A Week on the East Coast of Tasmania

Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to travel but have never made it happen? For the last two years I’ve thought about Tasmania nearly every day. For whatever reason I just couldn't get that place out of my head. But there was always a reason I didn’t go; I wanted to wait until I had long enough to explore, until the weather was warmer, until this project was finished or that thing happened. Well about a month ago I finally just booked flights. It wasn't the perfect time but it never is. The trip however, was perfect.

We chose to fly into Launceston and spend our time in the North/East of Tasmania. Only having six days, I didn't want to be on the move every day trying to cram all of Tassie in, I chose to take it slow and just choose two or three places to spend a couple of days each. 

Our first morning in Launceston we checked out Cataract Gorge. From there we jumped in our hire car and headed towards Binalong Bay, about a 2.5 hour drive. We stayed at the most incredible Airbnb just outside of St Helens and could not recommend it more highly, you can see more here. We found that no matter where you are in Tassie, everything feels central. You could stay anywhere and within an hour in every direction (but usually 15 minutes is enough) you can find amazing places to explore. This was certainly true of this area; we day-tripped out to St Columba Falls and explored Pyengana. A must visit here is the Pub in the Paddock; it's exactly what it's described as and yes, it's wonderful. 

Our next day in Tassie we explored the beautiful Bay of Fires, just a short drive from where we were staying. While we were in Airbnbs for this short trip, we spotted plenty of free camping sites along the coast, and some particularly amazing ones in the Bay of Fires. It was pretty astounding to see such incredible beauty, and not come across a single other person. I've never really experienced this when travelling before.

The next day we hit the road and headed a couple of hours south to the little beachside town of Bicheno, our home for the next two nights. Again we had an epic Airbnb right on the beach, you can see it here. We'd chosen to stay in Bicheno as it was quite close to the Freycinet National Park. Passes for the national park are $24 and last for 24 hours, so it's worth keeping that in mind when you're planning your day. We did the Wineglass Bay hike and checked out some of the smaller bays and beaches too. We found one day in the national park was enough for us, but if you were wanting to do some of the longer hikes you may want a couple of days.

In true Tassie style we treated ourselves after the hike with winery-hopping our way home. Our favourite was Devil's Corner, a beautiful winery with stunning views over the ocean. Amazing woodfired pizza too!

On our last day in Tassie we explored the stunning Tamar Valley, a spectacular wine region just north of Launceston. There are over 30 wineries scattered across a 170km route that takes you through some of the most beautiful countryside. Our pick of the wineries was Tamar Ridge, the wine, service, knowledge, scenery and cheese boards were absolutely amazing. We wished we hadn't had to rush off to the airport so we could have enjoyed it for longer!  While exploring the Tamar Valley we also stopped in Lilydale and did the short walk down to the waterfalls. It was stunning at this time of year with the Autumn leaves.

Six days was no where near long enough to explore Tasmania properly, but we definitely got a good taste and are already planning a trip back. Slow travel is definitely the best way to see Tassie; it's not somewhere you need to have a planned itinerary for, everything you will see and do will be amazing, so enjoy it all and save whatever you miss this trip for the next one!