Tasmania: the 'underrated' island of Australia

We had already discovered that Australia was beautiful after our month long stay in Sydney (and surroundings) and our road trip from Sydney to Melbourne, and then we hopped to Tasmania! Oh my, indeed, it is a gorgeous country!

After our home exchange in Sydney we were trying to decide where to go before flying to New Zealand. Normally we look at the prices of flights or our bucket list to decide where to go, but since Australia had so many interesting places to go and there were no cheap flights popping out, we were indecisive for a while. For several months I have been wanting to run a half marathon during our travel (I am a runner…) but the timing of the races never matched up with our stays, however when looking at races around Australia during the time frame of ‘what to do next’, I found a half marathon race in Tasmania AND, it started and ended at the famous chocolate company Cadbury… It was a sign and we had a new destination!

We stayed for 8 days in Tasmania and we wish we would’ve planned a longer stay! It was a beautiful island, with amazing views, gorgeous nature, friendly people, delicious food and plenty of places to explore as a family!

Here are our highlights:

Port Arthur Historic site: Our kids loved this place and it was a fun history class. Josefine liked it so much she wanted to write a post about it. You can read further details of our visit HERE!
Hobart: being the capital of Tasmania, it has a small ‘big’ city feel, especially compared to other bigger Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Our favorites here were:
- Tasmanian Museum of Art Gallery: this was a captivating museum. From the detailed information on the extinct Tasmanian tiger and the aboriginal history to the very interesting exhibition “Island to Ice”, which covers detailed accounts on the southern exploration of the Antarctic and southern ocean.
  TIP: there is a parking structure right next to the museum, it’s centrally located (so you can explore after visiting the museum)
- Salamanca market: this market is on Saturday from 8:30 - 3pm. We were expecting a regular, touristy farmers market but were blown away in how interesting and fun it was! From delicious and fresh food to local produce, arts, jewelry, pottery, clothing, etc. We had planned an hour and ended spending 3 hours exploring! (The weather also helped ;-)
  TIP: Go early! It gets very busy and some food vendors run out.
- Mount Wellington: we drove up (an adventure on it’s own) to the observatory of mount Wellington and then took in the amazing views of Hobart and surroundings. It was windy and cold at the top but it was so worth it!
  TIP: bring warm cloths!
- Cadbury half marathon: Just outside of Hobart, this race was fun and fast! It was well organized, had a beautiful course, relatively flat (and at sea level!) AND ends at a chocolate factory! (yes, the goody bag has bars of chocolate!)
Wineglass bay: It’s a 2 1/2hr drive from Hobart. The roads are great and it’s a beautiful drive! We stopped at Freycinet Marine Farm for a delicious seafood lunch. The oysters were so fresh and the kids loved the fish and chips. We stopped at the National Park Visitor Center for our pass and we opted for the 3 week national park pass as we were planning to visit some other national parks. The hike to the wineglass bay lookout is an easy 2 mile round trip hike. You have the option to also hike down to the ocean, but we opted to continue driving. The views are gorgeous and we wished we had more time to explore the park as there were many other trails to hike!
TIP: If you also plan to visit the famous Cradle Mountain, the 3 week pass it the most cost effective option!
Cataract Gorge Reserve: This was a fun park on the outskirts of Launceston. Entry to the park is free and you can explore many trails available. We opted to take the cable car up ($5/person), explore a bit and then hike down. The cable car takes you over the lake and the kids loved it. We hiked and learned about the history of the area through the many information plaques around. We finished our visit with a splash in the free pool! The pool is free, it was clean, it has a very shallow part and kids had a blast. There is a play area, bathrooms with showers, a cafe, many picnic tables and a huge lawn for picnics! Definitely a place to spend the day.
Mole Creek Caves: these caves were fun! Very unusual as you can’t just meander around in the caves. When you purchase your entry tickets, you can choose from 3 different tours. They all take about 45 mins and equally interesting. We picked the underground rivers and glow worm tour (it was the the next available tour when we arrived.) Our guide was very informative and it was an exciting experience for everyone! The glow worms at the end were very unique.
TIP: bring warm cloths: it is cold in the caves and the visit takes 45mins!
Cradle Mountain: this park is very organized and reminded us of Zion National park (Utah, USA), where you leave your car at the information center parking lot and can only move around in the park by the busses provided or by feet. There are many hike options of various difficulty levels and distances. Maps are easy to navigate and the bus system is efficient. We decided to do a 4.5 mile hike that could give us a good chance to see a wombat. We were not disappointed! We ended up seeing over half a dozen wombats, including one very nearby. Kids loved this animal that looks half tiny bear and half guinea pig. This was also a place we could’ve easily spent more time exploring as it had many trails and was gorgeous!
TIP: get off on the Rony Creek bus stop and walk towards the wombat pond and then to crater lake.
Deloraine area: We stayed at an Airbnb in Deloraine, a small historic town which has a river with platypus (we looked, but didn’t find any! We did get to see these shy creatures, from afar, at Lake StClair). One day we had a gastronomic drive around the area:
- Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm: beautiful setting and lot’s of space for the kids to run around. Their menu seemed interesting and we tried their pancakes with raspberry ice cream and raspberry smooth: YUM!
- Ashgrove Tasmania Farm: a cheese factory and cafe with tons of free samples and some great prices on delicious local cheese
- Anvers chocolate factory: you can see them making the chocolate (kids were mesmerized with this!), read about the history of chocolate and also try some free samples (they LOVED this).
- Southern Wild Distillery: We tried their tasting board and the presentation was unique. Not much entertainment for kids around there so it was a quick stop.
- Tamar Ridge Cellar: The Tamar valley is know for its wines (sparkling wines, pinot noir and chardonnays) and we only had time to visit one, but it was delicious. Tamar Ridge Cellar offers a complimentary tasting and has a big open space for kids to run and play. It was perfect after a busy day exploring to enjoy a glass of chardonnay!

Tamar Ridge Cellar, enjoying a delicious chardonnay while the kids played!

We really liked Tasmania! And, as with many other places, we wish we could’ve stayed longer. Tasmania has a laid back culture, with many outdoor opportunities and gorgeous scenery.