Why You Need To Visit Tasmania: And Where To Go
If you’re the kind of person who prefers to zig when everyone else zags, loves being outside and is craving something a little bit different for their next holiday, you should definitely consider a trip to Tasmania. It’s Australia’s best kept secret, except, it’s no longer much of a secret.
If you thought Australia had unique wildlife and beautiful landscapes (it does), then you seriously need to check out Tasmania, or, as the locals call it, Tassie (because the locals shorten every word in the English language, you’ll soon find out).
The Land Down Under’s smaller land, just a little further down under, is home to some of the most unique animals on the planet. The most obvious may be the infamous Tasmanian Devil, (who looks nothing like the cartoon character, BTW) but there’s also a lesser known, spotted cousin, the Eastern Quoll.
Plus, they say that Tassie has the cleanest air and drinking water on the planet — so why wouldn’t you want to check it out?
HOW TO GET THERE
Tasmania has 2 airports to choose from — one in the capital city of Hobart (which is the largest city by far and only has ~200,000 people in it, so how’s that for remote?) and a regional one in Launceston. Both have plenty of flights from the mainland of Australia, mostly via Melbourne but sometimes also Sydney and Brisbane.
Melbourne is less than an hour and a half by plane from Hobart, and it’s not uncommon to find dirt cheap flights from the likes of JetStar for less than $100 AUD round trip (sometimes closer to $50 AUD in off peak times). You could also take a ferry over, instead, which will bring you into the tiny town of Devonport on Tassie’s northern coast. The Spirit of Tasmania runs a daily ferry that takes about 9 hours from Melbourne and will have you there on an overnight trip. The advantage of this option is that it brings you to a more rugged and remote part of Tasmania, but of course, this all depends on what you’re going for.
HOW LONG SHOULD I STAY?
Like most places, you could easily fill up a week or even a month of exploring and find you’ve barely scratched the surface of experience. That said, a weekend is simply not enough to get out there in the wild and rugged parts of the State. You’d be doing yourself a disservice by rushing through everything.
I spent just shy of a week there and definitely think I want to go back already, as there’s just so much more to do.
If you like doing group tours (and want the convenience of not having to book your own car or find any travel mates), I recommend Under Down Under. They have a 5 day tour at a reasonable price that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time, getting over to the more remote West Coast while still crossing off the Must Do’s.
I did my Tassie trip with them and definitely think it was worth it. I would’ve liked a few more meals included at that price, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers. And I booked it literally the night before so I probably wouldn’t have been able to see so much if I’d done it all on my own.
WHAT’S THERE TO DO IN TASSIE, ANYWAY?
Hiking. Skiing. Whitewater rafting. Fishing. Wildlife spotting. See the longest running play in Australia. Adventuring.
Really, I could go on, but Tassie is basically a nature lover’s dream. Depending on the season, you can visit fields of lavenders in bloom (December-January) or fields of Tulips (September-October).
No matter when you go, there are so many walks around the country that you can get lost in, from remote forests to alpine adventures and opportunities to see Echidnas or Wombats or Wallabies out in the wild at every turn. Seriously, we saw about 5 Echidnas in just one day along the highway!
To give you an idea of the remoteness of it all, most “highways” in Tassie are one lane roads that lead to quaint mining towns, especially out West, where there aren’t any traffic lights. As a result, you can imagine that the stargazing there is unreal.
Not to mention there’s a high chance you’ll get to see Aurora Australis, which is the Southern Hemisphere’s seriously underrated and lesser known version of the Northern Lights. You guessed it..down here it’s called the Southern Lights.
Sadly I didn’t get to see them but it’s just all the more reason to go back. A great bonus is that you don’t have to freeze your ass off waiting in the arctic tundra to spot them. Tassie is far enough South and science is pretty damn amazing in the way that you can spot the aurora at any time of year (under the right conditions).
Check out this Facebook group if you’re gung-ho about trying to catch the aurora: locals and tourists alike post about when and where they’re likely to spot the gorgeous wave of colors in the sky. Someone in my group caught them, even though the government website showed that chances were really low that night. But he waited out on a dock in the cold for ~4 hours to get that perfect photo at around 2 am. I just wasn’t ready for that level of dedication, lol.
I’M INTO THE WHOLE NATURE THING — WHERE SHOULD I GO?
So glad you asked. The biggies are Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Bay, for starters. Cradle Mountain isn’t actually the tallest peak in Tasmania, but it’s certainly the most iconic. It has picturesque lakes at the mountain base and is home to the very popular Overland Track that starts (or ends) here, bringing you to Lake St. Clair, the deepest lake in Australia.
The Overland Track is for serious hikers — it takes 5 days to complete and you need to book in advance and register your hike with the Aussie Government. Someday I’ll be that cool, but until then, the plebeians like myself can enjoy a day walk or two. The Summit takes about 7 hours’ return and offers stellar views of the entire valley below. You could also opt for a shorter climb: Marion’s Lookout takes about ~2 to 2.5 hours’ round trip and still offers incredible views at every vantage point. It’s actually a small part of the Overland Trail, and on this hike you get glimpses of several lakes, including some that have a type of bacteria in them that tints the lake a gorgeous reddish hue. It looks a lot like tea!
If you prefer flat surfaces, the walk around Dove Lake at the bottom of Cradle Mountain still offers plenty of gorgeous views, like the iconic shot of the old boat house.
Over at Wineglass Bay, the popular Lookout trail enables you to get a breathtaking view of the bright blue water and crescent shaped beach below, while also offering the chance to get down to the beach its self. If you fancy yourself even more daring, try the summit climb to Mount Amos. It’s a challenging 3 hour undertaking that will have you climbing up steep rock faces at a near vertical angle at times. I am no mountaineer (or rock climber) and I did it. It was well worth the effort for the stunning vista views..even on a cloudy day!
WHAT IF I’M NOT A BIG NATURE PERSON?
Maybe I’m biased, but nature really benefits everyone. That said, I totally get it if it’s not your thing.
You could always fly down to Tassie for just a few days and spend time exploring Hobart alone. This city, while small, has plenty to do. It’s home to the world’s largest privately owned art museum, MONA, for starters. A quirky place set on a gorgeous vineyard, you can take a beautiful ferry ride from the CBD (for $22 one way) or public transportation gets you there too (for $2.60 one way on a bus that drops you off right out front).
MONA stands for the Museum of Old and New Art and it really lives up to its name. They have everything from high tech, futuristic installations to ancient Egyptian relics like original sarcophaguses and jewellery, all set in a cool underground location that would be worth a visit even without any artwork up on the walls.
WHERE TO STAY IN HOBART
If you like staying in hostels, I recommend staying in the Pickled Frog. A popular alternative, YHA is a much closer to the downtown port area. The port is full of great restaurants and bars along the water and is a perfect place to catch the sunset. Although the Pickled Frog is a ~10 minute walk further, it has so much on offer that, in my opinion, with all the free stuff they do, it’s worth the distance.
Every Tuesday they take guests out on a surprise adventure, doing a day trip somewhere in Tasmania that’s beautiful and totally free for backpackers to visit. When I was there they went to Mount Field National Park, a beautifully lush forest full of waterfalls and moss covered trees.
They have other social activities on like beer pong and what not, standard hostel stuff, but it’s a cool place with a good vibe and friendly guests from all over the world. They’ve also won best hostel in Tasmania for a few years, so that’s a nice bonus.
My only tip before booking would be to check their website. There’s nothing free to do on from Friday — Sunday, for instance, so if you’re just there for a weekend you may as well just stay at YHA to be closer to the port. Also, don’t pick the 12 person mixed dorm if you can afford to spend a little more. It’s right off the kitchen and easily the most noisy place to sleep (as their other rooms are located upstairs).
In any case, if you’ve stumbled upon this blog and have a burning question about Tassie, my experience, a photo I’ve shared..really, anything and everything, don’t hesitate to share a comment or send me a note!
Happy travels,
xx Liv
