We have 8 nites in Tasmania in November. We fly in and out of Hobart. Plan was to spend a couple of nites in Hobart and then circle around via the west coast, couple of nites in Cradle Mountain and finally a couple of nites in Freycinet.
We are wondering if we should drop the circle and spend the time in Freycinet, Port Arthur and Hobart so we have more walking time and less driving.
I would be interested in feedback.

Depends on your interests of course, but it'd be a shame to miss Cradle Mountain IMO.

You can easily visit Port Arthur as a day trip from Hobart.

Have you considered flying into Hobart and out of Launceston or vice versa? This might cut down on the driving and still enable you to see Cradle Mountain.

Just a thought...

Hi John,

If it's walking time you're looking at, there's so many lovely walking tracks AT Cradle, and I agree with Melnq (as I often do), it would be a shame to miss Cradle, as not only is it a World Heritage Site with beautiful walks & wilderness setting, but you can see wildlife on nighttime walks as well.

Melniq's suggestion of flying in/out of Launceston/Hobart is a good one and will cut down on your travel time.

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

I totaly agree with Melnq8 Cradle Mountain is fantastic, I'd definately go there and maybe cut down the nights in Hobart.

I'm sure Lizzie will be able to give you more exact driving times but I think it's about 2 hours drive to Freycinet from Hobart, then it's about 5 hours from there to Cradle Mountain. You could then continue the anti-clockwise circle back to Hobart by going to Strahan on the West coast.

Here are some drive times/distances that might help:

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

Haven't done this yet--but our plan is to fly into Hobart, travel around, finish at Cradle Mountain and then fly out of Devonport. It's even closer than Launceston.

Not sure if this is a good idea or not. We're flying Qantas--not sure who else flies out of there.

If you've only planned two nights in Hobart I would not cut one of them. We drove the road from Hobart to Strahan, and while it takes 5 hours it was one of the highlights of our last trip to Tas - if you can manage narrow, twisty roads. We took the Gordon river cruise as well, and loved it.

Make sure you are in Hobart on a Saturday for the Salamanca Markets. During your time in the south of the state do not forget to see the Huon Valley and the Channel area as well as Port Arthur, Richmond, Mt Field National Park and surrounds as these are really worth a visit. Here is a website which starts with Devonport as I did notice someone else who is coming into or out of Devonport and may find this helpful as well.
You will need to plan your trip well though because 8 nights is not that much.
http://www.discovertasmania.com/dest...iers/devonport