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We will have 6 days in Tasmania in Feb next year. Ideally we’d have 2 apartments for 3 nights each, perhaps one east and one west? One apartment and one hotel would also work. Any recommendations please? Need one bed apartments ideally with a view but not essential.
Does that sound like a reasonable way to tour Tasmania ? Don’t want to be somewhere different every night.
We’ll be arriving into either Hobart or Launceston and heading to Melbourne afterwards. Probably will fly back rather than take the ferry.
I thought here was a thread on this already but can’t find it. If I didn’t imagine that can anyone direct me to it please?The Tasman hotel in Hobart is very nice. Its Marriott – we stayed there in Feb 23 and are going back next year
The Tasman hotel in Hobart is very nice. Its Marriott – we stayed there in Feb 23 and are going back next year
That’s good to hear – I’m in Tassie in March and have booked a few days in The Tasman hotel, Hobart (and a few days in Peppers Seaport, Launceston) again, as part of a 6-day 2-centre stay.
@Annie – I spent a week in Tasmania last year. When planning the trip I concluded that trying to do both sides of the island would mean too much driving vs actually enjoying the sights so I flew into Launceston, drove down the east side and flew out of Hobart to Melbourne. I was mightily pleased with the decision as there just would have been no time to go further afield. And I have an excuse to go back twice again to do the middle and the West.
Tasmania is about natural wonders + wildlife and has become something of a food and wine destination so doing some walks/hikes in the many national parks (do buy a pass – it saves money and they do actually check, even in remote places) will enable you to see everything, but take time. If you stop at the odd winery (there are many in great locations) and enjoy even a quick lunch, it all takes time. Bear in mind also that many of the roads are unmade, so you won’t be going that fast.
I stayed two nights at Seven in Launceston – really nice small place with a great restaurant – it’s very slightly out of town but it’s two minutes walk to the spectacular gorge. Loads to do in the immediate area.
For the next three nights I stayed at the Piermont Retreat near Swansea which was a good base to visit eg Wineglass Bay and not too far from Port Arthur, Tasmanian devils and a very different beautiful coastline.
I also stayed at the Tasman – although I’m not a fan of chains, it was very good and on a human scale. The bar and their Italian restaurant are some of the better places in town. They gave me a cracking deal calling directly to the hotel. The higher rooms are more modern and have great views. Opposite the hotel there’s a great bakery/coffee places that’s better than the hotel breakfast. Also opposite is a restaurant Institut Polaire which has great food and the owner’s husband has a winery – Domaine Simha which is very fine!
It’s a very short walk from the hotel to the ferry quay where the boats to MONA go from. Even if you or any of your party aren’t into art, it’s a must visit; there’s something for everyone. You must book tickets for the museum and for the boat – the Posh Pit is a bit OTT price wise but quite an experience.
I really enjoyed Mount Wellington – didn’t have a lot of time so cheated and got an Uber to the top where the view is amazing (it was snowing up there, but looked down on sunny town and then walked down. Such views and so much wildlife!
Finally, the sort of reason I went to Tasmania was for a belated joint 60th celebration with my best man who lives in Australia. His brief was to find the best overall restaurant for food, value, X factor and not snotty or too quiet. The Agrarian Kitchen, 40 mins from Hobart, absolutely met the brief, simple but very clever and all about max flavour and great ingredients and not remotely pretentious. It’s a splurge by Australian standards but not UK ones. The kitchen garden tour before lunch (that needs to be booked well in advance) is well worth doing.
PS as people here are very lounge focussed, don’t get excited by the QF lounge in Hobart. It’s not much cop anyway but was heaving with QF cardholders on delayed Jetstar flights.
Thanks very much @MisterE
I think you make several good points @JDB
It’s so tempting to try to cover more ground but if we are to really see things then it’s not sensible. We will hopefully be back to Australia several times as our closest friends are returning there after years in the UK, to Canberra though not Tasmania. The caveat for that is being able to get insurance as my husbands ongoing cancer treatment makes travel insurance so problematic . I’m wondering if we should give more than 6 days to Tasmania in order to see more, just in case we don’t get a chance to go again.
I have several hours in T5 this afternoon so will gleefully look into the hotel recommendations.@Annie – you could give more time to Tasmania, but I guess it depends where you are taking the time from. I hope you get to go to Canberra sometime – I went there on the same trip as my goddaughter is at university there and it’s a rather underrated place, even in the torrential rain we had. I really hope for the best for your husband’s treatment and prognosis.
I spent four months touring Tassie in 2016 then took my mid-80s parents there for ten days or so a couple of years later. I won’t write an epistle as I suspect we have different tastes, but I’d say that if you really want to see things, then you absolutely need to cover more ground. If by “things” you mean the island, rather than the big towns. Most people I think would say the best thing about the island is the scenery. I’d say it rated as one of the best places in the world for a road trip. However, if your husband’s treatment (or your interests) mean getting out into the more remote areas wouldn’t be feasible, there’s plenty to see and do in or near to the bigger towns.
The east and west coasts almost couldn’t be more different. The west is absolutely wild, usually windy on the coast (the winds will have been gathering strength since they left Argentina!) and far less manicured. Think big rugged hills, huge forests (apart from the bits mined or felled), lakes and rivers, hardly any people, many unsealed roads, fascinating history of really tough people. Very little in the way of smart hotels, though there are plenty of other interesting if less luxurious options. The east is much more gentle, greener, rolling hills, more in the way of sandy beaches. Of course, Port Arthur (unmissable) is on the east coast. The posher hotels outside Hobart and Launceston are mostly on the northern part of the east coast.
If I had six days in Tassie I would do a one way road trip from Hobart to Devonport (for the ferry)/Launceston (if flying) or vice versa. Choose between the west coast up the A10 (detour to Strahan) and, if the hire car company allowed it, across the Corinna ferry and up the “road to nowhere” to the Arthur River, then Stanley and across the north coast. Or stay on the A10 if not.
Or the east coast, via Port Arthur, detour to Maria Island if convict history interests you, Swansea/Coles Bay, St Helens, Pyengana (go to the cheese place), Derby.
The middle has its appeal too, the inland agricultural areas just to the south of Burnie/Devonport are lovely and green (keep an eye out for the postboxes), then of course there’s Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair (which you could just about combine with a west coast trip if you didn’t take the Arthur River route).
Oh and the area to the south of Hobart is great too! Try to get the ferry to Bruny Island if you can, not least as there are (or were) some great places to eat and drink or source food.
What I would say is six days would be quite hard work, eight days would be much better if you do decide to do a road trip….. And if you do, make sure you will be at your destination before dusk. It’s so stressful trying to avoid the wildlife at dusk and beyond. Aussie joke: best way to see the wildlife in Tasmania? Buy a glass bottomed car…
Turned into a bit of an epistle after all. Ask if I can help more.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think the west coast route would be too much in six days unless you are quite hard core….
We had a week in Tassie just before covid, and managed to see much of the island
First day we arrived at lunch, got a car, and headed to Lake St Claire for 2 nights. Then a day of driving and sightseeing around the west. 2 nights at Cradle Mountain. 1 night at Arthur’s lake, so we could visit the Waddamana Power Station museum. Then 2 nights in Hobart.
Amazing scenery, some lovely hikes, but also a lot of driving… a
Just reading this thread does my heart good.
There is so much knowledge / experience on HFP – and subscribers are very willing to share.
My Tasmanian experience is very old (from 1994), but the island is full of friendly natives (mostly human). The early 1990s saw the establishment of more vineyards in Tasmania (often converted from apple orchards), and also a load of B&Bs / cafes opened up.
In summary, a great place to visit – but the weather is quite changeable, and driving times can be long.Thanks for all the suggestions and thanks @JDB for your kind wishes.
We’ve settled on: into Hobart, 2 nights at the Tasman, and will then drive up the east coast with probably a night in Bicheno, then 2 in Launceston and final night in Burnie to hopefully see the penguins. We’re flying out of Devonport to Melbourne.We’ll save the west coast for another time and try to fit in Cradle Mountain on the way to Burnie.
Canberra looking unlikely on this trip but fingers and toes crossed for many more. We have Sydney, Tasmania, Darwin, The Ghan, Kings Canyon and Uluru all packed into a month.
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