Going to Tasmania

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Hi. We are touring Tassie right now with a 4x4 and 20ft off road van. If you havent got Wiki Camps on your ph, get it, learn to use it and download the off line content so you dont need reception to check out spots. Theres a lot of great free and low cost camps here.
You may need to adjust to some of the roads...very windy and hilly and narrow.
Special spots? Everywhere! But maybe Bay of Fires and Bruny Island...the Pennicott Wilderness boat trip from Adventure bay is both exciting and fantastic.
In Tasmania you dont need to travel far between camping spots. Sometimes only a few km....so we are unhitching and doing lots of day trips and often checking out the next spots before we camp there. Of you are on Facebook "the Very best of caravan and camping in Tassie" is very active and up to date. Enjoy.

Hi,
Four weeks ......you will only scratch the surface of what Tassie has to offer!
As mentioned in previous post get used to using WikiCamps, a great tool
Free/low cost camps abound.
Don’t miss Strahan (Macquarie Harbour), Mona in Hobart, The Wall @ Derwent Bridge, Relic Ware in Latrobe, all along the east coast....
We are going back again for the third time in January for three months this time to catch up on what we have missed before.
Enjoy your trip, we have found night crossings to be better (for us) .....that way you don’t ‘lose’ a day.

Couple of places that are absolute must sees...Legerwood Memorial Trees in the tiny town of Legerwood, and the Wood Stave Pipeline near Derwent Bridge on the road into Laughing Jack Lagoon. Also must sees are The Wall at Derwent Bridge (used to be able to free camp in front car park of Derwent Bridge pub), Mt Wellington at Hobart, Port Arthur (obviously), drive Jacobs Ladder at Ben Lomond National Park, drive the Western Explorer Highway (need to check you'd fit on the Fatman Ferry though), any little town like Ross, Sheffield or Oatlands etc etc etc that have awesome history and great just to wander around, Cradle Mountain, Bruny Island camping at Cloudy Bay was great, as was Bay of Fires and Macquarie Heads (Strahan) and Cockle Creek and so many other places......way way to many things to mention and places to stay, that's just some of the highlights from our 5 week visit there.

Unhitching? Each spot on its merits. So far we have unhitched just about everywhere. I have a DO35 hitch which has a well designed hitch lock available which I use. You'll soon see at each spot whether folks feel safe to unhitch.

Hi Mike
You'll love Tassie, but mind the narrow roads ...... small place so don't hurry. Plenty of exceptional hiking if you enjoy that. Cradle Mountain has some good walks, Cape Hauy near Port Arthur is good and not long ( great cliffs), and if you can travel south, camp at Southport and take a day trip south to Cockle Creek, then a hike to South Cape Bay ...... next stop Antarctica !!

North Western wilderness areas are fantastic.
Doesn't matter where you go, there's lots to do and see. You can camp at Abel Tasman Caravan Park first night as it's close to the terminal ..... or head straight out.
Have fun.
Cheers
Jim

Hi Mike, I agree with everything been said in particular Tony's comment about scratching the surface. We spent 3 months earlier this year and didn't see everything. As I see it in four weeks you have 2 options go crazy and drive every day trying to squeeze as much as possible or pick out several areas and do them properly. I would suggest do the North coast including Cradle Mountain then drift down the west coast to Strahan, Maria Island (good boat cruise out through Hell Gate) and onto Queenstown take the Rack Train ride. It's a better drive coming out of Queenstown this way than going in from Hobart. Onto Derwent Bridge and see "The Wall' a must see. Then to Hobart and surrounds. I would leave the East Coast for another day. The return to the boat is then a straight run up the highway.

No doubt there will be other opinions; food for thought.

Have a great trip.

Cheers
Jon

I've got a document with some of our favourite places, which I pass on to travellers we meet on the big island. I can email it to you if you PM me with your email address.
Cheers

Don't miss Mount Field NP (on the way from Cradle Mountain to Hobart) good camp area if its booked out there is a private camp ground a few Klm's away cant remember the name its only fairly new

I hope you can find time to get up through the Midlands,,, very nice... So much to see in a short 4 weeks. We spent 6 weeks and we still had plenty we missed out on, Enjoy. Michael.

Second the notion to visit 'The Wall' near Derwent Bridge on your way to Queenstown. Hillsides around here are always good for snow in the cool months, probably my favourite area of Tassie... really nice countryside. But The Wall is just a great piece of art, so much work has gone into it... really worth a look.
But the best part of Tassie has to be Freycinet National Park & Wineglass Bay. This part of Tassie has it all and is totally unspoilt. You shouldnt have too many issues with a Van around there. Strange as it sounds it's probably the warmest part of Tassie (Swansea and surrounds) - if you're a keen fisho it's the best fishing in the whole state and some really good trout & freshwater stuff also (guided fishing & stocked lakes etc)
But yes 4 weeks is nothing. Funny because you could drive from Hobart to Burnie in deadset 5 hours straight if you're keen but there's just way too much to see.
NE corner around Bridport etc is also nice, relatively quiet. If you're up for a bit of excitement there is a private business near Bridport that runs quad bike tours on they're private property and its the best thing I did in Tassie the other year. Awesome scenery and tracks, highly recommend... caters for everyone. Kookaburra Ridge Quad Tours

www.kookaburraridgequadbiketours.com

Hi Mike, with only four weeks, pick a few key places that appeal the most and see those. If there is any time left, you can look further.

I have seven Blogs on our trip to Tasmania in My Blogs from 2006 to help you choose areas that appeal most to you. Happy to give more information, because these Blogs are still a brief account of all we saw and did.

Someone has mentioned "The Wall", and this is always one of the first things recommended in Tasmania. It was only opened after our visit so one we missed.

Highlights I would say are do-not-miss include Cradle Mountain, Port Arthur, Convict built bridges still being used today, Wineglass Bay, Devil's Gullet, a selection of the many waterfalls with Russell Falls being considered the prettiest although far from the biggest. The path to Russell Falls and Horseshoe falls further along the same trail is currently being upgraded. Also many lookouts on the roads you will travel.

As all Tasmanian National Parks require payment of an entry fee, it pays to purchase a multi parks pass. This can be purchased on the Spirit of Tasmania, or on line.

One nice spot to spent a night is around Geeveston, beaut little old timber town, some beautiful wooden carvings around town, and a short drive west to Tahune Forest Skywalk which was worth the time and cost, some massive tress there.
We stayed at a small backpackers when we went through, but there is just north of town a place called Shipwrights Point, which could be a council free RV type spot, dump point > Google maps has it shown.

I have been down there a few times, a few trips for bushwalking various places . . . if you can manage some walking, Tassie is a mecca for short and long walks.
Recommend Lake St Clair, you can catch a ferry either way to top of the lake, and walk the other direction there or back.
It is a day walk, follows the Overland Track, 5 to 7 hrs, 16km.
Or you can do the drop off or pick up at Echo Point 10km about 3 hrs.

If you wanted to see Wineglass bay, you could do the walk up to the lookout from the base, about 1.5km each way, 1 to 1.5 hrs return depending on pace.
To get onto the beach itself is only 1.5 or so hrs for good fitness level, but coming back will be slower, best to allow it as a day walk, and picnic lunch on the beach, there is a campsite only at southern end.

I also did a 3 week driving tour with wife and daughter many years ago, in the commo, stayed backpackers in remote spots.
Covered a lot of the island, off ferry, across to St Helens, down to Bicheno, Bruny, did the island and day boat out from Adventure Bay, Port Arthur, Hobart, Geeveston, Cockle Ck, up again and west to Lake SC, Strahan (awesome spent a few days here), do the railway, and harbour / river cruise, up to Cradle, short walks to Dove Lake etc.
Up to coast, had a day free so drove west to Penguin and back to catch ferry back.

The ferry then was very stable, not sure about the new ones, but the on board gyros made the trip very comfy and smooth.

As said in suggestions to either scratch the surface all over, or do a few spots in detail . . . that depends on your likes when travelling.
Personally, we just liked cramming as much as we could in, we didn't feel rushed in 3 weeks, but it went fast, and we only had the sedan.

Hi Mikee. On the West Coast the Montezuma Falls is the tallest in Tassie at 90m? The track in is a nice drive for a standard 4wd, not hard if you take your time, just damp rainforest. Best free camps are Bay of Fires near St Helens, a must do town. Lagoons Beach free camp between Falmouth and Bicheno. We recently did the Pennicot boat tour out of Adventure Bay, Bruny Island it was a great experience. Strahan - Abt Railway and Gordon River Cruise worthwhile. Sheffield - town of murals. Launceston -Cataract Gorge.
Enjoy your visit to our state and like most on here you will be itching to come back again.

For a nice little out of the way Free camp area try the Griffin camp area near Mathinna on the Esk River.