Tassie Uncovered: Tasmania's captivating scenery & experiences

Renowned for its captivating scenery, diverse cultural experiences, rich history and exquisite food scene, Tasmania is a must-visit on many travel bucket lists.

There’s no better way to immerse yourself in all the incredible experiences Tassie has to offer than by picking up a camper and having yourself a good old fashion road trip!

If you’re looking to plan the trip of a lifetime, or just wanting to read about and the incredible experiences Tassie has to offer, then this blog is for you.

The van - 'Home and Away':

Thanks to Camplify, we picked up the motorhome of our dreams in Hobart, named ‘Home and Away,’ and set off a 14-day road trip around Tassie. Home and Away is a spacious and comfortable motorhome with all the bells and whistles. The fact that the van is fully self-contained made the trip so enjoyable and it truly is a home away on wheels.

The route we took:

Highlights:

• Mona Gallery: Hobart

• Mt Wellington: Hobart

• Flight over Wineglass Bay: Hobart

• Hike Mt Amos: Freycinet National Park

• Bay of Fires: Binalong Bay

• Cradle Mountain: Cradle Mountain National Park

• 3 Falls Hike: Mount Field National Park

• The Neck: Bruny Island

Day One: Hobart

After a quick one-hour flight into Hobart from Melbourne, we picked up ‘Home and Away’ and headed to the Hobart marina for a sunset cheese platter and wine.

We watched the sunset over the horizon from our new little home as the yachts came in and then quickly settled in for a relaxing movie night by the water.

Day Two: Sandy Bay & Franklin Pier (Hobart)

We started the day with a delicious breaky at Harbour Lights café by Franklin Pier. If you find yourself here, make sure to get the big breaky…you’ll thank us later.

We then went for a short walk into town where we visited the Hobart shopping centre and window shopped the day away along the esplanade. We then ventured to one of Australia’s most vibrant and loved outdoor markets, Salamanca Market.

Day Three: MONA Gallery (Hobart)

The Mona Gallery is a historic underground museum located on the banks of the Derwent, just a short ferry trip from Hobart. Pre-booking tickets is a must when visiting the gallery, which you can do via the Mona Gallery website.

Mona is not only home to an incredible underground gallery with unbelievable architecture, but it also comprises two wineries, a brewery, luxury accommodation, several bars and restaurants, a library and a tennis court. We were blown away, to say the least. We explored all three levels of the gallery before finishing our visit by relaxing on the lawn listening to live music and indulging in hot chips.

We jumped back into our ‘Home and Away’ and headed to Mount Wellington to watch a breathtaking sunset over Hobart’s horizon.

Day Four: Wineglass Bay, Maria Island

The fourth day of our trip called for an adventure day! We were spoilt by Red Balloon with a flight over the Freycinet Peninsula on Tassie's east coast, where we discovered pink granite mountains, secluded beaches, beautiful and clear blue waters, white beaches and so much more.

The experience included insane views of the famous Wineglass Bay, followed by a gourmet seafood lunch and pristine wine on Maria Island. We were even lucky enough to spot some wombats and kangaroos grazing on the hills as we walked around the largely untouched island. This really was a once in a lifetime experience!

Day Five: Coles Bay, Freycinet National Park

From Hobart, we drove along the coast to Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park. This national park is best known for the stunning beauty of Tasmania’s most celebrated views at Wineglass Bay, including its crystal-clear waters and pristine white beaches. The incredible diversity along the Freycinet coastline comprises rocky coves, sandy beaches, billowing surf, rich forests and sheltered bays.

There is also free camping in the park. We parked up our home at the Swan Hill campsite – a beautiful free camping area by the coast.

Day Six: Mount Amos, Freycinet National Park

There are numerous hiking possibilities along the beautiful Freycinet coast that offer incredible views of the sweeping beaches and national park.

We opted for one of the more challenging hikes, Mount Amos. We would only recommend this hike to those that are experienced hikers and physically fit. Don’t attempt climbing the mountain when it has been raining and the rocks are wet, they are slippery enough when they are dry.

Mount Amos is part of the range of granite mountains, known as the Hazards, and the track to the summit is around 3 hours return and is steep and strenuous, however, the reward is 360-degree panoramic views.

So, we strapped on our head torches and began our climb at 5 am in order to make it up the mountain in time for sunrise at 6:30 am. We scrambled our way to the summit just in time to witness the most incredible sunrise we have ever seen. For over an hour we walked along the ridge of the mountain and looked out in awe of the beautiful views of Wineglass Bay, sweeping mountains and dense national park forests. Then we began our descent back to our home away from home.

As a treat for all our strenuous hiking, we indulged in the BEST pies we have EVER eaten… juicy scallop pies from the Granite Freycinet bakery in Coles Bay… a must-try if you are in the area.

Day Seven: Binalong Bay, Skeleton Bay

From Freycinet National Park, it’s a 2-hour drive north to the Bay of Fires. Binalong Bay is a small town situated at the end of the Bay of Fires and is one of the most beautiful places along Tasmania’s coast.

We spent the afternoon swimming in the turquoise clear waters of Skeleton Bay, relaxing on the white beaches and exploring the orange-tinged boulders that hug the coast. The contrast between the orange, blue and white scenery was a photographer’s dream!

Day Eight: Bay of Fires, Cosy Corner, Little Blue Lake, Launceston

We explored Cosy Corner in the morning before jetting off north to Little Blue Lake, situated in south Mount Cameron. Like most days on our travels, we were blown away by the incredible beauty of Tasmania. The lake's incredible deep turquoise blue colouring is due to high mineral content and is considered a natural phenomenon resulting from the pioneering mining days.

We then travelled an easy 2 hours to Launceston and stayed on a cute family-owned farm, Old Mac's Caravan and Motorhome Farm Stay for a cheap $15 a night.

Day Nine: Launceston

After waking up to the cute sounds of ducks in the nearby lake, we ventured to the farm’s café ‘Apricus’ for a delicious brunch. We then headed to Launceston’s Cataract Gorge, which is just a 15-minute walk from the cities centre.

Cataract Gorge encompasses numerous walking and hiking trails, an incredible chairlift over the gorge, restaurants, enchanting gardens, suspension bridges and panoramic lookouts. It really is a natural treasure in the middle of Launceston.

For date night, we visited ‘Rupert & Hound,’ an exquisite restaurant on the waterfront, where we discovered the very best seafood from Australian and New Zealand waters. We are already planning our trip back to this insanely delicious place.

Day Ten: Cradle Mountain

Iconic Cradle Mountain is a place of exceptional natural beauty in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park is revered for its diverse and beautiful landscapes, from incredible glacial lakes and wild alpine moorlands to ancient rainforests and deep gorges.

Cradle Mountain was the absolute highlight of our trip and we only wish we allocated a few extra days here to fully immerse ourselves in the incredible landscape. There is a world-class system of walking tracks to adventure through in the Cradle Mountain region, and we did as many as we could in the time we had here.

There are very minimal camping options at Cradle Mountain itself, so we stayed at a free camping site the previous night in Moina and drove the 45-minutes into the national park in the morning. From the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, we picked up our day passes and walking maps and caught the shuttle bus into the park.

Although we didn’t experience the most amazing weather (it rained and was foggy most of the day) the hikes were just as breathtaking and spectacular as we imagined. We attempted to view Cradle Mountain at Dove Lake in the morning, but the fog was low lying, so we hiked some of the other trails in the meantime including the enchanted walk. Knyvet Falls and Weindorfers Forest Walk (our favourite). As the clouds began to clear in the afternoon and the sun started shining, we jumped back on the bus and headed back to Dove Lake, where we had the most incredible views of Cradle Mountain. It really was a ‘pinch me’ kind of moment.

As the sun began to set, we reluctantly drove out of the Cradle Mountain National Park and camped the night at Sheffield.

Day Eleven: Mount Field National Park

Along the 4-hour drive from Cradle Mountain to Mount Field National Park, we stopped in a cute little town called Deloraine where we walked the streets filled with autumn-coloured leaves and ate croissants in the sun.

Mount Field National Park is one of Tasmania’s oldest and possibly most diverse national parks and is home to some of the tallest eucalyptus trees in the world. The national park encompasses remarkable glaciated landscapes and its transforming natural flora filled landscapes offers changing views along the winding roads through the park. We arrived at the visitors centre in the early afternoon and stayed in the neighbouring low-cost camping area.

Day Twelve: Mount Field National Park, Bruny Island

To start the day, we hiked the three-tiered Russell Falls track, which is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Tasmania. The breathtaking cascading waterfalls were situated between tall trees and dense rainforest.

In the afternoon, we drove 3 hours through the scenic central highland to the ferry that took us, and our ‘Home and Away,’ to Tasmania’s premier island destination, Bruny Island.

Day Thirteen: Bruny Island, Hobart

We caught the beautiful sunrise along the coast of Bruny Island before heading to the Bruny Island Neck lookout. Here, we walked to the top of the stairs and were rewarded with 360-degree views of the Bruny Island peninsula with the sea on either side of the road.

After our drive to Bruny Island, we headed back to Hobart for the last night of our 14-day Tasmania road trip.

Day Fourteen: Hobart

Our last day in Tasmania! We walked along the marina and had our morning coffee before packing up our dream motorhome, returning it to its lovely owner and heading to the airport with hearts full of life and adventure.

After a year of travelling along the east coast of Australia, Tasmania was our favourite adventure, and we couldn’t recommend it more. We were so lucky to road trip around Tassie in the most amazing motorhome which we booked through Camplify. Having a first-class little home to travel around in really made our trip special and we can’t wait for our next adventure with Camplify!

For more travel inspiration, make sure to check out our Instagram pages @earthwithus and @alexmioni.

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Plan your Tassie adventure today!

If you've fallen in love with Alex and Taliah's trip away, why not bookHome and Away and experience it all yourself!