Touring Tassie

Most Aussie caravanners dream of doing the big lap. But there’s another much shorter, more achievable and just as entertaining ‘lap’ that should be on the bucket list of keen road trippers.

We’re talking about Tasmania, of course. While the cost of getting your van or motorhome over from the mainland is a barrier for some (see the Wash Up below), once on the road and enjoying the many delights of this island state, there’s a good chance you won’t want to leave.

The attractions are many: Terrific, traffic-free roads; short distances between towns and attractions; wide variety of van parks, cheap campgrounds, and rest areas, and world-class activities for all energy levels and preferences, from 4WD driving, fishing, kayaking and bush walking to cruises, galleries, wineries and restaurants.

All with postcard-perfect backdrops at every turn...

For our whirlwind, two-week anti-clockwise tour of Tassie, the plan was to divide time between west (wilderness) and east (beach) coasts, interspersed with some Hobart culture...

So, after borrowing a Holden Commodore V6 Sportwagon and Bailey Ancona GT65 caravan, and pulling our two daughters out of primary school, we board the overnight ferry at Port Melbourne with a bunch of other caravanners and set sail...

A SNIFF OF STANLEY

Rolling off the Spirit of Tasmania in Devonport early Sunday morning when most locals are still in bed, we have the roads almost completely to ourselves as we head for our first stop at Stanley on the far north-west coast, an easy two hours drive away.

Apart from around Hobart and along the main central highway, the lack of traffic during the early summer period of December would remain a feature throughout the trip; one of the joys of caravanning around the Apple Isle!

Stopping off at McDonalds in Burnie, one of few early morning breakfast options, we motor on through rolling farmland before the turn off to Stanley and our first glimpse of the ‘Nut’; an ancient volcanic outcrop that provides a stunning backdrop to this tiny historic fishing and farming port.

Booking in for a couple of nights at the Stanley Cabin & Tourist Park, perfectly positioned at the base of the Nut and alongside Sawyer Bay, we cruise up the hill to the main drag for lunch at the quaint Touchwood Cafe, enjoying views over the bay while tucking into tasty seafood chowder and scones and cream.

To work off the calories we then tackle the very steep 15 minute walk to the top of the 152 metre high Nut for stunning 360 degree views of the town and coastline. Those with less energy opt to pay for a chairlift ride to the top (we take this fun option to get down). While up there we also enjoy a 2km/30 minute stroll around the perimeter, while trying to dodge short-tailed shearwater nests.

Stanley is also a good place to spot fairy penguins and Australian fur seals, so next morning we hop on board the brightly-painted vessel of Stanley Seal Cruises. Skippers Darryl and Wog keep us entertained as we head out to view hundreds of seals sunning themselves on Bull Rock including some newborn pups.

Downwind, there’s a putrid stench from the carpet of bird droppings, but the smiles quickly return to the girls’ faces when they get a chance to steer the wooden boat back to port.

Later we head to Highfield, an historic homestead originally built in 1835 for the chief agent of the Van Diemen’s Land Company. A fine example of ‘Regency’ architecture, it’s one of many restored buildings throughout the state that provide fascinating glimpses into the lives of early settlers.

Topping off the afternoon is a pint of Boags Wizard Smith at the landmark Stanley Hotel, which also dates back to the mid-1850s.

Back at the caravan, we dine al fresco on chicken curry prepared on the four-burner cooktop and enjoy a rare balmy evening before heading into the cooler climes of the West Coast wilderness.

GETTING HIGH

No visit to Tasmania’s rugged west coast is complete without a stop-off at Cradle Mountain, a pristine World Heritage-listed wilderness region and as we discover, bushwalking mecca.

Backtracking along the Bass Hwy towards Burnie, it’s an easy run before the Yolla turn-off, where the road really starts to twist and rise into Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park. The pretty Hellyer Gorge picnic spot provides a chance to stretch the legs and wolf down some salad rolls, while picturing hotted-up cars screaming along this smooth, sinewy section of bitumen used during the annual Targa Tasmania rally.

At the 930m altitude sign, we get our first views of the snow-topped Cradle Mountain, although mostly covered by clouds.

The steep sections are also really testing out the V6 Commodore’s reserves, although the lightweight 1.5 tonne Bailey caravan means it’s never a slog. The three hour drive would prove the thirstiest, fuel wise, of the trip, with average consumption rising to 17L/100km.

 “Is it going to get warmer in Tasmania?” my eight-year-old daughter enquires, as I drop the window to confirm the car’s outside temperature gauge reading of five degrees.

Drizzling steadily – something we'd get used to -- we settle in for three nights at the Big4 Cradle Mountain park, a real bush experience with few amenities apart from excellent camp kitchen and showers. Luckily, our van’s 65 litre water tank remains half full, as we discover the park’s tap water has to be boiled before use.

Despite its rustic feel it’s the most expensive park of our trip, at $70 for a powered site. However, it’s only a short drive to the national park entrance gate and provides plenty of encounters with tame furry creatures including wallabies and wombats. 

That evening we learn about the plight of the Tasmanian Devil at the nearby Devils at Cradle sanctuary, where the informative tour includes feeding as well as patting these strong-jawed marsupials. Damp and cold, we race back to our UK-built Bailey caravan and crank up the ducted gas heating to a toasty 20 degrees.

Along with Coles Bay on the East Coast, which we would visit the following week, Cradle Mountain is renowned for its bushwalking tracks and photogenic scenery. Over two days we enjoy some of the more kid-friendly walks including the popular three hour Dove Lake Circuit.

With a snow shower quickly changing to sunshine, it’s an opportunity to experience the west coast’s ‘four seasons in one hour’. As walking trails turn to mini streams, we also get a taste of one end of the famous Overland Track, and vow to return one day to undertake the full six-day trek.

Taking a break from caravan dining, we pop down the road to the cosy Cradle Mountain Lodge, enjoying woodfired pizza and Summit Sundaes at the busy tavern.

PINING FOR STRAHAN

Keeping our jumpers and beanies close by, our next stop is further south, rejoining the coastline at Strahan. Once again, it’s a cracker drive, through twisty mountain passes and thick rainforest.

Our lunch stop at Stitt Falls picnic area in the old gold mining town of Rosebery, provides more misty-covered mountain backdrops, and later we dip our toes into the mighty Franklin River for the first time.

After two hours driving, the picturesque township on Macquarie Harbour merges, as does an immediate rise in temperature thanks to a return to sea level.

Paying for two nights at the remarkably relaxed Strahan Holiday Park (no security gates here), we wander up the street to the best-smelling place in town, the Morrison Huon Pine Saw Mill. There are tours to learn more about the amazing, rot-resistant timber, but we head next door to the Wilderness Woodworks gallery to ogle the finished product, from $10 carved Xmas decorations to $5000 glass-topped tables.

Tummies full after a feed of fish n’ chips at Mollies outside the caravan park, we buy tickets to The Ship That Never Was; a terrifically entertaining, interactive 90 minute play about the real-life story of convicts escaping by boat from nearby Sarah Island. On 5.30pm every night in the theatre outside the Strahan visitor centre, the long-running show has clocked up around 5000 performances over 20 years.

A 6km drive up the road, we collect smooth, multi-coloured pebbles washed up at low tide on Ocean Beach while the kids clamber up and down the sand dunes. Further on is the bigger Henty Dunes for sand-boarding enthusiasts, as well as the 45m high Cape Sorell Lighthouse on the point, near a popular bush camp area.

A must-do at Strahan – and one of the highlights of our Tassie trip – is a Gordon River cruise, and the following day we hop on board the Lady Jane Franklin II to do it in style, including a tasty buffet lunch with all-you-can eat smoked salmon taken from fish farms on the river.

Marvelling at 2000 year old pines, mirror-calm black tannin water and wandering through pristine ancient rainforests, is even more special given the 30th anniversary of the blockade that saved the Gordon and Franklin Rivers from being dammed.

The luxury catamaran also stops off at Sarah Island, where the theatrical guide relates some colourful history of this brutal, early prison. She also explains if you’re really keen on getting away from it all you can camp here among the ruins, although no open fires are allowed.

AN APPLE A DAY...

With no time for a ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway that runs between Strahan and Queenstown (it’s closed anyway for repairs), next stop is Huonville, smack bang in the pretty, fruit-growing Huon Valley district, about 20 minutes drive south of Hobart.

The five-plus hour (340km) drive is by far the longest and most undulating, including the unforgettable ‘moonscape’ climb through the bare mountains around the Queenstown mining town.

Our tight schedule means we bypass many opportunities to stretch our legs on trails from the excellent Tasmania 60 Great Short Walks booklet. However, we stop for lunch at Lake St Clair, the other side of the Overland Track, and encounter some very muddy but elated high school students just off the track.

We also make time for The Wall, outside Derwent Bridge, where wood sculptor Greg Duncan is single-handedly carving an amazingly-detailed panorama of wood panels depicting early pioneer life. The must-see exhibit will take 10 years to complete and be 100m long when finished.

Finally breaking free of mountains and dense forests, the highway opens up to rolling farmland as we get closer to Tasmania’s capital, not to mention t-shirt weather with an almost instant 10 degree rise in temperature.

Bypassing Hobart, we beeline for the recently-established Huon Valley Caravan Park, just in time for the daily feeding of the farm animals. With cow milking, pig feeding and sheep herding, it attracts a big crowd of ‘city slickers’ staying in the grass land park surrounded by river and rolling hills.

A week or two throwing tourist dollars around Hobart and surrounds is an easy task, but with only three days we opt for the eclectic mix of Port Arthur, Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Cave, and Tassie’s hottest drawcard, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), as well as a stroll along Hobart harbour and ritzy Salamanca Place.

Almost as busy as MONA, the Port Arthur convict site proves a surprisingly beautiful and fascinating place to visit on a sunny day, despite the sadness and misery that went on there.

With two young children in tow we had reservations about MONA and its adult-only reputation, but we needn’t have worried.  The kids had a ball, with plenty of interactive exhibits to keep them entertained, from the wonky table tennis table and fluffy pink video room to the revoltingly realistic Cloaca “professional defecation” or ‘pooing’ machine.

Although a rush to fit in one day, it was well worth driving the hour and half to the Tahune Airwalk, enjoying amazing views on suspended bridges high in the forest canopy, then racing over to Hastings Caves in the afternoon. The 45 minute guided tour through the spectacularly lit dolomite caves is best described as nature’s version of a blockbuster movie, but on a much grander scale.

Exhausted, we ignore the guide’s suggestion to head further down to Cockle Creek on the southernmost tip of Tasmania, and return to the caravan park just in time for another animal feeding.

BAY WATCHING

With time running out before our 9pm return ferry to Melbourne, our final destination is Coles Bay; a popular east coast beachside haunt and gateway to the spectacular Freycinet National Park.

A 3.5 hour drive finds us at the Big4 Iluka on Freycinet Holiday Park. Small and lacking facilities, but once again ideally located, right on the beach with most sites elevated for water views.

With the mercury soaring to 27 degrees, the kids strip off for a welcome dip in the protected bay... their only swim of the trip! We return later for the spectacular sunset, digging sandcastles and watching kayakers return from an evening paddle.

Next morning we join the tourist mob on the steep walk to the Wineglass Bay lookout, followed by the slippery descent to the pure white squeaky sands and azure waves of the bay itself. Inspired, we continue along the five hour/ 11km Hazards Beach circuit; well worth it except for the ‘are we there yet?’ whines in the final kilometre.

With more overcast weather, we drive the coastline up north to Binalong Bay for more powder white beach, at the southern end of the awe-inspiring Bay of Fires. Stops along the way include St Helens for some local art and craft shopping and along Elephants Pass – another snaking Targa Tasmania stage -- on a detour to St Marys.

The Iron House Brewery at Four Mile Creek, beckons on the way back, where a tasting plate of six microbrews accompanied by a lip-smacking seafood platter tops off a jam-packed day.

Driving the slow route to Devonport on our final day, we cruise through the beautifully preserved town of Ellendale, home of the annual penny farthing race. Sunday lunch with the locals is at the bustling Red Bridge cafe (originally an 1850s brewery) in Campbell Town, where we also discover the evocative Book Cellar bookshop, located in the convict cellars of a former 1850s coaching inn.

With the clock ticking, we fly by the oasis-like Cataract Gorge in Launceston, and detour through the picturesque Tamar Valley wine region. Then it’s a quick bite at the funky new 26 Red restaurant near the Spirit of Tasmania terminal before boarding the ferry for the return crossing.

THE WASH UP

All up we stayed at five parks over 14 nights, clocking up 2347kms -- around 80 per cent of that with the caravan. The Holden used 310 litres of 91 RON petrol, costing about $1.60 a litre on average (highest was $1.67 in Strahan), at an average vehicle speed of 54km/h.

Would we recommend a similar trip? Yes, but over a longer period so it’s less of a rush. Having no ‘rest’ days and driving decent distances on most days (on curvy Tassie roads) left me exhausted, compounded by the demands of over-excited kids. But at least they never complained of boredom, and apart from river canyoning at Cradle Mountain (which was washed out) we did everything as planned.

Stretching it out a month or two would for also better justify the expense of taking over an RV from the mainland. In our case, the cost of a return trip on the Spirit of Tasmania during peak period, including car and caravan and four people in a private cabin, was around $2500.

A longer duration would also allow more thorough exploration of regions or themes, such as flyfishing in the midland streams, gourmet tour of one of the ‘valleys’, or hopping on board another ferry to experience Bruny Island.