5 days in Tasmania--help needed

Old Apr 22nd, 2015, 06:32 AM
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5 days in Tasmania--help needed

We are a couple with two young-adult daughters. We love nature/history/culture (not beaches/shopping) and want to see and get out into as much quintessential Australia as we can without spending all our time in the car. (Thanks to those who made suggestions for Melbourne/GOR leg of our journey. Fodorites are the best.)

Tas: We've been able to carve out 5 days (6 nights), arriving New Year's Eve (probably late) and leaving Jan. 6, not too late (flying to Cairns). I know it's not long enough to see the whole island. How much should we bite off? Complicating matters, most hotels I've found have 2- or 3-night minimums.

Option 1:

Hobart 3 or 4 nights. It'll be the end of the Taste, I think, and that sounds like fun. So 1 or so day for Hobart itself (the Taste, MONA, strolling around and seeing the architecture, Salamanca market briefly on Sat.) plus a day or two for day trips: Huon Valley? other national park or natural beauty accessible in a day? We'll do Bruny Island cruise unless we do Tasman Island cruise while in Port Arthur. Opinions of which is better?

Port Arthur 2 nights (because of min. stays): Richmond en route, explore peninsula, historic site and convict trail, perhaps Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park? (Tasman Island cruise unless we did Bruny Island.)

If we only do 3 nights in Hobart plus the 2 in Port Arthur, we'd have a night for a side trip (assuming we can find a place that will let us stay 1 night). Where should we go?

Option 2:

Hobart 4 nights. Similar to above but we'd fit Port Arthur in as a day trip. That'd give us 2 nights for somewhere else. Would it be worth driving to Cradle Mtn. and spending 2 nights there, then flying out of Launceston? (Googlemaps says it's 2 hrs. from Cradle Mtn. to Launceston Airport, which sounds doable, or we could get to Launceston the night before just to be sure?) We love hiking/mountains, and it does seem like a place not to be missed. Or is there somewhere better to go with 2 days?

Another option? Thanks so much for your advice.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2015, 12:36 PM
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I haven't taken either cruise. We actually took the car ferry and stayed on Bruny Island which has some nice hikes and good wildlife viewing if you don't want to venture too far from Hobart.

We also really enjoyed our stay at Cradle and it would be completely different from the coastal scenery and has excellent wildlife viewing. 2 hrs to Launceston sounds about right. We flew out of Devonport which was slightly closer. Check out Devils@Cradle if you decide to go.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2015, 05:25 PM
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For me, the primary reason to go to Tasmania is for the incredible natural beauty and the wildlife. I LOVED Cradle Mountain--and Freycinet Park (on the East Coast) was incredible. The beauty was unearthly--like nothing I'd ever seen before.

To me, Hobart was just another city--and nowhere near the caliber of Sydney or Melbourne. I guess it depends on what you're looking for.

MONA was ... um, er ... interesting ;-).
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Old Apr 22nd, 2015, 07:21 PM
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I'm with you, Songdoc. Natural beauty and wildlife unlike anyplace else are why we're going to Australia. We're only thinking of spending one actual day in Hobart (plus a dinner or two). But we're thinking that instead of driving the 4 hours to Cradle Mtn. and another 2 to Launceston that we could keep our base in Hobart and make a day trip to Hartz Mtn. Natl Park or Mt. Field Natl. Park, and/or Huon Valley/Bruny Isl. Are Cradle Mtn. and places further north from Hobart enough superior to the landscapes slightly to the west and south that it's worth the extra driving time as well as packing up and changing accommodations? It's nice not to have to keep moving, especially on a longish trip.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2015, 10:50 PM
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It's been several years since we were in TAS, but for what it's worth, we made day trips from Hobart to Mt Field, Huon Valley, Mt Wellington, Strathgordon, Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur.

Although we're not city people, we chose Hobart as a base in an effort to prevent changing accommodation any more than necessary.

It is absolutely worth changing accommodation for Cradle Mountain, which deserves as much time as you can give it. Most of Australian's wildlife is nocturnal, so spending at least a few nights in Cradle Mtn will increase your chances of seeing as much wildlife as you can.

I disliked Launceston, but it makes complete sense to fly into Hobart and out of Launceston or vice versa. Doing so gives you the best of both worlds yet limits driving.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2015, 05:52 AM
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Thanks, Melnq8. Sounds like Cradle Mtn. is worth the drive (and giving up the day trips from Hobart). So I'll add an option 3 to my original thoughts (opinions welcome):

Hobart Dec. 31-Jan. 2 (2 nights): Arr. late New Year's Eve, spend New Year's Day in Hobart, eating, wandering, and seeing MONA--"interesting" sounds...um, er... interesting, Songdoc. Drive up Mt. Wellington for view.

Port Arthur Jan. 2-4 (2 nights): We'll catch Sat. Salamanca mkt before drive to Tasman Peninsula. 1 1/2 days for: Tasman Island cruise, historic site, exploring peninsula, maybe devil conservation. Anyone been on the ghost tour? Is it worth it or too hokey?

Jan. 4-6 (2 nights) Cable Mtn.: Drive from Port Arthur, arriving at least in time for dusk walk, then full day for exploring. Get up early on Jan. 6 to get to Devonport (thanks for suggestion, Patty) or Launceston Airport. Recommendations for where to stay at Cable Mtn.? Is the lodge worth it? Highlanders Cottages or Wilderness Village?

It's more driving than planned, but at least it's not driving every day. And if we're flying halfway around the world to see Australia, we want to see the coolest things there are to see. Thanks, everyone.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2015, 09:56 AM
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Not to confuse things, but I thought the scenery on Bruny Island was quite stunning as well and we saw a fair bit of wildlife there including albino wallabies at Adventure Bay. I don't feel we saw any less wildlife there than at Cradle but Cradle has completely different mountain/temperate rain forest rather than coastal scenery (think Olympic NP vs Big Sur).

At the risk of sounding pedantic most Australian wildlife is crepuscular, not nocturnal, so the trick is to be around at dusk or dawn. Middle of the day viewing is less productive. I totally understand the desire not to move around but if you spend the night, you'll see more. Of the places we've visited in Tasmania the top 3 for wildlife have been Narawntapu NP, Cradle Mountain and Bruny Island.

We also enjoyed Hobart even after having visited Sydney. When you go to MONA, take the boat trip up the Derwent for the complete package. It's controversial, some of the exhibits aren't suitable for young children and people seem to either love it or hate it but I think everyone should visit at least once.

Here are my photos from northern and southern Tasmania if it helps.

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNnDlk5YtmbJug

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNnDlk5YtmbJ3A
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Old Apr 23rd, 2015, 10:00 AM
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Forgot to add, we stayed at Highlanders and can recommend it. We had a kitchen so prepared some meals there or ate at the restaurants at the lodge. The lodge looked lovely but we couldn't bring ourselves to spend that much more especially since we really splurged on other parts of same trip.
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Old Apr 24th, 2015, 05:14 AM
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You do indeed complicate matters, Patty, but in a good way. (Love your photos, and I see you also like taking pictures of interesting signage.) There will always be too much to see and too little time. We are leaning toward Cradle Mtn. rather than Bruny Isl., because we have other coastal time (we're coming from Great Ocean Road). Besides, I prefer Olympic NP to Big Sur. And since I, too, am crepuscular rather than nocturnal, I hope to see lots of critters.

Now I have to find a lodging in Hobart--not easy. They're all booked or have 3-night mins. Has anyone stayed in New Town? Is it hard to easily "do" Hobart if you're staying outside? We like to wander around, go back to our lodging for a bit, and then head out again. But this seems a bit far, and parking in town will undoubtedly be tough.
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Old Apr 24th, 2015, 08:20 PM
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Freycinet National Park and Cradle Mountain along with Port Douglas were our favorites on our two week vacation there last year!
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Old May 3rd, 2015, 12:45 AM
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Ahh Fodor's just decided to do site maintenance right as I went to send a long reply. Oh well, here goes again.

Most people expect Australia to be blisteringly hot in summer. However, Hobart is a "four seasons in one day" sort of place. A good friend of mine moved from Sydney to Hobart a few years ago. In her first summer there, snow fell on Cradle Mountain on Christmas day. So make sure you are prepared for all temperatures. It definitely has the potential to be a lot cooler than the rest of the country.

Hobart is starting to get a great little food culture. I often end up in Salamanca when I go down. Not sure if you or your SO like whisky, but I discovered a great little whisky bar last time I went. It only seats about 8-10 people at a time. My boyfriend loves it but I cant stand whisky on its own, but they had cocktails that included whisky. That might not be up your alley, but its an idea of the boutique little places you can stumble across in that area. Smolt is a really nice restaurant in Salamanca, but I recommend walking around the area(it is only small) and finding a menu and an atmosphere that is right for you. Up the hill from Salamanca is Battery Point. Some great cafes up there. Salamanca markets are good, but get there early.

http://smolt.com.au/

As for Mona. I love it. I rate it as the best art space in the country. Obviously I haven't seen everything, and I might be a little biased (I am an art teacher). It really depends on taste, however. The overriding themes of Mona are sex and death. Seeing as it is privately owned, its collection contains works that might be too controversial for publically funded galleries. It isn't appropriate for young children. However, it is a great space. Having old relics, such as Ancient Egyptian artefacts, right next to contemporary art makes for a nice contrast. With that said, I believe they are having funding issues and have downsized a little. My last visit wasn't as impressive. I highly recommend taking the ferry to the museum. It is a very scenic ride, if a little pricey. You could easily spend most of the day there.

Hobart is a SMALL city. It doesn't feel like a capital. It is relaxed and slow paced. The people are a bit friendlier and chattier, but sometimes that stops when I tell them I am from Sydney. All in all, I love it down there. I try to go once or twice a year. It is really underrated.
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Old May 3rd, 2015, 03:07 PM
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Thank you, everyone, for your terrific advice. We have booked our three Tas lodgings (Hobart, Port Arthur, and Cradle Mtn.) and are now itching to go. After deciding that being right in Hobart was most important, we found the Montacute Boutique Bunkhouse. Sounds like a fun place, and our daughters (young 20somethings) can stay out late without driving being an issue. One of the girls is the whiskey drinker in our family, Em89. (DH, I, and the other daughter, who happens to be named Em and was born in '89, are beer and wine drinkers.) I wonder how easy it will be to get into a place that seats 8-10 people during the Taste, though. We will be sure to visit Mona.

And--luggage surcharges be damned--we will certainly pack for different weather and activities, useful on the day we wake up at Cradle Mtn and go to bed in Port Douglas. (Nice to see they are both on your best-of list, dutyfree.) No matter how cold Cradle Mtn is, it will be more inspiring than New Jersey in January.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 10:56 PM
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There are some good bars in Salamanca. Though my friend's favourite pub is The Brisbane Hotel. A few streets up. So there is plenty of night life. You should try some local cider in Tassie. It is the "Apple Isle" after all. Australia's cider craze started down there.
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