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Itineraries/Oceania/Tasmania

10 Days in Tasmania

The classic Tasmania road trip for families — Hobart's MONA and Port Arthur, Freycinet's Wineglass Bay, Cradle Mountain's Dove Lake, and Launceston's Cataract Gorge. Ten nights, four bases, and every national park the island is famous for, in the only Australian state with four genuine seasons and a food scene that rivals the mainland capitals.

10 nights
Family of 4
~A$8,500
4 stops
Hobart3n
Coles Bay (Freycinet)2n
Cradle Mountain2n
Launceston3n
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Your stop-by-stop itinerary

4 stops across 10 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Tasmania.

1

Hobart

3 nights
Fly direct to Hobart (HBA) from Melbourne (1h 15m) or Sydney (1h 50m). Pick up a hire car at HBA — book an open-jaw rental returning at Launceston (LST) to save the drive back. Buy an 8-week Tasmanian Holiday Parks Pass ($93 per vehicle, covers every national park on the island).

Highlights

  • MONA — Museum of Old and New Art via the MONA ROMA ferry
  • Salamanca Market (Saturday morning only — plan around it)
  • Port Arthur Historic Site day trip — 2 hrs south, full day
  • Tasman Peninsula wildlife (Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, Tasman Arch)
  • Mount Wellington summit drive for the city panorama
  • Battery Point heritage walk and fish-and-chips on the wharf

Local tips

  • 💡Plan your Hobart stay around Saturday so you catch Salamanca Market — it's the best market in Australia and the kids actually enjoy it.
  • 💡MONA is free for under-18s. Some artworks are confronting — scan the family guide on mona.net.au before you go and skip the rooms that aren't age-appropriate.
  • 💡Port Arthur is a full-day trip — leave Hobart by 9am, and combine with the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo on the way home. Book the evening Ghost Tour only if your kids are 10+.
Suggested stay: 2-bedroom apartment near Salamanca or Battery Point
2

Coles Bay (Freycinet)

2 nights
Drive from Hobart (2h 45m up the Tasman Highway via Orford and Swansea — pack lunch from Salamanca, Spiky Bridge and Freycinet oyster farm along the way)

Highlights

  • Wineglass Bay Lookout + Beach walk — the iconic Tasmania postcard
  • Cape Tourville Lighthouse boardwalk (easy, sealed, pram-friendly)
  • Friendly Beaches (10 min north) — empty white-sand beach, safer swim than Wineglass
  • Freycinet Marine Farm oyster and mussel tasting
  • Honeymoon Bay sunrise and short walks from the campground

Local tips

  • 💡Freycinet books out 3–4 months ahead in peak season — if you're travelling Dec/Jan or Easter, lock in accommodation before anything else in the trip.
  • 💡The Wineglass Bay Lookout walk is 1.5 hrs return with a steep climb — fine for 7+ year olds, too much for toddlers. The lookout itself has the view without the descent to the beach.
  • 💡Pack all food for lunches here — Coles Bay has one small shop and a pub. Supermarket restock happens in Swansea on the way in, not at the lodge.
Suggested stay: Freycinet Lodge Mountain Terrace Family cabin or Edge of the Bay family villa
3

Cradle Mountain

2 nights
Drive from Freycinet (4 hrs signed, 5 realistic with stops via Campbell Town and Deloraine). Fill up in Campbell Town — fuel stops are sparse between there and Cradle.

Highlights

  • Dove Lake Circuit walk (2 hrs, mostly flat boardwalk — pram-accessible for first half)
  • Cradle Mountain Shuttle bus — compulsory inside the national park Oct–Apr, free with Parks Pass
  • Enchanted Walk and Pencil Pine Falls — easy 20 min loops near the lodge
  • Wildlife night walk — Tasmanian devils, wombats, pademelons from Peppers' car park
  • Ronny Creek wombat spotting at dawn

Local tips

  • 💡Cradle Mountain is at 900m elevation and has its own weather — pack for 4°C even in January and for snow flurries in July. Fog can hide Dove Lake for days in winter.
  • 💡Do the Dove Lake Circuit on day one regardless of weather — if day two is clearer, repeat it. Never count on a single weather day at Cradle.
  • 💡Take the shuttle, don't drive. Visitor Centre car park → Dove Lake shuttle runs every 15 mins and private cars aren't allowed past Ronny Creek in peak season.
Suggested stay: Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge family cabin or Cradle Mountain Highlanders Cabins
4

Launceston

3 nights
Drive from Cradle Mountain (2h 30m via Deloraine — shortest drive of the trip). Return the hire car at Launceston Airport (LST) on the morning of departure.

Highlights

  • Cataract Gorge — free reserve in the city, chairlift across the gorge, peacocks, swimming pool
  • City Park Japanese Macaque enclosure — yes, real monkeys, free entry
  • Tamar Valley self-drive (winery tastings optional, platypus spotting at Platypus House)
  • Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre (the 2006 rescue story)
  • Low Head Penguin Tour (45 min north, dusk only, book ahead)
  • Launceston Saturday morning produce market at Harvest

Local tips

  • 💡Cataract Gorge is the single best free attraction in Tasmania — allow a full morning. The chairlift is $18 pp, worth it once. The 1st Basin pool is free and safe for swimming in summer.
  • 💡Low Head Penguin Tour is dusk-only and sells out — book 2+ weeks ahead in peak season.
  • 💡Flying out from Launceston saves the 2.5-hour drive back to Hobart on your last day. Worth the $50 one-way car drop fee.
Suggested stay: Family apartment near City Park or the Tamar waterfront

Good to know

Estimated cost

The ~A$8,500 estimate covers accommodation across all 4 stops. Flights, daily spending, activities, and transport are additional — use SaveToRoam’s savings planner to track it all.

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