Ilove2travel

Hi there!

We have decided to spend 2 1/2 days and 3 nights in Tasmania and will have a car. We get in at noon on the first day and plan on driving to Richmond and spend the night there. The next day we plan on driving to Port Arthur and spend the day and night there. The last day we plan to drive back to Hobart and spend the day/night there.

Does this sound like the best use of our time? Is one full day enough time in Port Arthur?
We have a 6 year old. Is there anything else we should do in our short visit?

Thank you for your input!

Susan7

Unless you are convict history buffs, I'd spend your limited time at Cradle Mountain. That's one of the most spectacular parts of Tasmania. It's a fantastic place to see marsupials: wombats, poteroos, wallabies, even platypus (but they are very shy and you need to be lucky to see them).

Fly in and out via Launceston. There are lots of walks of different grades and a number of them have boardwalks. I think there's also a limited number of kayaks that can be taken out on the lake.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

If you go to Port Arthur then I would stay in Richmond that night as well because one day is enough and also its not that far to Port Arthur ( 1 hr drive approx) and that saves on moving everything.
You can get a taste of Tasmania by driving down the Huon Valley, going to the Tahune Air Walk, the bays, the little villages the food and everything else there is down there. Your time is limited and as such the most important aspect is the times of your flights - yes you can fly into and out of Launceston BUT flights are more limited and more expensive that way and rarely are they on special.

Ilove2travel

Thank you for the suggestions. We are flying in and out of Hobart. Do you think we should just stay in Hobart for the 3 nights so we don't have to move our things?

ivenotbeeneverywhere

Hi Ilove2 travel, considering that Richmond is only about 15 minutes drive from the middle of Hobart anyway, Hobart would be my choice because you have all the other conveniences that Hobart has. My choice would be to stay in one of the Apartment Hotels near Salamanca ( down on the water ) and if you are in Hobart over a Saturday then you have the markets which are a not to be missed affair.
If you look on www.wotif.com you can check out the following:
Salamanca Apartments, The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, Somerset on the Pier and a number of others which are all well located. Out of those I have only stayed at the Woolstore - which was lovely but unfortunately does not have a waterview.
Depending on the time of year you are coming I would most definately check out the Huon Valley and also if its a lovely day then a drive up Mt Wellington which is just behind Hobart and has wonderful views ( if no clouds are around ). It will take you then only just over an hour to Port Arthur and perhaps if you left early enough then you could detour to Richmond on your return therefore leaving other places for the other days.
www.discovertasmania.com.au is worth looking at as well.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

I just checked the Discover Tasmania website and its been changed and I don't think it is as good as it was. Here is another website for the Huon Valley: http://www.huontrail.org.au/index.ph...stination=huon
Also another nice destination is Mt Field National Park which has lovely waterfalls and on the way to them if you look into the undergrowth carefully there will be pairs of little eyes looking back at you - these are tiny wallabies which live there and are so cute.
Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.