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Australia to Tasmania?
How far is the trip from Australia (Sydney) to Tasmania and how do you get there? We are at the beginning stages of planning a trip for next February, and my husband has always wanted to see Tasmania - even if we just go for a couple days. Thank you!
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Lucky for you I'm not Tasmanian or else you might be getting a lecture on how Tasmania is actually a state of Australia...but on to your question. The flight from Sydney to Tassie would be just under 2 hours. They do have a ferry service from Syd-Devonport (on the Nth Coast of Tas) but I think it is too expensive for just a few days esp. if you aren't bringing a car. And probably too long (20 hours).
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Precisely - I'm not a Taswegian either - but yes, Tassie is part of Australia. If you are planning so far in advance you should be able to get a cheap flight with Virgin Blue or the new Qantas budget airline. Once there, there's plenty to occupy for you for 1-2 days in Hobart - but honestly - go for longer if you can - it is the most amazing and beautiful place.
If you are based in Hobart - pick of the daytrips is to Mt Field NP. If you have a little longer - well, Cradle Mt, obviously, and Freycinet NP. But again so much better just to hire a car and wander. |
The flight is about a third as long as the trip from the United States to Hawaii. ;) |
Hi Cmack,
You didn't say how long you have in Australia (probably because you're in the beginning stages of planning); but if your husband has "always wanted to see Tasmania", and you have the time to spend a week (or even more than just a few days if not a week), combined with the rest of your sightseeing, I urge you to do so! Tasmania is a wonderful (and sometimes overlooked) part of Australia. As other posters have stated, you can easily fly or take the ferry. I've done both - just to get the experience of what the ferry was like. Because it's compact, you can cover quite a bit of ground and see a great deal in a short amount of time, but of course, you want to allot enough time to do it at a leisurely pace -- as Alice said, 1-2 days in Hobart just won't do it justice! You'll find stunning scenery, amazing animal life, history (Port Arthur), wonderful food and wine. Hope this is helpful! Regards, Melodie Certified Tasmania Specialist |
Thank you for everyone for setting me straight on Tasmania being part of Australia!! See how little I know so far? The tough thing is that we also want to see New Zealand on this trip....and it's probably only going to be 2 weeks (a full two weeks there - not including flying time is the plan). Would it be insane to go to Sydney, then Tasmania for a few days, and then to New Zealand for the end of the trip? Thank you!
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I read in one travel book that there are more accidents per tourist in Tasmania than anywhere else in Australia? Doe anyone know anything about this. We are thinking of renting a car to drive from Hobart to Freycinet but are concerned after reading that in Frommer's.
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Cmack,
the short answer.....yes, you would be insane to try that. This is a common mistake -- clients feel they have to get everything in on one trip, and either exhaust themselves, feel frustrated or can't remember where they saw what, cuz it's all a "blur". Just think of it as going from New York to California in 2 weeks and you want to see everything! Trust me, I can almost guarantee that you WILL go back to this part of the world :) Concentrate on one location or the other -- either Australia (with Tasmania) or New Zealand....not a combination of both in a two week period. to Gladgourd: I've never heard of this statistic before (and wonder where they got that); I've driven in Tasmania several times and never had any problems; in fact, never even saw a dead critter on the side of the road from being hit (unlike my drive along the Great Ocean Road). Regards, Melodie Certified Tasmania Specialist |
gladgourd - concerned? - when you are probably more likely to be run over crossing your local high street wherever you live - and if you live in the US - prob more likely to be shot.
The roads in Tassie are empty by most standards. The road from Hobart to Port Arthur is one of the more-travelled and (thank God) is not a 6 lane highway. But if that sort of statistic bothers you - then you're not cut out for leaving your small pond. |
From what I've heard, Tasmania and New Zealand are similar (remote, colder, outdoorsy, beautiful country) so you might want to consider doing one or the other this trip to get a taste. Of course, I'm not suggesting that if you had the time that if you do one, there's no reason to see the other. My wife and I did a two day/two night trip to Hobart. Although there was obviously a lot of countryside we didn't get to see, we enjoyed ourselves. It can be done in a short amount of time. |
Sorry Scurry but Tasmania and New Zealand are not alike at all - not even one little bit actually. The only thing they have in common is that they are colder than the rest of Australia - NZ being the coldest.
cmack can "do" Hobart in 2 days but I see little point in that as Tassie is much more than Hobart and you don't even get a feel for the place if that is your only destination. The whole of Tasmania has about 400,000 or so people so there are areas that are so remote that they have not even been explored yet. If you have the inclination to see Tassie and are short on time then you can do a light plane flight over some of the wilderness areas and land for lunch on a remote beach. Whether you choose to go to NZ, Sydney or Tasmania is up to you and I would think that it is also would have something to do with where you live now. If, for instance, you live in the NW or USA then the South island of NZ would not be similiar with high snow covered mountain peaks - the north Island is like parts of the N.E of USA but without all those people, with Yellowstone thrown in. Sydney is unlike any other city and Tasmania is not like either of those places, it has wilderness but not to the degree or sameness as say, Alaska or NZ. It has different history and buildings. It has different scenery and is not lush and green a lot of the time. Having said that I love Tasmania and if it wasn't as cold as it is I would live there - or I would live there but only if the rest of the family moved there because there is something so different and nice about the place that I can't define. I would probably say that one would probably extend one's life by just living in Tassie as the food, lifestyle and countryside is just so enjoyable. |
Liz, The point would be to fulfil cmack's husband's wish to visit Tasmania. I agree it's not a lot of time, but I do think you could enjoy the countryside/wilderness in two days of driving if that is your desire. No one suggested that they had to stay within the Hobart city limits! I know it can be done -- because I've done it. |
>> LizF said <i>Tasmania and New Zealand are not alike at all - not even one little bit actually. </i>
Besides sharing cold and wet climates, both Tasmania & New Zealand are known for: *Remoteness and isolation (even in the biggest cities) *High-quality agricultural products *Quiet, rural lifestlye *Having trouble holding on to their young people, leading to an older demographic *Breathtakingly beautiful countryside *Meccas for outdoorsy people who like camping, hiking and especially white-water rafting. <sarcasm>Oh yeah -- they're chalk & cheese.</sarcasm> |
Maybe Liz was thinking geologically - Australia (including Tasmania) is a very ancient, eroded continent, NZ emerged much later, hence the higher mountains.
New Zealand could have been part of Australia too, but for some reason the ingrates declined our very generous offer to join the federation as state #7. |
Although Australia still apparently has post codes set aside for New Zealand.
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That's a VERY good rumour, roobar, and the fact that postcodes didn't emerge until decades later shows that the plans are being kept up to date. Telephone area codes, too.
Mind you, I'd be happy to take the Kiwis in if we could adopt their sensible 2-tier system of government and abolish our state administrations. Then they wouldn't have to be the 7th state anyway. The possibilities are endless. French Polynesia .... Hawaii ... |
Cmack -
I wholeheartedly agree with Melodie that you'd be nuts to try to see Sydney, Taz and NZ in a two week trip. I completely understand your wanting to see it all in one fell swoop, but there's just no way. You'd be doing yourself a great disservice to rush though these spectacular places. Hubby and I have been visiting NZ for years and we've been to OZ twice. We desperately want to visit Tasmania, but we have yet to fit it in with our travel plans. I guess you can say we're saving Taz for when we have enough time to thoroughly explore and enjoy it. You'll be doing yourself a favor by choosing a small area of OZ or NZ (or just one island of NZ). Even then, you'll be spoiled for choice and you'll barely scratch the surface of these incredible countries. |
To Alice 13 and wlizmatilda;
Thanks for responding to my question. Very helpful. Now that comment about my "small pond", Alice13, I was simply trying to get verification of something I read which I thought was the purpose of this forum. Thanks again for the help. |
As no one has answered cmack about the driving situation in Tasmania, I will.
It is not a problem cmack, there are few people on the road and it is more like driving on the Snake River road across Idaho than a highway. As far as statistics go, you know what they say: there are lies, lies and statistics. Heaven knows where that one came from unless they include the accidents which occur in large numbers when they do the overland Tassie motor race, which they call the "Targa Tasmania" and in which many cars of different vintage stage a rally across the state and most manage to end up in ditches and around trees. Also they could include the other push bike races and the motor bike races that are yearly events - that way I would understand the statistics. Tasmania is a lovely quiet place which, on arrival, lifts my heart and increases my feelings of well-being because it oozes tranquility and peace. If it wasn't so cold there I would live there tomorrow - its my favourite R&R place and will always remain so. The people are lovely and the food wonderful, accommodation ( especially the Cottages of the Colony ) is fantastic and it is in Tasmania that you can cheerfully forego a boring 5 star hotel for the comfort and uniqueness of self-indulgent accommodation. Enjoy! |
Liz,
Thanks for the additional info on driving in Tasmania. We plan to spend 2 days at Freycinet Lodge and 2 days in Hobart. We are definitely going to be driving thanks to the info we received here. Unfortunately, we won't be making the trip until January '05 and we have such a long wait! It sounds wonderful there. |
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