Tasmania

TASMANIA

An absolute amazing package of history, pristine scenery, fantastic festivals and great tourist attractions in a very small area. Tasmania is one state which needs to be experienced in every season to truly appreciate the diversity in the agriculture and landscape.

When we arrived in Tasmania on our first caravanning trip and as we are not restricted to how long we can stay we thought four months should be ample to see all Tasmania as it is only a few hundred kilometres north to south or east to west. When we delved into the availability of the various festivals, the variety of small pockets of awesome landscapes and the history in each large or small town we soon decided to be brave (or stupid) and tough out the winter and stay for over 15 months. Tasmania is a small geographic area but we managed to travel over twenty seven thousand kilometres in the 15 months. It does not matter how short or long your time frame is it will be worth the effort.

Hobart comes alive after Christmas with the Taste of Tasmania and the arrival of the yachts from Sydney, Melbourne and Launceston. To be amongst the vibrant crowd watching the first yacht to sail up the Derwant River and cross the finish line is something to experience even if you are not a sailing enthusiast.

Not far from Hobart is the small town of Richmond. Richmond is a very scenic town with a small stream meandering through the edge of the town. The main attractions are the oldest convict built bridge in Australia and the oldest Catholic Church in continuous service in Australia. Both of these are backed up by Old Hobart Town and the old gaol. One of our other favourites are the pies and pastries at the bakery. Not far from Richmond is also Zoo Doo which is a great spot to get up close and personal with a number of animals with of course the Tasmanian Devil featuring.

On the way to Port Arthur you pass through the town of Sorell. Further on towards Port Arthur is the town of Dunalley which has a great hotel where you can also free camp. Port Arthur has a good caravan park a few kilometres from the historical penal settlement. If you have the time when you enter the Historical site pay the extra which gives you a ticket of leave to return any time within the next two years absolutely free. The Remarkable Cave at Port Arthur is also worth a visit. Close to Port Arthur is also Doo Town, Tasman Arch and the Blow Hole. At the Tasman Arch you can get a fantastic view looking south along the rugged coastline. Also at the blow hole you can get some great fish and chips during the summer period.

To the south of Hobart is the Huon Valley where there are a number of good caravan parks and free camps. We based ourselves in this area on a number of occasions as we could easy drive to the Cygnet area or down to Geeveston and the Tahune Air Walk or further on to Hastings for the thermal pools or the Hasting Caves. Also further south to Dover, Southport, Lune River and Cockle Creek.

In contrast to Hobart a drive into the South West Wilderness area to the Gordon Dam and see the pristine lakes, mountains and untamed forest is something to experience and hard to describe. Then to return via the Mount Field National Park, also with a caravan park within the national park, and do an easy rainforest walk through huge tree ferns and thick forest to Russel Falls is definitely a nature fix to remember. While in the park a drive up to lake Dobson or lunch at the free barbecues and shelters. 

 The drive From Hobart to Launceston along the Midland Highway has a number of fantastic small towns full of history and of course many really good food outlets. Oatlands has a free camp beside a lake with an easy walk to the main street full of great old buildings and the Crepe and Pancake restaurant which we visited more than once. Ross has one of the best convict built bridges we have seen and again a great town walk with two bakeries well worth a visit. Campbell Town also has a free camp beside a small stream, another convict built bridge and some fantastic tree carvings.

Only a few kilometres south of Launceston is Longford with a good caravan park. Longford is also close to the town of Evandale which hosts some very good markets every Sunday as well as the National Penny Farthing Bike Races around February each year which are an exceptional free source of entertainment. From Longford you can access Launceston, the Beaconsfield Mine, Platypus House and Seahorse World at Beauty Point (which also has a good caravan park) as well as the many tourist towns and features to the east of the Tamar River. One of these definitely not to miss is the tree carvings at Legerwood where the bases of some trees have been carved in the likeness of locals who went to WWI as we as well as Bridstow Lavender Farm.

A drive along the East coast from Hobart to Triabunna and free camp behind the Triabunna Hotel is worth the effort. From Triabunna it is a short ferry ride to Maria Island and the convict penal settlement on the Island.

A little further is the Freycinet Peninsula which is a very scenic area and the location of Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay. Friendly Beaches just north of Coles Bay on the peninsula is also a good free camp right on the beach. We can also recommend the joy flight from Friendly Beaches over the Peninsular or the boat trip from Coles Bay to Wineglass Bay.

As you travel along the very scenic highway along the east coast there are towns like Swansea, Bicheno, Scamander and St Helens all worth a stop to explore the local area. Saint Helens is also a place to base yourself to explore places like Binalong Bay, Bay of Fires, St Columba Falls, Pub In The Paddock and Pyengana Cheese. We found it a good place to hibernate during the winter period.

The Great Lakes and Cradle Mountain areas we believe are a must when anyone comes to Tasmania. We have driven around the Great Lakes a number of times but one word of warning is to check the weather forecast prior travelling. We did leave Devonport one fine morning for a days drive but as we ventured midway along the Lakes we drove into two large snow storms and for the inexperienced snow driver it can be a little daunting. The Tasmanian Police web site does have a good site showing all Tasmanian road closures or hazards. We have visited Cradle Mountain both on a beautiful clear sunny day and again when it was heavily snowing. Both were experiences not to miss.

Spring time along the top of Tasmania west of Launceston is exceptional for anyone even remotely interested in outdoor gardens. There are many fantastic open gardens in full vibrant colour. One not to miss is the Tulip Festival at Wynyard. Depending on your available time frame there are many fantastic towns and attractions in the Deloraine, Mole Creek, Sheffield, Devonport and Burnie areas. We cannot list them all here but please do your homework before adventuring in this area as there is a multitude of places to visit.

The west coast was a little not user friendly for us however there are pockets of absolute pristine wilderness not to miss. Some of the areas we did enjoy were the river cruise at Arthur River, free camp at Hellyer Gorge, the museum at Zeehan, the steam train ride at Queenstown and Strahan with our west coast favourite without doubt being the boat cruise at Strahan.