Tasmania is a beautiful island south of Australia’s main land that is perfect for a road trip. Two weeks is a perfect length for an around-the-island road trip; people with less time can choose to do an eastern loop or a western loop, with Hobart-Launceston road cutting the island into two halves. The eastern loop is more popular, but we loved both sides equally. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Tasmania. Highlights for us included Strahan (cruise), Cradle Mountain, Stanley (penguins), Binalong Bay and Freycinet National Park.

Tasmania was our last destination before wrapping up our world tour, so it has a special place in our memory. Coronavirus fear grew fierce during our time here, and although this island was one of the safest places in the world with zero community-spread cases, the precautionary measures did have some impact on our visit. We decided to skip Maria Island day tour at the end to avoid crowd gathering, but were bummed about missing it. Luckily, we were able to do just about everything else on our list.

After several flight cancellations and rerouting, and spending four nights in Sydney, we finally made it on the flight home on March 31st. We had initially pre-booked our reservations to Port Douglas, Australia for the Great Barrier Reef, then on to South Africa / Botswana / Zimbabwe, before heading to South America destinations covering Argentina, Brazil and Peru. All this was cancelled due to the coronavirus travel restrictions. These locations will stay on our bucket list until we get a chance to visit them. For now, this is it. It was a trip of a lifetime and we were lucky to make this happen, and we will treasure these memories for years to come!

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hobart & Mt Field National Park

Mt Wellington

Mt Fiend NP

Maydena

Our first full day of adventure in Tasmania was great. We started with the gorgeous views on Mt Wellington, then drove westward from Hobart to start our two-week road trip around Tasmania. The hike at Mt Field National Park was beautiful. To end the day, the Pademelon sighting was an interesting experience.

Voyagers tips: If you plan to visit three or more national parks during your trip, be sure to pick up a National Park Pass at your first park visit. You can order it online, but we just purchased it at the visitor center of the first NP we visited.

Mt Wellington

Hobart is the largest city in Tasmania. There aren’t many tourist attractions near the business-centric city center. We visited Mt Wellington for a fantastic view of the city and moved on to Mt Field National Park.

mt field national park

Mt Field National Park has a popular hiking loop with various path options depending on your preferred duration. We did the entire loop starting with Russel Falls and finished the loop in less than 3 hours. It was a beautiful hike, and the stopping points along the way breaks up the long hike nicely. The hiking path starts behind the Visitors Center, so just park at the Visitor Center parking lot and go from there.

Voyagers tips: If this is your first national park stop, be sure to stop buy and buy the national park pass. It’s definitely a great value if you plan on visiting three or more national parks during your stay.

Maydena

Maydena is a tiny town near Mt Field National Park. When we were there, there was literally only one restaurant open for dinner in the entire town. It’s still the best option for an overnight stay near Mt Field, however. The cabin we stayed at is on an alpaca farm. Alpacas are close relatives of llamas. The kids had a blast feeding the alpacas before we headed off to Strahan.

Voyagers tip: Giant’s Table & Cottages was the only restaurant open for dinner in the entire town. It’s owned by an old friendly couple from South Africa. Prices weren’t cheap and the wait for food was long, but the food was great and the wife was super friendly and helpful. We stayed at Maydena Mountain Cabins & Aplacas overnight, the owner was super friendly and nice. He offered to let the girls feed the alpacas the next morning, stayed with us for a long time and let the girls played with the alpacas for as long as they wanted, free of charge. The three available cabins are fairly new, a bit tight as you would expect of these cabins but it was well stocked. The owner even provided fresh ham, cage-free eggs (from the neighbor) and bread for breakfast, none of which was mentioned on the hotel listing. A very pleasant surprise.

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Strahan

west coast wilderness railway

gordon river cruise

Strahan is a nice small coastal town known for two main attractions: West Coast Wilderness Railway and Gordon River Cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed the Gordon River Cruise, but our railway experience was hampered by the pouring rain that day. Both are still considered must-dos if you come to Strahan. See Voyagers tips in respective sections below for tips.

west coast wilderness railway

Tasmania’s initial big boom came when gold was discovered here, and the rich history of the gold rush is well captured in this railway experience. There are several stops along the way to stretch your legs and walk around the rain forests. With the full-day option, there is a lunch stop in Queenstown.

Voyagers tips: There are a few experiences to choose from: Half-day vs. full day, premium vs. regular coach. We opted for the full-day regular coach to get the most of the experience as it goes all the way to Queenstown and back. Since this is a restored classic-style train, it’s not particularly comfortable, and a full day on the train proved to be too much, even with the stops. The constant rain during our ride also seriously dampened our experience, so check the weather forecast and request for reschedule to avoid rainy days if your schedule allows it. You do get meals on the premium class, but the price premium is quite hefty. Given the remote locations, the credit card machine doesn’t work at the coffee stops along the way, so bring some cash with you or ask them to open a tab for you, to be paid upon your return. We recommend going with the half-day ride, that’s enough to get the experience. You hear plenty of gold-mining stories along the way, which is interesting for a while but gets boring towards the end of the day on a full day tour.

gordon river cruise

Australia was used as a remote prison for criminals of the UK starting in 1788, over 160,000 prisoners were sent from the UK to Australia in 80 years. Roughly 20% of Australians today are descendants of convicts. We went on a beautiful small cruise today along the Macquarie Harbour and visited one of the oldest and most remote island that was used as the prison for the hardest criminals. The boat then cruises down Gordon River and stopped at a cool climate rain forest. Very enjoyable and interesting experience, highly recommended!

Voyagers tips: There are three classes of seats, but family discount is only available on the lower and middle tier seats. We booked the middle seat family discounted tickets and were happy with our choices. We got window seats on the lower level to enjoy the views, and passengers are free to roam about any time, so there’s really no need to pay premium for upper-floor window seats. The top deck and front deck are open and people can go up any time.

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cradle mountain

dove lake

enchanted walk

ronny creek (wombats!)

tasmania devils conservatory

Cradle Mountain National Park is absolutely gorgeous! So many amazing hikes here. It was also great to see Tasmanian Devils in person!

Voyagers Tip: Unlike other national parks in Tasmania, Cradle Mountain NP is only accessible via the public shuttle buses that depart from the Visitor Center. You can get a map with all the hiking trails in the park. Dove Lake is the most popular and the views around it are stunning. The Tasmania Devils conservatory is a private business and is worth the stop, especially during feeding time in the evening.

dove lake

Dove Lake is the most popular hike at Cradle Mountain, and for good reasons. The views on this hike are stunning.

enchanted walk

Enchanted Walk is a beautiful short hike that makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tale. Beautiful.

Ronny Creek (wombats!)

We were hoping to see wombats in nature, and this hike did not disappoint! The hike is beautiful on its own, but the numerous wombats roaming around make this extra special. An absolute must-do at Cradle Mountain!

Voyagers tips: The maps don’t show this as “the” hike to see wombats, but the shuttle bus driver gave us the tip and it is absolutely true. We didn’t see any wombats anywhere else in the park, but we saw so many on this hike that we just walked passed them by the end of the hike.

Tasmania Devils Conservatory

We visited a Tasmanian Devils conservatory during feeding time. These teenage boys are feisty. They’re named for the evil hiss sound that they make. I can see how that can seem like the devils in a dark forest.

Voyagers tips: The Tasmanian Devils are fed once a day, and there are many things about them that can only be observed during feeding. Paying a bit more and going at feeding time in the evening is highly recommended.

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stanley & launceston

stanley

cataract gorge, launceston

hollybank wilderness adventure

stanley

Stanley is a remote town on the north-west corner of the island. It’s claim to fame is “The Nut”, a massive rock prominently on display on the coastal line. The highlight for us, other than the hike on The Nut, is the penguin sighting. It was very dark, but the penguins literally walked by right under us.

cataract gorge

Launceston is the second largest city on the island, on the north side. Cataract Gorge, just minutes away from the city, is a nice escape from the city. It has the world’s longest single-stretch ski lift, great hiking trails, and a human-sized hamster wheel to boot.

hollybank wilderness adventure

Hollybank Winderness Adventure is a fun adventure course, with options such as zip-lines and rope courses. We only did the rope course and it was a blast!

Voyagers tips: The red course is only for ages 10+. We filled out the form saying A is 9 so she couldn’t even try it. They go by the age you write down on the form, keep this in mind when you fill it out. The black course, the most difficult course, is seriously difficult. Only Ivan finished it. Give yourself some rest after the red course before starting the black so your muscles can recover a bit. The higher the level of difficulty, the more upper body strength is needed.

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Bay of fire & Freycinet National Park

Bay of fire

Wineglass Bay at Freycinet

honeymoon bay at freycinet

Bay of Fire, Freycinet National Park and Maria Island are the three must-dos on the east coast of Tasmania. Bay of Fire is a beautiful area with plenty of spots to park and walk around; one side of the bay has interesting red rocks for kids to climb on, while the other side has gorgeous white sand and is one the of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen. Freycinet National Park has tons to offer, the most famous being Wineglass Bay. Honeymoon Bay is a nice stop as well, and there are several other beautiful hikes to keep visitors busy. We didn’t make it to Maria Island, unfortunately. Given the need to practice social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak, we felt it’s best not to get on a boat with the crowd. We would love go to back there someday.

Bay of Fire

Bay of Fire, a famous part of east coast Tasmania where the name comes from the red rocks by the water. Binalong Bay is the primary spot to see this phenomenon, but red rocks can be seen along many other parts of the east coast.

Voyagers tips: Housing options are limited in Binalong Bay. St. Helens is the best place to stay overnight when visiting Bay of Fire.

wineglass bay, freycinet national park

Wineglass Bay is one of the most famous spots in Tasmania with stunning beauty. The birds-eye view can be seen from the viewing platform high up on the mountain. For the fully experience, continue the hike all the way down to the bay. Since the beautiful bay/beach is only accessible via a tough hike or by boat, you can enjoy this gorgeous beach with very little crowd.

Voyagers tips: The hike down to the bay and back is not long, but it is steep, and the endless stair steps on the way back is no joke. Bring plenty of water and be ready for a good leg workout. The hike starts with an uphill climb up to the viewing platform of Wineglass Bay, roughly a 45min hike. From there, you can head back to the parking lot or head down to the bay and enjoy the white sand and red rocks. From the bay, you can head back up the same way, which is what we did, or continue on for a long loop. Be sure to allocate sufficient time for the long loop if you choose to go that route.

honeymoon bay, freycinet national park

A popular spot in Freycinet National Park where the beautiful scenery is only a few minutes walk away from the parking lot. This is a popular spot for picnic and sunset. Our stingray sighting made the experience even more special.

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The Journey Home

The coronavirus wrecked havoc in the world, and our trip was impacted as well. We quickly wrapped up our road trip in Tasmania and waited in Hobart for our flight back home. Our remaining journey to the Great Barrier Reef, southern part of Africa and South America were cancelled due to travel restrictions in early 2020, and we almost got stuck in Australia. After many rebookings, cancellations and re-routing, we finally made it home after a 4-day layover in Sydney. We got to see and experience amazing places, the girls expanded their horizons on the worlds outside of the U.S., and we grew closer as a family. We will treasure our memories forever, and will do everything we can to make this dream come true for other families pursing this dream. Come on, what are you waiting for??

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