tasmania

[weeds]

hey

there was a post earlier this year by seqfisho? i think about tassie, have search and cannot find it. now that i'm back from the kimberleys i best start planning our tassie trip. it will be only 2wding as i'm not allowed to take the defender

hopefully try and catch up with those that live down that way or happen to be touring the same time that we are late dec - mid jan

we are taking a falcon station wagon and a cub hard floor camper. a rough look at a map we plan to stay one or two or three days at each of the following areas and sightsee from there. we will have around 18 days on the island

stanley
strahan
derwent bridge or bronte park
hobart
south bruny island
st helens
launceston

chasing everybodies top spots/attractions/must see in tassie, somebody mentioned in the earlier post that the cadbury factory will be closed for maintenance

a couple of questions
1. would i be able to get to swan basin/macquarie heads in the falcon
2. can i get the falcon into the camping area just outside the cradel mountain national park

any other tips or suggestion would be a great help

thanks

[seqfisho]

Hey Kelvin,

We were looking at Tassie over Xmas but plans have changed and now we are doing a QLD outback trip in August instead so cant squeeze both in in 6 months so Tassie will have to wait till nextime:(

[weeds]

u can pick my brains when you decide to go

[Phoenix]

I wish i'd known about the cradle one on friday, I could have checked when I was at cradle on the weekend!!!

Other than that, how long are you where, I can tell you about most attractions around the place ;)

[Stepho_62]

G'day Weeds



we are taking a falcon station wagon and a cub hard floor camper. a rough look at a map we plan to stay one or two or three days at each of the following areas and sightsee from there. we will have around 18 days on the island
Should be long enuff :cool:



stanley
strahan
derwent bridge or bronte park
hobart
south bruny island
st helens
launceston
Not much at Derwent Bridge or Bronte Park but Bronte would be the better place to stay.





a couple of questions
1. would i be able to get to swan basin/macquarie heads in the falcon
2. can i get the falcon into the camping area just outside the cradel mountain national park
Certainly Macquarie Heads is possible in the Chooktin. Swan Basin rings a bell but I can't remember where it is. :o
Cradle Mountain camp ground is accessable by a granny on a zimmer frame as long as its not snowing. Its been a few years since I was up ther but I doubt its changed. Its about 4k from the lodge and just over the road from the Airstrip.

any other tips or suggestion would be a great help

thanks
If you leave Strahan early in the morning then you will have plenty of time to arrive in Hobart in the mid arvo. If your not in a hurry you could camp the night at New Norfolk. If your going to take the ferry to Bruny Island plan on spending at least 1 if not 2 nights there. Its an absolutley beautiful little island with heaps to see. I've not done this myself http://www.wildthingadventures.com.au/ because up till recently I owned an 11 Metre cruiser but I'm told that this is the best bang for your tourist buck around. If you want to PM me I'll give u my mobile number and I can fill u in on the details of other fun stuff to do.

Cheers

[weeds]

arrive on the 27th Dec
depart around 18th Jan

we will have two boys 7 and 3 so we are looking for kid friendly attractions

i have promised megs that this will be her trip hense not allowed to take the defender

megs has mention penguins and seals? near stanley maybe, a steam train ride, wineries and cheese making, port arthur, the cadbury factory (i heard on the grape vine that it will be shut for maintenance) a cruise up the franklin, the giant trees forrest??. i'm sure there tonnes more to see

i'm interested in the breweries (may get to do), bush walking, seeing the sydney - hobart boats arrive, 4wding (damit not allow to take it), fishing etc

hit me with as much as you can

[Phoenix]

Penguins can be found in a lot of places from between devonport and burnie, to around freycent. There is somewhere that does penguin tours so to speak. Just can't remember where.

Steam trains you have a few choices. The ABT railway (expensive), the don river railway at devonport, not bad, but a short trip, there is wee georgie wood at tullah and the ida bay railway down south.This page shows a few of them.
http://www.railmaps.com.au/tas.htm

Cheese making there are a few places. Lactos in burnie is good, but my persona favorite is ashgrove not far out of devonport on the road to launceston. Wine is everywhere, and there are a number of wine routes established. Here is one for the tamar valley http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm?SiteID=369 and another one for down south http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm?SiteID=368. The discovertasmania website is a good source of information. Port Authur is good, as is cadburys, but remember cadburys tours are only on weekdays, and take plenty of money for the shop ;)

The franklin cruise is great, and for big trees there is about a million places from liffey falls, to around the geeveston area down south and the airwalk at the tahune. If you are at geeveston there is a pioneer / wood museum that is very good, and a similar one at strahn.

Brewries you have cascade in hobart, and boags in launceston (who do a good tour). Bush walking there is plenty to be had. cradle mountain, lake stclair, the gorge in launceston, freycenet national park, bay of fires etc etc.

If you are in hobart for the boats, make sure you go to the taste of tasmania at the wharf, great food wine and beer. Fishing is great anywhere :D




megs has mention penguins and seals? near stanley maybe, a steam train ride, wineries and cheese making, port arthur, the cadbury factory (i heard on the grape vine that it will be shut for maintenance) a cruise up the franklin, the giant trees forrest??. i'm sure there tonnes more to see

i'm interested in the breweries (may get to do), bush walking, seeing the sydney - hobart boats arrive, 4wding (damit not allow to take it), fishing etc

hit me with as much as you can

[Redback]

hey

there was a post earlier this year by seqfisho? i think about tassie, have search and cannot find it. now that i'm back from the kimberleys i best start planning our tassie trip. it will be only 2wding as i'm not allowed to take the defender

hopefully try and catch up with those that live down that way or happen to be touring the same time that we are late dec - mid jan

we are taking a falcon station wagon and a cub hard floor camper. a rough look at a map we plan to stay one or two or three days at each of the following areas and sightsee from there. we will have around 18 days on the island

stanley
strahan
derwent bridge or bronte park
hobart
south bruny island
st helens
launceston

chasing everybodies top spots/attractions/must see in tassie, somebody mentioned in the earlier post that the cadbury factory will be closed for maintenance

a couple of questions
1. would i be able to get to swan basin/macquarie heads in the falcon
2. can i get the falcon into the camping area just outside the cradel mountain national park

any other tips or suggestion would be a great help

thanks

Stanley, if there take a detour if you can, and go to Dip Falls, lovely spot.

Strahan, make sure you do the Sarah Is tour and go on the train trip to Queenstown and back, also you can hire quads and scream around the dunes around Macquarrie Heads:twisted: .

Hobart, go down to the docks, great feed of fish and chips and other seafood, have a look at the Lark Distillary good for a look at their still behind the bar distilling whiskey:thumbsup:

South Bruny island have a beer at Kellys Lookout which over looks Storm Bay.

St Helens, stay at the St Helens caravan park the woman there is really friendly and go out to the Bay of Fires bloody amazing place, there's free camping out there as well.

Cradle Mt is beautiful

Baz.

[weeds]

thanks guys

keep em coming

[Redback]

I forgot, not far from St Helens is the Pub In A Paddock with the pig that drinks beer, they have daily feedings:eek:

[weeds]

come on

anymore tips

[Phoenix]

Depends a little on what you are interested in looking at. did you have a look at that discover tasmania website under things to see?
http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm?SiteID=91

here is a list of national parks, and things to see in them
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/natparks/index.html

Specific things worth looking at include the natural formations around the tasman peninsula such as the tesselated pavement, eaglehawk neck, the coal mines, port authur (of course), tasmans arch, the devils kitchen, remarkable cave and the blowhole.

On the east coast you have a few wineries, freycenet etc etc. Bicheno is worth a visit as well. In bicheno you have abother blowhole, as well as a nice town. If you can manage it a walk out to diamond island is well worth while. You can only walk over at low tide, but it is absoluteley covered in penguins. Obviously you won't see too many during the day, but if you look in the nooks and crannies amongst the rocks (it's a small island) you will find them. Just be carefull around all of the burrows in the soil areas, there is hardly a spare inch that isn't a hole. Ankle breaker to the unwairy, as well as penguin home killer. Not sure if any tourist companies run penguin night tours or not. Doublas appsley national park nearby is nice, and it has a great swimming hole about 5 mins from the southern carpark. The gorge walk is spectacular, but don't walk back to the carpark via the canyon, it's an extremely tough walk, and is much longer than it looks on the map.

Mariah island is good if you have the time to visit, a lot of history there. Freycenet you have a few places to see. The hazzards themselves are pretty obvious, but the saddle walk to wineglass bay is fantastic and is worth the climb. The lighthouse also offers spectacular views. Plenty of touristy things to do from kayaking to fishing trips.

Launceston area has quite a bit. the gorge is defeniteley worth a visit, as is the duck reach power station which from memory is the countries first power station. We've got boags and the brewery tour. Tamar island is ok, but I probably wouldn't bother. Ben lomond is nearby and is a fascinating place. Jacobs ladder is drivable in 2wd vehicles, and often is, however it can be rater scary in appearance, and take it easy on the way down. THere are quite a few wineries in the tamar vally region, a number of which are very nice. Pipers brook is an exceptional one, but is a little further out. If you are out that way bridport may be worth a visit. If you are interested in old houses there is clarendon out near evendale (worth a visit in itself, a quaint little town).

Down south in hobart you have the salamanca market on saturdays, a must to do. Of course you have cadbruys and the cascade brewery. a drive to the top of mount wellington is worth while (paved the whole way, unlike ben lomond), and the views of hobart are fantastic. Huonville is very nice, as is geeveston, and the tahune airwalk is well worth the trip down that far south. The maratime museum isn't bad either (in hobart). The shot tower is also a fascinating building and is worth a visit.

On the west coast touristy things and historic things are everywhere. The museum at Zeehan is fantastic, and go for a drive through the spray tunnel (trailer probably won't fit through though). it is 2wd accessable. Strahn you have the cruises and jet boat rides. The ABT railway to queenstown etc etc etc. Plenty of tourist info on the net about strahn. Queenstown is great as well and has a couple of museums and interesting buildings to see. Not nearly as touristy as strahn. there are a couple of lookouts where you can look down into the open cut mines, and ov course there is the lunar landscape of queenstown itself. I think you can still do mine tours as well.

I've probably glossed over a few areas, and I haven't covered the north west, or midlands, i'll do that tomorrow if I have time.

If you google specific areas you will come up with a lot of the tourism websites which will give you more details on most of these areas. Also search AULRO as i've posted a few things in the tassie threads in the past few years.


How's that ;)


[edit] more links
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/05-06/hanging-out-in-hobart-hobart-tasmania-australia.html
Tas driving distances (http://www.australianexplorer.com/tas_driving_distances.htm)
attractions (http://www.australianexplorer.com/tourist_attractions_tasmania.htm)
information about things to see by region (http://www.tasbreaks.com/regional_breaks)
some downloadable tourist brochures (http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm'siteid=91&subsiteid=1026)
Itinnery ideas (http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm?SiteID=676)

[Pedro_The_Swift]

damn Pheonix,, where were you in '98???

I wanna go back now!!!

:D:D

[incisor]

damn Pheonix,, where were you in '98???

I wanna go back now!!!

:D:D
and take a diesel next time so you get time to see the scenery :P

[Pedro_The_Swift]

and take a diesel next time so you get time to see the scenery :P

wot! and scare all the birds???



:p

[Phoenix]

damn Pheonix,, where were you in '98???

I wanna go back now!!!

:D:D

Let me see. 98, I was in grade 12 ;)

Feel old yet :lol2:

[weeds]

Thanks Phoenix

i did mean to pm you, sorry

will drop in and say g'day when we get down there

[Stepho_62]

:D U betta come n say G'day to me too ;)

[weeds]

:D U betta come n say G'day to me too ;)

will do

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Let me see. 98, I was in grade 12 ;)

Feel old yet :lol2:

yep!,, must have walked about 10K today,, :wheelchair:

[noddy]

Coal Bay on the Tasman Peninsula....some of the best camping around and had it all to ourselves (2 days before Christmas).

Some beautiful beaches, lost of history, close to Port Arthur. Super spot.

You must do Freycinet....look in the album and there is a pic of Richardson Beach (we reckon Tassie has some of the best beaches in Oz, as long as the weather is behaving....) We did not stay at Freycinet camping area, but further north at a place called Friendly Beach (?)....cannot quite remember.

West Coast is also a fav. Macquarie Harbour is awesome, Sarah Island is a must. Great camping in the forest out past the airport towards the heads. Lots of salmon for dinner....