cwn

Next year, as part on a long trip, we are taking a cruise from San Francisco to Sydney, then flying on to Hobart and renting a car. We plan on spending three nights in the Hobart area with some touring and three to four nights in the area around Launceston for more touring in early March 2015. We want to locate in one place and do day trips instead of packing up every night or two. We find this a better travel plan for us. We have spent time in Australia on a driving trip before and are comfortable driving there.

I have found the Boat Shed about 20mins outside of Hobart. It sounds just like what we are looking for....one bedroom with a nice view and not in town. Anyone stayed here? Anyone have another suggestion for this area?

What about in the Launceston area or along the coast. We are toying with taking the Ferry back to Melbourne as we like that method of travel.

Once back to Melbourne we will rent another car and head out the GOR. Planning on staying at the Colonial Cottages in Apollo Bay for two or three nights based on comments here. Then we will head back to Melbourne to continue on with our trip.

Thanks

Susan7

You really won't get the most out of your trip being based in Hobart and/or Launceston. While the distances may look far on the map, to get to the most beautiful spots often requires slow travel on smallish roads. I'd think about doing a loop taking in Hobart, Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, Launceston,and maybe also Strahan and Lake St Clair if you have time.

Melnq8

Ditto what Susan says, except I'd suggest staying near Launceston, but not necessarily IN it (we found Rosevears a nice area, but weren't taken with the town of Launceston itself).

Hobart makes a fine base for visiting Mt Field, Huon Valley, Mt Wellington and even the Tasman Peninsula, but for anything further afield you'd do best to stay elsewhere.

We enjoyed Colonial Cottages in Apollo Bay, but that was ages ago (2006).

On our first trip to TAS we found this a good itinerary:

Hobart – four nights
Cole’s Bay – three nights
Launceston – two nights (didn't like the town though)
Cradle Mountain – three nights
Stanley – two nights
Strahan – two nights

And this worked well on our second visit, which included the GOR:

Apollo Bay – three nights
Hobart – four nights
Lake St Clair – three nights
Bingalong Bay – three nights
Rosevears (near Launceston) – three nights

cwn

Susan7 and Melqn8 thanks for your replies.

Melqn8 I read your Tasmania trip reports before I started planning the detail for this part of the trip. We used many of your trip ideas for food and lodging for our last trip to the SW Australia and South Australia with great luck. Apollo Bay Colonial Cottages is still getting good reviews on TA so think it may be worth a try.

I am happy with the amount of time in Hobart as we will not arrive until the afternoon so the three nights give us two full days to drive around seeing what we can of the places you listed.

We will then drive to Coles Bay. I am a collector of lighthouses around the world and it looks like we can drive to it for some nice views. It is at this point I am unsure of what comes next, but I know we don't want to pack up every other night and the most we have is 4 nights before we need to move on.

I have problems walking so our touring is mainly things we can see from the car (overlooks if any). We do like to stop along beaches, rivers or mountain views where possible, for photos and picnics and we enjoy quaint small towns and good food...cheese, wine, fruits and of course good eateries!

I looked at the Cradle Mt site again but the main attractions seems to be the great walking tracks, but that ship has sailed for me. I am sure there are nice vistas, but I am not sure that it is worth several days for us.

We like staying along a coast or in a neat little town. Stanley sounds good since we love anything along the water, as does Rosevears, or at least on of the cottages I found there. I will do some more looking.

Thanks.

Susan7

Do you use a wheelchair? As Cradle Mountain is one of the few national parks with some navigable boardwalks. You can take your car into the park (although they prefer you to take the bus) and view the mountain and the lake from the car park.

The river trip at Strahan might be another activity that would suit. There are two landing points but there's no reason you couldn't stay on the boat.

Susan7

Also in Hobart if you visit Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), there is a jetty specifically for wheel chair accessibility.

cwn

Thanks Susan7,

Glad you responded again. I did read about the wheelchair path at Cradle Mt. I only use a wheelchair in the airports when coming off the long flights, other wise. I am OK a pair of canes, I do have a hard time with bus steps and vans, which is why we either drive ourselves or get a car and driver. If we can drive to the car park, the wheelchair path is something I can do. We are now thinking about including a stop for Cradle Mt. So thanks for the detail.

I don't remember if Australia honors the US handicap tag. I always travel with mine as several countries we have visited do. Being able to park close also makes things easier for me.

Funny, I was going to look up the river trip from Strahan after I checked here. At first I was going to give that side of the island a miss, but....! There is just so much to see, we will have to by pass some things, unfortunately.

If you know of any other areas with easy access please let me know...sometimes the write ups are not very clear.

Thanks again

Treepol

I'd suggest Strahan and the west coast too. In addition to the river trip, the abt railway has re-opened with trains currently leaving from Queenstown to Dubbil Barrel return daily. This unique steam railway is a comfortable trip through the rainforest. You could combine your west coast trip with an overnight stay at Cradle Mountain from Hobart.

Risby Cove and Gordon Gateway chalets at Strahan have self-catering accommodation with harbour views. Be sure to book Strahan accommodation well in advance if you venture to the west as the town is often booked out.

Thanks for the tip about the Boat Shed, I'm a local and I didn't know it was available. My only comment is that it is on the Eastern side of the river with access to Port Arthur and the East Coast but on the opposite side to the city, MONA, Mt Wellington, Huon and Derwent valleys. This is not a big problem but will add around 50 minutes each day to your trip from the Boat Shed into the city and beyond. It looks worth it though!

cwn

Hummm... I thought I had my trip all planned and was down to looking for a couple of places to stay.

Well now I am thinking maybe we fly into Launceston and do a loop with several one nighters while working around the island and still do the 3 nights in the middle at Hobart following my original plan for that city.

Fortunately, I start planning early, so have some time before I have to buy our air.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check them out and play with our itinerary some more.