“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca
As I’ve mentioned before on this page, travel is one of my own personal wellbeing moves. A big one (and an expensive one in some cases), but one that refreshes and gives me motivation to continue through a routine I don’t love. If exploring new places is also your thing or also something that refreshes and teaches you, you’re in the right place!
This post is Part One of an overview of our previous twelve night road trip around Tasmania. This trip happened all the way back in the winter of 2021 (July). The deep dark past, during the uncertainty of random COVID lockdowns and when travel was (for a short time) allowed, state-dependent. As long as you’d jabbed your nostrils a few times. What a time.
But overall, the timing couldn’t have been better for us. With low crowds and just before the hire car price skyrocket of the century. It was a very affordable getaway option.
While I can’t speak to current hire car prices, from my research into our accommodation from the trip, prices seem to be relatively steady around a similar time of year. And sure, cost is important, but the beauty of Tassie was unbeatable. Like the thousands who came before, I decided moving there to start a hobby farm was my only life goal.
Here, I have provided an overview of our trip. I have included details on accommodation and food, where locations really stood out. In future, there will be more in-depth discussions about stand-out locations, such as Port Arthur, and tips/ideas for such a trip, so stay tuned.
Day 1 – Hobart
We flew into Hobart late in the afternoon and after picking up our hire car, we went to our accommodation.
After getting into our accommodation, we went out for the evening to explore Hobart, including the historical Constitution Dock. We had dinner at The Brick Factory in Salamanca Market.
Accommodation in Hobart: Tower Hotel (booking.com)
Day 2 – Hobart
This morning we planned to visit kunanyi/Mt Wellington. We had considered driving ourselves, however the road up the mountain was closed to the public, due to recent snow. So instead, we took the kunanyi/Mt Wellington Explorer bus to Mount Wellington. The bus tickets were about $35 each but well worth it with a guided drive up and down the mountain. The mountain itself was incredible, the views were unreal, and the conditions made it a clear view. The conditions also made the wind so cold I don’t think I have yet recovered my severed body parts. Fresh snow all around made it even more surreal.
After this, a trip to Cascade Brewery for some gin tasting, from an incredible range of gins, and some nibblies for lunch. The brewery was established in 1824 and the gardens outside give off a beautiful backdrop (maybe a creepy vibe?) – we loved it!
In the afternoon we had a wander and explored St David’s Park in Hobart city. St David’s Park houses Hobart’s original burial ground and some beautiful gardens.
Day 3 – Bruny Island
Travel: Hobart – Kettering via Huonville area: approximately 1-1.5hours. The barge to Bruny island: 20mins barge.
Leaving Hobart, we drove via the scenic route through the picturesque Huonville, all I can say is… WOW. Along the way, we stopped at Willie Smith’s Apple Shed to enjoy a walk through their educational museum as well as a slice of delicious (seriously delicious) apple pie.
We then crossed over to Bruny Island via the ferry at Kettering and first stop, of course, was the Bruny Cheese Company – where we had a cheese platter and a coffee.
Next stop was the Neck, a slim and weirdly pretty strip of land linking north and south portions of Bruny.
We finished off our night with dinner at Hotel Bruny, with delicious food and even more delicious island-made ciders.
Accommodation on Bruny Island: Amaroo on Daniels Bay (found on Airbnb, however currently not active).
Day 4 – Bruny Island
After breakky in the Airbnb, provided by our amazing hosts, we started the morning with a drive down to the Cape Bruny Lighthouse for a walk and a squiz at the beautiful views. On site, they also have an information museum with the history of the site.
After this, we headed over to Adventure Bay, so named by one of Captain Cook’s fleet during a voyage to the area. We stopped at some historical sites along the way, such as the Captain Cook Memorial.
Continuing further around the bay, and feeling like a bit of a walk, we hiked along the Fluted Cape Track – and a bit of a walk was maybe an understatement. The walk took us probably around 3.5 hours, although we stopped numerous times along the way. Along the stretch of the Grass Point Walk and all the way along the edge of the cliff sides, the views were absolutely breathtaking!
We took the Fluted Cape Walk in a clockwise direction, which we agreed was best-case scenario (and also recommended) for us as the first part (along the cliff edge) upwards was very steep and the descent more gradual. I think descending via such a steep track would have caused some serious anxiety. I make note of this since we did pass hikers walking in the opposite direction (crazy!).
We stopped back at the Neck around sunset to see if we could glimpse some penguins returning from the water into the bush along the strip of land. People seemed to come down at dusk to sit quietly in the hopes of catching a glimpse. While we didn’t stay for more than an hour, I still believe I saw one sneaky penguin making his way up the beach many kms in the distance. Of course, no flashlights (other than red light) are allowed – so it’s hard to know for sure…
On the homeward drive, we stopped again at Hotel Bruny for some take-home ciders to top off the day.
Day 5 – Bruny Island
After some consultation with our Airbnb hosts, we started out with a stop in at the Inala Jurassic Gardens – a botanic garden presenting plants of the ancient continent Gondwana.
We then took a nice drive to beautiful Cloudy Bay, with a lovely walk along a boardwalk path around the bay. Can I also say there were many people surfing – despite the cold – so if that’s your thing…
After a stop at the Bruny Island Chocolate store for a stock up, we stopped in again to the Bruny Cheese Company for lunch (lunch = a cheeseboard – duh!) and a mulled cider.
After this, we stopped in at Bruny Island Honey, where we tasted the most amazing honey and honey products. They also had an educational section, inclusive of a bees viewing box!
For dinner, we decided to have something a bit different, and booked in at Bruny Island Premium Wines. We had some delicious food, including the famed oysters, and local cider (yes, again – but in our defense, cider on this island is something else…). And, what of it, we took back some ciders to our accommodation.
Day 6 – Western Creek
Travel: Back across the ferry to Kettering. From Kettering, it was about 3.5hours to Western Creek (near Cradle Mountain).
The drive to our next location was long, so we took our time, stopping at towns and enjoying the scenery as we went along. There were many a sheep and cute goat to stop and look at.
In the Mole Creek area, there are a few options for caves to explore. We chose to go with the the “Great Cathedral” and glow worms in Marakoopa Cave. This is a limestone cave in the Mole Creek Karst National Park. The Great Cathedral is the largest public chamber of the cave, and you can see flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites and crystals.
The 45-minute tour was about $19 each and well worth it. The guide for our group was a wealth of information and education on all aspects of the caves – from the life inside to the development and evolution of the geological aspects. One tip for this location, despite the time of year, we were glad we booked ahead of time, I saw multiple people be turned away on the day.
A glorious sight to behold as we exited the caves – fresh snow!
Accommodation: Northern Tasmania Cottage Western Creek (an Airbnb) – while a bit out of the way, this location was perfection – gorgeous location and little cottage type set up. One night, there was a massive storm that knocked out the electricity, the hosts were amazing, making sure we still had light and heating.
The following day we headed to the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, for the start of the snow-filled portion of the trip. Keep your eye out for Part Two! Follow and Subscribe to be alerted when the next post drops!
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