I mentioned it here, here, here and here that as part of our 30th wedding anniversary celebrations (I was obviously a child bride), the tennis player and myself are treating ourselves to a 13 day driving trip around Tasmania in late April / early May.
We’ve put our itinerary together, flights, car and accommodation have been booked and we’ve even booked ourselves in to a couple of tours.
I promised my newsletter subscribers that I’d post soon on where and what we plan to do when we are over in Tasmania! This post is delivering on that promise! By the way – if you don’t receive my fortnightly newsletter and would like to – just pop your first name and email address over there in the newsletter box in the right hand column and then hit ‘subscribe’. I have big plans for my subscribers – regular free gifts because I appreciate you all so much!
We’ll be arriving in Hobart. While we’re there we plan to look around the city of Hobart (no kidding!!), visit the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and Constitutional Dock, visit MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), drive to Mount Wellington, Battery Point, Mount Nelson and check out around Sandy Bay. We will also be spending a morning at the Salamanca Markets!
We’ll be spending a night at Richmond. It’s only a hop, step and a jump from Hobart, but as Tasmania’s most historical town, I have been super keen to visit Richmond to see the beautiful historic buildings and the oldest bridge still in use in Australia – Richmond Bridge (pictured below). I think my camera will be getting a work out at this place!
Richmond Bridge, Tasmania – a heritage listed arch bridge. The oldest bridge still in use in Australia.
We’ll be visiting Port Arthur – a small town and former convict settlement. Sadly, it is also known for the dreadful massacre that took place there in 1996 where many innocent people lost their lives. Let’s focus though on the beauty of the place as you can see below!
Port Arthur
While we’re in the Port Arthur area, we’ll be also checking out the Tasman Arch and Blow Hole – just two of the many unusual geological formations that can be found in the Tasman National Park.
We’ll be exploring and staying a night at Bicheno and doing a Penguin Tour.
We’ll be exploring Freycinet National Park – including Wineglass Bay and Coles Bay and will be staying a night at St Mary’s. OMG – this area looks so beautiful. I hope we can see as much as possible in the time we are there. Must remember to keep the camera’s battery charged up and take along spare memory cards because I will be in photographer heaven!
Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
We’ll be visiting and staying a night in Launceston, exploring the Bay of Fires, Cataract Gauge and driving through the Tamar Valley.
Bay of Fires, Tasmania
We’ll be exploring Burnie and Penguin and will spend a night in Stanley. We’ll be off to explore Cradle Mountain and spending a night there.
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
We’ll be spending a night in Strahan and are booked to go on a Gordon River Cruise. Looking forward to this one and it includes lunch too!
Gordon River Cruise
We’ll then be driving back to Hobart exploring places along the way, including: Lake St Clair, Mt Field National Park, and New Norfolk!
One more night in Hobart and then we’ll be flying back to Brisbane the next day. An action packed and exciting 13 days!
Hobart CBD
Below is a collage providing a little preview of some of the places we will be staying at while we are away. So exciting – cannot wait!
Have you been to Tassie? Anything else you recommend we see or do while we’re there? Not sure that we can fit much more in but if there is a cafe or special spot somewhere that we are going that you think we should see then I am all ears!
Ciao for now,
Please note that none of the images used in this post are my own. Where possible images have been hyperlinked to their original source. If any image used in this post is yours and you would prefer it not appear here, please contact me and I will happily remove it.
[This post is linked up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT]
21 Comments
Oh my goodness it all looks stunning. Wine glass bay….gorgeous. I’ve never been to Tassie. Needs to be on my list I think.
Tassie has been on my wish list for many years! I can’t wait to see and experience it! 🙂
You are going to have the best of times. When you are in the national parks particularly where there are creeks, rivers and water catchments try and be as quiet as you can and keep an eye on the vegetation at the edges of the tracks. If you are lucky, as I have on several occasion you may see the Platypus in its natural environment. If you have time at Port Arthur take it slowly around there. I am a bit of a spiritual person and have had what I call irrational experiences at places like Port Arthur where I have felt the spirit of the past reach out in a physical sense. Do a day tour with the guides they are incredibly knowledgeable and are open about the tragedy and inhumanity of its past. It was a terribly hard place of punishment. Richmond will be something really special I cant wait to see your photos from there and around Sandy bay and Battery Point. Take lots of cash and get an extra luggage allowance for your return because there will be so many temptations of clothes, food and art at the Salamanca Market.
Take lots of batteries for your camera. Oh and I think you will need a whole day just for MONA
It would be fabulous to see a Platypus Patrick (and in the wild too!) so I will be super observant! I’m a bit of a spiritual person too so I will probably get goosebumps walking around Port Arthur. We will look into doing a tour there so we get a better understanding of what we are looking at. Richmond has long been a place I have wanted to see. I don’t think we can afford to spend a whole day at MONA but will get a good portion of a day there at least! So much to pack into 13 days!! 😉
I am so very jealous of you right now! I’ve been to Tassie twice and adore it. You are also staying in the place I want to live one day – Richmond! We stayed at Hollyhock Cottage and loved it. In Hobart we stayed at the Hotel Grand Chancellor and had great views over constitution dock and just a short stroll from Salamanca Markets. In Launceston we stayed at some heritage style apartments all decked out in beautiful antique furniture but I can’t remember the name. If you like Whisky the Helleyers Road Brewery in Bernie is great. I think you might be staying where we did in Cradle Mountain – the Cradle Mountain Lodge? If they still have them, order their scallops for entree…the best! And the Tassie Devil place in Cradle Mountain just down the road is great to go to at night. Have so much fun!
PS> Do the guided tour at Port Arthur – for a little extra $$ you have a headset that you listen to and press buttons and it tells you the story. If you’re not a scaredy cat, do the boat trip over to the Isle of the Dead where the convicts, soldiers etc were buried too.
Yep – I think a guided tour at Port Arthur would be very worthwhile! Oh I didn’t know about the Isle of the Dead! Not sure if I’m a scaredy cat or not. I guess I will find out when I’m there! 😉 x
Eva, Ive stayed at Hollyhock Cottage as well back in 1992 LOL it was beautiful then and Im sure it still is. I almost bought a BandB in Richmond in 1996 but it fell through. I wish it hadn’t.
We were going to stay at Hollyhock Cottage Eve but they’re not taking bookings at the moment so we are staying at a different (but equally as cute!) cottage there. We’re staying at the Cradle Mountain Hotel when we’re at Cradle Mountain. Is that the same as the Cradle Mountain Lodge? Scallops for entree have been noted down as well as the Tassie Devil place down the road!lol Thanks Eva! 🙂
My husband and I did a tour of Tasmania a few years ago. My favourite day was going to the Salamanca Markets then walking around the surrounding hills and catching a bus to the Casino for an early dinner. The scenery and old houses were beautiful! We did a ghost tour at Port Arthur too which was fun.
I should be able to see and do all of those things! Really looking forward to it all 🙂 x
So excited for you. We went to the bridge at Richmond. There were loads of ducks in the water and the girls loved it. There is also an old church nearby that we walked up the hill to just to check out the setting and architecture.
We will be looking out at the bridge from where we are staying! Lovely to know there are ducks in the water. Hopefully they are different to our Brizzie ducks and I can get some nice photo’s. Great to hear there is an old church nearby. I adore old churches 🙂 xo
Wow! Those pics are amazing. I had no idea how beautiful Wineglass Bay is. You are going to have an amazing trip!
I know – can’t wait! 🙂 x
I haven’t been yet, but honest to god, every single person I know who has been there comes back absolutely RAVING about it. I also know someone who eventually moved there. Watch out – it might hook you!
I reckon I could live in Tassie and I haven’t even seen it yet. I adore a cooler climate! My hubby is the opposite so my chances are pretty slim! haha
I am so jealous Min! I would absolutely LOVE to go to Tasmania. My Dad has bee a lot for work and been all over the place and he loves it. Every time we talk about traveling he always says Tasmania should be at the top of the list. And this is from a man who has literally been all over the world but still thinks the best places in the world are in his very own country. I can’t wait to see all of the amazing photos you take!
#teamIBOT
I know how you feel Kylie! I’ve been jealous of others going there for many years. I’ve always wanted to go there. I am sure I will fall in love with the place. I think I will probably find my favourite Tassie spot and go back for a longer holiday in that one place. I love exploring new places! There are sure to be heaps of photos when I get back that is for sure! 🙂 x
I adored my trip to Tasmania. It’s so beautiful and there is so much to see. We had an amazing time there. And, I’m sure you will too.
Good to hear Rita! I know I will love it there. I’m so excited to see it all. Can’t wait! 🙂 xo