With only three days to spare, our Christmas in Tasmania was quite action packed. Although we drove 1,250km in three days we quite enjoyed the luscious hilly landscape and somehow managed to see everything we wanted to: the Cradle Mountain, the East Coast, and the cities of Launceston and Hobart.
Cradle Mountain National Park
Hitting the ground running we grabbed a coffee at Hobart Airport as most places were closed due to it being Christmas Day, and headed straight to Cradle Mountain. After roughly a four-hour drive and a twenty-minute bus ride inside the park, we were met with spectacular views of the Cradle Mountain. We decided to go for the quick fifteen-minute walk up to Glacier Rock for a peaceful lunch at the edge.
Launceston & Tamar Valley
Our next stop was Launceston, where we stayed one night. Because it was Christmas day not much was going on, however the town has its charms. It’s European influenced historic architecture stood out and made for a nice walkabout. A short drive from the center was the Cataract Gorge, where you can take a seat at one of the longest chairlifts in the world spanning 308 meters across the Gorge. It’s quite a picturesque spot, great for a picnic. We decided to only snap a quick picture, as it was raining quite heavily.
The following day we opted to drive through part of the beautiful Tamar Valley, just north of Launceston, before heading to the stunning Bay of Fires. Recommended to us by one of our friends, we were glad we did not miss this! The Bay of Fires consists of a number of beaches, our favorite being Binalong Bay. Despite the rain, it was easily one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen with pristine white sand.
Freycinet National Park & Port Arthur
Another two-hour drive later, we arrived at the Freycinet National Park where we embarked on a one-hour natural stair master challenge up to see the beautiful view of Wineglass Bay. Luckily, we had purchased the Tasmanian National Park Pass, so we didn’t need to pay another park entrance fee.
After a relaxing evening at our Airbnb, the next day was yet another fast-paced day. We decided to quickly drive to the Port Arthur Historic Site. This is where the British Empire sent its convicts back in the 19th century. After viewing a peak of the grounds from the obstructed viewing point we decided not to go into the park.
We did however stop at the Unzoo to see the infamous Tasmanian devils. We were able to snap some nice pictures of the little fellas and had a good experience walking around the park, which also had a range of birds and kangaroos. From there it was off to the capital Hobart, which we had yet to explore.
Hobart
Hobart was quite charming as well as walk-able city. The Franklin Wharf waterfront region was a pleasant stroll, which connected quite nicely to the Salamanca Market. After surprisingly not being able to find a place to sample Tasmanian truffle, we didn’t miss our chance to taste some world renowned Tasmanian whiskey at Lark Distillery.
Another sight on our list was the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). As the ferry was quite pricy and we had a car we decided to drive. We didn’t opt to go inside the museums, but the grounds were quite impressive and included a winery, plus plenty of relaxing spots to enjoy the live music!
Our last stop was Mt. Wellington. We decided to drive all the way to the top for some amazing views of Hobart. Exhausted, but happy we hurried to the airport just to find our flight had been delayed. We received a sixteen-dollar voucher for the delays, so we spend our now excessive time at the airport choosing between chips and gummies.
