Member - Mark G (NSW) replied:

dont blame you,does a lot for Tassie tourism doesn't it.

MAVERICK(WA) replied:

maybe they are just copying WA - they want tourism and tourism dollars - just not the tourists........rgds

The Geriatric Gypsies replied:

is that return or just 1 way

steve

Hairs (NSW) replied:

The Minister for Doom & Gloom,
Bob Brown probably has something to do with that.

Member - John G replied:

G'day HG

The most expensive road toll in Oz!

I think if you do the sums e.g compare 4 weeks travelling with car and van (incl the ferry fare) against 4 weeks of fly / drive + accommodation, you'd find that taking the car+van is the cheaper option by far.

I appreciate that it still comes back to the budget bottom line, but Tassie is a great destination and I think you need to look past the ferry fare, as steep as it is.

Cheers
John

austastar replied:

Ah, but in winter you get the whole beach to yourself !

RalfR replied:

For what it's worth, having lived in Tassie for a few years a long time ago, the winter is beautiful, you just have to dress for it -

Not a lot of rain!

Snow in the higher regions (Mt Field is fantastic)

No tourists (well not many)

The scenery is wonderful, as opposed to summer when Tassie dries off a lot.

I took a number of friends on a circuit during my few years there, and for me, winter was the best time. You wouldn't really want to be in a tent though.

I'd love to go back, but the ferry prices are a killer. What "s@*&s me even more is that fares are increased during the only time I (and many other other families) am able to travel there. I know it's all market forces, supply and demand etc, but I still retain the right to p&%*#d off with the whole practice.

They're al the same too - Kangaroo Island (the most expensive car ferry in the worlrd apparently, on a per KM basis) and the Lucky Bay ferry bump up thier prices for the school hols.

Ah that feels better now.

Back on tack now, don't be put off by travelling in winter, its quite special that time of year.

Cheers

Member - Reiner G (QLD) 4124 replied:

We did the same trip before Easter and it cost us just under $1500 towing a little Teardrop Camper. Travelling from Brisbane down and back is not cheap either. I had a look and you can fly for $149 return if you plan ahead and get a small rental car over there. We will be going back but not by boat.
The Ferry was packed , it seems like nobody cares paying that much. Might be the same with petrol prices.........nobody seems to care.
cheers
Reiner

Member - Nick (TAS) replied:

Yep, its a rip off.What more can I say.
And to make it worse, we dont have a choice to go holiday anywhere else bar here unless we pay big time, at least you guys have the whole of our great country to choose from.

Crackles replied:

$800 each way for 4 people, a 4 wheel drive & a van at the xmas holiday period sounds half reasonable to me with the price of fuel these days particually for a one off trip. Would certainly become a major expense however for Tasweigens coming over to the mainland on regular trips & know one such couple who store their van in Melbourne to avoid the transport costs.
Cheers Craig.............

madfisher replied:

We went down in Feb(2 a) and cost about $1000.00 return. That was with a 4wd packed to the roof. We camped so our only expense down their was food and petrol. Considered taking boat but was an extra $600.00 so forgot that idea.
It was still a very cheap holiday costing about $2000.00 for a fortnight. If we had flown down we would have had to stay in motels or cabins plus hired a car, would have cost over $2000.00 and you are limited to what fishing gear you can take. (20kg I think
I really enjoy the ferry trip ea time as well. Hard to believe how quick that thing is if they are behind schedule.
If you go you will not regret it.
Cheers Pete

Member - barry F (NSW) replied:

I think the cost of getting there & back is also relevant to how long you intend to be there. We did a fly/drive about 7 years ago.
for only about one week & found it expensive. We stayed in medium priced motels (great western) but found food cost us much more than we had budgeted for.
We intend going back, but next time maybe for a month or so. We have not yet "done the sums" but have sought of hoped that if we took our van it would reduce cost of overnight accommodation & being able to use the vans facilities to cook our own meals would well & truly offset cost of getting the van over & back. Plus as already pointed out, we would think of the ferry trip as part of out adventure.
Any comments on the option of hiring a van over there? Cheers.

time waster replied:

Yep we had planned 4 weeks from boxing day day but after $1850 with van and kids decided too much thats 4 weeks of diesel for traveling.

Shame but.

HGMonaro replied:

trouble with kids is they don't get 4 weeks off in the middle of the year and they don't think holidaying in winter is great either.

Once you calcuate the total holiday cost, it's probably not as bad as it initially seems... can drive a fair way for that amount in petrol though!

geocacher (djcache) replied:

Cancelled our trip at Easter for exactly the same reason.

Went to Mallacoota instead. Stayed for 10 days at about $240 for the site. Fished my ar$e off. Awesome fishing.

Bit of 4wding, had a look at the excellent WWII Bunker Museum and spent many an evening in the pub. Did a day trip up to Merimbula too.

Came back with a couple of grand in change on what the Tassie trip would have cost.

Easy decision. No regrets.

Dave

pjd replied:

stay on the main land & travel its much cheaper
melb to devenport 910 klm's
& $1596 = 887ltrs @ 1.80 per ltr
thats 97 ltrs per 100 k's
you could do better than that in a bugatti veyron

austastar replied:

Why not team up with another couple and share the car and van while in Tassie. couple 1 take the van and car do the holiday, fly back.
Couple 2 fly down and holiday and then drive back.
That way the cheaper airfairs help a bit.
You need friendly couples though.