Tasmanian Wilderness Escape
Discover ancient Tassie forests in Strahan and Queenstown Tasmania
The Tasmanian Wilderness Escape is a 5 day itinerary to some of Tasmania's most beautiful and remote forests and national parks. Travel to Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park, the Gordon-Franklin National Park on the west coast of Tassie, and then back to civilization in Hobart.
Cradle Mountain Tasmania
Day 1: Start your Tasmanian Wilderness Escape by arriving in Launceston airport and driving up to Cradle Mountain Tasmania (about a 2 hours by car). The Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park is probably Tasmania's most famous wilderness escape area with spectacular alpine scenery and a range of cosy accommodation options. There are plenty of things to do around Cradle Mountain including walking, climbing, horse-riding, bike-riding and luxurious spa retreats.
Make sure you take a walk around the beautiful Dove Lake. This is a volcanic lake found at the foot of Cradle Mountain that offers a spectacular scenic outlook over heart of Cradle Mountain National Park. There are numerous other walks in this region from gentle strolls, to more challenging climbs to the top of Cradle Mountain. After you've exhausted yourself from all your walking consider a relaxing spa back at the Cradle Mountain Lodge in the Waldheim Alpine Spa.
Strahan and Queenstown Tasmania
Day 2: Continue the next leg of your wilderness escape and set off for Strahan and Queenstown Tasmania. This drive should take about 3 hours from Cradle Mountain, but passes through amazing scenery so the time should fly by. Make sure to stop in Queenstown Tasmania to see the eerie lunar landscape that surrounds the town. A stark reminder of the damage mining and industrial factories can have on the environment.
Once you have arrived in Strahan check into one of the deluxe, boutique hotels that offer a cosy and warm retreat from the wild and windy weather on the west coast of Tasmania. In the afternoon see more of the west coast on the recently restored West Coast Wilderness Railway. This was originally an old steam engine and track that were used by loggers and miners on the west coast of Tasmania. Today, the steam engine purely operates for tourists travelling between Strahan and Queenstown and giving you a unique perspective of the wilderness found on the west coast.
Tassie Forests and Gordon River Cruise
Day 3: Today continue your wilderness escape on board the "Lady Jane Franklin II" catamaran and take a Gordon River cruise. The cruise takes about 6 hours departing and returning to Strahan, and includes a gourmet lunch and commentary on the rich history of the area.
After your morning on the Gordon River it's time to leave the wilderness escape for a moment and head towards Hobart.... and civilization (about a 3 hour drive). Once you've arrived enjoy the quaint charm of this cosmopolitan little city. Hobart is the closest city to Antartica and is a hub of environmentalism and the outdoor life.
Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula
Day 4: Today set off from Hobart to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. Stop by the historic town of Richmond on your way to Port Arthur for tea and scones and perhaps see if you can find your way out of the Richmond maze. Continue on to the Port Arthur Convict Settlement with it's beautiful sandstone ruins set amidst well-kept landscaped gardens. After you have spent some time exploring the convict settlement head back to Hobart stopping on the way to admire the dramatic coastline of the Tasman Peninsula.
Huon Valley and Tahune Airwalk
Day 5: On your last day of your Tasmanian Wilderness Escape set off south from Hobart to explre the "Huon Trail". This consists of a scenic drive about 2 hours south of Hobart. Be sure to stop in some of the quaint towns to see the local arts and crafts and taste the fresh produce on offer.
The Tahune Airwalk just past Geeveston is a 50-metre high airwalk that allows you to have the unique experience of walking amoung the treetops. Alternatively a little further south near Hastings and Dover you can go underground to see the ancient dolomite Hastings Caves. There are also some thermal springs in this area where you can enjoy a swim in 28 degree celsius water year-round.
We hope you found the Tasmanian Wilderness Escape a useful itinerary that may give you some ideas of what to see on your trip to Tasmania. If you live in Tassie or have been around Tasmania yourself please feel free to suggest anything else that you think we might have missed. We'd love to hear from you.
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