Tasmania is an island located south of the main continent of Australia. It has some of the best air quality in the world and is known for its pristine wildlife, ecotourism, and quaint culture, all of which make it so different from the mainland. It truly is another world.
The Starter 5-Day Itinerary to Visiting Tasmania
This guide is a starting point to exploring the island. It is both holistic (the sites that are mentioned explore the nature, wildlife, and culture of the island) and concentrated/ condensed (it is a very fast and intense itinerary and may not be for everyone.) If you enjoy the itinerary provided but are looking for a slower pace, consider extending your time in some of these destinations, especially in the national parks and the town of Hobart.
MORNING
AFTERNOON
EVENING
DAY 0
Arrive in Hobart
Visit the Tasmanian Information and Travel Centre
DAY 1
Walk around the center of Hobart, exploring some different historic sites and markets
Visit the MONA or the Hobart Convict Penitentiary
Tour around the Hobart Hop-On Hop Off Bus
Visit Cascade Brewery
DAY 2
Drive to the Mount Wellington viewpoint
Visit the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Walk through the Port Arthur Historic Site
Take the Port Arthur Historic Site ghost tour
DAY 3
Drive through Tasman National Park to Freycinet National Park
Hike Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach
Eat at the Lobster Shack and wait for little penguins
DAY 4
Drive to Cradle Mountain National Park
Hike through Cradle Mountain National Park (see options)
DAY 5
Visit the Platypus House
Explore the Tamar Valley
Leave Tasmania from the Launceston Airport
Day 0: Arriving into Hobart
Are we cheating with this itinerary by adding in an extra day to arrive in Hobart from mainland Australia? Maybe. But the flight only takes 1.5 hours from Melbourne and 2 hours from Sydney and there are flights later in the evening, which will efficiently allow you to hit the ground running to explore Tasmania on Day 1. However, you can also arrive early in the morning of Day 1 and immediately start exploring Hobart.
Tasmanian Information and Travel Centre
Arriving in the middle of the day on Day 0 will allow you to visit the Hobart Information Center. (This is one of the most informative and helpful information centers that we have ever visited.) At the information center, you can purchase the necessary National Park pass to visit all the national parks of the island. For around $100 AUD per vehicle, you can purchase a pass to visit all of the parks on the island for up to two months. (There are longer passes that you can purchase if you are planning to visit the island multiple times over 1 or two years.)
In addition to purchasing the park pass, the visitor center does a great job of displaying the wide variety of activities that you can do throughout the entire island. You can also work with the people at the center to design your time on the island that best aligns with your interests. Some additional activities (some of which are beyond the highlight itinerary that we have designed) include:
- Getting active by golfing, kayaking, fly fishing, hiking, rafting, etc.
- Visiting wineries (Tasmania has a famous wine region)
- Eating fresh oysters and other seafood (they are known for scallop pie)
- Visiting small fishing towns along the coast
- Exploring wildlife including Tasmanian devils, wombats, penguins, whales, and more
You can learn more on the Tasmanian Information and Travel Centre website here.
Recommended Accommodation Location: Hobart, close to the city center.
Logistics of Visiting Tasmania
Flying to Tasmania
Tasmania has two major hubs, Hobart and Launceston, of which you could fly into and out of to visit the island. To visit as much of the island as possible, consider flying into and out of different airports and exploring destinations in between and around the two airports. The majority of visitors travel through Hobart, including many cruise ship tourists, so its infrastructure is most suitable for tourism. It is a great starting point because it has an incredibly informative visitor center that can help you tailor your visit and it is a quaint harbor town that is very picturesque.
Renting a Car
To visit the island, there are a few logistical things you should know to best plan your visit. Unless you are going to do a group tour to visit the island, you will need to rent a car to get the most out of your time in Tasmania and to give you the flexibility to explore on your own. If you are visiting in the summer, as most people do, the days are long (the sun sets between 8 and 9 PM in the summer months) and having the car allows you to take your time visiting different destinations. And just remember to always drive on the left-side of the road.
Day 1: Discovering Hobart
This first full day on the island is all about discovering the harbor town of Hobart. The town is the capital of the State of Tasmania and has become a strong cultural and artistic city. The following are a few of the things that you can look into doing while in the town to give you an idea of the breadth of opportunities in the town. There are so many different things to do around Hobart so you can definitely spend multiple days exploring and taking in the local culture. (This itinerary only has one day in this town so consider extending your time in Tasmania if you want to spend more than one day here.)
Explore the Center of Hobart
Salamanca Arts Center and Market
This market is located in the city center of Hobart and is a collection of local artisans and artists, displaying and selling their artwork. It is a nice place to wander through to see the creativity of the local community and look for a nice souvenir, if you enjoy collecting art throughout your travels.
Constitution Dock
Constitution Dock is in the historical area of Hobart, surrounded by old colonial buildings. It is also near other landmarks including the Victoria Dock, Salamanca Place (holds a market every Saturday), Parliament House, the Theater Royal, and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery among other museums. The dock has a variety of dock-side shops that sell a variety of products such as seafood, ice cream, and fish and chips. Take some time to walk around the area, try some food, and take in the harbor-side town.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
This art gallery contains art and history specific to the Tasmanian island. European colonists invaded this island over 200 years ago to use the land for the penitentiary programs but the local Aboriginal people of many different groups inhabited and took care of the land for over 40,000 years. This museum gives some understanding to the historical and current Aboriginal culture in Tasmania and celebrates the ancestors and current generation of Aboriginal people on the island today. This is a starting point for learning about the original inhabitants and there are other opportunities to learn more throughout the island. If this is something you are interested in, consider asking the Tasmanian Information and Travel Centre for more experiences.
Farm Gate Market
If you are in Hobart on a Sunday, you can look into visiting the Farm Gate Market, a farmer’s market full of local produce, baked goods, coffee, and artisanal goods. It’s a bustling market and a nice way to take in the local energy of Hobart.
Hobart Convict Penitentiary
If you are interested in the reason that Hobart was inhabited by Europeans, you will want to visit the Hobart Convict Penitentiary. Today, the building is a museum that explains the reasons that people were sent to Tasmania from the United Kingdom to live out their sentences and what their experience in this penitentiary would have been. They highlight some of the most infamous convict characters so you can start to immerse yourself in this defining part of the island’s history.
Try the Local Beer: Visit Cascade Brewery
There is a debate on the island over what is the best brewery: Cascade Brewery of Hobart or James Boag Brewery of Launceston. Cascade Brewery is considered the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. Today, the brewery hosts tours of their facilities along with a beer tasting. You can reserve this experience on their website. They also have a nice outdoor garden bar on site that serves food.
A Unique Art Experience: the Museum of Old and New Art
MONA or the Museum of Old and New Art is a private art collection held and displayed in an architecturally striking winery on the outskirts of Hobart. Its collection is diverse, eclectic, and unconventional all held in a space that is designed for confusion and discovery. If you want an experience that pushes your creativity and provides a unique offering, then consider visiting the MONA. To get to and from the museum, you will take a ferry from the Brooke St Pier (near Constitution Dock) as part of the whole experience.
Hobart Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
If you want an overview of the whole city and an easy way to get to a variety of destinations, consider the Hobart Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, which drives around the entire city, giving a good overview of the history and culture of the city. The entire journey takes 90 minutes without getting off the bus and the bus arrives at each destination every 60 minutes. If you want to see the city and get some context, this option is great for you.
Recommended Accommodation Location: Hobart, close to the city center.
Day 2: What Makes Tasmania… Tasmania Today
The second day in Tasmania takes you outside the city and into some areas that have helped define the Tasmania that we know today, including the wildlife and history that is so fundamental.
Mount Wellington and the Pinnacle Observation Shelter and Boardwalk
Before fully leaving Hobart, you will want to visit the Mount Wellington viewpoint at Pinnacle Observation, a viewpoint over the city with views of the archipelago on which Hobart is located as well as the internal landscape of the island. If it is very windy, you will find an observation shelter from which you can see the city. However, if the weather allows for it, it is worth walking down the boardwalk to see the city lay out below you. This viewpoint is the North East Viewing Platform There is another viewpoint on the other side of the car park (parking lot) called the South West Viewing Platform which has views of the natural and rocky landscape beyond.
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Then, you will want to head to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a reserve for the study and rehabilitation of endemic animals of Tasmania. This is a great place to see and learn about local animals, including the misunderstood Tasmanian devil. These are both nocturnal and endangered, making them very very hard to see in the wild. The facilities host tours/talks throughout the day that are included in the price of admissions. Guides will tell you about the wide variety of animals that they have at their sanctuary, give you information about their mannerisms, and dispel rumors you may have heard.
Some other animals you have the opportunity of seeing are the cute wombat, echidnas, quolls, kangaroos, emus, and more. The sanctuary even provides feed for you to hand feed kangaroos in the open pen that you can walk through, allowing you to interact with the animal. You can also reserve an evening tour of the sanctuary to see some animals when they are more active and feed a variety of creatures.
Port Arthur Historic Site
After spending the morning at the wildlife sanctuary, you will make your way to the Port Arthur Historic Site. You will want to spend about 3 hours at this site so make sure to plan your time on the road accordingly. This site is the former penitentiary and one of the best preserved convict settlements. Entry to the site includes a 20 minute harbor cruise to see where the cemetery is located, a small guidebook to help you understand the different ruins on the site, and complimentary scheduled talks throughout the site. The ticket you purchase is valid for two consecutive days so if you are very interested in this aspect of Tasmania’s history, you can spend an extra day visiting more of the site.
On Wednesday-Sunday, the site provides a 90-minute ghost tour through the site, taking you through the most famous buildings and telling stories of some unexplained events at the historic site. You will want to purchase this tour in advance as it does sell out. The tours happen at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:00 PM with the last one being the closest to a tour in the dark due to the later sunsets in the summer.
Port Arthur Massacre and Memorial
On April 28, 1996, a mass shooting occurred at a cafe and giftshop in the Port Arthur historic site among other locations that took the lives of 35 people and injured 23 more. This tragedy fundamentally changed the gun laws of Australia. Today, the site has a beautiful memorial that you can visit to mark the tragedy and keep the lives lost in our memories.
Recommended Accommodation Location: Port Arthur
Day 3: Freycinet National Park
This next day starts with a longer drive to Freycinet National Park. Along the way, you can stop at Tasman National Park to see Tasmans Arch and the Tasman National Park Lookout to get a nice view of the Tasmanian coastline.
If the weather is particularly nice, you may want to head to Freycinet National Park as soon as possible to take advantage of the beautiful weather. At this park, there is one hike in particular that we recommend doing: Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach hike.
Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach
The Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach hike takes you up to a viewpoint where you can see Wineglass Bay on one side and Hazards Beach on the other. Now you can get up to the viewpoint and then return to the carpark if you are looking for a shorter hike (2 miles or 3.2 kilometers). However, the hardest part of the hike is getting to that viewpoint so if you want to get down to the beach, you can continue on the hike to the water. With nice weather, consider bringing your bathing suite and a towel to take advantage of the beautiful beach and water here. You can also continue onto Hazards Beach and then back to the carpark for a full 7.3 mile (11.75 kilometer) hike. You can find the full hike here on AllTrails.
Other Viewpoints in Freycinet National Park
Honeymoon Bay
This isolated bay is a great place to dip your toes in or hop in for a swim. It’s an incredibly calm bay and perfect for a quick dip, especially after a long hike.
Sleepy Bay
You can walk down this short path to a quiet bay to see more of the beautiful coastline of Tasmania.
Cape Tourville Lighthouse
Walk around the full loop below the Cape Tourville Lighthouse to get beautiful panoramic views of the dramatic cliffs along the coast. There are also some chances of seeing whales along this coastline.
The Lobster Shack in Bicheno
Bicheno is a town near Freycinet National Park and a great place to find accommodation after your long day at the national park. We recommend checking out the Lobster Shack in this town to get delicious seafood to round out your day. Near the restaurant is the Bicheno Blowhole, a water eruption phenomenon that happens against the rocks located here. Finally, if you return to the Lobster Shack around dusk, you may have the chance to see little penguins coming to shore in this area. If you wait quietly along the shore and dock, you may see them waddle on shore to get to their burrows. Just a few rules that will help you have the best experience possible with these shy animals:
- DO NOT take any flash photography! Make sure that your camera’s flash is off for both photos and videos. The flash from the camera could permanently blind the penguin and ruin their chances for future survival.
- Stay as still and quiet as possible. They are very shy and making yourself invisible will increase the chance that they will make their presence known.
- As they walk along the land, do not stand in the way of their path of travel. They are just trying to get home and standing in their way could scare them, which is particularly harmful if they have a young chick waiting for them at their nest.
Recommended Accommodation Location: This will depend on how much driving you want to do each day. We also recommend not driving after dark because of all the wildlife that comes out on the island. Here are some different options: Bicheno (3.5 hour drive the following day), Campbell Town (2.5 hour drive the following day), Deloraine (1.5 hour drive the following day)
Day 4: Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
This day will be spent at a true wilderness highlight in Tasmania: the Cradle Mountain National Park. To get the most amount of time at the park, you will want to get there by 10 AM. (If you are staying in Bicheno, you will want to leave your accommodation around 6 AM.)
This park is particularly unique for the way that visitors travel within the park. When you arrive at the visitor center parking lot, you will need to go into the visitor center and purchase a shuttle pass to get around. To limit emissions and remove the need of having parking lots throughout the national park, you can take a shuttle to the different destinations within the park where many of the different walks start from.
Cradle Mountain National Park is also the home to one of the most popular multi-day hikes in Australia, the Overland Track. The hike takes about 6 days to cover 80 kilometers (50 miles) and you can see the full Overland Track walk on AllTrails here. If you are interested in this particular hike, you will need to reserve your permit a few months in advance to ensure availability. You can also find a paid tour group to do the hike with to help manage the logistics of transportation, provide necessary camping equipment and food, and guide you through this experience.
Below is our recommendation for a full day within the park to get the most out of the beautiful landscapes and the national park.
Day Hiking in Cradle Mountain National Park
After purchasing your shuttle pass from the visitor center, you will get in line and take the shuttle through the park. While on the shuttle, you will hear information regarding the park and the wildlife here. Below are two options for how you can spend your day in the park, one being a slower and easier day than the other.
Easier and Shorter Option: Dove Lake Circuit
Length
3.6 miles (5.8 kilometers)
Shuttle Drop Off
Visitor Center to Dove Lake
Shuttle Return
Dove Lake to Visitor Center
This hike takes you around the beautiful Dove Lake through some varied walkways and boardwalks. There are a few turn-offs throughout the walk that take you to a variety of viewpoints over the lake where you will have views of the surrounding mountains. This walk should be done in a clockwise direction. Because the walk takes up to two hours, it is great for those who do not want to wake up so early to make their way to the national park. It is also great for those who want to relax, take their time, and just enjoy the beautiful nature around you.
RECOMMENDED: Harder and Full-Day Option: Marion’s Lookout to Dove Lake Circuit Via Wombat Pools (Similar Route to Give you an Idea of the Trek)
Length
8 miles (13 kilometers)
Shuttle Drop Off
Visitor Center to Ronny Creek
Shuttle Return
Dove Lake to Visitor Center
This hike merges two of the most popular hikes together through a pass that allows you to potentially see wombats in the wild. It is a beautiful hike with a great variety of challenges and landscapes, making the distance worth it.
You will get off the shuttle at Ronny Creek to start the walk. This is also where the Overland Track begins and you will be doing part of the first portion of the track. You will make your way up to Marion’s Lookout, where you will have beautiful views of Cradle Mountain and the tallest peaks of the National Park. Then, as you make your way down, you will follow the path to the wombat pools. Sometimes, you will see wombats walking around the area and the best way to know that they are around is to look for their uniquely square-shaped poop on the ground.
Finally, you will arrive at Dove’s Lake where you can trek around the entire lake in a clockwise direction, stopping at the variety of viewpoints throughout the loop. You can end your walk at the Dove Lake shuttle stop to return to the visitor center. Make sure you know the final shuttle time from the visitor center so you do not have to walk all the way back to the parking lot at the end of the day.
Recommended Accommodation Location: Near Cradle Mountain National Park or in Launceston
Day 5: Heading out of Launceston
For your final day in Tasmania, you will explore the Launceston region before your later flight back to the mainland. Launceston is the second-biggest city on the island and is near the Tamar Valley, the wine region of Tasmania. Here are a few different things you can do in and around Launceston
Platypus House
Have you ever been curious about the elusive and unique platypus? Well you can visit the Platypus House, a research and sanctuary center outside of Launceston for platypus and echidnas. This facility takes care of a few platypus and walks you through a guided tour to see them and learn more about these creatures. Then, you get to sit among some echidnas and get to know about them while they walk all around you. It is a really unique and special experience that allows you to get close to some of the weirder Australian wildlife.
Visit a Winery or Two in the Tamar Valley
The Tamar Valley is just north of Launceston and is a popular wine region in Tasmania. The main varieties of grapes in this region are pinot noir and chardonnay. You can research some different wineries and cellars to visit and do some wine tastings independently or you can join a group tour from Launceston that visits 3-4 wineries. If you are doing the tastings independently, you do not need to reserve the tastings but consider reserving a place for lunch at a winery of your choosing. This is a great way to take in the beautiful landscapes and appreciate the delicious wines that come out of Tasmania.
Cataract Gorge Reserve
Within Launceston, you can check out the Cataract Gorge Reserve, a forest reserve around a large gorge. The reserve has a few walking trails that you can do, including one that takes you on a suspension bridge over the gorge. There are also chairlifts that you can take to give you a view over the basin and the gorge. Finally, there are some boat cruises that can take you from the central business district of Launceston to the gorge for a nice relaxing journey to enjoy the reserve from a unique vantage point.
James Boag Brewery
James Boag Brewery is the other popular brewery in Tasmania besides Cascade Brewery in Hobart. You can take a tour of the brewery (which includes sampling some of their beer) or just independently try their beer offerings at their tap room right outside the brewery in the center of town. Their tap room includes a small museum of their history with some artifacts.
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