Tasmania

When you tell an Australian that you’re heading to Tasmania, you’ll either get a laugh or a response like “Why are you going there? To see the two headed people?” Native Aussies mostly think that Tasmania is full of inbreds and hicks, and generally not a place worth crossing the Bass Straights for. But ask a fellow traveler what it’s really like, and you’ll get the truth. A wonderful island removed from the mainland full of beautiful landscapes, untouched beaches, and picturesque mountains. Over the last ten days, I’ve had the chance to experience Tasmania for myself, and the latter explanation of this state is the correct one. I’m not sure that I’ve ever been to a more beautiful place in Australia yet.

The trip started in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, at Sophie’s nan’s house. I probably never would have made it here if it weren’t for Sophie and her family roots. From here, we rented a camper van care of Devil Campers (much better than a Wicked one) and began to drive. Luckily Tasmania is a very small island so the driving distances were short each day. Our travels brought us to Port Arthur on day one which is a historical site to experience Australia’s convict past. It’s host to old prisons, churches, cemeteries and barracks. Most of the buildings are in ruins, but some houses and prisons are in tact or restored. We took a ghost tour in the evening, hoping to get a scare, but were more delighted in the guide’s historical knowledge of the area.

Most of the trip was spent doing a lot of bush walks and hikes. Highlights were a walk to a lookout over wineglass bay at Freyichet National Park, and a hike around Dove Lake at the base of Cradle Mountain. The east coast ended up being quite rainy, but with brilliant bursts of sunshine we were graced with about ten rainbows a day, perfectly placed in the view of our photos.

The town to Launceston was beautiful, full of parks and historical buildings. Unfortunately we rocked up at the weekend the V8 car races were on and couldn’t get a seat at any restaurant in town. One unexpected gem we found along the way was a town called Penguin which hosted some of the best markets I’ve seen in Oz. But not better than the Salamanca markets held in Hobart every Saturday. If you ever make it to Tasmania, make sure to be in Hobart on a weekend!

Overall it was an amazing experience that I know not many backpackers get to experience, so I count myself lucky!