Tassie or bust....

[Black Magic]

Hey guys.

I have always wanted to visit Tasmania and it looks like we are heading down there for a holiday next month.
Neither of us have ever been down there so I was wanting to pick your brains about where are the best places to visit/ stay?
We really want to visit the snow while we are there, so if anyone can give us some pointers it would be much appreciated.
At this stage it looks like we can stay there for 5 days.
1. Is flying into Hobart and going from there the best idea??
2. Where is the best snow at this time of year?
3. Where are the 'must see' places?
4.Best places to stay??

Thanks guys.

[laidback]

Hi BM

Depends what you like. Been there 8 times in recent years. My favs are the wilderness areas. Some corners are signposted with what seems low advisory speed signs but are accurate.

Cradle Mtn - As you approach every time you go over a crest you think wow it cant get better than this...but it does. The walks around the lodge are great Pencil Pine falls and what I called the enchanted forest (dark/moss covered trees). Also on the approach is Waldheim which was the original discovery.

Strathgordon - The drive down there is spectacular with mountains right beside the roads that have moss growing on them because it's so wet so if on 2 wheels be careful.

Strahan - stayed in a granny flat in the back of someones house. Arrived to a log fire burning. Cruise on Macquarie harbour and up the river a must. Lakes Pedder and Gordon are also a great sight but when I was there lake Gordon was low and had a lot of trees around the waterline which spoilt the look.

The rest - well you can't really separate but there are lots of waterfalls (some have a bit of a walk but well worth the effort and some great roads and lookouts. Elephant Pass on the east coast near Swansea (i think)..well I could go on a do a book but it's not that big try to see it all. Oh and Scottsdale (NE) is a great drive....and the murals at Sheffield...

Also many great places for tea and scones.

[laidback]

PS

Got carried away with my own thoughts and forgot some of your questions

Flying - Hobart and Launceston have jets, Burnie and Devonport have those pretend planes - Dash 8 etc which do not have business class.

Where to stay - Many options B&B, pubs etc

Snow - Just makes you wet and cold - can get that at home...

[Jonno]

Hobart is a good start being based at the foothills of the "the mountain" Mt Wellington if you want to see snow or just fall over in it, worth a 1/2 day at least. I was told by a colleague 2 weeks ago there was plenty of snow on the mountain already.

Must see places:
Port Aurthur.
St Helens and east coast.
Cradle mountain (where it also snows) has tas devils feeding.
"The Nut" at Stanley NW coast

There are many places on route to those destinations that are worth a look and 5 days wont be enough to do the "whole loop" of the island and take it all in, however starting at Hobart and heading north up the east coast to Port Aurthur, then through St Marys to St Helens (great place to stay over) head up and across the top through Scottsdale to the north or head inland to the west from here to get to Cradle Mountain, then from there head to Stanley to checkout "the nut" would be my suggestion, spending a day or night at each location.

You can pick up return flights to the mainland from either Burnie or Launceston on the North coast.
There could be patches of snow at Cradle mountain and at some places along the way if your lucky and definately worth an overnight stay there.

A simple search on http://www.travelmate.com.au would sort out accommodation.

HTH and enjoy.

[tim]

bust

[Six Addict]

calling daisy

[aardvark]

We were in Hobart 2 weeks ago. What a snooze fest!! No, seriously - people who say Adelaide is a sleepy old town have never been to Hobart. *YAWN*

Port Arthur was great, but would have been better if I didn't have to run around after an over-active 2 1/2 year old who doesn't give a rats arse about convicts. Actually, Tasmania would have been better full stop if I didn't have to run around after him. I guess with kids around this age, you either go on holidays for them and take them somewhere like the Gold Coast, or you leave them behind and go on holidays for yourself.

Pros:
Port Arthur
The coastal views on the way home from Port Arthur.
Just how damn wild and beautiful the whole place is.
The size of the schnitzel at the Cascade Hotel!
The fantastic self contained apartments we stayed in and the hospitality of the owners - http://www.apartmentsonstrickland.com.au/

Cons:
The Cadbury "Tour" - what a rip off - thankyou OHS&W laws!!
The overpriced nature of EVERYTHING!
One way street hell.
Yes, I realise it's after 6pm, but is anyone awake??
The useless sack of skin and bones working in the information centre - "Anything you can recommend we do today to keep the boy amused for a while?" I ask, "Tasmania isn't really a place for kids." he replies..... No shit! The less kids they have there the better!

I'm sure that had we gone without the boy we would have had a fantastic time. We could have done a wine tasting trip, the brewery tour, visited the tree top walk, walked around the mountain side etc. But with a child who wants to sleep in the middle of the day and run riot when he isn't sleeping, it was a totally disappointing trip.

[Jonno]

Hey Jason, you should have pushed him into the "pure" water (like in the Boags ads)

[z900/zx9]

Wanna have some real fun wait till it gets warm and take the bikes.do a lap and a bit then have a rest and come home

[Saki]

Yeah Hobart is a bit of sleepy town, hence why i moved away!

I sent you a PM Wendy with all the "Hot Spots" but most people have mentioned it. Great lakes are good, Port Arthur is OK. East Coast is a nice drive/ride,
Its not a huge place and there isn't big theme parks and mega attractions, but if you like bush walking and outdoor nature stuff its nice.
If your into Camping you'll love it!

[Black Magic]

Wow, thanks guys- you've been a great help!
(Saki, thank you for the epic PM!!! I knew you'd have great advice being a local.)

Flights all booked

I have always wanted to do this I am so excited to see the snow!

Mmmmm, Tassie beer- my favourite!

Stayed tuned for the pics!

[Saki]

make sure its a Cascade Draught you get!

[Black Magic]

make sure its a Cascade Draught you get!

Yep, for sure Nick! I drink Cascade premium now and I have been told that Cascade Draught is the pick ( and you can't get it in QLD.)

[craig]

as others have said cradle mountain is a great spot stay at the lodge ask for a room overlooking the bush not the carpark and you'll have a great veiw as it snows, wife and i went last year and caught early snow,so we saw cradle mountain as an alpine grass/heathland and then next morning under about 250mm of snow.
which we spent a few evening hours watching getting deeper out of the window over a bottle of red and dinner...TASSIES A GOOD SPOT for a slow relaxing holiday

[ttc]

Take thermals (at least 3 sets so you can wear them all at once - the wind is really really cold - and don't forget gloves)
I was there a couple of weeks ago, I had thermals, a skivvy, jumper and a huge jacket on and still wasn't particuarly warm, it's a shock to go from QLD to there.

The salamanca markets in the city on a sunday are rustic, but not bad

And I really hope you're not flying Tiger - they suck.