bobbyftm

...if possible as we're thinking of spending maybe 2 weeks over there early 2011 Would you recommend a motor home,travel via bed & breakfast & hotels or in fact is it possible to base yourselves in just 2 or 3 places for the 2 weeks and still see the main sight seeing things ? Your input is vastly appreciated please whether good or bad about the place

siamsusie

Hi Bobby, we live in Tasmania (North)... my husband being a Tasmanian.. we hired a Motorhome approx 5 years ago and drove around looking for our home.
Personally I preferred this route rather than the hire car and motels which incidentally are cheaper than Bed & Breakfasts.

http://www.campingtasmania.com/

http://www.discovery-campervans.com....FQPMbwodXz6OwQ

http://www.planbooktravel.com.au/australia/tas

You could perhaps fly in on a one way ticket to Hobart, pick up your vehicle and gravitate north , drop off and fly out of Launceston /Devonport/ back to Melbourne.

Devonport is where The Spirit of Tasmania sails to/from Melbourne and could well be a lovely way of finishing off your trip.
Hobart & Launceston are 2 hours apart by road so maybe this is the best route for you.

Airlines are Qantas, Virgin Blue, JetStar & Tiger Airways

Contrary to popular belief, you cant do Tasmania in 2 weeks realistically,but you can certainly break the back of places of interest to you.

You will be coming out at a nice time of the year

11 to 14 February 2011 - The Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Sullivans Cove - A celebration of wooden boats and maritime traditions on Hobart's waterfront held every two years.

14 February (Monday) 2011 - Royal Hobart Regatta Public Holiday (Second Monday in February)

22 to 27 February 2011 - Clarence Jazz Festival - Jazz concerts and food and wine events talking place at the Bellerive Boardwalk, Rosny Farm, and Simmons Park, Lindisfarne. For a program of events visit the Clarence City Council.


http://www.onlytasmania.com.au/tasmania.php?id=7044

Tasmania is the cooler state and whilst I am sure you will have nice weather, maybe bring a fleece or two, particularly when visiting the mountains eg Mount Wellington/Ben Lomond/Cradle Mountain etc etc.... It is a stunning island, breathtaking scenery and views, very historical, I can assure you , you wont be disappointed.


Shopping wise, its good to shop locally i.e. the butchers etc.... Food shopping in Woolworths & Coles can be very expensive but there are smaller shops that work out much cheaper and far superior quality including farm shops etc., but this is a national problem lol.
If I can help further please feel free to pm me.

Best wishes Susie

bobbyftm

Thanks Susie for the very useful information Being a " local " could you perhaps provide me with the "must places " to visit in your opinion then maybe we could work from there.I do realise that all people don't like the same things but at least this would give us a starting point Once again thanks for the info,much appreciated

Sally Simpson

Some useful info here Bobby! http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=Tasmania

When we were booking, the travel agent suggested car & cabins would be better for family of 4 with older children due to space! It was a good choice for us but if there are only 2 of you, a motorhome might be good.
As Susie says, 2 weeks is way too short, so pick the main things you want to see/do & go from there. Have made suggestions in other thread (Link above)

Main thing to remember is that it takes a while to get anywhere, longer than you think!

It's wonderful & I'm jealous!

Sammy T

Hi

See other thread as Sally suggests but here are my favourites:

Bay of Fires

Freycinet National Park

Port Arthur and Tasman Peninsula

Hobart (personally wouldn't recommend Hobart Regatta Day, Wooden Boat Festival or the Clarence Jazz Festival, been to them all and not worth it but maybe that's just me!) Peppermint Bay Cruise is a lovely relaxing way to see a bit of the coastline. Mt Wellington is worth a drive up, as long as it is a clear day, for amazing views.

Cradle Mountain, just beautiful

Wine tasting in the Richmond Valley is a nice way to spend a few hours, as long you've got someone else to drive
Some places also have restaurants as well.

Bushwalking is just fab, at some of the above places, eg Freycinet (my favourite place ever!) Tasman Peninsula, Cradle etc

Two weeks will go quickly in Tas as it does sometime take longer to get anywhere, whatever the actual kms on a map say!

Have fun!

Sam

JackTheLad

Are we starting this again

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296909


Alright, there is a small peak in the south of Tasmania that is very pleasant, but is hard to find. Apparently women are better at finding it than men,

It is usually better to ask your wife for directions.

JTL

Sally Simpson

We still talking about Tasmania???

bobbyftm

Has it been mentioned before ?

siamsusie

The map of Tassie is a slang for term in Australia for women's genitals or vulva.

Anyway, http://www.freycinetcolesbay.com/ down south is gorgeous

Port Arthur is a must see also
Along with Doo Town
http://www.discovertasmania.com/dest...ounds/doo_town


Cradle Mountain

Mount Field National Park
North Hobart restaurants and cafes
Huon Valley
Richmond http://www.discovertasmania.com/dest...ounds/richmond

The website here I give you with regards to the abovehttp://www.discovertasmania.com/destinations/hobart_and_surrounds/hobart is pretty good and you can work your way through the island.

Where we live is the wine fruit region on The River Tamar, also near the wonderful Narawntapu National Park and Greens Beach.

The Cataract Gorge - a striking urban reserve. Launceston

This link is a Holiday Planner and isnt too bad http://brochures.discovertasmania.co...ast/Index.aspx
http://brochures.discovertasmania.co...ess/Index.aspx

http://www.discovertasmania.com/au/p..._page/?a=30289 I love this train trip from Queenstown through the forests and mountains, it has to be one of my favourites which takes you into Strahan a lovely town on the coast.
http://www.strahantasmania.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Helens,_Tasmania
From St Helens you can explore stunning Binalong Bay and the Bay of Fires, which extend to Eddystone Point. The Bay of Fires.....

As you can see there is an abundance of things to see... Susie