Four days in Tasmania, that's all there was. Was it worth it? Oh definitely! Should you spend more time there if you can? Without a doubt!
Unfortunately for us, four days was all we had to explore this Australian state. With an early morning flight of about an hour, me and René, my friend from Leiden uni who did a semester abroad in Perth, arrived in Hobart. At the airport we got picked up by two of René's friends by car and we immediately set off to one of Tassie's many national parks: Freycinet National Park. This national park covers around 125 squared km and is situated on a peninsula on the east of the island. It is home to one of the world's ten prettiest beaches: Wineglass bay. A 1.5 hour hike mostly down hill not only gives you stunning views but also brings you onto the white beach. And it is definitely worth the climb up afterwards!
Near Freycinet we stayed the night in Bicheno, a tiny town with just over 850 residents. At the recommendation of the hostel owner, we walked down to the shore to see the spectacular workings of a blowhole. Essentially, the sea created a hole in the rocks through which the waves blow out large amounts of water.
On our second day we drove back to Hobart, the main city in Tasmania, to drive up Mount Wellington. After hiking up so many mountains in New Zealand, I wasn't quite sure how rewarding the view would be with the idea in mind that we just drove there. However, it turned out the be awesome. Don't get me wrong, hiking in New Zealand was spectacular and also personally rewarding, but the views were usually on other mountain ranges. Being 1271 metres in height, you can have views of up to 100km far! We had lunch with this amazing view and could feel our ears pop on the away down. A must-do! Around Mount Wellington, in the Wellington Park Reserve, there are many short walks and hikes you can do. We chose to do one to a small but very pretty waterfall before heading to the city.
Hobart itself is not very big, but definitely worth a visit. Our first stop was the Cascade Brewery, where we bought ice cream and beer. It is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia and opened in 1832. You can do tours, but we decided that we'd rather spend our money on the final product and enjoy the beer's taste in the pretty gardens surrounding the brewery.
Another highlight in Hobart is the Salamanca market, a weekly market on Saturdays that consists of over 300 stalls, many of which sell local produce and souvenirs. The vibe was really nice and we even spotted some oliebollen! The Salamanca district itself is also very pretty to see, it is a very artsy neighbourhood with loads of cute shops and galleries. This artsiness is also visible when you do the self-guided street art tour in Hobart. Though it might not have as many artworks as Melbourne, some of them are really worth a visit!
To end your time in Hobart, you can indulge yourself in some more nature by walking along the Rivulets track. Following the rivulets, you can walk all the way from the city to the foot of Mount Wellington, while on your way grabbing a beer at the Cascade brewery!
In Hobart, René and I said goodbye to our two fellow travellers who went off to explore another part of Australia. Rene and I continued our trip for a last stop in Launceston. It is the only inland city in Tasmania and only the architecture of this city is already worth a short visit. However, the city offers more. Upon arrival the tourist information centre advised us to do the boardwalk walk along the river for nice views and to bring a short visit to Penny Royal. Penny Royal is a tourist attraction in Launceston for rock climbing, gold panning and local Tasmanian food and drinks. After a short stop we walked futher to the Cataract Gorge, Launceston's main attraction. This gorge, some 1.5km from the city centre, is part of the South Esk River and a loop walk with connecting bridge and gondola brings tourists all around the gorge. There is also a public swimming pool, cafés, restaurants and one can do boat cruises on the river. A very pretty spot in so close to the city!
With a very early flight the next day, the gorge marked the end of our four days in Tasmania, a very pretty and underestimated part of Australia!
Unfortunately for us, four days was all we had to explore this Australian state. With an early morning flight of about an hour, me and René, my friend from Leiden uni who did a semester abroad in Perth, arrived in Hobart. At the airport we got picked up by two of René's friends by car and we immediately set off to one of Tassie's many national parks: Freycinet National Park. This national park covers around 125 squared km and is situated on a peninsula on the east of the island. It is home to one of the world's ten prettiest beaches: Wineglass bay. A 1.5 hour hike mostly down hill not only gives you stunning views but also brings you onto the white beach. And it is definitely worth the climb up afterwards!
Near Freycinet we stayed the night in Bicheno, a tiny town with just over 850 residents. At the recommendation of the hostel owner, we walked down to the shore to see the spectacular workings of a blowhole. Essentially, the sea created a hole in the rocks through which the waves blow out large amounts of water.
Hobart itself is not very big, but definitely worth a visit. Our first stop was the Cascade Brewery, where we bought ice cream and beer. It is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia and opened in 1832. You can do tours, but we decided that we'd rather spend our money on the final product and enjoy the beer's taste in the pretty gardens surrounding the brewery.
Another highlight in Hobart is the Salamanca market, a weekly market on Saturdays that consists of over 300 stalls, many of which sell local produce and souvenirs. The vibe was really nice and we even spotted some oliebollen! The Salamanca district itself is also very pretty to see, it is a very artsy neighbourhood with loads of cute shops and galleries. This artsiness is also visible when you do the self-guided street art tour in Hobart. Though it might not have as many artworks as Melbourne, some of them are really worth a visit!
To end your time in Hobart, you can indulge yourself in some more nature by walking along the Rivulets track. Following the rivulets, you can walk all the way from the city to the foot of Mount Wellington, while on your way grabbing a beer at the Cascade brewery!
With a very early flight the next day, the gorge marked the end of our four days in Tasmania, a very pretty and underestimated part of Australia!
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