Tasmania

Tasmania Accommodation and Travel Info

Amazing wilderness and a great place to visit

Other Australian State Information

Tasmanian Destinations

Hobart	The East Coast	West Coast	Central Region
Port Arthur	Devonport	Queenstown	Evandale
Freycinet	Penguin	Derwent Bridge	Elsewhere
Bicheno	Stanley	New Norfolk	Launceston

Australia's smallest State Tasmania comprises just 200 kilometres from north to south and about 250 kilometres along the northern coast of this roughly triangular shaped island. The climate is much cooler than the mainland, because due south from here is Antarctica. In many ways, travellers in Tasmania could be forgiven for thinking they were in England or Europe, because of the deciduous trees to be found in many areas, together with guest houses and old Georgian manor and coach houses, which can be seen all over the island. Tasmanians have a laid back, country person's view of life, so they take the time to stop and enjoy a friendly conversation with travellers. There are about 350,000 people living on the island and there are two major cities - Hobart, the State capital in the south and Launceston, on the more temperate north coast. However, there are scores of lovely little villages and country towns all over the island, as well as some of the world's best Heritage areas, so there is a great deal to be seen and enjoyed. Because of its small size, people think they can arrive in Tasmania by boat or plane and cover the island in a couple of days. Anyone trying to do this will soon find out how wrong they were. While the central highway from north the south is fairly straight and level and can easily be driven in about four hours non-stop, the road that encircles the coastal townships is often narrow and very winding, as well as considerably undulant in places, with many blind bends, so speed has to be cut back accordingly for safe travelling. Tasmania has a quiet charm and many unique features - so much so that a three week holiday allocated to explore the island properly would pay good dividends as far as visual delights are concerned. Winters (June through to early September) can be very cold compared to the mainland, with day temperatures of 10-12^c and considerably colder still by night. During summertime, from December through to March, days are usually bright and sunny, around 25-27^c. And in between, spring and autumn, which is particularly spectacular, have their own particularly European delights, with colourful foliage to be seen everywhere. The mountain regions are highly popular all year round, especially around the north central lakes and the far north and west coast. And of course there is skiing in winter. However, it should be noted that in these areas sudden storms can happen at any time, so it is wise to be dressed accordingly, to know where the emergency huts are on the mountains and to have some emergency food with you. And it goes without saying that before setting out you should notify the park rangers of your intended route, in case of emergencies. Tasmania was originally known as Van Diemen's land, having been named by Dutch mariners in the 16th or 17th century, before the British founded a penal colony there over 200 years ago. The British renamed it Tasmania and it became known purely for its large penal settlement, until settlers came out from the United Kingdom to take up land and farm there. Today, some of the world's finest apples, salmon and wines come from Tasmania's rich rural areas, while the cottages, gracious old houses and historic hostelries enjoy good business from travellers.

GETTING THERE: People arrive by boat - if not their own then usually aboard the "Spirit of Tasmania", which sails every other night from Melbourne in Victoria. A variety of different priced accommodation aboard this luxury ship is available, from backpacker dormitory style to state rooms. The ship has restaurants, entertainment and garaging for personal vehicles of all varieties. The other way in which visitors arrive is by air - usually flying with Kendell Airlines from Melbourne into Launceston, Burnie or Devonport on the north coast, or Hobart in the south of the island. The flight takes less than an hour to reach the north coast and well under two hours to reach Hobart.

HIRE CARS: There are agencies for Hertz, Avis and Budget to be found at all the Tassie airports and major cities. There are also a wide number of recreational vehicle hire companies, whose motor campers are fully equipped with everything the visitor will need apart from their clothes and food.

ACCOMMODATION: There are top quality hotels and tourist resorts, as well as a couple of hotel casinos on this island. There are also motels to be found everywhere, along with tourist parks, all of which have self contained family cabin accommodation. One of the very nicest ways to tour Tasmania is to stay each night in one or other of the Victorian or Georgian cottages or mansions to be found all over the island, all period furnished and offering luxurious accommodation with huge cooked breakfasts (and cosy log fires in winter) for around $100 per couple per night. Quite a few of them have four poster beds too, those these cost a little more, of course.

TOUR COMPANIES: AUSTRALIAN PACIFIC, GREY LINE and a number of other coach operators offer tours of the island, usually taking from 7-10 days and including quality accommodation and meals. Your travel agent should have the details.

BACKPACKING: There is accommodation for backpackers on the island, but hitch hiking is frowned upon here.

Top

HOBART: Founded in 1804, Tasmania's capital city can be found at the southern eastern end of the island, straddling the Derwent river. It has a good harbour, from which fishing boats sail frequently. The buildings sweep down to the waterfront, with Mt Wellington as an arresting backdrop. Many of the early waterside buildings have been refurbished and there are some good restaurants here, several serving seafood that would only have been an hour or so out of the ocean. This is Australia's second oldest city after Sydney, in New South Wales the original British colony. More than 90 buildings in this city have a National Trust classification. Some of these include the Theatre Royal (1837 and Australia's oldest theatre) and Salamanca Place's terrace of Georgian warehouses, which now house boutiques and gracious restaurants and form a backdrop to busy weekend markets. Other city highlights include the Cat & Fiddle Arcade, the Botanic Gardens, Anglesea Barracks, tours of the Cadbury chocolate factory, city bus tours, river cruises, the Post Office Museum, Parliament House, Dreamworld's Arctic Adventure, Tudor Court at Sandy Bay (where you can also find Wrest Point Casino), the Maritime Museum, Holy Trinity Church, St David's Cathedral, Kangaroo Bluff Fort, the Signal Station, Van Diemen's Folk Museum, Battery Point and Mt Wellington Lookout. Hobart is also the starting point for the apple growing areas of the Huon Valley, the unspoilt beaches of the Southport area and Hastings Caves all to the south of the city.

Top

THE EAST COAST: Touring in an easterly direction from Hobart, after crossing the river bridge, one passes through Cambridge and Sorrell, before taking the Arthur Highway, south down the peninsula to Port Arthur.

Top

PORT ARTHUR: Sited on this rugged and isolated peninsula, the old Port Arthur Model Prison can still be viewed. In fact you can take a night tour by lamplight, which may well send shivers down your spine. The Isle of the Dead, off shore, is where many of the convicts were buried in lime pits and there also can be seen the headstones of many of the young officers and men responsible for these prisoners. Savage guard dogs were spaced across the narrow neck of the peninsula, to discourage any potential escapees. Their only other choice was to jump off the high cliffs onto the rocks below and many did just that in the early 19th century. This is an important site in Australia's convict past, but today there are also bright cottage cafes and souvenir shops to be found in the vicinity of the old prison and guard house. There is plenty of comfortable accommodation - tourist park, bed and breakfast and motels - to be found in the area. Returning back up the highway and heading northwards via Triabunna and Swansea (where there is a good tourist park and the old Bark Mill and East Coast Museum), keeping on the Tasman Highway, the driver continues until the turnoff (on the right) to Freycinet National Park is indicated, then this narrow road should be taken for some spectacular scenery.

Top

FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK & LODGE: Drive down this road and you will begin to see unspoilt bushland. In due course the peaks known as The Hazards will appear on your right, possibly an hour later. You will pass through pretty little Coles Bay, where there is a bush campground on the beach, to Freycinet Lodge at the heart of this rugged peninsula. The bird life here is magic and so are the very luxurious family log cabins, most with an ocean view from their balcony. There are great recreational and restaurant facilities here, with day long activity programs to suit all tastes. Take a guided beach walk, a boat cruise or climb up a peak and look down into Wineglass Bay. It certainly gives you a fine appetite for a gourmet dinner. Some cabins have two bedrooms, some have cooking facilities and some have spa baths. You choose what suits your budget. From here one return to the highway and then turns right and continues northwards to Bicheno, about an hour and a half distant.

Top

BICHENO: This is a popular east coast fishing resort, with good tourist park accommodation, offering powered sites and family cabins. Nearby by is the EAST COAST SEA LIFE PARK, which is really well worth is visit. Since there are a number of fishing boats working from this township, fresh fish is easily obtainable. Sealers and whalers used this port around 1803 and it later became a coal mining port in the mid 19th century.. The coal was pulled by horses along a five kilometre tramway and the remains of the convict built coal bins can still be seen at the Gulch. The foreshore is particularly attractive. Today though, this pleasant little resort shows no sign of its hard past and enjoys a relatively mild climate all year round.

BICHENO HOLIDAY VILLAGE: has specially good family cabin accommodation and facilities. DIAMOND ISLAND RESORT is another little holiday makers delight. From Bicheno one travels northwards through Scamander and St, Helens. There's a good family holiday spot called the Cray Drop In Holiday Village at Ironhouse Point, before you reach SCAMANDER. At Scamander there's the more luxurious Scamander Beach Resort Hotel and at St HELENS's there's a tranquil tourist park and the Queechy Cottages, with good family accommodation at very reasonable prices. There is also plenty of bed and breakfast and youth hostel accommodation available. Two interesting features are the fishing fleet and The big rocks and stones along the beaches at St Helens and around Binalong Bay which are extremely colourful. You'll find many subjects for your camera here. St Helen's is located at the northern end of the east coast and from here the road runs westwards, along the north coast.

Top

NORTH COAST REGION
LAUNCESTON: Tassie's 'northern capital', is situated where the south and north Esk rivers meet to become the Tamar River. It nestles in wide valleys formed by the river system and one of the town's most popular attractions is Cataract Gorge, with its beautiful park and gardens, its outdoor swimming pools, its cafe and its chair lift and suspension bridge across the gorge. Founded in 1805, Launceston is an ideal base from which to visit all the National Trust properties in the area, such as Entally House. There is a casino resort, plenty of good hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation and a warm welcome for caravanners and RV enthusiasts. The Waverley Wool Mills are Australia's oldest. Near Cataract Gorge is the very popular Penny Royal World, a recreation of the earliest days of white settlement on this island, with short boat cruises around its small lake and a full size water mill. Adjacent is the Penny Royal Village offering good quality 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments for tourists. 'The Shambles' self contained historic cottages is one of the nicest places to stay in Launceston. Then there's Mole Hill Fantasy, Ritchies Mill Arts Centre, the Queen Victoria Museum, the Community History Museum, Yorktown Square (another recreation of ye olden times), and just out in the countryside, Grindelwald Holiday resort, built on Swiss chalet lines. Travel up the Tamar river towards its mouth on the eastern side and you will come to historic George Town, with its old fort and tall semaphore mast, which was used to signal to approaching ships at sea. The Grove (built in 1830) is a restored grand residence that thousands of folk enjoy inspecting each year and there is also a nearby penguin colony. On the other side (west) of the river mouth is the old mining town known as Beaconsfield and anyone interested in our mining history will enjoy paying the Grubb Shaft Mining Museum and old machinery and workings a visit. This area is also the jumping off point via LONG FORD, for historic WOOLMERS ESTATE, Tasmania's oldest working farm property, with award winning tours of the historic buildings, stables and well preserved cars and excellent cottage accommodation. Also one takes off from here via DELORAINE to get to the mountain lakes and tarns that are much loved by this island's guests. There you will find lovely LEONTHYME LODGE, and CRADLE MOUNTAIN LODGE with all their top class facilities and accommodation to suit all pockets. LAKE ST CLAIR also offers bunkhouse and other types of accommodation (such as caravan and camping and cottages) at reasonable rates. Scenic flights can be taken over this area, which is truly spectacular.

Top

DEVONPORT:

This is where "The Spirit of Tasmania" docks in the Mersey basin, on alternate mornings from Melbourne. From her terminal, hire cars, coaches and buses can be taken onwards. This is a pleasant seaside township with several tourist parks, motel and bed and breakfast accommodation available. Several of the town's attractions include the Don River (steam) Railway, a full size daily operated passenger train and Tiagara Cultural Centre on Mersey Bluff, alongside the caravan park. Here Aboriginal culture is displayed. One can also visit 'Home Hill', the humble home of former Australian prime minister Joe Lyons. His wife, Dame Enid was the first woman member of parliament in this country. Driving south from Devonport for half an hour one comes to SHEFFIELD, a quaint little township where every blank wall in town has been covered by a delightful mural, each painted by a well known Australian artist.

Top

PENGUIN: Has some interesting buildings around town, a giant penguin on the foreshore and 15 minutes away is Pindari Deer Farm at Rianna, where you can meet the deer, buy venison and eat in the restaurant, if you wish. This is very pretty country. BOAT HARBOUR is a tiny seaside hamlet looking out over the Bass strait from the north coast, between Wynyard and Stanley. The best accommodation there is a row of cottages, very beautifully furnished in period style, but with king size brass beds and huge spa baths (not to mention big log fires in winter), that is a very memorable bed and breakfast hideaway. It is known as Killynaught Cottages

Top

STANLEY: The most northerly town, with its famous Nut, sticking out into the ocean. It is well worth the effort driving this far, as there are many superbly kept buildings to be seen, as well as some colourful murals. The Bass highway runs out at the far north west coast. To turn east or south you will now have to retrace your route to Somerset, between Wynyard and Burnie, which is where you can turn southwards.

Top

WEST COAST: The rugged north west of Tasmania is a coldly beautiful place, much of it inaccessible wilderness. However, the road south leads down through Rosebery (with some very interesting town murals) to Queenstown.

Top

QUEENSTOWN: A vast area around this town was totally denuded of vegetation early in this century to make way for the very rich Mt Lyall copper mines. Take a chair ride to the top of the hill and you'll see just how bad the devastation was, but now they are endeavouring to re-establish some of the vegetation. The main attraction for tourist here, apart from some good accommodation, is the colours and textures of the hillsides for kilometres around this township. One can take the road out of Queenstown to Strahan on Macquarie Harbour. This is a very scenic spot, with plenty of good accommodation available in guest houses and cottages. It is also the place where visitors board boats for cruises up the Gordon River, with its grand water reflections and ancient Huon pines, or to Sarah Island, if passengers want to come to grips with shocking instances and relics of the distant convict past. They can also see the local seafood industry at work in the harbour waters.

Top

DERWENT BRIDGE: On the Lyell Highway, heading eastwards from Queenstown, visitors will come to this small spot. It is where they will find the road leading in to Lake St Clair, with its Mt Olympus backdrop. Here there is a modern Visitors' Centre, where boat trips can be taken on the lake, where people can go bushwalking, eat in the restaurant, or take part in any of the other organised activities out of the Parks and Wildlife Centre. There are excellent backpackers' facilities and fine family lodges at Lake St Clair Wilderness Holidays and superb fly fishing in the lake and other nearby waterways. On the highway, at Derwent Bridge there is a good service station, store and cafe, with particularly good accommodation for small groups or large families in chalets. Known as DERWENT BRIDGE CHALETS they are two storey cottages with three and four bedrooms, superbly appointed, the main bedroom having a large ensuite. Some sleep up to 10 people or more. The chalets are well heated in winter, have plenty of good bedding and linen, large laundries, everything the traveller could ever need in the spacious kitchens and cosy lounges, complete with colour TVs. The prices are very acceptable too. Passing southwards through Tarraleah and the Wild Rivers National Park, travellers will eventually reach New Norfolk.

Top

NEW NORFOLK: This is a corner of Ye Olde England, with its ancient inns, its delightful old church (with lovely stained glass windows), its surrounding quite beautiful scenery, oast houses, hop farms and the multitude of deciduous European trees, that add such a blaze of colour in autumn. Be sure to visit The Colony Inn, the Salmon Ponds (where you will learn all about salmon farming); historic Tynwald mansion (superior and gracious bed and breakfast accommodation, set in lovely gardens and with a great restaurant) and the old guest house. Glen Derwent mansion, built in 1820 on Georgian lines, is another lovely old building offering first class accommodation and meals. In addition, there are good facilities for caravanners and campers in the riverside caravan park, plus B&B establishments, as well as hotel and motel accommodation, one of the best of which is Friendship Lodge, which is quiet, friendly and economically priced.

Top

CENTRAL REGION
Travellers can drive from Hobart to Launceston and vice versa via the Midland Highway. Here again there are a number of small towns and hamlets either on the highway or off it aways, and they are of much interest. These include ROSS, with its very intriguing convict history and convict built bridge (1836) renown for its carvings. There are so many historic buildings here, plus the relatively new, award winning Wool Centre and marvellous B&B cottage accommodation (Colonial Cottages of Ross), as well as a small, quiet caravan park. The main street is still sheltered by an avenue of majestic old English elms. Still on the convict scene, RICHMOND has a well preserved convict gaol, build around a quadrangle of sandstone buildings, all suitable furnished in period style and a township of delightfully well preserved early 18th century hotels, cottages and churches. OATLANDS is another classified historic midlands town, with a fine old mill and stables to photograph and learn about. There are 87 sandstone buildings of note in this small hamlet. Take a spooky night time tour by lamplight and maybe a ghost or two will be lurking in the shadows. There's a backpackers hostel, bed and breakfast hostelries, restaurants and a good Visitors Centre to be found here. Don't miss the old world general shop cum emporium either. It's a real blast from the past. Then there's the Bouquet Residence (B&B) with Onslow's room, Hyacinth's room, Daisy's room, etc - all suitable furnished, for lovers of the British TV series involving those characters.

Top

EVANDALE: is another classified historic town, with a host of lovely old Georgian buildings. The majestic old Clarendon mansion is period furnished and has been restored by the National Trust, although it is actually 8 kilometres outside the township. Every February they hold the Penny Farthing Championships, when the streets are filled with competitors valiantly pedalling along on those old boneshakers, trying to win a trophy. A village fair is held over several days at the same time. Here too is a grand old world general store, attached to The Old Stables, which offers highly superior bad and breakfast accommodation, where the service, food and appointments are definitely out of the top drawer. Every Sunday morning lively markets are held in the main street and anyone can get a free leaflet from the general store, detailing the town's delightful heritage walk.

Top

ELSEWHERE: Other grand little country towns that should not be missed are historic HAMILTON, with its superb little St Peter's Anglican Church (1834), myriad old buildings offering first class bed and breakfast accommodation, such as the Old School House or the specially good Emma and George's Cottages. The 1830 Hamilton Inn offers cellar tours to guests before they retire to bed. Here too can be seen the remains of the old gaol.

OFF SHORE ISLANDS: KING ISLAND, in the Bass Strait, is part of Tasmania. It is very peaceful and relies on its magnificent dairy produce (particularly exquisite cheeses), game meats, rock lobsters and fishing as well as tourism for its living. There are just two towns, Currie and Grassy Harbour and this is where comfortable accommodation can be found. Farm stays are also available. People either fly in with Kendell Airlines, or they arrive by boat. There are penguin rookeries, the seasonal kelp industry, guided tours and bushwalking opportunities available. Roads are mostly flat, though some are unsealed, but there are no traffic lights to be seen. Boats, cars, vans and bicycles can be hired on the island. FLINDERS ISLAND, King's twin in the Bass Strait to the north of Tassie, also belongs to that State and has similar facilities to King Island. A road runs down its western shores to Strezeleki National Park and off shore to its south, there's uninhabited Cape Barren Island.

Top

For more information on Tasmania visit Focus on Tasmania

Australian State Information