wine, beer, cider whisky and gin bars. A few of our favourite bars are The Den, Preachers, Botanica Bar, Society Salamanca and the Salamanca whisky Bar.
Hopefully your in Hobart on a Saturday to check out its best markets- Salamanca Place Markets. Every Saturday from 08:30am to 15:00pm more than 300 local stalls are set up. Here you will find a variety of crafts, gifts, delicious food and drink, homewares, art, handmade jewellery and locally distilled gin. This is the famous Salamanca Market, dating back to 1972. Outside market day, Salamanca Place remains a buzzing area with its long terrace of Georgian houses and dock buildings constructed from honey-coloured local sandstone.
If you love Mexican head to Pancho Villa on Tuesday’s for their $5 taco special. The small restaurant and bar is known for it’s mouth watering food and incredible cocktails. We can confirm the cocktails here were delicious. The Mushroom taco is also a must try!
Stay: Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, Lenna of Hobart.
Day 2: Explore Hobart some more- visit Mount Wellington, Mona Museum
Head up 1,271 metres to the top of Mount Wellington for incredible views over Hobart and the Derwent River. Temperatures on the summit can be between 10 and 15°C cooler than down in Hobart’s city centre. We drove up for sunrise and sunset but unfortunately it was cloudy. The view from the observatory and look outs are still worth doing the winding drive up. You can take the kunanyi/MT Wellington Explorer bus to the top, they offer one way shuttle passes starting at $25. To book click here or have a chat with the lovely staff at reception for other transport options.
Take the ferry or local bus to the biggest attraction in Hobart – MONA Museum (Museum of Old and New Art). This world class art gallery/Musuem was founded by Tasmanian Millionare David Walsh to showcase his private art collection to the public. MONA is filled with interesting, beautiful, weird and wacky exhibits. David Walsh has built up a collection of more than 1,900 works including a Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi. Afterwards enjoy a wine or burger on the grass over looking the onsite vineyard. Book tickets online here.
Taste the best fish and chips in Hobart at The Fish Frenzy on the Elizabeth Street Pier. The part of the harbour lined with seafood restaurants beside a rock-walled marina. We had a great sunny day and loved walking along the piers.
Day 3: Bruny Island
Beyond the Derwent Estuary is an island that stands out for its dazzling natural beauty and exceptional gourmet produce. Indulge in Bruny’s famous cheeses, oysters, fudge, premium wines, honey and whisky while taking in the spectacular landscapes.
To only way to get to Bruny Island is by the Bruny Island Ferry. The ferry departs from Kettering and takes only 20 minutes. Kettering is located 40 minutes south of Hobart and tickets can be purchased on arrival at the Kettering Ferry Terminal. Once you drive onto the ferry you have excellent views of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.
Once you arrive on Bruny Island you are free to explore the whole 362 square kilometre Island. Climb the stairs to the lookout above the Neck – a narrow, sandy isthmus connecting north and south Bruny Island. Here is where you take in spectacular 360-degree views over Adventure Bay.
Try your luck at spotting Bruny’s famous and rare White Wallaby. They are known to hang around the open fields near Caption Cook River. What is the cause of these cute creatures to have snow white fur, pink eyes, nose and claws? A genetic defect in the Bennett’s Wallaby has thrown off the balance of melanin in these little marsupials causing them to become Albine. Despite being incredibly sun sensitive the population of the white wallaby has exceeded over 200 on Bruny Island. Our trip to Bruny was complete after we were lucky enough to spot one White Wallaby.
Stay: Caption Cook Holiday Park
Day 4: Bruny Island
Have the whole day to explore Bruny Island and there are so many things to do. Relax along the beach at Adventure Bay, walk the Cape Queen Elizabeth track, head to Cape Bruny Lighthouse for sunset, explore South Bruny National Park, indulge in tasty local produce at Bruny Island Premium Wines, Bar and Grill. Go on an award winning 3 hour tour with Bruny cruises.
Day 5: Mount Field National Park
Jump on the ferry and make your way to Mount Field national Park. If you have the time stop into Huonville and admire its surrounding landscape and the beautiful Huon River.
A visit to Mount Field National park is a must do, explore Tasmania’s oldest and most diverse National park. Take a leisurely stroll and enjoy being surrounded by towering tree ferns and some of the worlds oldest eucalyptus trees.
Our favourite walk was to the breathtaking three tiered Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. Straight away you are surrounded by towering swamp gums, myrtle and dogwood trees, situating you within some of the most beautiful landscape Tasmania have to offer. Russel Falls was one of the most impressive waterfalls we had seen in Tasmania. Both waterfalls are located on the same walking track and can be reached within 30 minutes.
Camping: Left of Field Campsite, Lake King William Rest area.
Day 6: Lake St Clair – Nelson Falls – Strahan
The drive to Strahan was one of the most scenic, beautiful drives in Tasmania. Be sure to take your time to take in the scenery of the hills and mountains. On the way stop in at the picturesque Lake St Clair and Nelson Falls.
Strahan is the gateway to the World Heritage listed Franklin–Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. There are long stretches of wild ocean beach to explore, massive sand dunes and tones of forest adventures. Strahan is also the departure point for the West Coast Wilderness Railway. From Strahan you can take a return half-day journey into the wilderness or a full-day journey to Queenstown and back.
Walk around small harbour-side village, go into the visitor centre and then watch the sunset from the lookout.
Stay: Strahan Village.
Day 7: Gordon River Cruise – Cradle Mountain
A must do when you visit Tasmania is a river cruise on ‘Spirit of the wild”. Gordon River Cruises takes you through the UNESCO Tasmanian World Heritage area. What we loved about the award winning cruise is the ‘Whisper mode’. The skipper cuts the diesel engines and the vessel cruises through ancient rainforrest and the Gordon River in near silence.
The Gordon River Cruise takes you through the notorious Hells Gates, where the harbour and the Southern Ocean meet. From there, you will make your way across Macquarie Harbour to the fish farms where you’ll learn the fascinating story of salmon and trout farming on the west coast of Tasmania. While quietly cruising the Gordon River with Spirit of the Wild’s electric motors you will take in the breathtaking scenery and calm of our pristine World Heritage-listed wilderness. Stopping at Heritage Landing, take a walk through the temperate rainforest, learning of the local flora and fauna while wandering elevated boardwalks that thread their way between the magnificent rainforest species. To finish explore the ruins of Sarah Island – a once dreaded penal colony before returning to Strahan. Your guided tour on Sarah Island will shar with you the convict tales that will send shivers up your spine.
Throughout the 6 hour cruise we enjoyed gourmet food on the VIP deck with complimentary wine, beer and spirits. Its a stand one experience on a national sale and one we highly recommend. To book your seat on Gordon River Cruises or to see their tours click here.
After the tour we made the windy 3 hour drive to Cradle Mountain. Spend the afternoon exploring some of the short walks located a short walk from the carpark. On one of the walks it takes you through lush rain forests and past a few waterfalls. Keep your eyes peeled for friendly wallabies and wombats.
Camp: We spent the night hidden down at the bottom of the car park at Cradle Mountain visitors center. We didn’t know if this is legal, it was to dark to drive anywhere and the accomodation close by was all booked out.
Day 8: Hansen Peak – Bay of Fires
We started our hike up to Hansen Peak in the dark to make sure we made it for sunrise. We didn’t know how cloudy it was going to be but as the sun came up most of the clouds disappeared and we had the most incredible. The hike up took only about 1.5 hours and wasn’t overly strenuous. On the way down we went for a walk along the picturesque Dove Lake.
Shuttles Buses run from 10am to 5pm to and from Dove Lake car park and the visitors centre. Taking the shuttle busses is encouraged so people don’t drive up. Big vans and motorhomes are not allowed to drive up to Dove Lake because of the single windy road. We wanted to do the hike for sunrise and no busses run this early so we decided to drive up. On the way down we just followed behind a bus so we knew when to pull into a side bay to let the other shuttle pass. If you do take your own vehicle make sure to follow behind the buses to stop any head on collisions.
There are a wide range of different hikes to do in the Cradle Mountain National Park. We only did the one hike to Hansen Peak but if we had more days we would have loved to do an overnight hike.
After our hike we made our way to the east coast to Bay of Fires. The drive takes approximately 4 hours and on the way we stopped at Little Blue Lake. It was nearly dark by the time we made it to our campsite at Cosy Corner South in the Bay of Fires conservation area. We couldn’t wait to wake in the morning and explore the coastline.
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Day 9: Bay of Fires
Spend the day exploring the coastline of Bay of Fires, this beautiful coastline stretches from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point. It is one of the most talked about and photographed places in Tasmania.
Wake up early for sunrise and check out the most photographed tree in all of Australia – “The lonely tree”. The tree is just a short walk from skeleton bay reserve at the very right side of Binalong Bay.
Spend the day beach hopping visiting the stunning beaches at Sloop Lagoon, Taylors Beach, the Gardens Beach and Seatons Cove. Prepare to be surprised just how beautiful the beaches are when you visit Tasmania! If you feel like eating out drive into St Helens, check out some of the cute cafes and restaurants. If it’s on a weekend there might even be some live music on.
Camp: Cosy Corner North or South
Day 10: Freycinet National Park
Unfortunately its time to leave Bay of Fires but I’m sure you will be back again. The drive to Freycinet National Park takes about 2 hours, on the way you can stop into East Coast Nature World to see some cute and cuddly Tasmanian wildlife.
The park sits amongst 150 acres of natural parkland and as a sanctuary it cares for orphans of the road. The park has had to hand raise many native animals until they are big enough to find food for themselves. The range of animals varies from Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Forester Kangaroo, Spotted Quolls to reptiles and some spectacular feathered friends. Inside the park you are free to wander around at your own leisure or at 10am, 12pm or 2 pm you can watch one of the keepers feed the Tasmanian Devils and Wombats. Entry costs $29 per adult.
We arrived at Freycinet in the late afternoon and checked into our stay at Freycinet Lodge. We had dinner at the lodge and made sure to have an early night because the next day we were hiking Mount Amos for sunrise.
Stay: Freycinet Lodge
Day 11: Mount Amos – Freycinet National Park
Start the morning very very early if you want to hike Mount Amos at the best light which is sunrise. Mount Amos is part of the range of granite mountains known as the Hazards, which dominate Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park. The Hazards look their best at sunrise and sunset when the pink granite glows bright.
Drive to the start of Mount Amos track which is only a short 6 minute drive from the lodge. The hike to the top of Mount Amos takes about 1-1.5 hours and is a 3.6km round trip. The track to the summit crosses very steep and slippery rock slabs and can be quite challenging. The track is only suitable for physically fit people and can be extremely dangerous when wet, so be sure to check the weather conditions.
This is why you need to visit Tasmania!
We started the hike around 4am to give enough time to get up to the top and find a good spot to take photographs. Once up the top we were rewarded with incredible panoramic views of Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park. The sky was so clear and we witnessed a beautiful sunrise.
After the hike we made our way back to the Freycinet Lodge in time for a delicious breakfast. For the rest of the day you can visit the other beaches or short walks across the park that are suitable for all abilities and that lead to secluded bays, clean beaches and bird-filled lagoons.
The short trek to Wineglass Bay lookout is not as strenuous as Mount Amos and is well worth doing for one of Tasmania’s most photographed views. For an excellent half day trek continue on from the Wineglass Bay lookout down to the beautiful, perfectly curved Wineglass Bay beach and back to the park entrance via the Hazards Range for amazing views of Great Oyster Bay and the coastline surrounding the sleepy seaside village of Swansea.
Sleepy Bay is a beautiful rocky bay with its turquoise waters and crane lichen-encrusted rocks. Honeymoon Bay is a small bay just a short walk from the Freycinet Visitor Centre. It has a small beach that boats can pull into and good, sheltered safe swimming.
Day 12: Richmond – Tasman Penisular
Make sure to visit Tasmania’s iconic little town- Richmond before heading to the Tasman Peninsular. Known for its historic buildings mostly from the 1820s this is a wonderful town to learn about Tasmania’s past while enjoying visits to galleries, museums, cafes, and historical landmarks. Walk down to Richmond Bridge- Australia’s oldest bridge built by convicts in the 1820s, it is made of sandstone and was completed in 1825 when Richmond was the 3rd largest town in what was then called Van Diemen’s Land.
Take a tour of Port Arthur Historic Site which is the largest and most complete of the 11 World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites. As well as exploring the historical ruins and buildings, including the penitentiary and the asylum for the criminally insane, you can also go on a harbour cruise, visit the Isle of the Dead and see the Port Arthur Gallery. Most tours also stop off at the coastline on the way so you can take pictures and visit the beautiful Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen.
Stay: Fox and Hound Inn, Fortescue Bay Campground
Day 13: Cape Raul
Our last sunrise hike was the 14km hike to Cape Raull. We started the hike in the dark with our head torches at 4am. Even though it was dark at the time we could tell that we were surrounded by beautiful forrests and as we walked further into the hike we could hear the waves crashing into the cliffs. There were a few lookouts that we stopped at that over looked the ocean. As the sun started to rise the cliffs illuminated showing us the unique rock formations of Cape Raul. At the end of the hike there is a lookout where you can hear the seals below and has great views of the unique rock formations.
On the way back freshen up after the mornings hike with a dip at Fortescue Bay. Feel connected with nature where the towering forest meets the sea. Here at the bay you can swim, snorkel, scuba dive, kayak, fish, rock climb, bush walk, or just lie on the white sandy beach.
During the day you’ll notice groups of walkers arriving off the Three Capes Track, for this marks the end of their 4-day journey. You can join part of their final day on the 4-hour return walk to Cape Hauy.
Day 14: Return to Hobart
Unfortunately this was our last day of our incredible 2 week Tasmania trip so it was time to return to Hobart. Of course if you have more time there are so many more places you can visit. If we had more time we would have loved to see Launceston, Bridgetown lavender fam and Grindelwald.
We had a few hours before our flight so we drove up to Mount Wellington again to check out the view. As you can see from the image below we couldn’t see much!
We can’t wait to visit Tasmania again.
Want to read more about road trips in Australia? Check out our Best places to visit in South Australia guide, Western Australia South West road trip guide or if you love fun-filled, off-road adventures then you will love our 2 week Kimberley Road trip itinerary.
We hope our 2 week itinerary will help you to plan your next trip for when you visit Tasmania. You can easily modify the itinerary to suit your very own road trip. If you have any other recommendations of places to visit we would love to hear about them in the comment below and hopefully when we return we can also visit them.
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