Tasmania west coast road trip: complete scenic itinerary

**Discover a wild and pristine landscape of lakes, waterfalls, rainforests and ancient history with this **Tasmania West Coast road trip itinerary. Hit all the highlights, including Hobart, Lake St Clair, Cradle Mountain, Nelson Falls, Strahan, the West Coast Wilderness Railway, Stanley and Launceston!

Use this flexible 7-day itinerary when planning your Tasmania West Coast road trip. It can be modified to suit the exact number of days you have available and includes all the best attractions and camping spots. Plus, we’ve thrown in a heap of extra information like drive time, distance, the best season to travel and much more!

Travel the coast in comfort - use Camplify to find campervan hire in Tasmania.

Best road trip around West Coast Tasmania: 10 places you can’t miss

Total distance: 1,000km | Recommended duration: from 7 to 10 days | Best time to visit: between December and February | See route in Google Maps

1. Hobart

After arriving at the airport, pick up your campervan hire in Hobart and kick off your West Coast Tasmania road trip by checking out some of the awesome attractions around the city!

Start by driving to the 1270m summit of Mount Wellington , a natural reserve that towers over the city. From the top, you can admire panoramic views over Hobart, the harbour and the southern Tasmanian wilderness. Alternatively, hike up the Mountain and see the Organ Pipes rock formation (one of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks ).

The next morning, catch the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), internationally renowned for its weird and wonderful displays on the banks of the Derwent River. And be sure to visit the famous Salamanca Markets , which hosts over 300 stalls every Saturday (9.30 am - 3 pm).

Stay at the Barilla Holiday Park, which offers unpowered and powered camping sites amongst sheltered bush surroundings. Their family-friendly facilities include a bathroom, laundry, camp kitchen, barbecues, mini-golf course, playground and more.

Have a few days to spare? A few of the best Tasmania road trips start in Hobart!

2. Lake St Clair

Take off on your Tasmania West Coast road trip, making your first stop at the deepest freshwater lake in Australia - Lake St Clair.

As you follow the Lyell Highway through the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area , enter the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park via the southern entrance. Pull up at the Visitor Centre and read about how this 167m deep lake has been carved by glacial ice over the last two million years.

There are a few easy walking tracks through the ancient rainforests and mountains that surround the lake. Start with the Larmairremener Tabelti Walk which offers insight into local Aboriginal history. Continue to the Watersmeet Walk along the river before looping back around the Platypus Bay Walk (all three walks combine for an 8.7km loop).

Stay at the Lake St Clair campsite, where you can find beautiful camping spots sheltered amongst the bush. Both unpowered and powered camping spots are available. Facilities include a basic kitchen, toilets, hot showers, laundry facilities and an on-site cafe.

3. Queenstown

Nestled in a valley amongst the slopes of Mount Owen, the village of Queenstown is known as the gateway to the West Coast of Tasmania.

As you head into Queenstown, pull over at the Nelson Falls Nature Trail (1.4km return). Spend 20-minutes enjoying this short walk through luscious rainforest and alongside a rippling river. Eventually, you’ll find the 30m tall Nelson Falls , which thunder amongst the mossy forest.

Continue a little further down the road and you will come across the Horsetail Falls Walk (2km return). Adventure along the winding gangway until you find the 50m tall Horsetail Falls set against the dramatic background of Mt Owen. It flows heaviest after the rain in the winter and spring.

If you’re looking for something more adventurous, join King River Rafting on a one-day wilderness white water rafting experience. Travel 20km down the King River, through swift-flowing gorges and rapids. Alternatively, they also offer a flat water kayak tour through more tranquil pools and shallow rapids.

Stay at the Queenstown Cabin and Tourist Park, which offers gravel and grass sites with mountain views in all directions. Facilities include a kitchen area, barbecue area, communal laundry, amenities block, LPG refills and more.

4. Strahan

One of the highlights of any Tasmania West Coast road trip is the harbour-side village of Strahan - a beautiful place with a dark and fascinating past.

Join one of the local river cruises and take a tour out to the wild and dangerous channel known as Hell's Gates - the point where Macquarie Harbour (Australia’s second-largest natural harbour) meets the Southern Ocean. Continue down the Gordon River and hop off for a tour of Sarah Island , which was Tasmania’s first penal settlement and one of the harshest convict prisons ever created.

Once you return to town, jump aboard the West Coast Wilderness Railway. This historic steam train was first built in 1897 and still runs daily along the 35-kilometre track from Strahan to Queenstown, taking you through forest gorges, past historical sites and up steep mountainsides.

Stay at the Strahan Beach Tourist Park, which offers unpowered and powered sites on the edge of the picturesque West Strahan Beach. Facilities include an amenities block, camp kitchen, barbecue area, TV room, games room, outdoor fire pit, playground and free DVD hire.

5. Zeehan

Take a step back in time to the historic town of Zeehan , once Tasmania’s third-largest settlement during its mining heyday.

But before you get to the township, stop at the Henty Dunes that overlook the Southern Ocean. These giant dunes are shaped by the wild winds known as the Roaring Forties and are popular with sand boarders.

Once you do get to town, visit The West Coast Heritage Centre. Learn about the pioneering history of the Tasmanian West Coast, looking through the awesome display of photographs, mining memorabilia and machinery. Then tour the historic Gaiety Theatre (built in 1898), which was once considered one of the grandest theatres in Australia.

Take a walk down Main Street and admire the heritage buildings before jumping back in your campervan and taking a 10-minute drive out to the Spray Tunnel. Walk 100m through this abandoned railway tunnel and watch as the walls are lit up by thousands of glowworms.

Stay at the Zeehan Bush Camp and Caravan Park, which offers secluded bush campsites and a range of facilities including a bathroom block, communal kitchen, barbecue area, playground, laundry, games room and more.

6. Arthur River

Continue your Tasmania West Coast road trip northward, driving through the wild and woolly landscape of the Tarkine Wilderness region until you reach the quiet fishing town of Arthur River - the most westerly settlement in Tasmania.

Adventure into the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area, a rugged coastal reserve popular amongst bushwalkers and fishing enthusiasts. Join Arthur River Cruises on a ride deep into the Conservation Area, where you’ll disembark for a guided rainforest tour and gourmet barbecue lunch. Alternatively, hire a boat or a canoe in town and paddle down the river yourself.

This area is also the ancient homeland of the North West Aboriginal People , who have lived on the land for at least 35,000 years and were the southernmost people in the world at the time of the last ice age.

Speak to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife office about visiting significant sites such as Sundown Point/Laraturunawn and Cameron West/Preminghana , where you can see Aboriginal carvings and rock art that are thought to be over 2,000 years old.

Stay at the Arthur River Cabin Park, a family-owned caravan park offering unpowered and powered campsites. Facilities include an amenities block, camp kitchen and barbecue area.

7. Stanley

On the northern edge of the Tasmania West Coast, your road trip will take you to the romantic town of Stanley - where colonial cottages are overlooked by a massive volcanic plug.

After arriving in town, get your bearing by hiking up the volcanic plug known as The Nut, which rises 150 metres out of the water and offers panoramic views over the Bass Strait. If you don’t have the energy, you can always take the chairlift instead. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for sea lions and penguins basking on the beach below.

Afterwards, stroll around the quaint streets of Stanley and admire the beautifully preserved colonial houses. When you’re ready for a break, grab a table at one of the highly-rated restaurants or fish and chip shops around town, where you can taste some of Australia’s best seafood.

Stay at the Stanley Cabin and Tourist Park, where you can camp next to the beach at a powered campsite. Facilities include an amenities block, camp kitchen, barbecue area and more.

8. Devonport

Drive along the northern beaches of Tasmania’s West Coast until you reach Devonport , the state’s third-largest city and a port for the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Melbourne.

Stretch your legs with a walk to the historic and red-striped Mersey Bluff Lighthouse (built in 1889). Follow the coastal walkway around to the waterfront park , where you can sit down at a cafe or pack your own picnic lunch.

Visit the Bass Strait Maritime Centre, where you can see the harbour master's residence, try your hand at driving a simulated steamship down the Mersey River and enjoy a Devonshire tea. ****

And don’t miss Home Hill Museum (built 1916), which was once the elegant homestead of Joseph Lyons (Australia’s first Prime Minister from Tasmania).

Stay at the Devonport Holiday and Caravan Park, which offers powered and ensuite camping sites near the coast. Facilities include an amenities block, camp kitchen, barbecue area, laundry, activity and movie room, playground and more.

9. Cradle Mountain

If you have a day to spare, it’s worth detouring back inland to explore the northern half of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (only a 1.5-hour drive from Devonport).

Start at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre before continuing to the Dove Lake car park. This is the starting point for some of the best short walks in Tasmania, including the Dove Lake Circuit (6km loop), which traces the edge of the lake and Cradle Mountain before passing through a small stretch of the remarkable temperate rainforest.

From the Dove Lake car park, you can also take on the Crater Lake Circuit (5.7km loop). It takes about 2 hours to complete this walk, which takes you up the side of the mountain, through alpine vegetation and around a series of lakes formed by glacial ice and snow - Crater Lake, Lake Lilla and Wombat Pool.

Stay at the Discovery Park Caravan Park Cradle Mountain, where you can choose between unpowered and powered campsites surrounded by pristine bushland. Facilities include a camp kitchen, barbecue area, laundry, kiosk and more.

10. Launceston

End your Tasmania West Coast road trip in Launceston , the second-largest city in the state and one of the oldest in Australia.

Sitting on the edge of the River Tamar , Launceston is a favourite amongst photographers due to its Colonial and Victorian architecture. Relax for a while in City Park , which was built in 1820 and is host to beautiful gardens, a duck pond and even a Japanese Macaque monkey enclosure.

Afterwards, visit Cataract Gorge Reserve and wander along the walking trails that follow the placid South Esk River. Then ride the Scenic Chairlift across the gorge, famous for having the longest single chairlift span in the world (308m). Finish with a dip in the crystal clear public swimming pool.

Stay at the Launceston Holiday Park, where you can enjoy unpowered and powered campsites set amongst leafy parkland. Facilities include an amenities block, camp kitchen, games room and much more.

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