Our impromptu (& very excellent) holiday in Tasmania…
Oh…um…hi!
I feel a bit weird because I kind of ditched you all for the holidays. I didn’t really mean it that way…first I made a flying visit to Canberra to catch up with my very excellent mate. Then, while you guys were all being so kind about the hangers I knicked off to Tasmania. So…I’m sorry I was rude & didn’t say “thanks” because I really truly appreciated your enthusiastic response to my lid-flipping-nanna-ness.
Now, onto the holiday!
The Date & I had been “in discussion” about our holiday plans for a couple of months. This really just means we kept passing each other on the way to the bathroom & saying “we really must do something about the holiday”.
Then he declared that the Hawkes were playing in Launceston…so the Tassie plan was hatched.
The family picked me up from school last Friday & we headed over on the boat. It wasn’t rough & we had cabins – one for the girls & one for the boys. We went to bed & woke up in Devonport…too easy.
Day 1
We got off the boat in Devonport & drove straight to Launceston. We had coffee & breakfast at This Cafe which was lovely & then did Cateract Gorge.
In the afternoon the boys went to the footy which was likened to going to the footy in the 80s & much loved by them both. The girls & I went for a drive & found ourselves at Hollybank on a three hour treetop adventure. I was so impressed by both the professionalism & dedication to providing an informative & great fun experience…we’ll be going back.
Day 2
Next we headed to Cradle Mountain by way of the Evandale Market. I was totally unprepared for the level of vintage cool that would be the market & totally should have gone alone…could have spent hours there. We walked Dove Lake in the afternoon under the guidance of the Little Guy who had us on the clock. He was aiming to finish in an hour (instead of the suggested 2) but we came in at 1hour & 10 minutes.
We stayed at Cradle Mountain Lodge which was fabulous & the roaring fires & bar area were much appreciated by The Date.
Day 3
We did a couple of the shorter walks in the morning as we’d been searching for things to do at cradle mountain & booked ourselves in for canyoning in the afternoon.
We were all super excited about the canyoning adventure & trekked the 20 minutes from the bus to our “Lost World” start point. We dragged on the wetsuits & as I was tightening the wetsuit I managed to dislocate the usually pretty good of my two dodgy shoulders. Yup…in the middle of the National Park. Lucky for me the guys at Cradle Mountain Canyons were unfazed & managed to relocate it for me with a minimum of fuss & pretty much pain free…I could have kissed them both. Canyoning was out for me but the rest of the family pushed on & had a brilliant time. We would all highly recommend the experience (not the shoulder bit though).
Day 4
After a cruisy breakfast it was back in the car & off to Strahan which we all LOVED. The kids & The Date had an absolute blast on the Henty Sand Dunes.
We enjoyed a late afternoon jet boat tour of the harbour & the King River. The kids loved the jet boating & site it as a trip highlight. Finally, a cosy evening high up on the hill
Day 5
Nobody was in a hurry to leave Strahan. We lost a couple of hours in the cemetary, Lettes Bay & the walk from The Peoples Park to the falls before we headed to Lake St Clair.
Day 6
A ferry tour of Lake St Clair was enjoyed by us all. We’re super keen to have a crack at The Overland Track in the not too distant future and a little walking tour of the last leg did nothing to dampen our enthusiasm.
On the way out of Lake St Clair we checked out the Wall in The Wilderness and were all suitably blown away by the brilliance that is Greg Duncan.
We drove through thick cloud in The Great Lake area and made our way to Westbury for our last night in Tassie.
I chanced up our Westbury stopover clicking around the net. We stayed in The Old Bakehouse. It was hands down the best B&B experience we’ve had. Delicious homemade biscuits, cakes & bread & a lovely homey feel.
Day 7
After our “buffet style” breakfast (setup by the girls & cooking/provisions by our Bakehouse hosts) we went to the Marakoopa Caves in the morning & did the Cathedral Tour…it was sensational!
We quite fell in love with Mole Creek & even more with the folk who are running Marakoopa Cafe from their beautiful farm just shy of the caves. It was quite the thrill for us to find a fabulous coffee (& freshly baked treats for the kids) on Good Friday.
Good Friday wasn’t a great day to be killing time but we managed to indulge at Chudleigh tasting honey, at the Salmon Farm & Ashgrove Cheese before we headed back home on the boat. No cabins on the way home. It certainly was not ideal spending the night in the recliners, especially given the shoulder situation. If you’re going to do the boat…get a cabin.
We planned the days so that we had a maximum of two hours in the car & it was perfect. We probably could have spent another couple of days at Cradle Mountain & Lake St Clair doing more walking but we know that for next time! We can’t wait to get back to Tassie…it was FABULOUS.
andi
761 days ago
Looks like a fab holiday.
Great pics!!
Andi x
Kate
761 days ago
So glad you are home and thanks for the eye-candy.
Tassie looks beautiful xx
CurlyPops
761 days ago
Such beautiful photos Kirsty. I’ve only ever been for a short holiday to Tassie. I would love to go back one day.
I was fascinated by the old cemetaries and the old buildings.
Naturally Carol
761 days ago
What a fantastic and adventurous holiday! Love the scenery.
Katie
761 days ago
Sounds like a wonderful break! We’ve been wanting to go to Tassie for ages – it’s so beautiful
Tas
761 days ago
My old stomping ground. We have just decided, when doing our annual rellie visit this year, to do a road trip and be tourists as well. I haven’t been a tourist for over 20 years. The kids will love the boat and we are excited! Thanks for some great recommendations!
erica
760 days ago
Looks like you had a great time. I love the photo of the blue corrugated house. Really enjoyed looking at your holiday. x
Lionesslady
760 days ago
Yay for Tassie! I am a Tassie girl born and bred and I do miss it – we escaped to Melbourne but all of our families still live there. Glad you had such a nice time
Bron
760 days ago
Sounds like you had a fab time…we certainly love Tassie as well. Mole Creek being our very favorite place to dream about relocating to. Thanks for sharing
cherrie
760 days ago
Sounds very more-ish especially the market and that last B&B. I could even do with some relaxing buyshwalking. Sigh. So glad you guys had an enjoyable time. Cherrie
Jackie
760 days ago
What a great holiday – thanks for the wonderful pics too.
Kylie
760 days ago
WOW! You guys really did have an amazing time. We love Tassie too… you’ve got me hatching plans now
Great to have you back Kirsty.
Kylie
760 days ago
Just been looking at all your coat hangers… OMG! They are just sensational. Love how they match the outfits
Kelly
760 days ago
Lucky, lucky you! Tasmania is one of my all time favourite holiday places…haven’t done Mole Creek before though, so that’s on my ‘next time’ list. Thanks for sharing all your lovely photos & experiences
Claire
760 days ago
Wow you really packed a lot into one Easter! Last year we moved back to Tasmania after a decade living on the mainland… and we LOVE it. We are so glad to live here.
Caroline
760 days ago
Great photos, you look like you had a supurb time – lucky you!
We spend Christmas at Evandale in Tas, so I know what you are talking about there!
Jode
760 days ago
Well that’s a pretty fancy excuse not to be around!
Lucky you good to have you back
Tess
754 days ago
snap! we just went to tassie as well! but as it’s got so much to see in such a deceptively small place, we managed to go to different places!
Your photos are great.
My plan now is to go back for a few months – do a house swap, that wouyld be ideal : )