Roadtrip in Tasmania

I've been so excited for my visit to Tasmania, which I had been planning for six months!  Finally the time was here, and my mates Charlotte from the UK and Samuel from the USA were to join me on this trip.  After a quick and easy flight from Melbourne, we picked up our Campervan from Britz HQ at Hobart International, and away we went!  

Before we left Hobart, we stocked up our fridge and pantry with food, drinks, and snacks for our adventure.  After that we drove up to Mount Wellington summit and watched the golden light of sunset over the harbor and the city.  The view up top is amazing!  Before it got too dark we drove over to Eaglehawk Neck.  This small strip of land connects the Tasman Peninsula to the rest of Tasmania.  We found a nice camping spot here for the night so we could start our first full day well-rested and fresh.  

My favorite thing about having the campervan is the freedom it provides - having everything you need with you, you don’t need to plan your trip too far in advance. We woke up to catch sunrise at the Tessellated Pavement, a beautiful rocky beach with strange geometrical rock formations. After that we drove to Cape Raoul and hiked four hours to the Cape, one of the most beautiful sights in Tasmania! On the way back we stopped by historic Port Arthur and on the way we stopped by the side of the road to pick fresh blackberries for dessert. That night we cooked a i green curry, snacked on blackberries and camped near the Remarkable Cave, a popular surf and tourist spot on the Peninsula.

Remarkable Cave is truly remarkable! At low to mid tide it is safe to walk through the cave and reach the beach (It can be dangerous at high tide, so check the charts!) We swam here in the morning and watched the surfers enjoy the swells, and then we hit the road again to start the Great Eastern Drive! This stretch of highway is known for its amazing views, quaint towns, and beautiful beaches. Our first stop on the drive was Triabunna, gateway to Maria Island. We stopped at the pub for a beer. We camped behind the pub for a gold coin donation, and had amazing fish and chips at The Fish Van.

In the morning we packed our backpacks, food and snacks and took the ferry from Triabunna to Maria Island. This small and beautiful island has a rich history as a penal colony, but despite it’s ease of access, only 20,000 tourists visit the island per year! Some consider it Australia’s best kept secret. The island provides a campsite and bunk rooms in the old penitentiary as well as incredible wildlife, walking and cycling trails, and stunning marine life. We walked a few of the trails and spent the sunset at the Painted Cliffs, an amazing rocky cliffside that glows ochre in the dying sun. The island has no shops, restaurants, or motorized transport - so bring everything you need!

After an amazing and peaceful night on the Island, we took the morning ferry back to Triabunna. Immediately we got back on the road, because we were super stoked for our next destination - Coles Bay / Frecinyet National Park! One of the crown jewels of the Great Eastern Drive, we were really excited to explore this park for two days. On the first day we climbed Mount Amos, one of the most imposing peaks of the Hazards mountain chain. From here we camped in our tents so we could watch sunrise over Wineglass Bay! Charlotte, Sam and I thought this was a true highlight of our time so far in Tasmania - the view and tranquility of watching sunrise alone on a mountaintop at one of the most pristine locations in the world. Later that day we trekked down to Wineglass Bay and went swimming. It was the clearest water and cleanest beach I have ever seen! Since we spent the previous night on the mountain, we were super stoked to stay the second night at Iluka Holiday Park, where we had showers, did laundry, and grilled up a nice little barbecue.

After spending a few days hiking and camping on mountaintops, we thought a nice chill day by the beach would be in order. We left Coles bay and continued on the Great Eastern Drive until we reached Binalong Bay, the start of the amazing Bay of Fires Conservation Area. These remote and pristine beaches are dotted with rocky outcrops covered in red, yellow, orange, and green lichen that give the area its’ name. After having a nice picnic at Binalong Bay, we headed up The Gardens road to a popular campsite called Cosy Corner, where there was no fire ban and we had some beers by the campfire. It was great to relax in such a beautiful and remote location!

We felt like another day in the wilderness would do us good, so we continued up Northeast Tasmania and had another chill and relaxing day at Eddystone Point. This is an indigenous Australian heritage site that has been recently used as a lighthouse location to protect ships off the Northeast corner of Tasmania. We went for a swim, had a ploughman’s lunch, and took a siesta, as it was a very warm and sunny day. We decided to stay the night nearby at a free campsite called Deep Creek, but I ventured out to the lighthouse at night to capture astrophotography shots in the perfectly dark and clear skies of this area.

Today was a driving day - we slept in and left Eddystone Point around noon and drove to Bridport. We took care of a few errands (shopping, laundry, posting cards, etc) and stayed at the Seaside Lodge / YHA in Bridport. Our proprietor Murray was such a nice gent, and we really enjoyed our stay in quiet Bridport. We checked out the tidal flats that form the waterfront of Bridport. For dinner we had a nice meal at the Bridport Hotel. Our friend Charlotte had to return to the UK the next day, so we had a great little sendoff for her and wished her well! It was also a nice resting point for the next leg of our trip, entering the Tasmanian Wilderness.

Now that the Great Eastern Drive was finished, we started our time in the Tasmanian Wilderness. Another one of my mates, Porter, came along for this trip. So after swinging by the Launceston airport to drop off Charlotte and pick up Porter, we headed off to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania’s most-visited National Park. We checked into Discovery Parks Cradle Mountain Holiday Park and had lunch in the camp kitchen by the roaring fire. After that we headed up to the National Park and did the Dove Lake Circuit, a walk that traverses Dove Lake under some amazing views of the mountain. That night we made a Thai Laksa for dinner and relaxed because we were about to have a demanding morning…

Nice and early we awoke and drove out to Dove Lake because today we planned to summit Cradle Mountain! Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating! Clouds, rain, and high winds were imposing but we did not let that stop us! The walk takes about 5-6 hours total, to reach the 1545 meter summit and return. After pushing through strong winds and rain we made it to the top, and even though we couldn’t see anything, we felt so accomplished! Afterward we dried out a bit by the fire in the holiday park kitchen and made burgers for dinner, while putting back a few beers to celebrate our day’s accomplishment.

The next day we hit the road again, this time delving deeper into the Tasmanian Wilderness through the wild west coast. We our goal was to make it to Strahan for the night. On the way we stopped through the remote and small mining towns of Roseberry and Zeehan, and stopped for a short nature walk at Montezuma Falls. We made it to Strahan and did another short waterfall walk, Hogarth Falls, before dinner. In Strahan we just wanted a nice easy meal so we visited Hamer’s Hotel and had some fish and chips. That night we visited the sand dunes just north of town - you’d never know they were there if you didn’t have a look!

We were getting close to wrapping up our trip, so we had some driving to do. It was time to cross the mountains to head back toward Hobart. We left Strahan early and passed through Queenstown mid-day and had a look at some of the old supermines in the area. We continued through the mountainous road until we got to Nelson Falls. This remote bush walk is a great stopping point on this drive - a short 20 minute walk rewards you with a beautiful waterfall.

We continued on from here and made it to Mount Field National Park, another great bushwalking location, where we visited Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. That night we camped in the National Park caravan park.

Leaving Mount Field, we drove a few hours out to Bruny Island. Bruny Island is on the Southeastern portion of Tasmania and only a 20 minute ferry ride from the mainland. It's a must do! The island has some amazing boutique food and wineries, as well as some stunning scenery and walks. The most famous view of Bruny island is The Neck, 20m narrow strip of land that connects the Northern and Southern part of the island. Definitely stop here for a look and climb the long staircase! We took a cruise on a jet bout to see some of the sights from the water.

We also stopped at Get Shucked Oyster Shack, where we had some freshly caught Bruny Island Oysters. That evening we visited Cloudy Bay on the Southern portion of the island, and we camped out at a nice free campsite called The Pines nearby. It was our last night with the van, and we were sad our trip was almost over, but we had such a great time!

This morning was a working day - packing bags, tidying up the van, and driving back to Hobart. The staff at Britz were so helpful and really made the trip for us. I know that next time I visit Tasmania I’ll be heading back to Britz because it really is a destination you must see on the road, and the freedom and flexibility of the camper van is just too good to pass up! Thanks so much to everyone at Britz for helping make this holiday one to remember!

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