7-9 days in Tasmania?(only 4 weeks in the area) Suggestions?

[nquinn]

Hi all,

I'm headed to Australia with around 4 weeks of travel time between mid Nov and Dec. Given the time of year, Uluru sounded really hot, and Tasmania sounded like a good option.

I'm traveling solo, and really want to focus on the most beautiful parts of the area, but also be able to meet some people to explore with.

A few questions:

1. With only 4 weeks, do you think it's worth allocating 7-9 days in Tasmania, or do you think there are better sites in Australia that would give better views?

2. How would you suggest breaking up something like 7-9 days in Tasmania?

So far from my research it seems that Cradle Mountain looks really great, but many people recommend going down the east coast. My plan would probably be to fly into Launceston and out of Hobart (or the other way around).

Maybe something like this?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... 1137449810

Day 1 (half day because of flight) - Arrive Launcester, head to cataract gorge
Day 2/3 - Head to Cradle mountain. Spend the night here and explore more? Or just do a day hike and return?.
Day 4/5 - Freycinet? Or skip this entirely and head to...
Day 6/7 - Tasman National Park / Port Arthur
Day 8 - Return to hobart, explore, maybe mt wellington
Day 9 - 1/2 day hobart, fly out that evening to Cairns

The main issue seems to be getting from the cradle mountain/west coast area to the east coast.

Any tips overall on how to optimize this? Things you add/remove?

[bumpingbill]

It's going to depend on how you plan to get around. With an itinerary like that you'll be hiring a car? It's really the only way to get around efficiently and quickly, especially with limited time like you have.

That said, if you hire a car, it's often cheaper to pickup/drop off at the same point. Might be worth checking.

As for walks, Cradle is lovely well worth a visit. Same with Freycinet, if you want to walk up and see Wineglass Bay.

For Port Arthur, you could walk out to Ship Stern Bluff. Or if you want to do an overnight walk and camp somewhere, you could walk the old Cape Pillar track to the new Three Capes track and then out to Cape Pillar.

I'm sure others will have other ideas.

[tastrekker]

7 to 9 days in Tassie sounds perfect. I work mostly with overseas guests visiting Tasmania and your suggestion looks very similar to what many people do.

I have a strong personal bias towards the west of Tasmania. To me that is what sets Tassie apart from the rest of Australia. Western Tasmania features big rivers, meandering roads, rainforests, mountains, gorges. However, do not let me put you off the east. It has similarities to the Great Ocean Road and Wilsons Promontory in Victoria but there's a distincly Tasmanian flavour.

Are you a strong and confident walker? Are you able to hire a car? If so, hiring a car gives you ultimate flexibility so you can do some of the longer walks at each destination (e.g. Cradle Mt Summit, Wineglass Bay - Hazards Beach circuit, Capes Hauy or Raoul). Best of all, a hire car allows you to include the wild west but make sure you take plenty of time. You will struggle to average more than 50kph on many of those roads. Even some of the eastern roads are quite gnarly.

Are you considering public transport? Your comment about getting between west/east sounds like you may be. If so, please research thoroughly. Buses to our best destinations are either non-existent or only once a day or less.

Would you consider a guided tour? That fixes your transport challenge. Walks on the guided tours are small by bushwalking standards but can be a lot more active than coach tours. I work as a guide so I can PM you some details of common itineraries I see my overseas guests doing when they come for 7 to 9 days.

Kind regards,
Clint

[bumpingbill]

FWIW, seems like this question has also been posted to Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/tasmania/comme ... _tasmania/

[nquinn]

FWIW, seems like this question has also been posted to Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/tasmania/comme ... _tasmania/

Yup, cross-posted to reddit. Wasn't sure of the best place to post!

[nquinn]

7 to 9 days in Tassie sounds perfect. I work mostly with overseas guests visiting Tasmania and your suggestion looks very similar to what many people do.

I have a strong personal bias towards the west of Tasmania. To me that is what sets Tassie apart from the rest of Australia. Western Tasmania features big rivers, meandering roads, rainforests, mountains, gorges. However, do not let me put you off the east. It has similarities to the Great Ocean Road and Wilsons Promontory in Victoria but there's a distincly Tasmanian flavour.

Are you a strong and confident walker? Are you able to hire a car? If so, hiring a car gives you ultimate flexibility so you can do some of the longer walks at each destination (e.g. Cradle Mt Summit, Wineglass Bay - Hazards Beach circuit, Capes Hauy or Raoul). Best of all, a hire car allows you to include the wild west but make sure you take plenty of time. You will struggle to average more than 50kph on many of those roads. Even some of the eastern roads are quite gnarly.

Are you considering public transport? Your comment about getting between west/east sounds like you may be. If so, please research thoroughly. Buses to our best destinations are either non-existent or only once a day or less.

Would you consider a guided tour? That fixes your transport challenge. Walks on the guided tours are small by bushwalking standards but can be a lot more active than coach tours. I work as a guide so I can PM you some details of common itineraries I see my overseas guests doing when they come for 7 to 9 days.

Kind regards,
Clint

Thanks for all the info. I mostly want the best sites hands down that involve overlooks, water, or anything that just looks different than the rest of the world. I'll take a look at the west coast as well. I basically google-imaged a bunch of sites in tasmania previously and my thoughts were

- cradle mountain looks awesome
- bay of fire looked so-so
- freycinet looked so-so
- cape huay/cape pillar on the tasman peninsula look awesome
- hobart looks like a just small place to wrap up the trip. Mt. Wellington seems whatever, but if it's nearby might as well

Of course, this is all based just off of quick google searches, which is always hard to really know

The plan does seem to be to rent a car - I'm hoping I can meet people in the hostel that are willing to ride share with me.

For fitness, I do plenty of hikes near me in the 6-10 mile range (sorry for the freedom units) without much trouble. The only risk I've had is that my left knee was injured last year and can be painful at times so I just have to be careful not to put too much pressure on it.

[Hallu]

I feel like with 7 days a one way trip is alright, with 9 you can start considering touring the island. Well, it depends how much of a bushwalker you are. Sounds like you're after a certain wow factor. Cradle is great, but for a serious walker I feel the Walls of Jerusalem are even better. You could spend 3 days in the area and do both. I love the Bay of Fires, but it's the Northern part, inside Mount William National Park that's the best, and not the "Bay of Fires Conservation Area" near St Helens. However it's a bit remote, so in 9 days it's tricky, and it's an area best for camping, wildlife watching, relaxing. Not walking. Freycinet you can skip it if you want as it's become quite touristy. I think you should do Maria Island instead of Freycinet if you have time to take the ferry. As for Cape Hauy/Raoul, yes it's a must indeed. Love the Tasman Peninsula, with the little towns and so many hikes to do. In the West you'll certainly find the isolation you need. There is a lot to do in the South West, you should buy Chapman's book, Day Walks in Tasmania and browse it. For the South West browse the forum. There's a lot of nice day walks (the Needles, Mt Eliza/Anne, Lake Judd...). Mt Field is a bit touristy but the plateau offers great day walks.


However you need to consider the weather factor. The East coast sees twice as little rain as the West. So if you're gonna visit Cradle, or the South West, I suggest to spend all of your time there: a third of the days are gonna be rainy, another third cloudy. Like from Launceston, do 3-4 days in Cradle/the Walls, staying in central location like Mole Creek, then spend a couple of days around Frenchman's cape/Lake St Clair, and finish with the rest of your days around Maydena. That's for a full bushwalking trip. For more variety, I would pick either Cradle or the South West, add the Tasman Peninsula with the capes, Maria Island, and Bruny Island. You could do Launceston/Cradle/Lake St Clair/Bruny Island/Tasman Peninsula/Maria Island/Hobart. In 9 days it's doable, maybe remove Maria Island for more comfort.

If you're even more serious about off the beaten path stuff, there's the west coast from Strahan to Arthur River, and the Tarkine. This is usually a place people visit once they've been hooked by Tasmania after the first trip. But if you're adventurous enough, you can do it right now.

Also, you can skip Cataract Gorge and Wellington. Especially if you're already saying "meeh" to Freycinet.

[nquinn]

I feel like with 7 days a one way trip is alright, with 9 you can start considering touring the island. Well, it depends how much of a bushwalker you are. Sounds like you're after a certain wow factor. Cradle is great, but for a serious walker I feel the Walls of Jerusalem are even better. You could spend 3 days in the area and do both. I love the Bay of Fires, but it's the Northern part, inside Mount William National Park that's the best, and not the "Bay of Fires Conservation Area" near St Helens. However it's a bit remote, so in 9 days it's tricky, and it's an area best for camping, wildlife watching, relaxing. Not walking. Freycinet you can skip it if you want as it's become quite touristy. I think you should do Maria Island instead of Freycinet if you have time to take the ferry. As for Cape Hauy/Raoul, yes it's a must indeed. Love the Tasman Peninsula, with the little towns and so many hikes to do. In the West you'll certainly find the isolation you need. There is a lot to do in the South West, you should buy Chapman's book, Day Walks in Tasmania and browse it. For the South West browse the forum. There's a lot of nice day walks (the Needles, Mt Eliza/Anne, Lake Judd...). Mt Field is a bit touristy but the plateau offers great day walks.


However you need to consider the weather factor. The East coast sees twice as little rain as the West. So if you're gonna visit Cradle, or the South West, I suggest to spend all of your time there: a third of the days are gonna be rainy, another third cloudy. Like from Launceston, do 3-4 days in Cradle/the Walls, staying in central location like Mole Creek, then spend a couple of days around Frenchman's cape/Lake St Clair, and finish with the rest of your days around Maydena. That's for a full bushwalking trip. For more variety, I would pick either Cradle or the South West, add the Tasman Peninsula with the capes, Maria Island, and Bruny Island. You could do Launceston/Cradle/Lake St Clair/Bruny Island/Tasman Peninsula/Maria Island/Hobart. In 9 days it's doable, maybe remove Maria Island for more comfort.

If you're even more serious about off the beaten path stuff, there's the west coast from Strahan to Arthur River, and the Tarkine. This is usually a place people visit once they've been hooked by Tasmania after the first trip. But if you're adventurous enough, you can do it right now.

Also, you can skip Cataract Gorge and Wellington. Especially if you're already saying "meeh" to Freycinet.

Thanks - this is great information. How isolated I go really depends on who I end up meeting. If I'm solo, I'll probably be less risk averse and explore some more populated areas. If I'm with a group I'd prefer to try some of the crazier areas / southwest.

Sounds like both Cradle Mtn and Tasman Peninsula are good ideas, so I'm glad to hear that. How tough are the logistics for getting around Lake St Clair? I don't plan on doing any camping since I don't want to lug a bunch of gear around. Not sure where I'd be able to leave/pickup my car if I spend more time over there.