Tasmania Road Trip Loop
A circuit of Tasmania from Hobart up the east coast to Freycinet and the Bay of Fires, then via Launceston, Cradle Mountain and the west coast wilderness back to Hobart.
Tasmania is small, yet it holds some of Australia's finest temperate wilderness, and a self-drive circuit of the island is its most classic trip, covering about 1,400 km. From Hobart, first visit the historic Richmond Bridge and the Port Arthur penal site on the Tasman Peninsula. Then head north on the A3 Tasman Highway, known as the Great Eastern Drive: Spiky Bridge; Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park; Bicheno, where you can watch little penguins at night; St Helens; and the orange-lichen-covered rocky coast of the Bay of Fires. Cross inland past St Columba Falls and the Pyengana cheese factory to Launceston and the Tamar Valley. Head west to Cradle Mountain National Park to see wombats and walk the Dove Lake circuit. Then take the cruise from Strahan along the Gordon River, pass the mining landscapes around Queenstown, Lake St Clair and Mount Field National Park, and return to Hobart. Allow 7 to 10 days; with more time, add Bruny Island and Maria Island. The western mountains have narrow, winding roads and few gas stations. Kangaroos and wombats are abundant after dusk, so avoid driving at night where possible. National parks require a Parks Pass.