My son raved about Tasmania when he returned from Australia, urging his Mum and me to go there in the near future. It took about four years, but we managed it this February. We flew from Perth to Hobart overnight, via Sydney, arriving at 7.30am. Our accommodation for a week was in Devonport, at the opposite end of the island. Those who know Tasmania may wonder why we didn't use Devonport's airport. The simple answer is price. On a route where Qantas have a monopoly, it was twice the cost of flying there as in and out of Hobart, where there is competition. Car hire choice at Devonport is also more limited, AKA more expensive.
Boat Harbour Cradle Mountain Fiery Devonport Sunset Honeymoon Bay
Besides, with all day to meander the (if-you-go-straight-there) 2½ hour drive from Hobart to Devonport, we viewed it as part of our discovery of the island. Our Homelink exchangers (regular readers will know we swap houses to secure our holiday accommodation) had suggested a route that was uncannily close to that I'd planned across the Central Highlands, with the addition of a stop in Richmond, a very endearing village where the oldest surviving stone bridge built by convict immigrants spans the Coal River.
We'd already discovered through our email exchanges and research that most inhabitants call their home state Tassy (pronounced Tazzy). A further early discovery was that even Tassy's main roads can contain significant lengths of untarmacked gravel road. The A5 splits from the A1 towards Bothwell, then takes you about three quarters of the way to Devonport from Hobart (beware the road sign heavily disguised by a tree that makes the A5 turning very missable). There is 30km or so through the highland lakes that is on gravel, although there were plenty of works going on in that section that one assumes is the start of a process to build a proper road.
We also discovered not all unsurfaced roads are equal. From Bothwell (where there's a good little café to refuel both vehicle and humans, with gourmet pies that are exactly that) the C528 we tried to follow up to Lake Crescent became gravel a couple of miles out of town and was immediately uncomfortable enough a ride to quickly turn tail and head back to the A5. Thankfully, the fear of a very expensive windscreen replacement in our hire car was significantly reduced by the lack of traffic on rural roads and the tendency of vehicles we did come across to respect the 50km per hour speed limit. Makes for a long journey, but in such scenery and with no pressing reasons to go faster that was no problem for us.
Deloraine looks a buzzy little town. We stopped at Woolworths there to pick up supplies. Yes, the Woollies brand is alive and thriving in Australia, although it's never had any connection with the failed FW firm in the UK. A short final hop through lovely rolling countryside up to Devonport saw us meet Jan and Paul in their foreshore home overlooking Bass Strait. After an hour of most enjoyable chat, they headed off to stay elsewhere overnight before they departed for a business show in Melbourne next morning, and we attacked the extraordinarily generous hamper they'd left, containing champagne, wines, smoked salmon and lots of other delicious goodies.
We liked Devonport instantly – and not just because of the hamper. It's shoreline is smart, scenic and offers a really pleasant walk around a great beach before rising up to the lighthouse on Mersey Bluff. No dramatic sunset on Day 1, but a very pleasant way to round off a long tiring day.
Paul and Jan had told us about Cradle Mountain National Park, suggesting we choose a sunny day to visit. As next morning we rose to bright cloudless skies, we set out with great expectations. We weren't even that bothered when a smattering of clouds appeared soon after, with the dominant view on the first part of the journey, Mount Roland, enhanced by being partially shrouded in a cloud all of its own. The rest of the 2 hour drive is spectacular too, passing through Alpine type foothills with twisting roadway snaking ever higher. even the inevitable areas where bush fires have ravaged the landscape are a contrast that has its own attraction.
If you visit any of the main National Parks in Tasmania you'll have the opportunity to buy an all-encompassing ticket entitling you to enter every one of the state's many National Parks. At $65 it's a snip if like us you plan to visit other main ones such as Freycinet on the east coast, but also wish to make ad-hoc stops in unmanned but regularly monitored areas designated as National Parks without the risk of incurring a fine.
Whilst you can drive up to Dove Lake that affords the best views across to Cradle Mountain itself, I'd recommend parking at the park entrance and taking the shuttle bus the 6km up to the lake. There are hop on-hop off points along the way where hikes of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty can be enjoyed. These range from the 15 minute or so easy boardwalk behind the visitor centre (1st stop on the shuttle) to see Pencil Pine Falls, to the Overland Track, which can take up to 6 days to complete, depending on the number of side trips and stops. Cradle Mountain lets even the least adventurous visitor get a taste of the wilderness that remains a large part of Tasmania. It's worth a visit for that alone.
The excellent organisation and facilities that meet requirements at every level amidst spectacular, often rugged, scenery make it one of the best National Parks I've visited. Don't be put off by the lack of sunshine if none is forecast during your time in Tassy. Go anyway.
A drive along the northern coast is definitely enhanced by a sunny day (with the exception of the rather ugly Burnie, which I think must be difficult to enhance to any extent). Virtually any of the small communities and bays along the Bass Highway to the west of Devonport will see you accessing broad sandy beaches. None more so than picturesque Boat Harbour, with fine white sand from the aquamarine bay right up to a small community run café in the Surf and Life Savers Club - where I broke my oyster virginity at the ripe old age of 57. Natural would have been a leap too far, so I had them Kilpatrick style - oven baked with Worcester sauce and bacon bits, then sprinkled with parsley. A squeeze of the lemon wedge they came with and I was ready to go. I loved them. Like a very soft scallop I thought.
After Boat Harbour we thoroughly enjoyed the vastness and solitude of the completely empty Three Sisters Beach, where individually stylish contemporary (holiday?) homes overlook the bay. Adjacent Rocky Cape National Park is interesting for its colourful and contorted ancient rock formations. Further on, Stanley is famous for sitting beneath 'The Nut', a bluff visible for miles as you approach. There's a very steep path up to its relatively flat top, or use the cable car. However, the walk down isn't a breeze (unlike the often very windy walk around the summit) so try and make sure you have time to complete the top circuit before the cable car shuts if you're at all restricted in mobility.
On the last leg of the drive back the setting sun created an explosion of colour in the sky – the sort that makes Val want to paint it and me to photograph it. It turned into a race to reach a suitable vantage point in the few minutes before the peak of the display disappeared. We almost lost, but I still love the bits we did get to see before the dusk turned to darkness. The lighthouse shot above was about all I had time to snatch. Finally a memorable sunset for us to witness in Oz – and still the only one.
Launceston was a bit of a let down compared to everything else we saw in Tasmania. The waterfront is drab and dingy, and the town's centre didn't inspire us greatly either. City Park with a much vaunted monkey enclosure did nothing to improve our perception – the monkeys looked bored and sad in a space that seemed to us to be too small for them.
Cataract Gorge just outside the city looked a nice enough place for locals to cool off in the lake and swimming pool, but by then we were ready to find a different route back to Devonport to continue our exploration of such a big island in the short time we had.
The drive up the east side of the Tamar river to Beaconsfield, then looping round through gorgeous gorges and forest reserves to work our way back west made the day's trip worthwhile. While Port Sorrel didn't greatly appeal, Hawley Beach had us the moment we saw it. Huge rocks on a lovely sandy bay with hardly anybody around despite it being a weekend. Perfect. No wonder locals and estate agents alike openly refer to the street behind the beach as Millionaires Row – where generous plots have seen the vast majority of their original modest cladded cottages be demolished in favour of mostly very smart and large contemporary houses.
I couldn't finish writing about Devonport without mentioning Me and Mrs Jones. Housed on the upper floor of a modern wooden structure with floor to ceiling windows affording panoramic sea views, Mrs Jones is a top quality restaurant with a very smart dining room. We had the best meal of our trip – by a country mile. Both my starter of Drunken Chicken (cooked in Shao Xing rice wine with bok choi, prawn dumpling, pink ginger, spring onion and coriander in a cinnamon star anise broth had flavour by the bucketload) and Val's choice of Pork Belly (slow cooked then braised in cassia bark and star anise, with cauliflower purée, candied apple, shaved radish and sticky white balsamic sauce) were outstanding plates that left us eagerly anticipating what was to come. The main of Tenderloin Beef and Reef (prawns) in a pernod cream sauce was exceptionally good too. However delicious and brilliantly cooked our starters and mains were, all that went before was totally eclipsed by my dessert. Step aside Caramel Bread and Butter Pudding with Pear and Champagne Jelly adorned with other tasty treats I ate in Sydney in 2008. You no longer occupy top spot in the Skehan Dessert Hall of Fame. Instead, raise a glass of dessert wine to toast the new title holder – Peanut and Butterscotch Semi-Freddo with peanut brittle and caramel. That's the description on the menu, but it doesn't come near to describing the dish's complexity of flavours, textures and skill that had us both drooling.
The same people own The Drift Café downstairs. It's a brilliant lunchtime or evening destination in its own right, delivering great value for its high quality dishes.
There are places I've been to I just don't get, and sometimes feel like a tourism blasphemer for saying so, as they seem to be revered by most travel writers. Barcelona is one example. You can't but admire the way their marketing has made it a must-do city break, but get past the fairly few gaudy Gaudi buildings and what do you have? A working city on the doorstep of a great beach, much outweighed by being the street crime capital of Europe.
Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park left me with similar feelings. Everyone in Tassy insisted we must see it. Let me describe our experience. A 30 minute challenging trek to the lookout is up very steep tracks and steps cut into rock, leaving you soaked with sweat and pretty knackered. The view is nothing like the pristine publicity shot. They are aerial shots of a wineglass shaped bay of brilliant aquamarine sea fringed by a superb white sand beach. What you get from the lookout is a side on view from a long way away of about two thirds of the beach, thanks to hilly terrain inbetween. Just not worth the effort of the climb. I had intended taking the longer and steeper walk I'd been told about across the much higher isthmus, which apparently opens up a fabulous view, but I couldn't find it with the maps available.
My advice is to enjoy the 50 minutes or so you'll save by not going up and down to the Wineglass Bay lookout by spending it in Honeymoon Bay. It's signposted from the access road to Wineglass Bay lookout car park. Steep cliffs on one side; pristine, multiple shades of calm blue sea; and impressive rock formations above and below the water make it a lovely place to while away an hour or so. Also make sure to turn off to the lighthouse almost immediately after exiting the Honeymoon Bay car park. You'll find a clifftop boardwalk with stunning views, including about the same two thirds of Wineglass Bay in the distance, but from head on.
Freycinet is well worth the trip. I just have an aversion to hype that's not warranted.
Hobart is my kind of city. It actually brought Sydney to mind in many ways, although on a much smaller scale of course. A buzzy waterfront is at the centre of all the action; suburbs nestling into the hills of the gargantuan harbour; a big bridge (that's nowhere near as iconic) but of course, lacking in the funky Opera House department. It also boasts what some believe to be Australia's oldest hotel – Hadleys Orient.
I imagine the word 'Grand' was used a lot in its past, and the current owners are doing a grand job of restoring it to former glories. The building and its contents (staff excluded) in public areas look authentically old, but there's none of the mustiness one often finds in buildings of its age. The quality of its room décor containing mostly reproduction furniture is pleasingly high, and no doubt because of its age, rooms are unusually spacious. The old fashioned welcome at reception from Ellise was as good as you'll get, and its position between the CBD and waterfront is perfect and prestigious. A real treat.
There's an arty feel to much of the waterfront's retail areas, almost every shop of which had pre-prepared a sign to welcome visitors from the giant cruise ship Queen Mary, in port that day. The artiness is reinforced by the two catamaran ferries painted in camouflage colours that have the opposite effect entirely, drawing attention to them for that very reason. They transport guests to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art a little upriver. It was out intention to make this the highlight of our time around Hobart, as our son – ordinarily not a great one for museums - had provided vivid descriptions of what's so good about this eclectic place run by a man with eclectic tastes and viewpoints.
We should have checked opening hours.
It's closed most Tuesdays. Not sure what most means, but certainly the ferries weren't leaving port on the only day we could have visited, as our flight left later that evening.
We consoled ourselves with a leisurely wander around Salamanca market, and up the steps that link to Battery Point, with quaint shops and cafés amongst the smart historic homes and the pleasant, tree shaded Princes Park overlooking the ocean. A little further on, Sandy Bay opens up broader views across the harbour. An excellent takeaway lunch from the extensive display in the very New York style Italian deli Daci & Daci on Murray Street, and we were ready to depart for the airport and our flight to Melbourne.
The contrasting countryside of mountains, rolling farmland and dramatic shorelines we saw in Tasmania have left us resolving to return. Not just to see the many areas of this spectacular island we didn't get to, but also to experience again the very relaxed and comfortable feelings we enjoyed so much while there.
And at least one more peanut semi-freddo…
The Facts
With no direct flights getting to Tasmania from Perth involves transit through either Melbourne or Sydney. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia all operate a comprehensive schedule to Hobart, Launceston and Devonport. We flew Virgin, who are extremely strict on baggage weights, especially hand luggage, which mustn't exceed 7kg.
Car Hire in Tasmania was through EuropCar via Auto Europe. My usual preferred supplier, Hertz, was much more expensive in Tassy, so we settled on EuropeCar, booked through the aggregator I also use regularly, Auto Europe.
Mrs Jones, Devonport. Not cheap, but worth every penny for its quality and excellent service. http://www.mrsjonesrbl.com.au
Homelink. Membership of £115 pa, or less if multiple years paid in advance. www.homelink.org.uk As well as the terrific places we stayed on this trip I have 7 weeks Homelink accommodation arranged with members in New Zealand for June and July, where I'll be working to produce a book recording fans' experiences following The British & Irish Lions rugby tour there.
That will be another few parts of this series later this year.
2017 Travels Part 4 will feature the state of Victoria.