Is Tasmania Worth Visiting? - Taking 1 Week off Post Easter

Saul Goodman on 09/11/2022 - 13:22
Last edited 10/11/2022 - 09:11 by 1 other user

So not working over Easter and going to try to get leave for an additional week. I'm in Adelaide and during Easter (Fri to Sun or Mon) will be visiting family at Mansfield. We are driving up in our new Ford Ranger. I'm trying to work out where to go afterwards. A lot of the Indonesian islands are a bit rainy so they're off. For flights we can leave the car at Mansfield and get a lift to Melbourne so no dramas there.

The alternate I was thinking was we could drive down and catch the Spirit of Tasmania and spend a week driving around Tasmania. The ferry return costs with car and room which we will get is like $1800 which is kind of ridiculous so it's not exactly cheap.

I have done 2 weeks drive in South Island NZ a few years ago in Feb and I'm just worried that Tasmania will be a bit underwhelming? This will be the longest trip we take in 2023 so I want to make sure it will be good.

Seriously though, has Tasmania got the wow factor or is it more just 'it's worth checking out'?

——————- UPDATE ——————-

We have decided to go to Tassie x

Travel Tasmania

Comments

  • jv on 09/11/2022 - 13:25
    +22

    Is Tasmania Worth Visiting?

    yes.

    you can legally ride an e-scooter there.

    • Clear on 09/11/2022 - 17:33
      +4

      And you can come riding with me. I'll show you the sights.

      I've also taken many OzBargainers to the underground tunnels throughout Hobart. They all made it out 😏

      • jv on 09/11/2022 - 17:42
        +3

        They all made out

        With you? or with each other?

        • Clear on 09/11/2022 - 17:48
          +1

          🙈

          Btw I've been riding my escooter around VIC past cops. No problem.

          • jv on 09/11/2022 - 18:26
            -3

            @Clear:

            No problem.

            No problem until they stop you. Then there will be problems with 3-4 different infringement notices.

            Our local police are doing a blitz on them this summer.

            • Clear on 09/11/2022 - 18:49

              @jv: What area? I'm living up in the north east.

          • SimAus007 on 11/11/2022 - 13:51

            @Clear: Likewise. I talked to the cops at the lights whilst on my escooter. As long as you aren't riding it like a dangerous fool they couldn't care less.

      • blindwilly on 10/11/2022 - 11:38

        There are underground tunnels in Hobart?! - is entry to them legit or do you have inside knowledge?

        • Clear on 10/11/2022 - 16:11

          The rivulet runs through the city. Big stormwater drains and tunnels. There's an opening in the mall where people can look down and always fun to be spotted.

          Restricted access. Getting in is easy. Getting out without being spotted is harder.

    • Sleeqb7 on 10/11/2022 - 14:32
      +1

      By that argument QLD is worth visiting, and as a QLDer I dispute that.

      • jv on 10/11/2022 - 14:34

        By that argument QLD is worth visiting

        Flying up there next month.

        • Sleeqb7 on 10/11/2022 - 14:40
          +11

          Noted, I'll find a flight out.

          • jv on 10/11/2022 - 14:42

            @Sleeqb7: No more room on my flight.

        • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:20

          FNQ was too FNhot last I looked - esp. Easter

          whereas the map of Tassie might be a cooler place to be then

    • Brianqpr on 10/11/2022 - 15:37

      Those scooters were good fun after a few beers at Salamanca Bay in Hobart.

  • GG57 on 09/11/2022 - 13:25
    +2

    Wouldn't Indonesia be in the dry season in April?

    • Saul Goodman on 09/11/2022 - 13:30

      I think most places are right on the crossover so might be a bit risky.

  • WreckTangle on 09/11/2022 - 13:27
    +7

    I went there a couple of years ago with low expectations. Was actually pretty surprised. It’s a beautiful place, seemed more similar to New Zealand than mainland Australia.Wouldn’t want to take the boat though, Seems long and vomit inducing.

    • Saul Goodman on 09/11/2022 - 13:31

      Thanks. Yeah we were going to go overnight and hopefully sleep through it.

      • Jake17 on 10/11/2022 - 12:14
        +2

        Ive got the boat there or back around 10 times in my life. Only once has it been a extremely rough voyage.

        • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:21

          got the overnight boat from Melbourne to Tassie once - in the dark cabin in the middle of the night the pitching and heaving was terrifying to my girlfriend who was in tears from the fear and panic

          so yeah - I won't plan on doing that again.

    • SimAus007 on 11/11/2022 - 13:58

      I took the ferry once and never again. Was absolutely bored as hell.
      Thankfully I flew back.

  • GG57 on 09/11/2022 - 13:38
    +5

    We probably need to know what you liked and disliked about NZ to understand if you might like Tasmania. There are some similarities and some differences.

  • Muzeeb on 09/11/2022 - 13:46
    -4

    Ahhhhh Tasmania. The original founders of the tooth brush.

  • jizmo on 09/11/2022 - 13:49
    +38

    Took my sister my son his mum and I all went back for a visit last year where we lived..
    All 3 of us had a good time.

    • JimB on 09/11/2022 - 15:21
      +20

      lol.. close knit families in Tassie.

      • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:22
        -1

        look for the three heads

    • xdigger on 09/11/2022 - 15:24
      +1

      Almost missed this one!

    • Cunning Linguist on 10/11/2022 - 12:07
      +2

      underrated comment

    • Kangal on 11/11/2022 - 09:24

      Username checks out

  • dust on 09/11/2022 - 13:54
    +3

    Tasmania is nice. Car hire is pretty expensive these days though.

    • jv on 09/11/2022 - 18:27

      Car hire is pretty expensive these days though.

      It's about double what it was pre-covid.

      • Clear on 09/11/2022 - 18:49

        Corporate coupons work 😉

        • jv on 09/11/2022 - 20:33
          +1

          still too expensive.

          • Clear on 09/11/2022 - 23:56

            @jv: Take your taxi down to Geelong and bring it over on the Spirit

            • jv on 10/11/2022 - 09:04
              +1

              @Clear: I don't take taxis.

              • Clear on 10/11/2022 - 09:04
                +2

                @jv: You drive them

                • jv on 10/11/2022 - 09:04
                  -3

                  @Clear: Nope…

                  Can't drive and comment. That is illegal.

      • dust on 09/11/2022 - 20:26
        +1

        I checked how much I paid for the cheapest/smallest rental car ~5 years ago and it's closer to 4 times more expensive than that.

      • md333 on 10/11/2022 - 15:47

        It was quite cheap during covid (had to get direct flights from WA because everywhere else was closed).

      • PurchaseAnxiety on 10/11/2022 - 21:25
        +1

        Just looked up my car rental invoice from our 2014 trip to tassie. It cost us $270 for 7 days of car hire. Looks like a similar rental is going for about $800-900 these days!

      • SimAus007 on 11/11/2022 - 14:02
        +1

        Car hire pricing is what puts me off revisiting Tassie. It's totally ridiculous, along with hotel prices.

        • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:52

          we did a 6 day 1850km road trip from Sydney to Lightning Ridge in NSW not long ago with my own car

          what interested me was that fuel cost was about $240, but motels cost us about $840

          yesterday I was checking prospective rental car costs for Spain/Portugal

          3 weeks 12/4-3/5/23 ex-Lisbon manual VW Polo for $500 - https://tinyurl.com/2paa2pfy

          whereas from Cadiz (fewer cars?) it was 3 times the price - about $1600 for the same car type

          if I chose a hybrid automatic four-door Yaris type from Lisbon the $500 became $1600

          dunno - but I guesstimated Euro fuel prices for 3000km at say 25c/km = $600 fuel

          so yeah rental cars can be expensive for one person - but for two or more people tend to cheaper than trains and such

  • Seraphin7 on 09/11/2022 - 14:13
    +1

    Seriously though, has Tasmania got the wow factor or is it more just 'it's worth checking out'?

    Kind of depends if you're a "wow factor" kind of person.

    I'm not, but still enjoyed driving around Tasmania for a week or so a few years back. From memory our itinerary was Hobart-Strahan-Launceston-Swansea-Hobart. From there we obviously did things within proximity to those locations, including Mt Wellington, sightseeing flights out of Strahan, Cataract Gorge, Freycinet Peninsula, Wineglass Bay.

    While many of these things depend on your personality/interests, I would strongly recommend having a car available to you as being in spot the whole week may not be to your tastes.

  • Nugs on 09/11/2022 - 14:21

    Yes, went for 10 nights? maybe. missed a few things so would suggest 2 wks
    .

  • payless69 on 09/11/2022 - 14:51
    +1

    Book ferry only! Yes they do not live under rocks.
    We loved the daytime one, hop on in the morning and they go flat jack.
    Smaller than Victoria, double the scenery, takes 4 -6 weeks to see properly.

    • Geoff01 on 10/11/2022 - 09:39
      +1

      Did you walk around the island.

      • payless69 on 10/11/2022 - 10:06
        +1

        Not yet! Cradle mountain alone has 300 days of rain.
        Walking the coast of Bruni island alone leaves Victoria for dead!

        • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:55
          +1

          sorry about Victoria - hope you gave her a proper burial

  • monky on 09/11/2022 - 15:11
    +1

    Yes, absolutely. Go to the MONA, drink some wine, and see the James Turrell exhibits, they are breathtaking.

    • Hangryuman on 12/11/2022 - 15:56
      -1

      drink some wine, then look for a MONA - how many would there be in Tassie ?

  • SnowDragon on 09/11/2022 - 15:40
    +4

    Depends what you want out of the holiday and what "wow" are you looking for. You'll love it if you are into old heritage stuff and history.

    I mocked up an itinerary last year for someone flying into Launceston, but you can easily start at Devonport and make your way to St Helens from there.

  • Godric on 09/11/2022 - 15:54
    +4

    They have 15 KFC stores, more than i thought

  • dogboy on 09/11/2022 - 16:23
    +2

    Tasmania is great. So beautiful.

  • pjetson on 09/11/2022 - 17:19

    we could drive down and catch the Spirit of Tasmania

    The Spirit of Tasmania now leaves from Geelong, an hour's drive south west of Melbourne.

    • jv on 09/11/2022 - 18:27
      +1

      an hour's drive south west of Melbourne.

      and a speeding ticket or two…

  • sam-1966 on 09/11/2022 - 18:41
    +1

    I would suggest flying from Adelaide and hiring a car - we had 16 days in Tasmania and could have stayed longer. A really beautiful place.

    If you are interested in history, maybe read 'The Potato Factory' by Bryce Courtenay before you go. Made visiting some places a lot more interesting.

    Are you interested in anime at all? There's a movie called 'Kiki's Delivery Service' and a lot of people apparently believe that Kiki lives in Richmond, above a bakery (which has the oldest wood fired oven in Australia and still uses it to make the meat for their pies and their vanilla slices are AMAZING!). It seems that some of these people actually arrive at Hobart airport and get in taxis and just ask to be taken there. The bakery has set up a bedroom upstairs to look like Kiki's.

    • raisinberry777 on 09/11/2022 - 22:05
      +1

      Ross Bakery, not Richmond. Lovely bakery though!

      • sam-1966 on 10/11/2022 - 16:52

        Thank you! I think I've made this mistake before…

    • FiDad on 10/11/2022 - 17:48
      +1

      Love that book.

  • plentifoo on 09/11/2022 - 19:42
    +1

    No mention about the outdoors here yet surprisingly, but Tassie’s got some breathtaking hiking trails that rank among the best in Australia. I’ll be thruhiking the overland trail during winter next year because I’m too much of an ozbargainer to pay for the national park 3-season pass ($230).
    The West arthurs also in Tassie is apparently the most technically difficult hike you can do in Australia. So ya, if you’re budding hiker, there’s plenty to do in Tassie.

    • blindwilly on 10/11/2022 - 11:43
      +1

      The Overland Trail is excellent but winter will be cold and wet. I hiked it in early December a few years back and got rain for 4.5 days of the 6 I was out there. Was still beautiful in rain!

      @Saul Goodman - if you have time do the walk around Cradle Lake. Its about 2-3 hours and the scenery is excellent.

  • altitudinous on 09/11/2022 - 20:00
    +3

    MONA in Hobart is exceptional.

  • Puglife on 09/11/2022 - 20:29
    -4

    Tasmania is a lovely place…shame about the people.

  • Hardlyworkin on 09/11/2022 - 22:31

    Skip hanging out with the family in Bonny Doon and do yourself a favour by spending more time in Tassie. It's like the South Island but with wildlife.

  • Sinnerator on 10/11/2022 - 07:27

    Go gO GO!
    Tasmania is awesome.
    Only been there once for 2 weeks many years but loved it.
    I would live there but winters suck.
    If you get good weather go up cradle mountain.

  • saltypete on 10/11/2022 - 07:56
    +1

    Spent 3 months there earlier this year and we want to go again.
    A week would be lots of driving but enough to see and do a bit. But fly/drive from Adelaide probably better than Ferry via Mansfield.

  • Saul Goodman on 10/11/2022 - 08:37
    +2

    Thanks everyone. We have decided to go to Tasmania. Seems like the best opportunity to go.

    • Waltervp on 10/11/2022 - 09:25

      Catching a ferry for only a week there? I guess the ferry is a bit of an adventure too. A week is not very long for tasmania. But i guess you could drive Devonport Hobart, and see the main sights like Port Arthur (don't forget the incredible coastal features near Doo town on the way up), MONA, Mount Wellington, Salamanca markets, cascade brewery,… and drive back (3-4hr drive).. too short! Need time at East coast, Cradle Mountain, Strahan, … can maybe see Mount Royal national Park closer to Hobart.

      • Saul Goodman on 10/11/2022 - 10:53
        +1

        We were going to get the overnight ferry and hopefully sleep through it to not lose any days.

        • bobs burgers on 11/11/2022 - 00:01

          We did daytime ferry with car. Ferry is completely unnecessary. Next time I'll send the car and fly there and not waste time on the ferry.

          • Saul Goodman on 11/11/2022 - 08:51

            @bobs burgers: I don't want to get the ferry but seems easiest if you want to bring your own car and not pay for car hire.

            Are you saying you can send you car by ferry by itself?

            • bobs burgers on 11/11/2022 - 09:15
              +1

              @Saul Goodman: I took my car as it's great drive around Tassie, but yep it's possible to send it separately or at least it was a little bit ago.

              It would just allow you an extra many hours to enjoy on either side of the trip doing literally anything else than looking at wooden chopping boards.

              There is only so many wooden chopping boards to look at on the ferry :)

              Honestly, if you are not attached to the ferry, it's very un-interesting compared to an actual leisure cruise, it's worth checking out more details of sending the car only as an option.

              I haven't done it as I only been once, but remember looking at it afterwards for the next time if we go over. I'm taking my car again, but the cars going on its own.

              • SimAus007 on 11/11/2022 - 14:10

                @bobs burgers: I'll second that, the ferry as as boring as it gets. Absolutely nothing to do and nothing exciting to look at.

                • GG57 on 11/11/2022 - 14:52

                  @SimAus007: Isn't OP planning to take the overnight ferry? If so, you don't need anything to do or to look at.
                  Particularly given the wake-up time.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 10/11/2022 - 09:25

    we can leave the car at Mansfield and get a lift to Melbourne

    wow you have some good friends

  • jojo13 on 10/11/2022 - 10:00

    OMG…..YES!!!!

  • weifengliu on 10/11/2022 - 10:42

    I would pay a visit to Tasmania from Geelong in Jan 2023 for 10 days, with a campervan.

  • branners on 10/11/2022 - 10:54
    +3

    Scallop pies…

    • sam-1966 on 10/11/2022 - 16:53

      Do not miss out on these! Chicken and camembert were also good.

  • tabitha731 on 10/11/2022 - 11:33
    +2

    Tassie is a WHOLE lot more exciting than Adelaide… so yeh go to tassie

  • 2esc on 10/11/2022 - 11:43

    Tassies great but please go overseas since covid domestic tourism has dramatically increased traffic on regional roads and accomodation prices have jumped up and less vacancies.

    I also rather have international tourists than domestic tourists as they arent as rude and entitled.

    • Jake17 on 10/11/2022 - 12:19
      +1

      Tassie is "overseas"

  • SuperMick on 10/11/2022 - 11:46

    Tasmania is a wonderful place to go. We had a month there and enjoyed every minute, and yes, the scallops. There is so much to do.

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 10/11/2022 - 12:15
    +1

    My goodness, YES! Taswegia is an AMAZING place to visit, absolutely go! But be warned, you’ll be kicking yourself you only have it a week.

    Think of it as a taster trip, I guarantee you will want to come back!

    One thing to be wary of though is nothing is far distance wise on the island, but can take a long time to travel. Expect/plan 200km to take you 4 hours, it’s a bit of a time vortex like that.

    Cradle mountain is a Must do if you’re into outdoors, it really is majestic.

    Go, enjoy and try not to plan too much so you can soak up the slower pace of our overseas brethren!

  • vengeance88 on 10/11/2022 - 13:16
    +1

    Cradle Mountain is to this day my most memorable hike/walk and I went 18 years ago. Just takes the whole day to climb to the top and back.

    • endolphin on 12/11/2022 - 09:38

      Yep! A lot of people only climb to Marion's lookout, and they are missing out big time! Climbing right to the top is great. That last hour of basically just scrambling over massive boulders is epic. It can take a whole day, yes. I did it in about 5.5 hours, but I hike fast.

      Tassie is easily my favourite domestic holiday. Up there with some European destinations.

      • vengeance88 on 14/11/2022 - 13:53

        You DO walk quick. Think we took 7 hours. Legs were a bit sore that night.

  • ribze1 on 10/11/2022 - 14:40

    Yes, loved it. Only did Launceston down to Freycinet and then up the east coast back to Launceston.

  • rawm on 10/11/2022 - 14:50

    I visited TAS last December and did the whole Cradle Mountain trip + stayed in Stanley at a local B&B. Would definitely recommend!

  • Brianqpr on 10/11/2022 - 15:35
    +1

    Depends what you are looking for. We absolutely love it. Stunning scenery, easy to get around.

    Hobart and Launceston both great towns, Cradle Mountain as mentioned is stunning and a great day out. The views across Hobart from Mount Wellington are absolutely world class and it's an easy drive up there. MONA is definitely well worth a visit too.

    We went in winter and there was snow on the mountains which added to the experience.

    Port Arthur is also fascinating for a number of reasons.

    Its a great place to visit and could easily see myself living there.

    • Poor Ass on 10/11/2022 - 15:43

      there's snow in summer too

  • Poor Ass on 10/11/2022 - 15:39

    If you are after a hired car we found TasVacation Budget car hire rates to be the best and it's fixed throughout the year too

  • Viper8 on 10/11/2022 - 16:01
    +1

    Yes.
    1 week is the perfect amount of time to do a loop with a hire car. Hobart > Port Arthur > Swansea > Launceston > Cradle Mountain > Strahan > Derwent Bridge > Hobart.
    Cradle Mountain was the highlight.

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