Tasmania is known for being one of the most beautiful states of Australia (and the coldest) and I’m shocked to finally say that after 23 years of life in this country, I made it!
I spent 6 days road-tripping from Hobart to Launceston, having the most incredible time surrounded by nature, fluffy Australian wildlife and very temperamental weather (surprise surprise). Having finally experienced it for myself, now I’m here to share my Tasmania itinerary with you so that you can go out and experience the magic too.
PS. I only had a small time frame, so unfortunately I didn’t see a huge amount… I would recommend 2+ weeks to drive around the whole state.
Here we go!
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DAY 1
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+ Hobart
My partner and I decided to arrive in Hobart early in the morning, so that the whole day was left to our leisure.
On most trips, dedicating the first day to explore your immediate surroundings is generally a good start. So as I’m sure it comes as no surprise, wandering around beautiful Hobart is a must!
In the afternoon we decided to head to MONA (Museum Of New Art), which is one of the biggest attractions in the area and for good reason. There’s a wall of vaginas (yep…), a fat car, a machine that poops and an abundance of other weird and wonderful things. You would be crazy to go all the way to Hobart and miss out on this!
+ I would recommend dedicating around 2 hours at MONA! But allow more if you want to experience the grounds too, as they are also really beautiful!
Because there was still more of the day to spare, we decided to then drive back through Hobart, and a further 30 minutes up to Mount Wellington!
This is another of the most popular attractions in the area due to its incredible sweeping view over the city and beyond. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t being very cooperative during our visit, but when the clouds decided to clear it truly was incredible.
I can only imagine how beautiful a clear sunset must be from up here… Maybe next time!
We stayed overnight in Hobart and grabbed a tasty meal there are a lot of amazing restaurants around the city to enjoy.
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DAY 2
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+ Mount Field National Park
One of my favourite days from the whole Tasmania itinerary was up to Mt. Field National Park! Nature lovers… This is definitely the day for you.
The drive to the park from Hobart is about 1.5 hours, but the scenery is rather beautiful along the way too, so there are no complaints.
Once you reach the visitor’s centre, you have to pay a small fee of $12 per person or $24 for a vehicle, from which you start your walk through the park.
The main attractions are definitely the waterfalls; Russel, Horseshoe and Lady Barron. But there are a number of other incredible walks too. If you’re looking for something a little most challenging, don’t fret! Mt. Field is a huge national park with skiing areas, larger hikes, lakes and so much more. I’m sure there’ll be something here for you!
If you’re lucky enough you might even stumble across some amazing Australian wildlife along the way!
We spent the whole day here, and that’s definitely what I would recommend. So pack your walking shoes, some snacks, and head out on an adventure.
Stay overnight in Hobart too!
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DAY 3
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+ Bruny Island
Bruny Island is located around a 40 minute drive south of Hobart.
Once you reach the Kettering ferry terminal, you’ll take your car onboard for a 20-minute journey over to the island. The cost is $33 return for an average car size, and you’ll have beautiful views over the channel during the trip too!
Once you arrive, there is an abundance of amazing things to do that will easily fill up a day’s worth of fun.
The biggest attraction is to climb the ‘the Neck’ lookout, which is a very narrow stretch of land where the short-tailed shearwater and fairy penguins come to nest at dusk.
Unfortunately for us, the lookout was closed due to construction! But if you come at the right time, I highly recommend waiting until dusk to watch the penguins come home for the day. It also seems like the lookout would have incredible sweeping views during the daytime too!
Anyway! We spent the day seeing the many sights that the island has to offer, including the amazing Cape Bruny Lighthouse. It takes over an hour to get there, mostly on dirt roads, but the view from this point is really incredible.
From here, we travelled back to Adventure Bay, which is one of the main areas of Bruny Island, and the home of the famous White Wallaby!
The white (albino) wallaby is unique to this small area of the island, and due to the lack of predators, there is a thriving population of over 200! They are sensitive to the sun, so they come out the most at dawn/dusk, so if you want to spot one it’s best to wait around until this time and have a bit of a drive.
They’re pretty easy to spot! But don’t discriminate, the brown wallabies are super cute too 😉
Other amazing things to do on Bruny Island include wine tasting, wildlife tours to see a lot of vibrant sea life, and a variety of different nature walks depending on your interests!
Once again, we stayed overnight in Hobart.
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DAY 4
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+ Freycinet National Park
By far, Freycinet National Park is one of the most popular locations in the whole of Tasmania… And I can definitely understand why!
Freycinet NP is about a 2.5 hours drive from Hobart. The drive is beautiful and there are a few stopping points and beaches to experience along the way.
I would also recommend stopping at Kate’s Berry Farm for some delicious jam and scones!
Once you arrive in Freycinet, you’ll have to pay another park fee of $12 per person or $24 per vehicle for a 24hr pass. But from there, you’re free to explore.
The most popular attraction here is definitely Wineglass Bay, which is a 1.5-hour return hike to the lookout, or further if you want to go down to the bay itself.
There are also a lot of other hiking trails depending on your capabilities, varying from 3km walks to 16km hikes to the mountain peaks. There’s something here for everyone!
After exploring the park, we stayed overnight at Freycinet Eco Retreat, which was an incredible environmentally conscious accommodation in a private location in Coles Bay (just outside of the national park). The private huts were overlooking the ocean, surrounded by amazing wildlife and had a beautiful sunset view.
I see so much Australian wildlife at home, but to be able to sit on your deck and admire the view with so many grazing animals around was really incredible…
I was pretty much obsessed!
This is a day on your Tasmania Iteinerary that you really cannot miss!
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DAY 5
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+ Great Eastern Drive
Today was the day that we drove from Freycinet up to Launceston, stopping at a bunch of unique locations on the way.
Most people stay overnight at a few places along the Great Eastern Drive, but due to our lack of time, we did this portion in one day.
The first stop was at Bicheno to see the famous Blow Hole. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but it was actually very impressive! The way that the ocean moved through the narrow gaps in the rocks meant that the water would explode out the other side… And it was much bigger than what I had assumed!
From there, we travelled another hour north up to St. Helens. During the trip there are a few things to see and do, but for the most part, St. Helens is the next major stop.
And this is where the famous Bay of Fires is located!
A beautiful conservation area that stretches along the north-east coast, with pristine white beaches and vibrant orange coloured rocks. It’s the perfect area to relax, go bird watching, swim, snorkel and enjoy Tasmania’s beautiful fresh air.
From here we drove to Launceston which was a 2.5 hour drive the longest stint of driving from the trip!
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DAY 6
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+ Cradle Mountain
After spending the night in Launceston, we got up early and made the trip to Cradle Mountain about a 2 hour drive to the west.
Once arriving at the visitor’s centre, you’ll have to pay another park fee which will also give you access to the free shuttle service. The shuttle takes you through the park and has many different stops. You can drive your car up to the car parks, but the shuttle is much easier as some of the roads are quite narrow and the number of parking spaces is pretty minimal.
Once again, the weather wasn’t on our side (thanks Tasmania…) but we decided to make the most of it and do the beautiful Dove Lake walk.
This walk is about 3 hours, and on a clear day you’ll be welcomed by breathtaking views of Cradle Mountain. Lucky for us, there were many moments when the clouds decided to clear so that we could see the beautiful rugged peak!
This walk is one of the best in Tasmania, and it’s pretty easy too! There’s only a small section of stairs and most of it is on a stable boardwalk it’s easily accessible, but unfortunately, wheelchairs would have a bit of trouble.
The views really are magical, so even if you come to Dove Lake just to take some photos, I would highly recommend it!
Like most of the national parks in Tasmania, there are a variety of different hike difficulties at Cradle Mountain to suit you. You could spend days here doing a different walk every day, the park really is so beautiful.
Unfortunately, this is where my Tasmania Itinerary ended. We headed back to Launceston where we stayed overnight, and started our journey home early the next morning!
For my first time in this magical state, I had such a memorable time.
If you’re a nature lover like me, a visit to Tasmania is a must do! I think you’ll fall in love with its beauty just as much as I did ♡
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