10 Reasons to Fall in Love with Tasmania

There’s no shortage of amazing road trip routes in Australia - this is a country jam packed with incredible places to visit. Unfortunately, this means that the island state of Tasmania often gets a bit neglected when it comes to picking out an Aussie holiday destination. This has absolutely nothing to do with any lack of exploration potential though; in fact Tasmania is one of the best spots in the entire country to travel around, especially if you’re planning a summer getaway. Its cooler climes come alive in the warmer months and there are all sorts of exciting attractions to discover, both natural and man made. Below we’ve laid out some of the most compelling reasons to explore Tasmania in a motorhome.

Freycinet National Park

This heavenly coastal location gets missed by many visitors because it’s a little out of the way, but anyone booking a Hobart campervan rental can get to Freycinet in just a little over 2 hours - and the journey is more than worth it. For a start, this is where you can find Wineglass Bay, a secluded spot which has been praised by many travel publications as one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole world. Soft sands, bright blue waters and lush native forest provide a picture perfect medley for those willing to stray a little from roads well travelled. Wineglass Bay is far from the only gorgeous place in Freycinet of course - make sure you take the time to spend at least a couple days exploring this natural wonderland.

MONA

Image: Rob Taylor (CC BY 2.0)

MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in Hobart takes everything you thought you knew about art galleries, brushes it aside and presents something far more interesting. There’s not a lot of respect for fame or “worthiness” here - instead MONA presents art that startles, confronts and surprises. Boundaries are crossed, taboos are broken and the familiar is twisted into something much stranger. Keep an eye on what’s on during the time you’re visiting: MONA often holds events with food and drink, entertainment and live music, which solidifies the venue’s position as an art gallery with a difference.

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs

Image: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Take a 90-minute drive south from Hobart and descend beneath the earth to discover a wonderfully alien subterranean world. A guided tour of the cave will have you descending 250 stairs to find sheets of spectacular stalactites, immense natural pillars and bizarrely twisted twig-like helictites. Purchasing cave tour tickets will also give you complimentary access to a nearby warm swimming pool fed by thermal spring water - there’s even electric BBQs and plenty of excellent picnic spots, so it’s easy to make a day of the excursion. Both tour times and opening hours are liable to change over the course of the year, so it’s always best to quickly check before heading south to the Huon Valley.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

You’d be hard put to find a more pure, awe-inspiring Tasmanian wilderness experience anywhere else than Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Keen hikers will be in heaven here, exploring the many trails around the park - the more adventurous can even take a day to tackle the summit of rugged Cradle Mountain itself. For the ultimate Tassie hiking challenge, consider taking six days to tackle the Overland Track. Arguably the top hike in Australia, this epic trail attracts more than 9,000 walkers every year, but it’s worth noting that it’s no casual stroll - Overland Track is for hikers with a decent level of fitness who are prepared to head into a remote alpine area.

Tasmazia

Image: Peripitus (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Tasmania is rich with incredible wilderness areas but the island also some absolutely amazing man-made attractions. Tasmazia claims to be the largest maze complex in the world - this quirky attraction boasts a whole bevy of mazes from the Yellow Brick Road Maze to the Confusion Maze. Oddest of all Tasmazia’s attractions is the Village of Lower Crackpot, an adorable village built to one-fifth scale so you can wander the streets feeling like a giant. This place is also a working lavender farm - you can see the fields in full bloom if you happen to be visiting in January (an excellent time of year to visit Tasmania in general).

Bay of Fires

Image: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0)

If there’s one place in Australia which can rival Freycinet National Park’s coastal vistas, it’s the Bay of Fires. White sand beaches that stretch away into the distance, sparkling clear waters and granite boulders coated in fiery orange lichen combine to create a visually dazzling impression which will stick in your memory for years to come. This is a sizeable section of coastline with plenty of secluded beaches and inlets to discover along the way - don’t forget to bring along swimwear, plus a mask and snorkel if you own one. The sheer variety of colourful marine life that makes its home in the reefs offshore is staggering.

Salamanca Market

Image: nAok0 (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Don’t head away from Hobart without popping down to be part of the controlled chaos of the famous Salamanca Market. Emerging every Saturday from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, this long running outdoor market is the state’s most popular tourist attraction. This is an excellent place to discover quality Tasmanian handcrafted goods and locally produced foodstuffs. If all the wandering around has you feeling a little peckish, there are plenty of street food stalls offering all kinds of tasty morsels to fuel your market browsing.

West Coast Wilderness Railway

This Tassie attraction is a little bit unique. In the late 19th century, a mining company built an ambitious railway through the mountainous rainforests of Western Tasmania to transport copper from mines to market. Today visitors can jump aboard a train (powered by an original vintage steam locomotive) to retrace this surprisingly scenic route between Strahan and Queenstown, admiring native rainforest and gaining an insight into the struggles and hardships of 19th century miners and those who built the original railway. You can opt for either a full day or half day experience, and can start out at either end of the railway.

Tamar Valley

Wine lovers, this one’s for you. Tamar Valley is home to 16 different vineyards so there are plenty of options when it comes to tastings - just make sure to sort out a sober driver beforehand or leave your Devonport campervan hire behind for the day and hop aboard a guided tour. But there’s more to Tamar Valley than just delicious Tasmanian vintages. You can also follow the Tamar Valley Arts Trail to see local artists in their workspace, check out the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre to see the workings of an old gold mine or even see animal oddities at Seahorse World and the Platypus House.

Port Arthur

It’s a well-known fact that Australia was once used as a penal colony by the British Empire, and Port Arthur was one of the colony’s most infamous prisons. It’s been abandoned as a prison for well over a century but the eerie ruins of the old buildings still remain to this day - and with a guided tour you can get a peek into what life would once have been like for some of Britain’s toughest criminals. For an extra spooky experience, head to Port Arthur just before the sun sets to take an after-dark ghost tour. Wander amongst the decrepit ruins by lantern light and hear tales of unexplained phenomena that have haunted convicts, soldiers and visitors alike over the years.

These are just a handful of highlights that Tasmania has in store for motorhome wanderers - with the freedom to roam and rest at will, the whole island lies waiting for you to discover. Just lock in your Australia campervan rental and you’ll be on your way to an awesome Tasmanian adventure.

 

Tasmania will not complete your Australia expeditions, so go ahead and book motorhome rentals from the likes of Darwin (NT), Adelaide (SA), Cairns (QLD), and nationwide.