Tasmania - take a trip on the wild side

"A wild & beautiful road trip without big distances"

Tasmania really is an adventure isle with a very diverse range of stunning natural attractions and rich history. Due to the relatively short distances involved, a fly / self drive road trip was our choice. Five of us, making up of three generations of our family, flew to Hobart, hired a Kia Carnival and took off on our 12 day road trip - we named 'Operation Wild Rivers'. We pre-booked our accommodation and chose to travel in early December which is an optimum time of year in terms of climate and crowds.

Tasmania is a very popular tourist destination and has a plethora of information available on the internet with many road trip itineraries.

The summary of our 12 day itinerary, including all the 'must see' destinations, was:

Day 1: Fly into Hobart;

Day 2 to 3: day trips to Bruny Island, Port Arthur plus time to explore Hobart

Day 4: Hobart to St Helens via Richmond and Freycinet NP

Day 5: St Helens - explore Bay of Fires

Day 6: St Helens to Launceston incl a time for the boys at Blue Derby Mountain Bike Park

Day 7: Launceston to Cradle Mountain

Day 8: Explore Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP

Day 9: Cradle Mountain to Strahan

Day 10: Gordon River Cruise from Strahan

Day 11: Strahan to Hobart incl a visit to Mt Field NP

Day 12: Fly home from Hobart

Our day trip to UNESCO World Heritage listed Port Arthur historic site gave fascinating insight into this preserved prison from the convict era - only 90 mins from Hobart.

Tasman Arch on the way to Port Arthur

Eagle Hawk Neck - on the way to Port Arthur

The Neck - Bruny Island - a narrow isthmus connecting the north & south of the island. Access to Bruny Island is via Sea Link ferry from Kettering - no need to book

Historic Richmond Bridge 1825

Coles Bay Freycinet NP. The day we arrived at Freycinet NP was bitterly cold with a very strong wind (yes even in summer) which was not conducive to our much anticipated walk to Wineglass Bay

Bay of Fires. The weather at Bay of Fires was idyllic with most of the day spent exploring this stunning coast line. Bay of Fires is famous for its white-sand beaches, turquoise water and orange lichen covered granite boulders

Bay of Fires

Bay of Fires

Bridestowe Lavender Estate - the largest privately owned lavender farm in the world. While some of our family visited this farm, the grandkids spent the day at Blue Derby Mountain Bike Park.

Iconic Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP in Tasmania's alpine heart - Dove Lake walk

Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP - Dove Lake walk

Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP - Enchanted Walk

Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP - Echidna on Enchanted Walk

Port at Strahan

Gordon River - World Heritage Cruise boat. This cruise ventures into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

I highly recommend watching the documentary "Franklin" about the epic environmental battle fought to save the Franklin River in the 1980's. Watching this film, before going on this cruise, will give so much context to this iconic wilderness area. (The Franklin River connects to the Gordon River)

Gordon River - Tasmania's wilderness World Heritage Area. This is a truly unique and very special area. This visit is a must for education and appreciation of such a special wilderness area and the environment more generally.

Gordon River - the stunning vegetation is entirely unique from anything else in Australia. A truly special place

Rainforest Walk on Gordon River Cruise - this photo shows trees growing naturally yet horizontally at ground level. The Huon Pine is unique to this part of the world and this very sought after timber has a fascinating history

Convict stone ruins on Sarah Island on the Gordon River Cruise. The history of Sarah island is absolutely fascinating which was explained extraordinary well on this cruise

Tall Trees Walk Mount Field NP on the way back to Hobart from Strahan - this is a giant old growth Eucalypt forest with trees hundreds of years old. Absolutely special & humbling.

The Investigator - Australia's advanced Antartica research vessel operated by CSIRO in port at Hobart

David & Rosemary Allan – the faces behind:

May adventure & discovery be your constant companions.

Reflection:

For me, a trip is memorable when I am enriched by a deeper sense of connection to a place which triggers an emotional or spiritual response. This comes from feelings of Awe when I feel part of something bigger. Such as, seeing dramatic landscapes, being caught up in the history and sensing the passion of the human spirit.

A memorable experience will cause me to day dream about the next trip even more than the last trip.

Remember: Your adventure begins the moment you decide to go.