When we first met with Eva in Adelaide, we already knew that we wanted to see each other after that.

As she was moving to Sydney and me staying in Adelaide, we decided to meet up later in Tasmania for a roadtrip. We went at the end of November, which is the beginning of summer already in Australia. But we knew that we could still have a cold weather, as it’s the southern part of Australia, closer to the pole, so colder than the rest of the country. What I’ve been told before leaving with some people who’ve been there, it’s that the landscapes in Tassie (as Aussies/Australians would say) is a weird mix between Australia and New Zealand. A good mix though. So I literally couldn’t wait to go there.

We both took a flight to Hobart. We rented the tiniest and cheapest car for 12 days and that was the beginning of the adventure. I’m not gonna share with you our exact day-to-day destinations because it was really tumultuous because of the weather and our really little preparation and organization for this trip. But I’ll share with you the ideal itinerary and my 5 fav spots in Tasmania.

 

The ideal itinerary

In one way or another, there’s not a best way to start I think. But let’s start with the East Coast like I did:

 

• Hobart
• Port Arthur, Tasman Park
• Maria Island
• Freycinet National Park
• Bay of Fires, Binalong Bay
• Flinders Island
• Launceston
• Table Cape
• Hunter Islands
• Cradle Mountain
• Franklin-Gordon National Park
• Mount Field National Park
• Mount Wellington
• Bruny Island
• Hobart

 

My 5 fav spots in Tasmania

1) Cape Hauy

It was 5 hours of hard walk (at least for me and my friend xD) but that was…so…worth….it!

2) Maria Island

We were not suppose to go there but when we realize the weather in the mountains part of the island (West) was really bad and as the island is so small (4h to cross it North to South), we decided to go there and that was gorgeous! We felt lucky to see a wombat as soon as we go there but we finally met so many after, that it wasn’t even a surprise anymore! They look so cute and are so cute too (it’s not an aggressive animal at all). Plus the wombats, we also saw kangaroos and did 2 beautiful walks.

 

3) Freycinet National Park/Wineglass Bay

I’ve already seen this landscape few times in Australia but I’m definitely stunned to look at it…each…time. I just love what nature can do. I didn’t do the 5h walk there but the 1h30 one is already worth it. Plus: go to the lighthouse close to it, amazing view there too.

 

4) Binalong Bay/Bay of Fires

Beautiful beaches with a water so blue, you just can’t resist…

5) Bruny Island

Pretty view again with some really nice walks to do around.

 

To be short, Tasmania is definitely one of the most beautiful trips I’ve ever made in my life. I did it really as a tourist (like I didn’t pack any special gear to go and hike there) and I loved it. But if I got the occasion to go back there again, I’ll surely come back with better gear so I can do all the “hard” hikes which all look amazing.

If you love nature and are a little sick of the big cities, Tassie is meant for you! Big empty spaces with a rich wildlife and pretty places. There’s enough to do for the mountain lovers and the beach lovers. Perfect!

I was also surprised that we didn’t need any big car to do it. I thought it was going to be hard to do it without it and finally all went great. What I most of all encourage you to do as soon as you get there is go to the Tourism Office in Hobart and buy a map of the Island, the hike’s guide and the National Parks card (60$ for a car). It will help you plan your trip and see the levels of the hikes you wanna do.

So you know, if you’re travelling there as a backpacker is that outside of Hobart and Launceston, hotel prices can be quite expensive and the cheapest ones are hard to find! That’s why we came back a lot to sleep in Hobart and Launceston (and as the island is small, it’s usually not that far to come back to these cities).

I would also say that 15 days were the minimum to enjoy the island. At the beginning, we met this couple who said to us that they were staying 1 month and we were really surprised, like what the hell are you gonna do in this time? And finally, I completely get it. If you’re doing all the hikes which are beautiful but can be quite intense, I guess that’s the minimum (my opinion of course!).

If there’s a subject I haven’t talked about and you’re interested to know about it, tell me in the comments! I’d be happy to help you!