We had a truly amazing time away for the 3.5 weeks, or thereabouts, we were in Tasmania. We had a total of 31 days on the road including 6 days driving to and from Tasmania.

I am a planner, not to the enth degree, I like to know where I am sleeping and to have an idea of the things to see at locations, as well as some things booked noting that Tasmania is popular and what I was reading (thanks to Travelling Tasmania and Lap of Tasmania Facebook groups). My fungi spotter (aka my husband) is more of a laissez-faire kind of traveller, who would rather have done this trip on 2 wheels than in 4. He also does not tend to plan his accommodation stops – we managed well all considering. As to accommodation, we mixed it up with pubs, a gorgeous BnB at Penghana, convict constructed cottages, cottage at Brickenden, caravan park cabins etc.

Back to my thoughts:

• Book the Spirit of Tasmania, return trip if you are returning, well in advance and don’t be surprised if you cannot travel on your chosen dates. The Spirit is very popular. When Bass Strait is playing nice, the crossing is lovely. When she’s not, it can be mighty uncomfortable. The boarding team in both Geelong and Devonport were fabulous but if I were to pick a side, Tasmania;
• Book overnight travel on the Spirit of Tasmania, and a cabin if you can. The Bass Strait is an awful lot of nothing but ocean;
• Book some activities because Tasmania is popular e.g. Wilderness Railway – and look at opening seasons so you are not disappointed e.g. Railtrack Riders;
• Don’t rely on mobile coverage and Google Maps – even with the technology we have, Telstra doesn’t cover, nor Optus, various parts of not only Tasmania but also the highways we travelled on;
• Go to the wineries, and distilleries, and enjoy the tasting experiences and chacuterie boards;
• Get off the beaten track and go the backroads, you can see some pretty cool countryside;
• Be prepared and pack various layers of clothes, for all seasons at all times of the year;
• Remember to breathe and take it all in – you don’t have to see Tasmania in 5 days and it would be silly, in my view, to attempt to do so;
• Appreciate nature and the local people, be kind and considerate towards them, they live here and put up with a lot of tourist behaviour;
• Slow down, it’s not a race – see above point;
• Remember to smile and say thank you – little things that mean a lot to everyone, wherever you are;
• Take only photos and leave only footprints and don’t take your beloved 4-legged friend into the national park nor leave their excrement behind, even if it is covered up;
• Hang the expense if you can, you live once, like using the “best” china. You might not be able to get back here so don’t regret not doing something you really wanted to do;
• Use a day pack for clothes if you are moving and have a car, pack a couple of days clothes into the back pack and take only that small bag in to the accommodation of a night time;
• 200km can take 3-4 hours depending upon where you are traversing. We forget that we are not doing 100kph on a freeway. 20km a day travel can be a huge day with all the windy roads and unfamiliar places;
• Pack comfortable shoes and clothes, you don’t want to spend the day adjusting;
• Don’t pass a toilet – my bladder became the size of a walnut, it can seem a long time between stops even when you do go at each opportunity that presents;
• Fuel up – don’t assume you can always get fuel. At the time I write, Stanley does not have a fuel stop as the station is being refurbished. There is no fuel for some distance;
• It’s easy to get too ambitious about scheduling – as I said, you don’t have to see it all. If you can come back, see different or other things. Maybe do the East coast one trip, west coast another and through the middle on the next if opportunity presents;
• Look in the second-hand shops – there’s some really cool stuff;
• Often places are closed on Monday and/or Tuesday – it’s a touristy location so be prepared for the places you want to see to have their weekend on these days;
• Cabins at caravan parks generally have cooking facilities, crockery, cutlery, air conditioning and make life quite comfortable for about the same as a motel room per night (sometimes less);
• Don’t compare caves – each is very different, differently formed but be prepared for bending, minor contortion, stairs, 9 degree temperatures.

Suggestions:

• Buy Hikers Wool for your feet so you don’t blister, if you aren’t already familiar with this fabulous product;
• Support local produce;
• If you are seeing National Trust properties, buy a membership. You can use it internationally as well.

I loved the support various places gave for their competitors, having a space on their shelving for competitors products. This makes for healthy industry.

Will I go back to Tasmania (this was the second trip)? I don’t know. There is so much of the world to see. I definitely cannot say that I will not go back and if opportunity presents to go to a conference and take a few extra days, I’m seriously looking at it.

We are blessed to have some truly amazing countryside in this beautiful broad land of Australia. Tasmania is probably the only place that has such change over the space of a few hundred kilometres. We had sleet, rainy miserable weather and truly spectacular days. Weather app’s were a mere suggestion. Have a jacket/coat handy and go enjoy and explore.

Now, where to next and when…