Tassie in Autumn

[pmrid (Peter)]

My wife and I have booked ourselves and 4x4 on the Spirit of Tasmania on the 20th April and back on 1st May so we'll have 10 days on the ground down there. Rather than trying to do the whole island in a rush we thought wqe'd pick a region and concentrate on that instead.

So I'm hoping some locals or experienced Tassie travellers might be able to make some recommendations. We won't take our caravan across - driving down from Qld and leaving that somewhere in Melbourne (appreciate some suggestions about that as well). Instead I'm fitting an RV-awning and attached tent with some comfortable folding beds ec so we can either stop at B&Bs, motels and pubs or free camp if the weather permits.

My inclination is to concentrate this first effort on the NW quadrant as far down as say Strauhan, across to Lake St. Clair and up to Launceston - and all points North and West of that. But I see that April/May weather patterns show 6/16 temperatures and pretty high rainfall in those areas. Maybe this is not the best time to do that region.

I'd be very grateful for advice and even "no-go" suggestions.

Peter

[PeterM]

Pete, if going Strahan you should look this up. One of the may highlights to we experienced in Tassie.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Locati..._Tasmania.html
The River Cruise as well as Sarah Island are a must also.
http://www.viator.com/tours/Tasmania...FQMDvAodF40AkA
Oops also forgot the Edge Of The World
http://www.theedgeoftheworld.com.au/
Incredible memories from our last trip.
Peter

[Kunama]

We found lots of nice places for free camping and enjoyed the area you are planning but by that time of the year it will be cold, if the wind is from southwest as it often is on that side it will chill you to the bone.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Simple question: What do you want to see? I've lived here 20+ years. If the weather turns early, N.W. and West could get "interesting". Pm me with some "we wanna see" stuff and I'll give you some detailed info. The trouble is, so damn much to see.... I certainly have never lost the thrill.

[acropolite (Phil)]

If it's wet there are lots of nice waterfalls and rainforest walks throughout the North of the state. Rain in Tassie is often short lived and weather in April/May can still be quite nice. Regarding the Cradle Mountain area there are very few clear days and the weather can turn in a matter of minutes. If you're planning on doing any day walks in that area then make sure you have appropriate warm and wet weather gear.

I know you said Launceston and west but the east coast of Tassie is the fairweather side of the state, particularly in winter. If you're reasonably fit the walk in to Wineglass bay is nice, but has some climbing and descent and is about 8km return. As mentioned Strahan (there's an easy waterfall walk to Hogarth Falls there as well) is nice and a trip to Stanley and climbing "The Nut" well worth the effort. There's a chairlift up the nut if your fitness level is not up to the climb.

In and around Launceston, the Cataract Gorge is a nice spot with lots of nice walking tracks, Notley Fern Gorge is 20 minutes down the Tamar Valley.

If you like wine there are lots of wineries in the Tamar Valley area, some with just tasting and sales, others (Joseph Chromy winery at Relbia for example) with restaurants as well.
Like Rom, I've lived here almost all of my life (61 years), there is still a lot of the state I haven't seen the more I see the more I realise what a jewel of a place we live in.

[Regulus (Trevor)]

A good plan Peter.
The NW is full of great things to see, and dark skies.
You can cover the Devonport - Stanley - Strahan - Cradle Mt - Launceston circuit comfortable in that time providing you aren't doing extended walks.
Autumn is lovely and very colourful.

[pmrid (Peter)]

My sincere thanks to you. Some terrific suggestions and cautions. Rom has also fed me some very detailed ideas by PM and I want to thank him for that in particular.

I'm going to try to do a comprehensive image-diary of this trip and will post some of them in IIS when I can.

Peter

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

I'm going to try to do a comprehensive image-diary of this trip and will post some of them in IIS when I can.

Looks forward to it, Peter, and thanks to all for the tips.

My wife and I went to Hobart for MOFO in January and toured around a bit. We'll definitely be back for a much longer trip.

Cheers,
Rick.

[louie_the_fly (Stew)]

If near Hobart the best place to stay that we found was Walton House in Huonville. Beautiful b&b run by a really nice couple. Unfortunately we found most of the caravan parks to be a bit second rate. And expensive for the standard of accommodation you get.

[raymo]

Don't forget King Solomon's and Mole Creek caves. Beautiful.
raymo

[Liz]

Enjoying your pics on FB Peter and sounds like a great time being had.

I moved down here 3 months ago and am loving it, the weather is divine.

[lazjen (Chris)]

Went for a trip to tassie in mid winter last year - loved it. There's heaps to see depending on what you want to do. For me Cradle Mountain was definitely a highlight, although I could easily name several other areas that were fantastic as well.

We did 2 weeks there and I hope to go back some time and do more areas we missed. If you go to my flickr link below, you'll see some of my Tassie photos in various albums.