Tasmania for 4 days
 

We will be flying to Tasmania from Sydney in October. We are trying to decide do we stay in Hobart and see the island by daytripping with our rental car, split our time in 2 places with the car, or pick another place as our home base? We are interested in exploring the natural beauty of the island but also are interested in museums and historical sites. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Can you fly out of Launceston? That would help to maximise your four days. I would try to include Hobart, then Port Arthur (for history) and then Cradle Mountain on the West coast which has spectacular scenery.

You would need to hire a car and drive. Although Tasmania looks small, it's not possible to see it via day trips from Hobart.

Port Arthur is definitely the place to see if you like historical sites, and Hobart would be the place to see it from, as you can do it in a day trip from there.

I think Hobart makes a great base, especially with so few days. In addition to Port Arthur, you can easily visit Mt Field Nat'l Park (and the wilderness area beyond), the Huon Trail, the Tahune Forrest Airwalk, Battery Point and the Salmananca markets right in Hobart (Saturdays only I think), which will easily fill your time, plus some.

Having said that, Launceston is a much better entry point if you want to see Cradle Mountain, but the town of Launceston itself is much less interesting than Hobart IMO.

Four days just isn't enough!

I think I now prefer Launceston after my last two visits and the help of locals. It's so close to Narawntapu National Park where you can easily spot wombats and the Gorge is great--a good place to see echindas. The Wetlands walk is also amazing for water birds--just outside the city centre.

Also the accommodation is much better priced than Hobart. Charles Hotel is great and well located. The Black Cow for specialty steak was a total revelation--the Grim Cape beef is amazing. Fresh is great for breakfast.

Things to keep in mind for our next trip, thanks Susan. We really enjoyed the wetlands walk too, and the Tamar Valley of course.

Can you fly into Hobart and out of Burnie?

Two nights in Hobart, one in Strahan, one at Cradle Mountain.

This will give you history and the best of the parks/wilderness.

I have two trip reports if interested.