Launceston and cradle mountain
 

We will arrive in devenport by ferry at 6am and then drive to hobart. We want to explore launceston on the way. What is there to do and see and how long will it take? Can we also do cradle mountain - or will everything be closed because of winter( we will be there aug. 7-11). is it possible to do all this and still drive to hobart. Are the roads very hilly or curvy- it might be difficult to drive when it gets dark. Please advise. We are flying out of hobart so will not be coming back this way and want to see what we can on that day.

You ought to plan on staying at either Cradle Mountain Lodge or nearby alternate accommodations and hopefully weather permitting do a day walk - but beware, weather can change very quickly and dramatically.
. http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en...sults&resnum=4

You then need to decide on whether to take the west coast route to Hobart or head back towards Launceston and go down the Midlands Highway or further east for heading down the east coast and perhaps doing Port Arthur before going back to Hobart.

Best to have a look at a map and see where places that might interest you are.
Just google Tasmania and then www.travelmate.com.au will give you an idea of distances/times.

Not a great idea to be driving at night in winter on familiar roads, and especially seeing as for a fair bit of it you'll be out in the middle of nowhere all by your lonesomes so to speak, animals, fog and ice all being possibilities you may encounter.

Hi rushme (appropriate name by the way) -

Devonport to Launceston is about an hour's drive, as is Devonport to Cradle Mountain, but they're in opposite directions. Launceston to Cradle Mountain takes about two hours. Here's a drive distance chart which might be helpful in your planning:

http://www.rentforless.com.au/distances.htm

Are you asking if it's possible to drive from Devonport-Launceston-Cradle Mountain-Hobart in a day?

Short answer, only if you don't plan to get out of your car.

Cradle Mountain isn't a place you just drive in and out of, you need time to experience it. Wildlife is a major attraction, most of which is noctournal, so you'll want at the very least, one night there. It's a National Park, so yes, it will be open.

The roads in TAS are very narrow and winding. They make the SI of NZ look like a super highway. Driving at night can be risky - noctournal wildlife, unfamiliar narrow winding roads, driving on the left, etc.

I'd skip Launceston all together and go right to Cradle Mountain. It was soooo boring and nothing was open! This was in March. Cradle Mountain is fabulous. We did the hike around the lake and stayed at the Cradle Mountain Lodge, which is very nice and lots of fun.

Alisha, this post was from two years ago, Rush has come and gone.