How to make most from your Tasmania trip — Everything you need to know
Are you planning a trip to the beautiful island of Tasmania? With fantastic scenery, beautiful beaches, unspoilt wilderness to delicious food and wine, Tasmania has loads to offer for visitors.
With so many amazing places to visit and things to do , it is important to plan your trip so you don’t miss out. I have travelled Tasmania over 5 months and these are my top tips to help you travel Tasmania.
1. National park passes — A national park pass covers entrance fees to national parks and standard facilities to national forests and grasslands. It is not verified in some places, but in cradle mountains, and Maria island you will need a national park pass for entrance. You can buy this online for the duration of your visit.
2. Drones are not allowed in national parks — Flying drones in national parks are not allowed in Tasmania
3. No public transport — If you are travelling in Tasmania, hire a vehicle from day 1. The main form of public transport is buses, and there are no passenger train services between towns in Tasmania. I suggest you book a car in advance before arriving in Tasmania. If you don’t have a car, the best way to see the island is by joining a tour bus. There are many guided tours to visit Hobart, Bruny island, port Arthur and all main tourist destinations.
3. Try to avoid driving at night — It’s not advisable to drive in most areas in Tasmania after dark due to busy wildlife activity compared to the mainland.
4. Roads are narrow — Most roads in Tasmania are single lane. Some roads can also be narrow, winding and have sharp corners. It is more similar to driving in New Zealand. So go slow, stop off and enjoy the sights along the way. Allow some extra time for driving and expect the unexpected.
5. Prepare to drive on gravel roads : There are gravel roads in Tasmania. Check road conditions in google map or trip advisor reviews while planning your trip. In some cases you cannot avoid gravel roads. As an example, there is a 18km gravel road to visit cape Bruny lighthouse in Bruny Island. When you hire your car, make sure you consider driving on gravel roads.
If traveling from little blue lake to the bay of fires on the east coast, there is a 40km gravel road. I would recommend not to drive through east coast road, instead take the road via St. helens.
6. There are some things that are hard to catch in a short trip, like Aurora Australis or bioluminescence. I have 2 separate videos on chasing these on Tasmania, but it may not be ideal to target in a short trip.
7 . Beware of snakes: If you are doing lot of bush walking there are 3 types of snakes — all poisonous. We haven’t seen them near residential areas but in bushwalking we do have 2 occasions, of spotting snakes, and they are active only on summer months.
8. Pick the right season of the year for your attractions. There are some attractions and tours that are only available on a specific season. As an example
- Penguin viewing is better from September to March
- Lavender farms available to visit in summer months
- For Tulip farms best time is from September till December
- Whale watching is common during winter season (May till July) and September till November
9. Make sure you book attractions in advance if needed. We have seen most tours, cruise rides, train rides get fully booked fast. So make sure to check out what is available and what is not during your visit times.
10. Food : Convenient food stores you find on the mainland , like KFC Mc Donalds, Subways are hard to find in Tasmania. You will only find franchise food options near main cities (like Hobart or Launceston). So make sure to keep enough food and water during your trips. But make this is an opportunity to visit local cafes and markets, for a an authentic food experience
11. Weather : Unlike other parts of Australia, Tasmania is colder, even during summer months it is chilled at night(15–20C). And lots of fog during winter. There are some places that start snowing during Autumn. So prepare yourself for cold weather.
12. If you are after wild life, Maria island is the best place to see kangaroos and wombats in their natural habitat. In addition, There are many options to visit wildlife sanctuaries where you can visit rescued animals and lots of Tasmanian devils.
13. Accommodation : You will find lots of accommodation options as per your budget in Tasmania. There are camping sites, backpackers lodges, motels, airbnb and luxury farm stays in most locations.
14. Hiking : If you enjoy hiking, Tasmania is your destination. Lots of hikes and walks in many parts of the state. There are multi day hikes like overland track or 3 capes track if you want to spend few days. Or there are a lot of day hikes and walks to enjoy if it is your thing.
15. How long do you need to stay in Tasmania . Well there are plenty of places to visit and I have a bucket list of over 150 places.
But there are some things that provide similar experiences in multiple places. (cruise rides in port Arthur and Bruny island has similar experience, many convict sites have similar view, caves : Mole creek, Gunns plains caves provide similar tours).
And compared to mainland , you don’t have to drive longer distances between attractions in Tasmania. Even a day in Hobart will allow you to visit multiple convict sites, farm tours, museums etc. But make sure to spend less time in main cities like Hobart and head out to small towns to see what makes Tasmania so special
So I would suggest 1–2 weeks would be enough to cover main highlights of the state, assuming you are not planning on multi day hikes.
I hope you enjoyed today’s travel tips to travel to the only island state in Australia.
