Tasmania or Fiji?
 

After spending 2 - 3 weeks in Australia in October, we have one extra week before we fly home to Canada. I am having trouble deciding between spending the time in Tasmania of Fiji. I would appreciate any input to help me with my decision.

Thank you very much!

I'm an Aussie! Fijiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!! Sorry all you Tasmanians!

It depends on your interests and where you visit in Australia, for example if you are going to the Great Barrier Reef then maybe Tasmania would offer more variety than Fiji. I've never been to Fiji so can't really comment on that, but I love Tasmania I've been many times and still like to return and explore different areas.

Like Susan said it depends on your interests - but I would recommend Tasmania. You could do a lot more there in a week than you could do in Fiji. It's just so different to the rest of Australia, it's so diverse, so if you want to lie on the beach you can do that in Bicheno or down near Freycinet, but you also have the option to see beautiful cities, go hiking or rafting. Plus the food and wine scene is one of the best in the country.

It totally depends what you enjoy, Fiji and Tasmania are so different. A beautiful pacific island location with beaches and palm trees or a fascinating and somewhat cooler island with amazing scenery, great hikes and diverse history.

No sure about Fiji, but I prefer Tasmania to Kenya.

Just a note to thank everyone for their thoughtful responses! We have decided to visit Tasmania...and everyone's comments helped us with our decision.
Thanks again!
kc1

Hope you let us all know what you are going to be doing there and offer hotels,etc.? I am currently planning on meeting up with my adult daughter there next March 2014 and would love to know anything that you would recommend to do or see there. Thanks so much!

Tasmania is fantastic. We have spent a total of 11 weeks there over the last few years. There is huge range of things to see and do. For such a small area it is very diverse, especially when you get away from the main tourist spots.

If you are fit(ish) the Mt Rufus walk at Lake St Clair is the pick of the walks - 7 hours and 18 kms. Otherwise Cape Huay at Fortescue Bay. The boardwalk at Cradle Mtn.

I have two trip reports if you are interested.

You will love Tasmania. If you can make sure you can take in the Salamanca Market in Hobart.

How long should one plan on staying there to touch the surface of the whole island-going in late March 2014 into April 2014? Thanks-

I think at least seven days. For a first visit I would do Hobart including Port Arthur (3 nights)--Freycinet National Park (1 night)--Cradle Mountain (3 nights) fly out of Launceston, but my main interest in Tasmania is bush walking so that orients my choices. If you are interested in wine then the choices would be different, ditto if your interest in Australian history.

Discover Tasmania is quite useful for selecting trails based on your interests:

http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/

You definitely made the correct decision. Fiji is all about the beach.
Tasmania has much more to offer for a traveler, IMHO.

kc1 reporting back regarding Tasmania.

We loved, loved, loved Tasmania!! We only had 8 days there, and certainly wished we had more time - I'd say you'd need at least 2 weeks, or ideally 3 weeks to do it justice.

We concentrated on the East Coast, flying into Hobart, where we stayed 3 nights. From Hobart, we drove to Port Arthur, and then on to Freycinet National Park for 2 nights. We then drove to Launceston for a 3 night stay, and then flew back to Sydney and home to Canada.

We did 3 different wine tours, which were all excellent. The cool-climate wine in Tasmania is outstanding, especially the Pinot Noir! We enjoyed fabulous food all over Tasmania. To balance out indulging in the wine and food, we did lots of walking and hiking. The scenery everywhere is breathtaking!!
I especially enjoyed our hike to Wineglass Bay at Freycinet National Park, and the trails around Cataract Gorge in Launceston - not long hikes, but just enough for us.

A big thank you to everyone who encouraged us to go to Tasmania! I'm sure Fiji is nice, but Tasmania stole our hearts.

I didn't see this post until now and have to say that I'm very pleased you went to Tasmania, it's a gem!

Springtime in Tassie will be fantastic!

Do yourselves a favor - since you have all this time, go to your library and look for (have them order it in if necessary) the book by Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding. It's a terrific read!

It will be such a good grounding for you to understand Australia, and when you get to Hobart and you go to the former convict penitentiary of Port Arthur, you'll know exactly what I mean - as you will in other historic locations.

Another book to read - totally different and not entirely factual (he likes to exaggerate a lot but in a funny way): Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country (I think in the UK the title is "Down Under").

Drive the A10 to Queenstown and down to Strahan - maybe do a tour of the Macquarie Harbour (Historial Site) - see www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=5806

Then past Zeehan and Rosebery to the Cradle Mountain region - check out www.cradlemountainchateau.com.au and www.wildernessgallery.com.au

Lots more - too much for one week, but you'll be back...!

Michel, They've already been - October 2023.

Cathies, I hope you meant 2013. Surely I haven't lost a whole decade somewhere? Thanks anyway Michel, and others. We plan to go in March/April and are interested to hear others experiences.

Oops yes, a typo!

Time travel is the best of all travel modes. Happy New Year (2014!) to All.