This submit was written by Chelsea Loren, the Weblog & Content material Supervisor of The Blonde Overseas.
My associate and I lived in Tasmania for 2 years whereas he was finishing his Ph.D. program on the native college. Whereas he had visited Australia earlier than, neither of us had visited Tasmania and weren’t actually positive what to anticipate.
We hoped for the perfect, booked one-way tickets, and signed a lease for an house (there was much more to it than that — try this information to working vacation visas in Australia).
And we’re so glad we did. The rugged and wild fantastic thing about Tasmania is unmatched; it’s a land crammed with so many tales and unimaginable wildlife.
Whereas we spent a lot of our time in Hobart, we preferred to make use of our weekends to discover the remainder of the island. As a notice, except you’re sticking to town of Hobart (extra so a city—whereas it’s dwelling to most of Tasmania’s inhabitants, it’s small compared to locations like New York or Los Angeles), you’ll completely want a automotive to enterprise across the island.
Whether or not you’re from Australia and planning a Tasmanian getaway otherwise you’ve at all times dreamed of visiting the land the place the Tasmanian devils are from, these are a few of the greatest issues so as to add to your Tasmania itinerary.
Listed below are the highest issues to do in Tasmania!
Salamanca Market on a Saturday Morning
Discover Hobart
The capital of Tasmania, Hobart will put fairly the spell on you. Its waterfront is lined with previous sandstone warehouses (an space affectionately often called Salamanca), and town is brimming with colonial-era cottages and funky eateries. Whereas it’s buzzing for Tasmania requirements, it’s nonetheless quaint.
Hobart captures that quintessential salty-air coastal city feeling; you possibly can stroll the seashore within the morning and benefit from the sand between your toes whereas sipping espresso, after which head into city and wander at your individual tempo.
Uncover alleyways and hidden gems, have an extended lunch and savor the delights, after which bask in cocktails on the waterfront.
Considered one of our favourite locations to get breakfast is Jackman & McRoss on Hampden Highway — a avenue recognized for vintage purchasing, situated within the critically charming neighborhood of Battery Level.
Whereas in Hobart you possibly can go to Cascade Brewery — Tasmania’s oldest brewery, courting again to 1824 (it simply so occurs to be the oldest frequently working brewery in Australia).
When you time your journey excellent, you’ll completely need to head to Salamanca Marketplace for its iconic Saturday farmers market.
Attempt to Catch the Southern Aurora
There’s a great probability you’ve heard of the Aurora Borealis and seen magnificent images of it from nations near the North Pole…however do you know there’s a Southern Aurora, too?
Yep, often called the Aurora Australis, it may be seen in locations like Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand (and, if it’s a extremely robust one, generally even on the mainland of Australia!).
The caveat: it’s not normally practically as robust because the images you see in locations like Iceland, on prime of that, it’s not one thing you possibly can actually plan for. Whereas there are methods to set your self up for fulfillment (discovering a great vantage level with minimal gentle air pollution), there’s no assure of when they are going to happen.
Whereas we have been residing in Tasmania just a few stellar ones occurred, we did get very fortunate one night time once we have been street tripping up the coast and obtained to witness the Southern Aurora from a really darkish seashore.
Positively add this to your Tasmania bucket listing, and in the event you’re visiting for an prolonged time frame — it’s possible you’ll get fortunate — however don’t be upset or discouraged in the event you don’t catch one. It simply means you’ve obtained to return sooner or later, proper?
Keep at Captains Relaxation in Strahan
Captains Rest, in my view, is without doubt one of the dreamiest Airbnbs you may ever keep at. The island is now chockful of beautiful Airbnbs, however Captains Relaxation holds a particular place in my coronary heart.
Situated in a distant fishing village that takes about 4 hours to drive to from Hobart or 4 hours from Launceston, it’s fairly a trek to get on the market…but it surely’s so value it.
The drive from Hobart will take you on winding roads via misty forests and as soon as you find yourself in Strahan, you’ll breathe within the crisp air and discover your humble abode.
The restored fishing cottage set on a lake has these beautiful giant home windows that permit the sunshine flood in with a view of the nonetheless waters, it’s quaint and comfy and you may simply spend a few days enjoyable right here.
Go Mountaineering in Freycinet
Wineglass Bay is the place it’s at!
This might completely be added to a street journey up the coast (it’s about 2 hours from Hobart), or function a vacation spot all by itself.
Freycinet Nationwide Park is completely beautiful with many various hikes to select from, although some of the well-liked is Wineglass Bay (for good cause); Wineglass Bay occurs to be some of the photographed spots in Tasmania.
It’s a gradual uphill observe that’ll undoubtedly get you huffing just a little bit, however the path isn’t tremendous lengthy — about 2.5 hours to finish the entire thing. You’ll have views of pristine coastland, and turquoise waters, all framed by rugged peaks.
When you’re making a visit of it, there are just a few mattress and breakfasts within the space, campsites, or the posh resort of Saffire Freycinet.
Go to Port Arthur
Port Arthur is basically attention-grabbing because it combines an idyllic coastal setting with a brutal and storied historical past.
The historic website in southern Tasmania is an open-air museum that particulars Tasmania’s improvement as a penal colony. Ruins on the positioning embody an enormous penitentiary, together with a shell of the Convict Church.
It’s a somber expertise to stroll via the grounds and see the solitary confinement cells and picture what life was like for these shipped to Tasmania.
In case you’re not acquainted, about 12,500 convicts have been shipped to Tasmania and served sentences between 1830 and 1877.
Port Arthur is a couple of 90-minute drive south-east of Hobart.
See the Animals on the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Tasmania is brimming with unimaginable wildlife and in the event you’re road-tripping, you might be sure to catch a glimpse of a few of the native fauna like echidnas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, paddymelons, or kookaburras. If you wish to make sure you get to see these animals and never depart it to probability, head to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
Bonorong is basically cool because it’s a rescue heart that gives up-close viewings of endangered wildlife together with instructional excursions.
When you’ve ever wished to stand up near a kangaroo, that is the place; right here, you possibly can sit on a grassy hill and kangaroos will jump over to you so you possibly can feed them small pellets.
It’s about half an hour north of Hobart.
Bicheno, Tasmania
Highway Journey Alongside the East Coast
Tasmania, as an entire, is extremely lovely, however the East Coast of Tasmania is thought for being an unimaginable stretch for street journeys!
From the sleepy coastal city to Bicheno (the place they’ve penguins) all the best way as much as the Bay of Fires, you’ll discover some unimaginable locations to find alongside the coast.
Do a Bruny Island Food Tour
I’d recommend a food tour, but at the very least, visit Bruny Island!
Located off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, the island is separated into North and South Bruny — nearly split by a narrow isthmus called the Neck.
Bruny Island is well known for its incredible local produce, fresh seafood, honey, artisan cheese, fudge, and more. Because of all the culinary delights that come from here, I’d highly recommend booking a Bruny Island Food Tour and having someone serve as your guide for the day.
Book a Recommended Food Tour Here!
See Wombats on Maria Island
Tasmania is thought for its ample wildlife and a variety of indigenous animals that may solely be discovered on the island…however generally they’re not all that simple to seek out, except you understand the place to go.
Enter: Maria Island —the nationwide park off the east coast of Tasmania, the place you could find the entire state’s eleven endemic birds, Tasmanian devils, and myriad different Australian wildlife.
Maria, pronounced like ma-rye-uh (as in Mariah Carey) and never ma-ree-uh, is a hiker’s paradise with its many trails, scenic views, constructing ruins from the 1800s, and nearly untouched nature.
To get to Maria Island, it’s a couple of 45-minute drive up from Hobart to Triabunna, the place you then board the Maria Island Ferry. You’ll have to ebook each a Parks Cross (as it’s a nationwide park), in addition to your ferry ticket—it’s greatest to ebook forward as seats can promote out.
The Parks Cross and the ferry tickets can all be bought collectively on the Encounter Maria Island website. You too can add on baggage, or a motorbike, in the event you’re selecting to carry both of these. You’ll have to verify in on the Triabunna Customer Info Centre (adjoining to the wharf) no less than half-hour previous to the departure time.
It takes about half-hour or so to journey throughout the waters and once you arrive on the island it’s turquoise waters so far as the attention can see. You may spot the occasional wombat, together with a number of buildings leftover from when the island was a burgeoning penal colony.
There aren’t any meals locations, so that is the type of journey the place it’s good to pack your individual picnic and sunscreen.
Visit MONA
You’re in for a unique experience at the Museum of Old and New Art. It could be some of the surprising (if not essentially the most surprising) museums on the earth, they usually lean into that!
From a room with a poo machine — it actually digests meals and produces waste (you possibly can solely think about the odor), to a wall of vaginas, MONA is all in regards to the shock. However hey, when in Tasmania, proper?
Useful Tip
As many of those locations require you to drive, remember the fact that a lot of Tasmania’s wildlife are crepuscular — that means they’re most energetic throughout the twilight interval.
As a result of that is when gentle is beginning to fade, street kill is a critical problem in Tasmania. Keep vigilant once you’re driving.
There are undoubtedly a variety of different locations to see, together with unimaginable vistas and hikes (I didn’t even get to Cradle Mountain!), however it is a nice begin when planning out your Tasmania itinerary.
Have you ever been to Tasmania earlier than? Let me know within the feedback beneath!
