Melnq8,
Thanks for the drive time link and the reminder to check with Visa. I'll do that. I checked with Amex which is normally what we use and they exclude coverage in Australia.

oliveranharry,
I don't intend to drive from Cradle Mountain to Kettering. I'm still unsure where we will stay on Day 3 but I'm hoping it can be closer to Launceston (depending on where we're going and how flexible Chris can be about our pick up/drop off, still waiting to hear back). I also don't intend to go from Bruny to Hobart airport. I have an overnight in Hobart scheduled between Bruny and our flight departure on Day 7. Does that change your opinion?

After thinking about this some more, I wonder if we'd be better off sticking to one end of the island or the other.

We could do:

Option 1 - Fly into/out of Devonport and/or Launceston, spend time at Cradle Mountain, Warrawee reserve, Narawntapu NP, Tamar Islands wetlands.

Option 2 - Fly into/out of Hobart, spending time on Bruny Island and some other place on the southern end of the island. I found this place www.huonbushretreats.com. Does anyone know anything about it or the area in general or have a suggestion of some place else to go? I think I'll need an overnight in Hobart at the beginning and end as well due to flight schedules.

It seems either option would keep us well occupied but which one? It's so hard to make a decision!

I don't know if it helps to see this in the context of what I'm considering for the rest of our time in Australia but I'm also looking at (in addition to Tasmania) 4 nights in Cairns, thinking of doing the wildlife tour to Atherton Tablelands with Wait-A-While and a day trip to the Frankland Islands, and 5 nights in Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, currently thinking of a 2/3 night split between the two. On KI I was thinking of staying 2 nights at Hanson Bay for their nocturnal walk and to be close to Flinders Chase NP and 1 night in Penneshaw to be close to the penguins. Any comments about these locations are also welcome though I feel pretty comfortable about them and don't plan to make drastic changes unless someone informs me that my plans are extremely ill-advised ;) It's really Tassie that I'm struggling with.

And finally, I realized last night where I'd seen the reference to feeding. It was in a 1997 Fielding's Australia guide (I was flipping through it while waiting for updated guides to arrive). Part of their description of CML includes "...resident swarms of possums and pademelons who come calling for goodies at night. There is, in fact, a mass possum feeding at the main door of the lodge every night. The lodge provides boxes of fruit for guests to feed to the critters, and it looks like a stampede" so it sounds like they must have discontinued this at some point. In any case, it's good to know I'm not having imaginary recollections! ;)

I just came across this report http://www.bongariliitto.fi/matkaker...07_Hottola.pdf

I haven't read it yet but it sounds like just the kind of info I'm looking for. Of course, it'll probably make my decision all the more difficult ;)

After reading that report, particularly the Narawntapu section, I'm pretty sure we'll stay north :D

I have just read that "report???????" and I had originally intended to write with some suggestions but would have to spend hours debunking the trash of that report first and I don't have that much time. If you wish to follow that Patty then I am sorry for you.