Touring Tasmania – An Introduction

Hobart Harbour at sunset

Tasmania – The Island of Inspiration.
Located just 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of mainland Australia, yet it could be a whole world away for its differences!

What first springs to mind when you think of Tasmania? For many people it’s the Tasmanian Devil, a marsupial found only in Tasmania; for some it’s the attractive city of Hobart, and for others it’s the beautiful natural scenery. For us, Tasmania was all these things and much more, and well worth the visit from mainland Australia!

About Tasmania
Tasmania was settled as a British penal colony in the early 1800’s at which time many of the English settlers compared it to southern England due to its climate and geography. Of course, the climate hasn’t changed significantly since then, and although the population of Tasmania has grown and there’s been urban development, the islanders have been careful to retain much of the natural beauty – nearly 40% of Tasmania is designated as protected land.

Tasmania is the smallest of Australia’s states, measuring 364 kilometres (226 miles) from north to south and 306 kilometres (190 miles) from east to west, but this doesn’t mean you should spend only a day or two here. There’s far more to do in Tasmania than you might think and you could easily spend several weeks without seeing everything! For this reason, we really don’t suggest you stay in one place, but that you tour around the island so you get to see as much of Tasmania as possible.

Our Tour of Tasmania
You can read all about the tour we took and get lots of information on all the best places to visit in Tasmania then devise your own itinerary, making sure you visit all the places you most want to see. Our tour started in the capital city, Hobart. From here we went up the eastern side of the island to Devonport in the north, then down the western side of the island back to Hobart, but if you don’t have as long to spend in Tasmania as we did, you may like to travel just one leg from Hobart to Devonport, or the other way around. Ferries from the mainland dock at Devonport, or you can fly to either Hobart or Devonport or one of the other larger cities, so it gives you the option to choose which way you want to tour – you can read more about the ferries and airlines below.

Getting to Tasmania
Obviously being an island there are just two ways to get to Tasmania – by ferry or by plane.

Ferries to Tasmania – Ferries depart usually daily for the crossing between Melbourne and Devonport and the journey takes around 10 hours with Spirit of Tasmania ferries. Most crossings are overnight, though during peak periods there are additional daytime crossings as well.

For a night-time crossing you’re able to reserve a cabin where you can relax and have a good night’s sleep. This is especially a good idea if you’re travelling with children as you’ll arrive fresh and ready to start touring Tasmania the nest morning!

Spirit of Tasmania ferries can also take vehicles, bicycles and pets so you can bring your own wheels to get you around the island, and the cost of bringing your car would no doubt be less than having to pay to rent a car once you get here.

Planes to Tasmania – The main benefit with taking a plane to Tasmania is the reduced travel time and there are several airlines to choose from offering routes from mainland Australia to Tasmania. Budget airlines include Jetstar and Virgin Blue as well as low-cost carrier Tiger Airways and Regional Express, and of course there’s the more up-market Qantas too.

The downside with flying is that you can’t bring your own transport and are limited with the amount of luggage you can bring. Once you arrive, we wouldn’t advise you to rely on getting around Tasmania by bus as the services are infrequent, so you’re best bet would be to rent a car.

Starting out in Hobart, you will need a place to stay so why not look on our website and see the great variety of great accommodation in Hobart and all around Tasmania.

“Touring Tasmania – An Introduction” by Claire Bolgil