The Ultimate Guide for a 10 day Road Trip around Tasmania.
When we started planning our first trip out of Sydney, most people told us to save Tasmania till last - purely because it is so similar to New Zealand. But that’s exactly what we needed. We love living in a big city but something about camping under the stars and climbing mountains is incomparable.
I started with a blank note book and after two weeks of researching, mapping and scouring every social media platform, we discovered more things to see than we could have imagined. It’s only the second state in Australia we have seen, but something tells me Tasmania might be Australia's most underestimated gem!
We made so many mistakes on this trip, but looking back it all worked out for the (character building) better. Our first mistake was booking return tickets from Sydney to Hobart, not realising our camper was going to be located two hours away in Launceston. So I will start by saying if you’re looking for a cheaper camper option, look on camplify before you book your flights!
DAY ONE:
I always consider the first and last day of a trip to be a write-off. They’re the days of getting your bearings, stocking up on supplies, navigating a new city/country and making the camper feel homely - so I’m not technically counting this one on the itinerary.
We drove a rental car from Hobart to Launceston where we picked up Gerald, our perfect little home on wheels. Launceston reminded me a bit like Wellington, where I grew up. It’s a cosy little city with great spots for coffee and beer.
Where we camped: Old Mac’s Farm.
DAY TWO:
The best part about travelling in a camper van - especially somewhere unpredictable like Tasmania, is that it gives you the utmost freedom to change your plans. The original threemdays we had scheduled for Cradle Mountain showed a storm approaching, but we decided to take our chance and drive to Cradle Mountain in hopes of a small window to at least spend a morning Dove Lake.
The drive from Launceston to Cradle Mountain is just over two hours, but prepare yourself for some very winding roads as you approach the mountain.
Where we camped: Discovery Parks - Cradle Mountain.
DAY THREE:
To access any National Park in Tasmania you need a parks pass. I recommend getting a 2 month Holiday Pass for $89.50. It includes one vehicle for up to 8 people - otherwise you’ll be paying $44.75 each time you visit a National Park - or $27.95 per person for the shuttle bus to Dove Lake.
To get to the mountain, you can only access the road before and after the shuttle bus operating hours. If you find yourself there when the buses are running, you must follow a bus out.
We woke up early to get to Dove Lake for sunrise. Once you get to the car park it’s an easy 5 minute walk to the boat shed. We were greeted with grey skies and no sunrise, but left happy experiencing a moody morning with the lake all to ourselves.
The rain started just as we were leaving Dove Lake, with the whole day ahead of us we decided to chase sunnier skies and head back through Launceston to the Bay Of Fires.
The Bay of Fires was the only place we hadn’t written down locations for, when we arrived at Cosy Corner we ended up in a race against the sunset to find this one particular spot I had in mind to take photos, with no reception to google. We drove up and down the coastline quickly exploring little bays trying to find the best rock formations. I finally gave in and agreed to head back to the campsite to explore the beach there, we climbed over some boulders and ended up finding something even better than I had imagined. We felt in absolute awe, and wondered if this is possibly the most unique beach in Australia!
Where we camped: I almost want to keep this one to myself, although it’s not hard to find and I can imagine it's already incredibly popular in the summer. It's a freedom camping area called Cosy Corner in the Bay of Fires and still has us talking today.
DAY FOUR:
I can’t remember the exact kilometers we drove on this trip, I don’t want to say it was due to poor planning, but more so the go-with-the-flow nature of it all. The weather was looking overcast with potential rain and we took this as an opportunity to have a spa day - Tasmanian style. We hit the road again heading back towards Cradle Mountain to a small town called Derby. Located in Derby is an old mine that has now become a lake. Here you can find the most wonderful Scandinavian style sauna floating on the edge of the water. We managed to squeeze into the last booking of the day and had the whole sauna to ourselves. We pushed our bodies to our limits sitting in the 100 degree heat, before cooling off and cold plunging into the 16 degree lake. We did this on repeat, each time pushing ourselves to stay longer and become more comfortable in the discomfort of both the heat and the cold water. I highly recommend adding The floating Sauna of Lake Derby to your Tasmania itinerary!
The rain caught up with us as we walked back to the camper and we made haste to Freycinet.
Where we camped: Freycinet National Park Camping Ground.
DAY FIVE:
We arrived at Freycinet during the dark of night and torrential rainfall, we had absolutely no idea what we were waking up to in the morning. We wanted to do the Mt Amos track, but it was closed for maintenance. It’s recommended not to do this hike after rainfall - due to the slipperiness of the rocks on a dry day. We settled for sunrise at the Wineglass Bay lookout instead. This walk must have only taken us around 20 minutes, and gave us almost the same view as Mt Amos, only lower in the hills. There’s a lot to see in Freycinet, and we easily could have spent a few days here but we couldn’t stop talking about how much we loved the Bay of Fires and decided to head back up there to hang out for another night. Freycinet is definitely worth visiting, and I would recommend a sunrise scenic flight if you can - I will be doing one next time!
Back at the Bay of Fires we unwinded from a hectic few days of running up and down the East Coast. We had no idea we were about to experience the most extraordinary full moon either of us had seen. I mean, it was no different to any other full moon… Aside from watching it glow above a horizon of orange lichen-cloaked rock as the sun set behind us. We were convinced we had traveled to another planet.
Where we camped: Cosy Corner.
DAY SIX:
And just like that, we are back on the road. I had planned to make time to get to Cape Hauy, and to spend a few days in the Southwest to circle back through Cradle Mountain;it would have been a perfect loop if the weather was on our side. Instead, we saw a window of sunshine in Cradle Mountain and made our way back to the National Park.
The thing about road trips is you spend so much time sitting and driving that the last thing you want to do is spend your time indoors. The days are intense and exhausting, but it is such a rewarding and memorable experience. Every night we drank wine, played card games, debriefed from the day's activities and shared the little moments that made us grateful. We’d hunt down reception, check the weather and plan the next day's activities.
Where we camped: Discovery Parks - Cradle Mountain.
DAY SEVEN:
The optimist in me believed we could tackle multiple walks in one day, as long as we walked fast and didn’t waste time. But who was I kidding? We’re photographers, and Jono and I always like to spend time at our destinations - especially when it comes to hiking.
I could not leave Cradle Mountain without seeing a Wombat, so obviously we started at Ronnie Creek - the best place to see wombats in Cradle Mountain. Although in saying this, on the way up we didn’t see a single one. I’m not sure if it was the time of day or because they blend so well with the tussocks, it goes without saying that I was devastated and I begged Jono for us to walk the long way back so we would have another chance.
From Ronnie Creek we headed up towards Crater Lake. We’re reasonably fit, so this walk wasn’t difficult. You’ll know you’ve reached the lake when you see another boat shed. The trail then gradually ascends along the edge of the water before coming to a small chain supported scramble up icy rock. We stopped at Crater Lake for longer than we probably needed to - sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the moment, especially when taking photos, that we find it hard to leave.
Just a short walk from Crater Lake is Marion’s Lookout. It really is a hike that keeps giving and Marion’s Lookout gave. We must have spent over an hour at Marion’s. We weren’t planning on going any further and didn’t have anywhere else to be so we took our time soaking in the view, enjoyed our vegemite and cheese bread rolls, watched and gooed as a light snowfall blitzed through us and then decided it was time to leave as it became thicker. We both kicked ourselves later for putting our cameras away when the snow came and clouds intruded the view.
Cradle Mountain is notorious for its insanely rapid changing weather. One moment you’ll be worried about getting sunburnt, the next you’re frantically looking for your beanie. If you plan on visiting, make sure you come prepared for absolutely anything, even if you're just here for a day walk. This mountain range is known for snow storms even in the summer.
On our way back through Ronnie Creek to the shuttle bus, we finally spotted our first Wombat. If you knew me when I lived in Scotland, you would have known how obsessed I became for Highland Cows (particularly the two that lived next door to me). Well, that’s me all over again with Wombats. They are insanely cute and completely unfazed by the presence of humans. You can’t stray from the boardwalk, but you’ll find a fair few of them munching grass right next to the path. The strength it took to not attempt to cuddle one, I’m telling you. It was hard.
Back at the Discovery Park, we fired up the Pizza oven and unwinded with the warmth of an open fire.
Where we camped: Discovery Parks - Cradle Mountain.
DAY EIGHT:
We set out early to the information center to catch the first bus back down to Dove Lake. We counted our lucky stars for driving our camper down a few mornings earlier after we arrived hearing the buses were delayed due to the rangers clearing ice off winding the road.
The hike to Hansons was icy and we didn’t hang around as long once we reached the peak. This walk offers another incredible view over Dove Lake, seeing it from a parallel point of view from Marions Lookout.
We made a mandatory pit stop for coffee at the information center and headed straight back on the road. We didn’t have much of a plan for the rest of the trip, these were the days we should have been in the Southwest and about to arrive in Cradle. I found a blog online with coordinates to freedom camping spots a few hours away at Lake Rosebery, and with more digging I found images on instagram exactly where we wanted to park the camper. We made our way there, taking an extended detour to 99 Bends for Jono to get his drone out to film the picturesque winding road.
We arrived at Lake Roseberry in the night. The dirt track road along the water's edge where I wanted to park up didn’t look very inviting in the dark. At first I thought we arrived at the wrong place, so we drove further down the highway only to realize we were right all along. It was the most isolated we had been the whole trip, it felt eerie.
Where we camped: Lake Rosebery.
DAY NINE:
In the morning we drank coffee at the edge of the lake, it wasn’t long before the rain caught up to us and we once again found ourselves chasing sunshine - this time to Stanley.
Stanley is a little sea-side town in the North-West of Tassie, it’s a town full of antique-sailor character and displayed more rainbows than I’ve seen in one day since leaving Scotland. We spent most of our time perched on the hill-side watching the rainbows appear and disappear over The Nut. I had high hopes for a little antique shop in the town, but the streets were quiet and the town was sleepy so instead we found ourselves in a whisky shop tasting the flavours of Tasmania.
At this point we had to think about making our way back to Launceston to return the camper the next day. ___ recommend a campsite halfway from Stanley, we made our way there and called it a night.
Where we camped: (I’ve actually totally forgotten! Haha)
DAY TEN:
Day ten was uneventful, and a sad reality hit that our trip was coming to an end. It was one of those admin-like days that we don’t count. We returned the camper in Launceston and treated ourselves to a warm hotel bed and running shower.
DAY 11:
The adventure re-started when Hertz upgraded us to a Tesla for our drive back to Hobart. It was the smoothest, most comfortable car ride we've had and I can’t wait for the day Elon makes campers.
We broke the short two hour drive up with a stop in Oaklands for lunch. I could have sworn we had been transported back to Scotland with the quaint stone cottages and historic atmosphere. We browsed the antique shops and Jono bought himself some Tasmania distilled rum.
We only had a couple of hours to kill in Hobart before our flight - so we took the Tesla for a drive to check out Battery Point and Salamanca.. I definitely recommend spending a day wandering around these streets when you visit Hobart. Salamanca is famous for its Saturday market. Our constant changing plans meant we were no longer in Hobart on a Saturday as we had planned, but I will be making sure of it next time!
Tasmania is incredibly unique and I can already tell it will hold a special place in our hearts. It’s so full of personality, full of local produce and products - the support for small businesses is like no other and it's a never-ending treasure chest of things to explore outdoors! We would describe the island as an “antique-sailor” aesthetic, and we can’t get enough of it!
Here are my top tips for planning your trip to Tasmania:
• Get yourself a two month parks pass: you can purchase them here
• Download Google Maps and pin your desired locations - we are with Vodafone, and only got reception in Hobart and Launceston (The locals told us Telstra was the best for the Island)
• Get yourself a notebook, before you leave write down all the things you want to see and more. When you find yourself detoured from your plans, look back at the book and you will always have something to do.
• Support local and book your campervan via Camplify - the owners can also recommend you the best spots to camp and apps to download for Tasmania travel.
• The off-season is a great time for quieter campsites (we went at the beginning of May)
