1-week Tasmania roadtrip
Following with the same theme, we went without much of a plan at all, only a loose idea of where we wanted to go. And so we ended up planning and booking our evening accommodation the day of or night before.
We only stayed for a total of seven days, which worked for us but we were BUSY, it was full on and very active so you could 100% stay there for longer; I'd probably recommend between 10 days to 2 weeks (or, if you live in melbs, a little weekend getaway would be great.)
The main thing we learned from this week (aside from the true definition of the aussie bush) was that Tasmania was outstandingly and consistently stunning, there wasn't a single place we visited that wasn't beautiful.
18th December 2024
We spent one week doing a road trip of Tasmania. Here’s everything you need to know.
Tasmania is actually one of the states of Australia which I had forgotten several times as it feels both very much like aus and very different at the same time. I had never really considered going over there in all honesty, however a few of my friends up in the Gold Coast were from tassie and had always raved about its beauty.
This, in addition to how close Tasmania is to Melbourne, is why we decided on going there last month. It's only around a 50 minute flight, which is normally very affordable; our flights were, however, a little more due to how last minute we left - no shocks there.
our route:
DAY 1 - Hobart
DAY 2 - Mt wellington + Mt Field National Park
DAY 3 - Cradle Mt + Launceston
DAY 4 - Bay of Fires + Beaumauris
DAY 5 - Hobart
DAY 5 - Orford
DAY 6 - Freycinet National Park
DAY 7 - Peninsula / Hobart
As I said, we did cram a lot into this week, most people completely miss out the west coast and just do the east, whilst the west is beautiful, I would say to prioritise the east if you had less time.
Granted, our route doesn't make the most sense on day 5 - this was due to a couple reasons: we weren't able to go to the MONA Museum either days we were in Hobart as it was closed and also the weather, it was pissing rain for the entire day. So we thought it would make the most sense to drive three hours from the east coast back down to the city and spend the day there - 100% worth it though.
Weather
As I just hinted to, we didn't have the most luck with the weather in all honesty, it mid-spring, so much colder than melbs and we did spend majority of our time in hoodies, so just prep for that if you go in November. It did rain for a couple days which didn't affect many of the views, except Binalong bay - it was still gorgeous but would have definitely been even more breathtaking in the sun. We did get a couple of nice days just as we were leaving, so you win some you lose some.
All in all, I would say it's perfectly fine to go during Spring / Autumn but if you can go in Summer then that would be the prime time.
Meeting people
As it was just my cousin Sadie and I travelling (reunited after a year apart!), making friends along the way wasn't really at the top of our priority list. However, having done a lot of solo trips, I would say that tassie would be more difficult to be social as many places are very isolated and there are only a few hostels in the entire state. The people we did meet in the hostels were really friendly though! If you like to do things on your own I reckon you'll be completely fine, if not, try and go with friends or book onto a tour.
Wineglass Bay
Russell Falls
Bay of Fires
Tasman Arch
where to go
NORTH
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Binalong bay
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Bay of fires
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Cosy Corner beach
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Swansea
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Friendly beaches
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Freycinet National Park: Mt Amos, Wineglass Bay
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Coles bay
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Bicheno
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Little Blue Lake
SOUTH
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Orford / Maria Island
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Primrose Beach
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Marion bay
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Opossum bay beach
TASMAN PENNINSULA
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Port Arthur
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Opossum bay
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Eagle Hawk Neck
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Devils Kitchen
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Tasman Arch
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Three capes: Cape Pillar, Cape Raul, Cape Hauy
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Marion bay
SOUTH / MID
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Mount wellington - 30 min drive out of Hobart
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Hasting caves - we really wanted to go here but didn't have time :(
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Mt Field National Park - Russell falls
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Bruny island (south east of Hobart)
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Huon valley
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Gordon dam
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Mount Anne
NORTH
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Cradle Mountain - Dove Lake, Crater Lake (a must do, absolutely stunning, you can definitely spend a few days here)
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Strahan
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Devonport
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Launceston
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Moctezuma falls
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Queenstown
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Franklin Gordon Rivers National Park
west coast reccs
east coast reccs
Little Blue Lake
Mt Wellington
Wineglass Bay
Cradle Mountain
The Gardens
where we stayed:
YHA Hobart Central - https://www.yha.com.au/hostels/tas/hobart-surrounds/hobart-yha-backpacker-accommodation/
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$30 each
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Actually one of the better YHA's I've stayed in.
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Pros: seemed quite social, large room, nice bathrooms.
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Cons: room smelt very fusty, very small common area and kitchen.
The Hamilton Inn - https://www.hamiltoninn.com.au
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$129 total / $64.50 each
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We really were in the middle of buttfuck nowhere this evening so there was almost no other choices of accommodation, this was place cute but was giving are we going to get murdered in the middle of the night vibes - this kind of added to the fun though in my opinion.
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Very old and traditional, no other young people in sight.
Pod Inn Hostel Launceston - https://www.podinn.com.au
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$75 each / $37.50 each
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Sadie really liked this one, I'd say it was my least favourite just because I'm a claustrophobic gal and this was a bit too much for me, also you do have your private pod but they're all in one room of about 120 people, so bear this in mind.
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Not social, lots of older people as opposed to backpackers.
Surfside Beaumaris Motel - https://thesurfside.com.au
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$115 total / $57.50 each
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This place was super cute, right on the beach and really spacious room, good for the price!
Orford Blue Waters - https://www.orfordbluewaters.com.au
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$140 total / $70 each
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Most expensive place we stayed, private hotel room, small but modern, not really worth the extra money but we had limited choices in the area.
Tasman Peninsula Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/46807690?source_impression_id=p3_1734218485_P34bOlO_qGLuhGB-
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$103 total / $51.50 each
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This was the cheapest option around the peninsula and was cute.
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It was on a family property and they were lovely.
YHA Hobart Central - see above ^
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$33 each
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More expensive than the first time we stayed as we booked it the night before.
how much everything cost
Spent whilst there
- $397 total / $57 a day
- Food, coffee, groceries, parking etc.
Yes this is boring BUT it's actually useful.
For context, we didn't go during high season but did book almost everything last minute, so things would be cheaper if you planned more in advance.
We were also trying to be careful with money, we didn't actually drink any alcohol the entire week (arguably because there was nowhere really to drink) so consider factoring this in. We did go for a few nice meals but for the most part we bought food from the supermarkets and made breakkie, lunch and dinner - which did save money but did unfortunately result in many depression meals.
Flights
- $212
- Flew with Jetstar
- Only took hand luggage
National Parks Pass
- $123 total / $61.50 each
Car rental
- $450 total
- Fuel: $160 total (we drove A LOT)
- $305 each
- We rented a Suzuki Swift from Alice Car Rentals: https://www.alicecarrental.com.au/
- It was so easy and one of the only companies that actually offers complete insurance with no excess to pay.- We had to pay a $500 deposit that we got back the day we returned the car - Free pick up and drop off to / from the airport
= $1320 total
Accommodation
- $345 each
hobart
TO DO
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Salamanca markets (Saturday)
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MONA Museum
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Botanical gardens
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Battery point
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Clifton beach
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Sandy Bay beach
COFFEE
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Pilgrim coffee
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Next Door coffee
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Bloom coffee* - cinnamon scrolls were UNREAL
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Sisterhood coffee
DINNER / DRINKS
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Ti ama - pizza
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The den
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Pepina - Italian
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Bar Wa Izakaya - Asian fusion
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Suzie lucks - Asian fusion
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Pitzi - pasta
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Sonny - Italian wine bar
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Ogee - Italian wine bar
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Hanging garden - good for drinks
* Just a moment for the MONA Art Museum - now I love art and when I say this was the best / most interesting gallery I've been to in Australia and one of the best I've been to ever, I mean it. And that's coming from someone who has visited a hell of a lot of galleries.
It was weird, beautiful, immersive and slightly strange i.e. the wall of vaginas above ^
Tickets cost $39 online.
(only open Friday-Monday)
All in all, Tasmania was an absolutely beautiful and whilst it may not be the first place that springs to mind to visit, I would recommend for anyone to take a trip there if you can. I'll end on Sadie and mine's final takes from the trip
my take
Fave place - Freycinet national park
Least fave - Launceston
Top tip - get a National Parks pass, if you visit more than two (which you most likely will do) then you're saving money, it also lasts for three months in case you come back!
One standout - MONA Museum
sadie's take
Fave place - Binalong Bay
Least fave - Port Arthur
Top tip - rent a car and travel west to east
One standout - cinnamon scrolls from Bloom Coffee:
