It has the best and cleanest air in the world.
It has one of the world’s last true wilderness regions which harbours unique fauna and flora, landscapes and cultural heritage.
It is home to some of the world’s tallest and oldest trees.
Its iconic animal can perform that amazing whirlwind spin like a tornado…no no that’s Taz in Looney Tunes. As a matter of fact, it’s the endangered Tasmanian Devil, the only largest surviving carnivorous marsupial in the world after the extinction of Tasmanian Tiger.
I guess by now you should know where I’m heading to next on my little adventure. Yes, I’m going to set foot in Tasmania soon!
NOW I need your help!
Please leave your recommendations on places to visit and things to do that is unique in Tasmania in the comment box by 18 Jan’10. If the itinerary suggestion is WICKEDLY AWESOME, the top 3 recommendations will be rewarded with a Tasmania fresh produce mini hamper which includes gifts and souvenirs collected by me on my Devilishly Tasmanian journey!
wowo~~~~you are going farther and farther away from Singapore Eunice,. Soo excited to see your post about Tazmania soon as not so many bloggers have featured this Australian Paradise Island. I hope I can give you tips but I have never been there. hehe. I will, trough your blog so better secure those pictures.lol. enjoy Eunice
wow. sounds like an exciting adventure for you! havent been to tazmania.. so i cant recommend devilish places to you.. hihi. nice blog.
I want to win a hamper!
I recommend:
1) Mt Wellington
2) Hobart city
3) Lavender Farm
4) Tasmanian devil wildlife park – Tasmanian devil is unique to Tasmania
5) Cradle Mt
@Hi all! Even if you have not been to Tasmania before, you are still welcome to suggest any places to visit and things to do in Tasmania. Good chance to win awesome hampers! Thank you!
hey eunice…
tasmania = paradise of cheese and chocolate…
but never been there before, only get to eat chocolates that brought back by some friends who are studying there…
hope to know more about tasmania after you come back =)
I haven’t been to Tasmania, but heard that it is a very nice place. After searching thru the internet, there seems to be a few places that is a must visit !!! Here is my list…
1) Cradle Mountain – it’s breathtaking, just like your header backdrop
2) See the Tasmania Devil – you can only see it in Tasmania , i guess 🙂
3) Tahune Airwalk – a walkway that takes you through the treetops
Hope I can win the one of the hamper |-.-!
– Alvin
I studied in Tasmania for 3 years. So feel free to ask any questions.
The list of places to visit:
1) Cataract Gorge Reserve, Launceston
2) Cradle Mountain
3) Freycinet National Park – Wineglass Bay
4) Mount Wellington, Hobart
5) Eaglehawk Neck, Port Arthur
6) Salamanca Market, Hobart (Sat)
7) Ben Lomond National Park – Skiing (Jun- Aug)
8) Ross (small town)
9) George Town, Low Head
10)Sheffield (town of murals)
11) East Coast (Bay of Fires, Freycinet National Park with Coles Bay
12) Richmond ( small town)
Hey , I like your photo up there this time !
I have never been there , so no suggestions from me but wil still follow you to go everywhere !
Hi Eunice
5 things you can consider doing when you are in Tasmania:
1. Visit Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre for an up close and personal experience with baby wombats, koalas and kangaroos. Watch out for the tassie devils as they are really fast and ferocious.
2. If you can’t get enough of the Tasmanian Devils, go to Devils @ Cradle where you could get to see and even pet cute young devils. 🙂 It was a very educational trip in learning about these animals.
3. Take the Taman Island Cruise which takes you along the the spectacular coastline to Tasman Island – passing Cape Pillar and the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere with a fantastic close up view of the Tasman Arch, sandstone rock formations, dolphins and even seals.
4. Explore the ruins around Port Arthur Historic Site and take in the gorgeous landscape and learn about the sad, dreary history of the penal system.
5. Ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway. Although its quite expensive, the scenery and experience of riding an old locomotive train is well worth it.
Hope this helps.
Zhiqiang
Great you’re visiting Tasmania soon. I haven’t been there before and looking forward to follow your blog daily for your self-drive trip to Tasmania!
I can’t recommend anywhere for you to go and I can advise you to shoot as many photos as you can with your Pentax Kx! 🙂
I would recommend a cruise trip to the Bruny Islands. If you are lucky, you can see groups of wild dolphins doing their ‘synchronised’ jumps….
If you are an OYSTER Lover, you should visit Barilla Bay Tasmania. Their take away is much cheaper than their deli. It cost about AUD11 for a dozen. They also do farm tour and booking is necessary.
@ALL! WOW what a list! Thank Q! Pls continue to give suggestions to spice up my trip! 😀
Hi Eunice! Beautiful photo. I didn’t know Tasmania has the best and cleanest air in the world. I haven’t traveled in Tasmania myself (yet) and am not that familiar with the island, so I don’t know what to recommend. I wish you a fantastic trip though!
Wow! Can we here at the Philippines Join? 😀
Since I’m on a UNESCO World Heritage Trail, definitely that Cradle Mountain would be on my list if I go there. So I hope you could visit the place too 🙂
@Erica: Thanks!!!
@Ferdz: Yes! If you can depart from Singapore!
Starting From Hobart Airport
Sorell Oyster Farm /Cherries Farm (Sorell)
Old Bridge AD1823 (Richmond)
Site Seeing (BatteryPoint)
Cadbury Chocolate Factory (Claremont) (8am-4pm Mon- Fri)
Wrest Point Casino (Sandy Bay Road)
Apple/pear Pickings (Huonville)
Hastings Cave (South Port)
Mt Wellington (Fern Tree) (see Tasman Bridge and Tasmania at Night)
Salamacca Market (only Sat 7am-1pm)
Ice-cream/Fish&Chips (Wharf area near the salamacca mkt)
Old Prison Settlement (Port Arthur)
Tessellated Pavement (EagleHawk Neck)
Beautiful sea/beaches/coasts (Bicheno/Swansea)
Apsley Gorge Vineyard (Bicheno)
*Furry Penguins – might see
Wineglass Bay
Beautiful Cradle mountain / Lake St Clair (Cradle Mountain)
“Miniature Ayers Rock” (Stanley)
King Solomons Cave (Meander Valley)
Head back to Launcheston Airport to fly off.
Lake Pedder, Tasmania area: Wilderness at its finest
I would recommend the following experiences:
1) Fishing at St Helens
2) Experience the lives of the prisoners at Port Arthur Historic Site
3) Feast on Oysters and Lobsters at various places including Hobart, Swansea, St Helens
4) Food picking at Sorell Farm and get to eat the fruits that you picked
5) View the special orangy red rocks at Binalong Bay
6) Visit the “special” Doo Town (near Port Arthur)
7) Try the rich ice-cream at Kates Berry farm (near Swansea)
8) More food choices – try the unique pancakes at Mount Elephant
9) Buy salmon at 41 Degrees at South Aquaculture
If you enjoy the above recommendations, let me win.
Hi Eunice
I would like to recommend Port Arthur Ghost Tour. Port Arthur at night is similar to our very own old Changi Hospital. If you are into scaring yourself, sign up and you even get a certificate to show you are a “brave soul”. Try to be the last one in the group, so that you are furthest away from the only light source that is carried by the guide. I could feel the hair standing on the back of my neck when I exited the mortuary.
I visited Tassie in 1996 about six months after the Port Arthur Massacre, an event that shocked many Aussies. I was a poor student back then and I managed to hitch a ride from a local who showed me the various locations of the massacre.
I often wondered if the infamous past of Port Arthur had any links with the massacre….
Hi, Eunice. Just to share with you what I had just planned for my coming 6D/5N Tasmania Self Drive itinerary 🙂
Day 1: Arrive Hobart Airport >> Drive to Huon Ville (for Huon River Jet) >> Tahune Forest via Geeveston (for Tahune Airwalk) >> return to Hobart with a stop visit to nearby Mt Wellington for sunset >> Site seeing Battery Point and visit Wrest Point Casino.
Day 2: Drive to Richmond (view oldest bridge) >> Sorrell Fruit Farm >> Port Arthur (take Bronze/Gold Pass) >> drive north to Bicheno with stops to view Church of St John at Buckland, stop for Kate’s Berry Farm for yummy ice-cream at Swansea >> Bicheno (for Penguin Tour in the evening).
Day 3: Drive south to Freycinet NP to visit Wineglass Bay & Cape Touville >> Drive to Chudleigh via Campbell Town, Perth and Deloraine >> Stop at Honey Farm at Chudleigh >> Drive to Mole Creek with a stop visit to Trowunna Wildlife Park >> Visit Marakoopa Caves to see underground rivers & glow worms >> Drive to Cradle Mt for overnight.
Day 4: Enjoy the bushwalk within the Cradle Mountain National Park >> Drive to Wynyard via Yolla >> Drive to Stanley with a stop to visit Rocky Cape >> Visit the Nut for a nice sunset view over Stanley.
Day 5: Drive to Port Sorell via Burnie and Devonport >> Stop by at Lactos Cheese Factory in Burnie >> Drive to Beauty Point (for Seahorse World / Platypus House) >> Drive to Launceston with visit to wineyards at Grindelwald in Tamar Valley >> Visit Cataract Gorge to enjoy basin Chairlift and view sunset over Launceston.
Day 6: Drive to Launceston airport for flight back to Melbourne.
NOTES:
– My itinerary is a bit pack & rush because I only had 5N stay in Tasmania.
– First 3 days are packed because I try to fully utilise a 3D See Tasmania Card (http://www.seetasmaniacard.com/) to save $.
– Since you are on 8D/7N, can consider to round the island by continue to Strathan, Queenstown (for Western Wilderness Railway) and back to Hobart.
– My day at Hobart do not falls on Saturday, hence no visit to Salamanca market.
Feel free to email me for any questions and sharing. I haven’t book the accommodation and car, so still want to win the Grand Prize 😛
Helloo! Very well! Thanks for all the great info!
Feel free to suggest any places and things to do in Tasmania, even you’ve not been to Tasmania before but heard about it! 😀
Meeting/Tour Place:
1.Visit the Tiagarra Centre on Devonport’s Bluff or Jahadi Indigenous Experience in Deloraine.Here, you will meet aboriginal people (very rare),
2. Hobart ( second driest large city).
3. Maria and Bruny islands (find endangered birds).
4.Bruny Island, the Hippolyte Rocks, the Tasman Penisula.( fur seals)
5.Mount Wellington, the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. (Tasmania’s Gondwanan heritage).
6. You will see Penguins nest on the Bruny Island Neck, along the River Derwent and Bass Strait coast.
Explore the Island and enjoy each places.
Hi Eunice!
Wow.. I love your beautiful pictures! =) I am so glad you’re going Tasmania because its one of the nicest place on earth- Brought back all the memories when I was in Australia two years back! I would love to contribute my two cents worth of recommendations- categorised into types of attractions:
1. Wildlife Sightseeing- Bonorong Park Wildlife Centre
Visiting Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre was an outstanding experience. You can have “up close and personal” experiences with baby wombats, koalas and kangaroos. You can also get as near to Tasmanian devils as would be prudent. You definitely should time your visit to go on one of the two daily “Keeper Tours”. The loving care and attention that the people here give to these animals is almost palpable. I had never seen a tassie devil in real life and they were just gorgeous and playful whilst not a sprawling reserve its great to know these are all rescued animals and that entry fee is going to a great cause and patting the roos was a treat!
2. Wine Tour- Valleybrook Wine Tour
Our winery tour took in large vineyards as well as those off the beaten track: Velo Wines, Holm Oak Vineyards, Pipers Brook, Tamar Ridge, Goaty Hill, Three Wishes and a surprise trip to Hillwood Strawberry and Cheese Farm. We also experienced all the wine samplings, a very generous and delicious lunch platter from which we savoured local Tasmanian produce and even a cheese platter later on in the day.
3. Shopping
Most shops in main centres are open from 9am or 10am to 5pm, seven days a week, while supermarkets and convenience stores are open longer hours. You can find examples of quality furniture, painting, photography, clothing, jewellery and artefacts in private galleries, arts and craft shops and markets! Also, berries, apples and stone fruits are juicy and still full of flavour; and chocolates and beers are world-winners!
4. Food- Salamanca Market
Visit Salamanca Market in Hobart on Saturdays, and you’ll find a range of local produce. You can sample special herb vinegars, mustards, bush honeys, organic goods and meet the producers. Or visit one of the specialist delicatessens across Tasmania to taste locally produced condiments, smoked and fresh produce and luscious cheeses.
5. Heritage and History- Port Arthur Historic Site
Port Arthur Historic Site was one of the highlights of my trip! It was very popular on the day I went – an unbelievable amount of cars – and yet everyone tended to spread out and vanish once inside the convict site. I chose a trip to the Isle of the Dead. About 1 kilometre offshore, this tiny isle holds the bodies of an incredible 1100 people (convicts, paupers, and officers and their families). Very few headstones remain, but they are a powerful sign that the penal settlement was about more than just convicts. Our knowledgable and compassionate guide, Claire, told us that the youngest to be buried on the isle was a baby girl just 6 hours old. While I was there, I learnt about a different aspect of life in the past.
Have a lovely trip~
Sincerely,
Ling
Just to add to my earlier post. If you are looking for accommodation, I would definitely recommend this place, Tiers Cottages at Deloraine. Choose from 8 cottages to relax in and take in the beautiful scenery. Found this place while passing through Deloraine and decided to stay there. No regrets at all. While we were there, we were given a VIP welcome by a flock of ducks. I have given the website. Please take a look.
Enjoy your stay!
Hi Guys,
None of you have mentioned the north west coast; this is the most beautiful part of Tasmania. We moved here 40 years ago to work for 2 years and are still here. Hope you will come to this area Eunice and we can meet you. Jan
Hi Eunice,
My last trip to Tasmania was in December 1996 and I thought that will be the first and last, but after seeing your blog, I may consider going again.
@Jessy: wow that’s more than 10 yrs ago! Yeah Tasmania is a great holiday destination. Very scenic.. love the wilderness and capes and food and everything!