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I Was just wondering im going on a holiday with extended family to tasmania and was wondering some nice places to stay and places to go and things to do there:) and wondering the best time to go etc. any experiences there please feel free to share your experiences there
thanks so much.
DP and I went to Tassie in March this year. We hired a car and had a wonderful time. One thing we found is that we didn't get to do as much as we first thought. We were gone for 7 nights and started in Hobart and ended up in Launceston. We travelled up the South Coast and inland to Deloraine. We didn't get to do any of the West side at all because we ran out of time. We saw some awesome things like:
Tahune Air Walk
Port Arthur
Wineglass Bay
King Solomon Caves
Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary
As well as that we ate alot of great food and did alot of walking and saw the most awesome scenery. You can't go wrong the whole state is beautiful.
Have a great time.
ooh I could have written Aussiegirl's post.
We went in March and did a driving holiday too (a couple of years ago now). Despite it only being a little state, there's still some distance there!
We did Tahune as well, Port Arthur, cruise on Launceston Harbour, saw the fairy penguins north of there, and the seahorse farm...
we bought a pass that got us into all sorts of places...I just can't remember what it was called.
Oh apparently you can't do Cadbury tours anymore??? We did that in Hobart. It was Darcy's first experience with chocolate lol.
ETA it was called the See Tasmania Card.
the weather at that time of year was awesome too...done most of my travelling in various autumns around the globe because it is so lovely to see the scenery changing I think..
The East Coast is beautiful - Bicheno - think you can do a night Penguin tour still and Coles Bay (walk into Wineglass Bay - need a day) Lots of other places too.
Cataract Gorge - Launceston. Port Arthur - Hobart. Wine tours. Cradle Mountain (might be something you would do in winter) Cruise on the Tamar River - Launceston.
Its very very cold in Tassie atm. If you dont like the cold, i would go anywhere from Nov -Mar. Starts getting alot cooler in April.
Lots of things to see.
Alot of people think that Tassie is very small and that you can see it all in a week - but thats not the case. You need longer than that to enjoy the scenery !
You can still go to Cadbury's but it's not a tour of the facility anymore. For about $8.00 (I think) you watch a short film and get to ask questions and then you get some free chocolates and go into the chocolate shop and buy cheap, cheap chocolate. I liked it there but DP thought it was a waste of time.
My DH & I spent 3 weeks in Tasmania for our honeymoon & loved it. The places we stayed at probably wouldn't be suitable for extended family, they were more B&Bs. But there are heaps of self contained cottages if there are going to be lots of you going.
As for things to do there is heaps!! Some of my favs were:
West Coast Wilderness Railway & Gordon River Cruise both in Strahan
East Coast nature World in Bicheno. You get to hand feed animals, so cute!!
Port Arthur, go on the Ghost Tour at night if you're feeling brave
Cascade Brewery in Hobart. You get 3 free drinks after the tour!!
Cataract Gorge in Launceston
The Tahune Air Walk. There is also a Jet Boat on the way to this that is pretty cool, they take heaps of pictures & you can buy them on CD
Mole Creek Caves. Near this is Trowunna Wildlife Park where you get to pat koalas & Tassie devils & hold a baby wombat!!
I went on one of the tourism websites & requested information - one of the things they sent was a book full of the accomodation, prices included which was really helpful when deciding where to stay. There are 3 different "seasons" for tourism: peak, shoulder & off peak. We went in March which is classified as the shoulder season so it was abit cheaper. Plus the weather was pretty nice, had mainly sunny days.
The great thing about Tasmania is the whole island is in relatively close driving distance to everything. The warmer months are generally better if you're driving all over the place as the weather conditions are much better on the roads.
A few places we love to visit: (I have family down there and visit almost once a year)
Richmond - about 1/2 hour out of Hobart - fun wooden mazes and a really old bridge. Terrific town bakery too!
Westbury Maze - a really neat hedge maze about 20 min drive from Launceston
Tasmazia & the Village of Lower Crackpot - about a 40 min drive from Devonport/ 90 min drive from Launceston. 8 different mazes of all different levels to complete.
Oh, umm did I mention we really enjoy visiting mazes? lol
If you can get to the Western coast I'd recommend it....it's a side of the island many don't get to and the wilderness and sights can be breathtaking! As mentioned, Gordon River cruises are great, and if you're in town make sure you see The Ship That Never Was - a daily play put on by the local theatre group. It is great entertainment and worth going for in itself imho
We normally hire our own car to get around, and as for accommodation, if not staying with family, and it's not peak or shoulder season, we tend not to book ahead and just take our chances at finding something wherever we stop the car. Although if you're with a big group it may not be that easy? Lots of little pubs and motels with cheap rooms along the way.
Best of luck and enjoy your trip when you get there!
Good choice for a holiday destination. Tassie is amazing, I love it here. I always get that "wow" sigh thing happening when I see the mountains, snow, beaches... there is so much to look at!
There are heaps to do ... some free and some cost a whole lot more. Give yourself at least a couple of weeks, personally I would say a month. It does look small but there is a few hours between places, like Hobart to Launceston is a 2.5 hour drive.
If you can, stop along the way, there are great small towns that have cool thing to look at. Ross is stunning. Cambell Town has a great park for the kids, we always stop there to eat :)
As for activities and things to do...
Tahune Air Walk
Zoo Doo
Tasmanian Zoo in Riverside, Launceston
Port Arthur
Richmond gaol (and scenery in general is gorgeous there)
Wineglass Bay and Coles Bay
Launceston City Park (they have monkeys and a great kids playground and it's free ;))
The Gorge and Trevallyn Dam in Launceston are just stunning, the gorge has the longest chair lift.
King Solomon Caves
Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary
Tasmazia
Cradle Mountain, snow in winter
Cascade Brewery in Hobart, very interesting :)
Mt Wellington, the views are stunning there, snow in winter
Gosh there is heaps more. I am pretty sure you can go into a tourist place and get a list of things to do. I've been here for 10 years and there is still so much I want to do!!