Tasmania in 2006

The idea was all C’s. She had written a small project about Tasmania at school and it had always been in her mind to go - when she asked me to accompany her there was no pause for breath before my affirmative answer.
It turned out to be the best holiday ever! No hesitation in that, no fine print - just the best.
We worked out the itinerary ourselves - mostly C - and had to make sure everything dovetailed together. Hence we owned the trip, not a travel company.

We had wide open spaces, tramping in the outback, beautiful scenery, unbelievable trees, deserted beaches with white sand, pink rocks…..

We loved laid back Launceston - maybe a lot is stuck in the 50’s but so what? Everyone is friendly - you can’t buy petrol without admiring the owner’s rock collection! Visit Salamander market in Hobart and drive up Mount Washington for a spectacular view.

The Overland Track is one of the very best walks in the world. We did it the luxury way, although you still have to walk the walk and carry everything you need on the trip with you. Rain gear is essential but we never saw a drop. One overnight rain made the gum trees look as though someone had varnished them for us. We had excellent cabins to stay in, amazing knowledgeable guides who worked so hard cleaning and cooking for us and Ninth Island Pinot Noir 2003 - the best red wine around! Stunning scenery and truly wild life wandering through our camps. Nothing could improve this walk.

Then there are the beaches of the Bay of Fires - pure white sand in some glorious bays and no crowds even though we were in peak season. You think why aren’t there a thousand people on this beach, because it is as beautiful as anything I have ever seen- but then there is another beach a mile away just as desirable.

Stanley with its nut is quaint and you can see platypus and penguins.
Strahan is a must although as touristy as it gets in Tasmania. The Gordon Rive Cruise was just wonderful and one of the real highlights. The railway, now restored, from Strahan to Quennstown is amazing - even more so when you realise it was dug out by hand. At least that is something good left behind from the mining activity as the area around Queenstown is devastated.

So much of Tasmania was penal colonies - Sarah Island, Maria Island. Enjoy the accompanying dolphins on the trip to Maria Island. One convict wrote that such atrocities (by warders on convicts) should be committed in a place as beautiful as God has ever created.
Stay at the Norfolk Bay convict station B&B.
Go to Bruny Island and see Adventure Bay (it has changed a bit since Captain Cook’s visit) and Cape Bruny Lighthouse to be put off sailing close to that shore, and stay in Angel Retreat.
Stay at Peter and Diane’s B&B in St Mary’s and eat at the Escape café. You can now move down the coast to Freycinet National Park - the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The coastline, the pink rocks turning red in the low sun. I hope you see a sunset as glorious as we saw - a finale to the perfect holiday.