SB_Travlr

Mr SB and I will be making our first visit to Oz and NZ for 8 weeks, starting mid-October (from the US). Had great input from here and FlyerTalk that convinced us to add more time to the Australia segment so we could visit Tasmania also.

Now we have to get down to details. I've read guide books and TRs and posts till I'm dizzy, and we have a short list of where we want to go. I realize we can't see it all! (In case it's relevant, after Tas we are heading to NZ, both North and South Islands.)

About us: we will be newly retired -- love to travel, visit vineyards, drink good wine and eat good food. We like art galleries, history, music, and lazy beach days. Stay at nice-but-not-over-the-top hotels and B&Bs, or self-catering apartments or cottages. I've been learning what a great place Tas has become for local food and wine , and we're looking forward to sampling the bounty! We like to walk, not hike -- Mr SB's knees not up to that. I envision some tours with a knowledgeable guide, but we mostly travel independently. We'll rent a car in Tas -- seems like the most practical way to get around.

We'll fly from Adelaide via Melbourne to either Hobart or Launceston on November 10, and leave on the 17th. Please help me to figure out how (and in what order) to visit Cradle Mountain, Bicheno/Freycinet, and Hobart area (including Port Arthur, maybe Huon area, and maybe Brunie (sp?) Island. The Saturday Salamanca market must fit in there, too. Oh, and we don't want to change locations every day! I

I think it would be too much to fit in the west coast as well -- but I did see a link for Par Avion flight-seeing trips over the southwest . Anyone tried those? were they worth the price?

Thanks as always for the excellent input -- we couldn't take on this major planning project without your feedback.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

http://www.huontrail.org.au/index.ph...stination=huon

Darn! I wrote a long list of things for you and then lost the lot. Anyway do take time to see the Huon Valley - here is the website which will give you some ideas. Do not worry about star ratings for accommodation as it does not reflect the quality that well because it costs the users to get the stars and people are trying to save money by not doing so - also some of the best food is served in Pubs i.e. The Snug Pub on the Channel side, The lower Pub in Cygnet ( The Commercial Hotel ) has fantastic meals of good quality and variety and cheap prices. Will probably get back to you later though on ideas.

wlzmatilida

Hi SB,

Sadly, it happens -- you're trying to cram too much into one week and you won't have time to do it all (do we EVER?!) It is possible to do Cradle, Freycinet/Bichneo & Hobart in a week, but forget any other stops....remember, there's driving from Point A to B, and while the distances are short, there's no freeway! Then you need to spend time at each place and truly enjoy it, so I'd advise sticking to those locations and you should be fine (and there STILL won't be enough time!) L)

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie / Tassie Specialist

jpagct

Yes, there is so many fabulous places to see in Tassie, mainland Australia and NZ. With careful planning and appropriate flight times you can maximize your stay, which I just arranged for a couple doing Aus, Tassie and NZ South Island. Food and wine throughout is awesome - my favorite is the South Australia reds and NZ whites. Whatever you choose, you love every minute of it.
Joan
Premier Aussie/Tassie/Kiwi Specialist

SB_Travlr

Thanks, everyone!

ivenotbeen -- hope you can find that list! And good to know about the star system. Does that apply everywhere? Wow, kind of takes away the point of having them, doesn't it?

Huon Valley link is great -- is it doable to visit there while we're staying in Hobart? or would that be too much to-ing and fro-ing? And any thoughts about where to start? maybe fly into Launceston and head to Cradle Valley, then work our way south to Hobart (or vice versa)?

Susan7

SB it would really help if you can fly into Launceston and then out of Hobart. However, there is a bigger fee if you are renting a car and you pick it up in one city and drop it off in another.

Last time we went to Tasmania we went in rought circle Hobart--Freycinet (Swansee)--Cradle Mountain--Strahan--Lake St Claire--Hobart. We took just under three weeks. The boat trip up the Gordon river from Strahan is amazing, that would be a good way for someone who is not a keen walker to see the wilderness area of the west coast.

Cradle Mountain is fantastic for walking, there are quite a lot of boardwalks that have been installed as well as rougher terrain.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

Firstly I think you have to take something out because you do not have enough time to do all the areas you want to do. OK November 10 is a Wednesday and I would fly into Hobart as most of the cheaper flights go into Hobart. You can get a direct flight from Adelaide to Hobart with Tiger Air I think which would be good if you could do that. With the time you have I would forget Freycinet and Bicheno and do the flight to the Southwest with Par Avion which will take you over some of the World Heritage sites anyway and land you on the river but make sure you get the trip with lunch and a boat trip included. That will also make up for not going to Strahan. I think that Port Arthur is a must as is Hobart, Richmond & the Huon Valley and perhaps you may be able to fit in some little villages or Mt Field National Park. If you gave yourself Nov 10 arrive in Hobart, go to Richmond Village ( 10 minutes from the airport ) to see it and stay there for 3 nights, driving to Port Arthur on the Thursday 11th and returning to Richmond. Friday take the flight to the Southwest Heritage Area and return to Richmond because the airport for the light planes is close to Richmond as well. I do suggest though that you check with Par Avion, when you arrive in Hobart, about the state of the weather so that you can alter your days for flying if necessary. Leave Richmond on Saturday 13th morning early for the Salamanca Markets with a nice lunch in Hobart or at the markets. Drive down the Huon Valley and stay there for a couple of nights, giving yourself time to see the countryside and perhaps the caves or a boat trip around Bruny Island. We are now at the morning of Monday 15th. You could drive up the Midland Highway stopping at the little Villages i.e Ross and Campbelltown and drive through Launceston and around the Tamar Valley perhaps staying around there for the next 2 nights. If you are leaving on Wednesday 15th you may have time to see Deloraine but little else and then leave from Launceston. I have made these suggestions because this would give you the least moving around and you would see the most in your timeframe. I could not find my first list unfortunately but nevertheless I am sure that you would enjoy yourself.
All accommodation in Tasmania and most probably Australia has to be registered and has to be

ivenotbeeneverywhere

http://www.tigerairways.com.au/

AT present the flights for November are not up but for a Wednesday in July the flight leaves Adelaide at 7.25AM and arrives about 2 hours later in Hobart - cost is $48 one way. Tiger Air is the low cost Singapore Airlines flights and although I have not personally flown with them I have had good reports and bad reports - mainly because they are a low cost airline.

SB_Travlr

Some great ideas here, thanks everyone!

ivenotbeen, we're going to tweak our itinerary and see if we can squeeze another day in Tas, which will help make the schedule a bit more open. There's still so much we want to see, and we know we just can't do it all. Hard choices here...

I'm not keen on Tiger Air, having heard too many bad stories about them! We'll probably use a V-Blue airpass, which should do what we need. As Susan suggests, we'll look at flying in and out of different cities, see how best to put it together.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

I am a bit nervous of Tiger Air too but having said that there are amusing/sorry tales about all the airlines anyway at times: Like the pilot who was texting when he was landing, the air steward who ran through the plane screeming " we are going to crash, we are going to crash"! both the above got the sack by the way. Air passes are good so good luck with that.