Tasmania

Located 240 kilometres south of the Australian mainland across Bass Strait, the island state of Tasmania is like the best of Australia all rolled up into one tidy package. Tassie is renowned for its World Heritage listed wilderness, awe-inspiring coastlines and historic convict sites, but dig a little deeper and you might also discover some of the country’s best-kept secrets.

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HOBART & THE SOUTH

Hobart, the second oldest capital in Australia after Sydney, offers a wonderful blend of heritage charm and contemporary culture set among the foothills of Kunanyi / Mount Wellington and surrounding bushland at the entrance to the Derwent River.

Hop your way around Hobart by bus

There’s no better way to sightsee around Hobart at your own pace than with a 1- or 2-day pass for the official Hobart City Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, Red Decker (reddecker.com.au). The double-decker bus takes you to 20 points of interest throughout the city, including Brooke Street Pier, awardwinning Salamanca Market, Narryna Heritage Museum, Cascade Brewery, Cascades Female Factory (a penal colony from 1828 to 1856), Hobart Convict Penitentiary, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Constitution Dock, Battery Point and Theatre Royal – the oldest continually operating theatre in Australia. Club members can either stop to take in their favourite attractions or stay onboard the bus for the full loop.

Appreciate art and more at Mona

The Museum of Old and New Art, aka Mona, was built by the enigmatic David Walsh to house his collection of ancient, modern and contemporary art and is Australia’s largest private museum (mona.net.au). Situated on the banks of the Derwent, the unique subterranean museum features three levels of underground galleries to explore. Using handheld technology, visitors can learn all about the exhibits as they wander. Mona is also home to two wineries and a brewery.

1. Wander Hobart’s Salamanca Markets on Saturdays

2. Enjoy views of the Bruny Island Neck from Truganini Lookout

3. The Wall in the Wilderness was sculpted by Tasmanian artist Greg Duncan

4. Owner David Walsh describes the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) as a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’

5. The Highfield Historic Site with views of The Nut in the background

Day-trip to Bruny Island

A full-day trip from Hobart to Bruny Island by ferry will give your group a chance to enjoy both built and natural attractions while tucking into quality local produce including cheese, fudge, chocolate, honey, oysters and cider. Take a leisurely walk at The Neck – an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island – up to Truganini Lookout for 360-degree views of the landscape, sea and wildlife. Then take a tour of historic Cape Bruny Lighthouse, the southernmost lighthouse in Australia.

WEST COAST

Travelling clockwise from Hobart, make your way around the diverse West Coast to enjoy majestic mountains, lakes and rivers, not to mention the wild Tarkine – nestled in the north-west corner of Tasmania – the second-largest expanse of cool temperate rainforest in the world. Coal River Coaches’ 6-day, 5-night West Coast tour includes Hobart, Strahan, Cradle Mountain, Smithton, Stanley and Launceston (lovetasmaniatours.com.au).

Go to The Wall at Derwent Bridge

If you plan to put a few stops on the itinerary between Hobart and the West Coast, make sure one of them is Derwent Bridge – a two-and-a-half drive north-west of the capital, right in the beating heart of the state and sitting at

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the foot of hugely popular Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The Lyell Highway cuts through town and over the Derwent River. Before you reach the bridge you’ll have a chance to visit ‘The Wall in the Wilderness’, one of the most ambitious art projects undertaken in Australia (thewalltasmania.com.au). The Wall is 100 metres of mostly rare Huon Pine featuring remarkable timber carvings that depict the history of the Central Highlands and pay homage to its protectors.

Cruise the Gordon River

Continue further west to Strahan, a former port and now important tourism hub, where your Club can organise a cruise of the gloriously tranquil Gordon River – surrounded on both sides by untouched rainforest. Some tours take you deep into the wilderness to discover the abandoned port of Pillinger on the shores of Macquarie Harbour.

AT A GLANCE

See Stanley and The Nut

At the top of the north-west coast, spend some time in Stanley, a romantic town jutting out into Bass Strait. After admiring the town’s perfectly preserved colonial architecture, in particular Highfield Historic Site (parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/highfield-historic-site) – an impressive old homestead overlooking the town – take the return chairlift up 95 metres to the top of The Nut, the remains of an ancient volcanic plug with a plateau you can circumnavigate on foot (thenutchairlift.com.au).

Red Decker

(Hop-on hop-off tours) 03 6236 9116 reddecker.com.au

Museum of Old and New Art (Mona)

03 6277 9978 mona.net.au

Coal River Coaches 6-day, 5-night West Coast tour

03 6272 2645 lovetasmaniatours.com.au

The Wall in the Wilderness

03 6289 1134 thewalltasmania.com.au

Highfield Historic Site

03 6458 1100 parks.tas.gov.au/exploreour-parks/highfieldhistoric-site

The Nut Chairlift

03 6458 1482 thenutchairlift.com.au

THE NORTH

Your Club won’t be disappointed with a journey to the north of Tassie, where delightful cities, towns and villages meet dramatic landscapes, island getaways and so much more.

Look around Launceston

In the lovely riverside city of Launceston, Club members will want to visit the Queen Victoria Museum, housed in a 19th-century railway workshop, which features excellent exhibitions on Tasmanian history. Just across the river next to sprawling Royal Park you’ll find its sister Art Gallery. But Launceston’s major landmark is undoubtedly Cataract Gorge, just a 15-minute walk from the city centre, where the world’s longest single span chairlift crosses the natural basin of the South Esk River.

Or for something a bit different, head 45 minutes north to see the largest lavender farm in the Southern Hemisphere, Bridestowe Lavender Estate (bridestowelavender.com.au). Summer is the best time to witness it in all its purple glory.

Fly to Flinders Island or King Island

Fly from Launceston to the hidden gem that is Flinders Island, an untamed land of jagged mountains rising up from the wild sea. Fossick for ‘Killiecrankie Diamonds’, learn the history of the Furneaux Islands and inhabitants at the Furneaux Museum, or pop into Bowman’s History Room to absorb the origins of the island’s oldest continuously trading store. You can also take a scenic flight from Launceston to King Island, just above the north-west tip of mainland Tasmania, where your group will marvel at crystal-clear waters while breathing fresh air and dining on fresh produce. At 48 metres, Cape Wickham Lighthouse on the island’s north coast is the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest lighthouse.

To see the best of both islands, embark on Trade Travel’s (tradetravel.com.au) 8-day, 7-night Flinders & King Island Combo tour.

EAST COAST

Beautiful bays, beaches and islands await on Tasmania’s East Coast. Coal River Coaches’ 6-day, 5-night East Coast tour includes Launceston, Bicheno, Freycinet, Port Arthur and Hobart (lovetasmaniatours.com.au).

Discover Bicheno & Freycinet

At the tiny coastal town of Bicheno, a fishing port and beach resort just north of the Freycinet Peninsula, your Club can enjoy a penguin tour at dusk, the Bicheno Blowhole, and a glass-bottomed boat tour of the Governor Island Marine Reserve. Or visit breathtaking Freycinet, where white-sand beaches and a pink-granite mountain range stand out in the national parks. The view from the lookout down to magnificent Wineglass Bay is one of a kind.

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Visit Port Arthur

Don’t miss the Port Arthur Historic Site, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Australian Convict Sites. History buffs in the group will be keen to explore the 19th-century penal settlement turned open-air museum. On a guided walking tour of the grounds you can visit over 30 restored buildings and ruins including the large penitentiary and the Convict Church built by its inmates. On the Tasman Peninsula, go to the Coal Mines Historic Site, Tasmania’s first operational mine, to walk the ruins and tunnels where 1800s convicts worked and lived (coalmines.org.au).

To enjoy all the best of Tassie in one amazing trip, consider Coal River Coaches’ 11-day, 10-night Full Loop tour (lovetasmaniatours.com.au). ■

AT A GLANCE

1. The world’s longest single span chairlift ascends Launceston’s stunning Cataract Gorge

2. Bridestowe Lavender Estate is a sea of purple in full bloom

3. Port Arthur is the best-preserved convict site in Australia

Bridestowe Lavender Estate

03 6352 8182 bridestowelavender.com.au

Trade Travel 8-day, 7-night Flinders & King Island Combo tour

1800 034 439 tradetravel.com.au

Coal Mines Historic Site

1800 659 101 coalmines.org.au

Coal River Coaches 6-day, 5-night East Coast tour / 11-day, 10-night Full Loop tour

03 6272 2645 lovetasmaniatours.com.au