Ultimate First-Timer’s Guide to Tasmania

Tasmania captivates visitors with its breathtaking landscapes, fresh air, and unique charm that sets it apart from mainland Australia. Travel writer Jennifer Johnston shares her deep knowledge and passion for this island state, explaining why it should be on everyone's Australian itinerary.

• Tasmania offers cooler temperatures than mainland Australia, with fresh air that feels rejuvenating
• The island is compact and easy to navigate, with most destinations accessible within a few hours' drive
• Cradle Mountain provides opportunities to see wombats and wildlife in their natural habitat
• The Bay of Fires and Tasman Peninsula offer spectacular coastal scenery
• Tasmania's food scene features exceptional local produce, wines, whisky, and "the creamiest ice cream from the happiest cows"
• Honesty boxes along country roads sell fresh local produce on the honour system
• With only 500,000 residents (40% around Hobart), visitors often find themselves alone on spectacular beaches and scenic roads
• Lesser-known gems include Cockle Creek (Australia's southernmost accessible point), Mount Roland, and the Corinna wilderness area
• Indigenous culture and Palawa history are increasingly acknowledged, with experiences like the Wukalina Walk
• Accommodation ranges from budget hostels to luxury stays like The Keep and Saffire Freycinet

Remember to allow plenty of time and avoid overpacking your itinerary when visiting Tasmania. The island rewards slow travel and spontaneous discoveries.

Guest - Jennifer Johnston of Travel Bug Within Tasmania
Show notes - Episode 58

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tasmania is one of our favourite destinations in
Australia and in this episode,travel writer Jennifer Johnston
shares exactly why.
Plus, get her top tips forfirst-time visitors.
Hi and welcome to the GlobalTravel Planning Podcast.
I'm your host, tracey Collins,who, with my expert guests, will
take you on a weekly journey todestinations around the globe,

(00:22):
providing travel inspiration,itinerary ideas, practical tips
and more to help you plan yournext travel adventure.
Hi and welcome to episode 58 ofthe Global Travel Planning

(00:42):
Podcast.
This week, I am chatting with myfriend, jennifer Johnson, all
about one of Doug and I'sfavorite destinations in
Australia, and one that we areconstantly promoting when we are
overseas.
When people talk to us aboutAustralia and the first thing
they say is oh, sydney,melbourne and we go yeah,

(01:02):
they're very nice places.
We're from Brisbane, but ifyou're going to come to
Australia, places to considerare the Outback, queensland and
this destination that we'regoing to talk about now, so
Tasmania.
So welcome to the podcast, jen.
It's going to be so good tochat with you.
All things Tasmania today.
Would you like to introduceyourself?
Tell us what you do and what isyour connection with Tassie?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Thanks, Tracey, Thanks for having me along on
the Global Travel Podcast.
I'm pretty excited because Ilisten to pretty much every
episode, so it's nice to be onthe other end.
So I hope I can deliver alittle bit about Tasmania and
why I'm so passionate about it.
I sort of reflected on thequestions and this one made me
think about when I actuallyfirst visited Tasmania.
It was 1982 and I was in grade12 and it was my senior high

(01:54):
school trip tour to Tasmania.
So that was a crazyintroduction.
I think there were about 30grade 11, grade 12 girls on a
bus tour.
We caught the Spirit ofTasmania over and toured around,
I think for about 10 days, andthen there was a massive gap 30

(02:17):
years basically until I went anddid a hike in the Bay of Fires
back in 2012.
I just had seen anadvertisement and hiking was
kind of my jam at the time.
So yeah, that was 2012.
And I guess COVID was the nexttime that I thought about

(02:41):
Tasmania, because we couldn't,you know, go anywhere
internationally.
So I booked a flight to Hobart,couldn't get there a couple of
times, you know they got.
You know the state would closedown or you know people from
Queensland weren't allowed toleave or what have you, and I
think that was 2020.

(03:02):
And then I came back andmentioned something to a friend
of mine whose friend happened tobe looking after a new estate
that was being built justoutside of Hobart and she said
to me, you should look that up.
And I did, and one thing led toanother and I ended up ending

(03:22):
investing in some real estate,um, down there.
So I try and get down thereabout every two, two to three
months and you know the thereason I've done that is I'm
pretty much almost an emptynester and I thought Tasmania
would be a a great place for meto go down and just explore more

(03:42):
of and it's an amazingdestination.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
It really is.
I think Tasmania is a very ithonestly captured Doug and I's
heart when we went.
We've only been once so far.
We were there for three weeksand we loved it, and this is a
few years ago now and we stilltalk about Tasmania.
It was like, oh yes, we must goback and explore more.
So if anybody is listening tothe podcast and kind of

(04:07):
wondering about what's the WestWing described Tasmania or how
would you kind of encapsulate itin three words, what would you
say?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Three words is hard, but you know I'm a travel writer
so I probably am, you know,struggling with just finding
three words.
But I thought relaxing, youknow, because every time I go
down there everything just seemsto slow down.
Another word is magical.
You know, the Tourism Tasmaniateam have got this catchphrase

(04:40):
come down for air.
And that's exactly what youknow you do when you go down
there Everything feels fresh,the light is amazing.
So that's why I say magical.
And then the other one,probably crossing over a little
bit, is breathtaking you knowonce you leave the city, sorry
no, I was going to say I.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
I think think there's great words and yeah, and
exactly when you get out of thecity, it truly is.
There's so much that isbreathtaking about Tasmania,
isn't there?

Speaker 2 (05:10):
There is, there's history, there's landscapes, you
know, there's open spaces,there's wilderness, there's
producers, but anyway we'll getto those.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
I have to say you just mentioned a couple of
things just in those, in those,those words that you've used,
that kind of struck me.
And one is the the light.
The light is amazing whenyou're there.
And also just the the freshnessof everything, like the produce
was amazing.
So I know we're going to talkmore in detail about those, but

(05:42):
I think that is a key andactually when I've spoken to
people overseas, when I talkabout Australia, it's it's the
one place that people don'tthink about, and I don't know if
it's, I don't know why, becauseI'm always going.
What about Tasmania?
And they think it's too far togo.
And I'm like if you're alreadygoing to the mainland of
Australia, then going to theisland of Tasmania is not going

(06:02):
to be that much of a furtherpush.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I know when international visitors do make
the effort, they can't stoptalking about it.
So it definitely should be oneveryone's to-do list when they
come to Australia.
But for some reason peoplethink just because it's an
island it's hard to get to, butanyway we'll come to that island
.
It's hard to get to, but anywaywe'll come to that.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
it's not hard to get to absolutely right, okay, so
that's a good kind of segue intothe things that first-time
visitors should know before theyarrive.
So what are the things thatyou'd say you need to know about
Tasmania?

Speaker 2 (06:40):
um, definitely that it's a lot fresher down south
and I mean I know we're I'mspeaking and you're speaking
from someone who lives inBrisbane, so you know the
temperatures are more mild butyeah, even in summer it can
actually get really, reallyfresh in Tassie.
Basically, the next piece ofland is Antarctica, which is

(07:05):
quite a bit away, but you know,when you sort of realise how far
south it is and you look at thelongitude, you know like where
it is to New Zealand as well,it's fresh.
So that's one thing.
The other thing I think youknow it's important to consider
is the Indigenous history.
You know the Palawa people.

(07:27):
There's a lot more educationabout.
You know their history and it'snot a very pleasant history.
You know there's been a lot offocus on their language because
you know it was something thatwas actually being lost because
there were so many that you knowwere wiped out.

(07:47):
But there's a resurgence in thelanguage and I really like
going to any events and you knowcultural sessions that are on,
say, at the art gallery and themuseum in Hobart.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
It is cooler than you may expect.
If you're thinking aboutAustralia because often people
think of, oh, australia, hot,you know, at the beach with your
flip-flops, swimming costumeand doing a bit of surfing and
well, I guess you can do that inTasmania because the beaches
are beautiful.
It is cooler than you are thenyou will experience other places

(08:22):
in Australia, though.
I will mention when Doug and Iwent, we were there in January
and I think it was the hottestJanuary they'd had forever.
It was incredibly hot, whichwas not good for the animals.
Actually on Cradle Mountain Ithink they were really suffering
from it.
So I think that was unusual.
But I remember when we'redriving around seeing all these
signs saying you know, for thewinter, beware of ice, which is

(08:44):
clearly something we don'treally get in Queensland at all.
And then also you mentioned,obviously, the kind of cultural
awareness when you go toTasmania about the.
You know the indigenous historyand culture and the island,
which is really important tohave an understanding of or to
learn about when you go.
So what other things wouldfirst timetime visitors kind of

(09:07):
need to know or expect when theygo to Tasmania?

Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, the distances, they're not far.
You know, like I always thinkand I'm comparing it myself to
you know, Queensland, for us todrive to the top of the Cape, up
to the Cape, it's what?
Two days maybe yeah.
Yeah, you can drive.
You know, like if you come offthe Spirit of Tasmania into

(09:31):
Devonport, which is sort of inthe central north, you can
actually drive to Hobart down inthe south and be there within
three hours.
You know so the drivingdistances aren't as fast but the
road network is not.
You know, like they call them ahighway, but really a highway

(09:51):
is a single lane.
Either way you will get somehighways around.
You know the cities ofLaunceston and Hobart, but
mostly when you go out and start, like travelling up to the
north in the central area to sayCradle Mountain, yeah, the
highways are single lanes, soyou've got to be prepared for

(10:15):
that, that you won't be needingto go fast.
But you know, be aware thatit's not, you know, 100 and 120
kilometre highways like we areused to around the rest of
Australia.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, so I think you can kind of build your itinerary
around kind of small trips overa day so it doesn't take you a
whole day to drive somewhere.
I know we did a three-weekdrive and itinerary around the
island and it was lovely becauseit wasn't all.
You know, sometimes you dotrips and you know sometimes you

(10:49):
do trips um, and I well youknow, my other favorite thing to
do in australia is thequeensland outback, but there
you're talking about someserious driving times.
Tasmania you don't have that,so that's really good.
Is there anything else youwould say would be good for for
first-time visitors to consider?

Speaker 2 (11:00):
yeah, first-time visitors, my suggestion is not
to try and do everything youknow and I mean this applies
probably to pretty much anywherethat you go to.
But you know, if you're goingto fly in and you're going to
choose either Launceston orHobart to fly into, I think you
can fly into Devonport as wellor get off the Spirit of

(11:20):
Tasmania.
You probably want toconcentrate in a region over
trying to do the lap of Tassieis what they call unless you're
prepared, you know, with, say,two to three weeks.
But you know, if you can justbase yourself somewhere and,
like you say, do day trips, Ithink you're going to find

(11:41):
you'll enjoy it a lot more andget a lot more out of it, and
you won't, you know, come backfeeling exhausted, um.
So, yeah, that's, that's a tip,you know.
I would suggest um, but then ifyou know you have your heart set
on seeing as much as you canbecause you think you might only
come once, then, you know, tryand choose some of the, the, the

(12:01):
places that are really thestandout places, depending on
what your interests are, youknow.
So if your interests areoutdoors and adventures, there's
lots of activities and mountainbiking and hiking and getting
on the water.
But if your interests are morewineries and gin distilleries

(12:26):
and you know food tasting, youknow there's places like the
cradle tasting trail, which isabsolutely amazing, and you know
I've done it a couple of timesand there's like every time I go
.
Last time there were 28producers on the cradle tasting
trail, next time there's like 33, 34, you know they, they just

(12:47):
keep popping up and I don't knowif there's an accreditation or
something to be part of thecradle tasting trail, but it's
one of the places that you knowyou could probably spend at
least a week and still not havedone everything and you know,
when you mentioned that, my mymouth started watering because I
immediately started thinkingabout the raspberries that we

(13:07):
had with Ella Christmas, yeah,and the cheese that we had and
the amazing potatoes, and thebig standout for me is the
cherries.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
So, doing that food trail, honestly, 100% recommend
it.
So if you were going to say tosomebody, like starting out
planning our itinerary, whatwould be the kind of top three
to five experiences that youwould recommend and I know
there's a kind of there are somethings which will appeal to you
, know, if you're interested inhistory or if you're interested
in outdoors but what would yousay would be kind of the three,

(13:41):
three to five places that you,or experiences you'd say you
know, include these, these areamazing, don't miss these yeah,
I'm probably a little bit biasedtowards the islands, um,
because I think they're unique.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
I know tasmania is an island, but they've got bruny
island, which is in the south.
Um, it's a fantastic day tripexperience.
Um, you can go on a tour or youcan go independently if you've
got a car.
You know you catch the ferryfrom Kettering.
They've actually got a tastingtrail as well and it's just a

(14:14):
beautiful day Like.
I've taken many trips with manydifferent people.
I've also done a tourindependently.
One of these days I'd love todo there's a walking trail on
Bruny Island.
So that's one.
Mariah Island is another, whichis that's one where, if you're

(14:41):
a hardcore hiker, you can reallydo some amazing hikes.
Bishop and Clark is quite forthose that really like a sort of
grade four hike.
I've spent only a day there butI've had friends that have
stayed over.
There's an accommodation bunk,you know, dormitory style
accommodation in somethingcalled the penitentiary.
I've also known someone who'staken, you know, their tent,
their backpack and camp therefor a couple of days and yeah,

(15:04):
it's just really diverse andit's where you will see hundreds
of wombats, you know justgrazing the ground and it's
amazing and it's very easy toget to.
It's a ferry ride just fromTribunna, I think.
It is Another one and I guessI'm standing like I'm basing
myself around Hobart, but theHuon Valley is gorgeous.

(15:29):
It's a 20-minute drive fromHobart and it's got the town of
Franklin which is, you know, anapple-producing town, so there's
places where you can stop andget cider and apple pie.
Jeeveston is really interesting.
They've got a lovely littleriver walk there.
You go a little bit further andyou come to something called

(15:51):
the Hastings Caves, which is areally interesting tour.
You can go down and, you know,see some caves, oh, and there's
thermal springs there as well.
And then, if you go a littlebit further, there's something I
don't know if you, you guys didthis called the Tahoon Airwalk.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
I don't think so no.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yeah, it's something that's oh, I don't know how long
it's been there.
It did get damaged in some ofthe bushfires about three or
four years ago, but it's comeback and it's an experience
where it's, you know, you don'thave to be a level of fitness,
but you go on a walkway abovethe treetops, oh okay, and you

(16:34):
look down and it's overlookingthe Huon River.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
Oh no, we definitely didn't do that, but I'm going to
add that into my itinerary nexttime.
Actually, also, I need to saythat we didn't do the islands
last time either, because Doug'snot great on boats, so he
always avoids boats.
So next time I'm going to haveto go to Tasmania without him,
or I'll just have to go, andhe'll have to stay in Hobart for
the day, or wherever for theday, while I go and do these
boat trips.
I think I'm going to see theseislands.

Speaker 2 (17:01):
You definitely need to see the islands and Port
Arthur, you know, which is justoutside of Hobart.
That's not for everyone, but itis a very popular destination.
There's a lot of historyassociated.
I think it's one of the firstpenal settlements in Australia
and they've preserved it.
And the tours are incredible.

(17:23):
The tour guides are just.
It's very interesting, yeah,but if convict history isn't
your cup of tea, don't do it.
But I'll come to cover a littlebit more about um, the tasman
peninsula, and a little bitbecause that's one of my
favorite places to go to andit's very, very accessible from

(17:46):
hobart yeah, for sure, and otherany other kind of experiences
or places that you'd include umlook, if you're going to make
the effort, I'd highly recommendgoing up to Stanley.
So if you're looking at the mapof Tasmania, it's in the top
north west side, so the lefthand side, it's just gorgeous.

(18:08):
I just love Stanley.
And they've got this volcanicplug that you know comes out of
the ocean, it's called the nut,and so you know.
You come into Stanley and it'sjust, you know, comes out of the
ocean, it's called the nut, andso you know.
You come into Stanley and it'sjust.
You know the first thing yousee, and just a quaint little
town.
It's a little fishing town.
It's famous for, you know,there's a lobster shack there.

(18:31):
And then you know if you canget up to that top tip, the
northwest.
I'm just looking at my map herejust to remind me of the names
of the towns Smithton, and thenthere's something called Dismal
Swamp.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
Oh, that sounds great .
You have to go to Dismal Swamp.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
And then that's all very rugged and remote up there.
So there is an entrance and Iwould love to do this one time,
but you really need a four-wheeldrive.
You can do it on a tour, butyou can go into the Tarkin or
Tarkine I'm not 100% sure how topronounce that properly but
that's in that sort of areaswhere they film Alone.

(19:12):
You know the survival showthat's on ABC, I believe.
Oh, okay, you haven't heard ofthat.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
I don't know.
You can see I'm looking blanklyat you.
I don't watch a lot of TV.
I think Race Around the Worldis about the thing that I watch
the most of.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
Yeah it's a reality TV and they've shot.
They've shot two seasons ofalone, australia, in tasmania,
and you know, for those, if itmakes them the podcast um, for
those that know alone, they willrecall how completely remote
this particular series is.
That's in Tasmania, so that'sin that top northwest corner.

(19:58):
And another place that I justthought was amazing and I'd
really like to spend some moretime is Carina, and that's like
there's a wilderness area.
I came through Cradle Mountainand then followed this unsealed
road to Carina and stayed in theWilderness Lodge and then

(20:20):
that's got the Pyman River andthere's the boat that goes up
and down the Pyman River at theArcadia II, which is a
historical vessel, and it's justlike the time I was there, I
think it was in the middle ofwinter, so the Arcadia was
actually out of the water andbeing serviced, you know, which

(20:42):
happens once a year or something, and you can do kayaking on the
river, but because it was socold, the guys said no, we're
not putting the kayaks out.
So yeah, that was annoying, butanyway, lots of incredible
hikes, you know, and I don'tthink I saw a soul, you know,
which is a little bit scary, butyeah, just an amazing place.

(21:05):
Corinna Highly highly recommendif you know you want to try and
get into the more quieter andwilder side of Tasmania.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
Wow that's amazing's amazing.
Well, you've given me someideas for for our next itinerary
.
We, um, we, we went, we didHobart, port Arthur Peninsula,
and then we went up to um nowI'll probably pronounce this
completely wrong Fresenay.
Yeah, look, I say.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Fresenay but.
I've heard people say Freshenay.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
I ah, okay, I'm not quite sure.
And then we went up to um bayof fires and cradle mountain and
did a little bit of the foodtour.
I have to say cradle mountainabsolutely blew my mind.
I loved the fact.
So I spent a lot of time livingin africa where obviously you
can't go out walking aroundwhere there's wild animals for
obvious reasons you don't wantto get eaten.

(21:56):
But I just loved the fact.
At cradle mountain I could gofor a walk around and there were
wombats everywhere.
You just you when you say thatpeople go, no, seriously, there
were wombats everywhere.
It was just fantastic.
We stayed at peppers cradlemountain as well, and underneath
our kind of chalet there was awombat would come out every
night about about four o'clock.

(22:17):
He would kind of appear and goon the trail, but he could walk
next to them.
They don't bother, they'requite happy, and I just thought
it was fantastic.
It was absolutely mind-blowingand I said something that you
can't do, obviously, in otherparts of the world.

Speaker 2 (22:32):
So yeah, it just felt amazing to be able to do that
cradle mountain is one of myabsolute you know highlights in
in tassie and you can go atdifferent times of the year.
I've actually got someone thatI know that's doing the overland
track right now as we speak.
Um, so I think she'd be on dayday four.
I think it's a six day hike.

(22:54):
I think it's a bit of a rite ofpassage, you know, like.
It's one of those hikes thattrue hardcore hikers like to do.

Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, it's on my daughter's list.
I've just been out to WesternAustralia and they've just done
the I think I don't know if what, I don't even know what it's
called the one that they did,but they did the one south of
Perth for, like, I think thatwas a week, and their next aim
is to go to Tasmania and do dothe, do the hike there.
That's what they've got ontheir on their list.
Um, that's something they wantto do now.
I'm not a hiker.

(23:22):
I'm going to say this.
I'm not a hiker.
I hate hiking with a passion.
Um, I got to 55 and decidedthat I wasn't going to pretend I
liked things that I didn'tanymore.
So I'm very vocal.
I don't like sport, which willprobably a lot of people going
what no, don't like any sportand I don't like hiking.
However, there's loads to do intasmania if you don't like
hiking as well so did you do thewalk around dove lake?

Speaker 2 (23:44):
no, no because I was going to say, you know, for
those that don't like, likehiking, I think it's about an
hour and it's, it is a nice walk.
Um, there's a few stairs thatyou you do have to do, but you
know, that's probably somethingyou could have tackled or maybe
we'll tackle next time.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
I think next time.
The reason I'm saying that wedidn't do it is because it was
like 40 degrees.
That's why I said incrediblyhot when we were there, which
was very unseasonable even forjanuary.
They were kind of like this is,I think it was between 38 and
40 degrees.
It was actually dangerously hot, so we didn't do it, but that's
why I didn't do it.
But yeah, I can manage an hourand I've done some hikes in new

(24:20):
zealand, um, but generally Ikind of go.
It's the thought of doing theselike multi-day, six-day things,
oh no I know, and you've got tocarry your own gear.

Speaker 2 (24:30):
You carry your own food, you know you do sleep in
huts, but you still want to takeyour own sleeping bag and
everything.
So, yeah, I, yeah, I take thatoff to people that do that
that's what I was going to sayhave stuff for people that do.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
Now, what about, um, any lesser known gems, anything
that you kind of think you knowpeople may not know about, that
you kind of want to highlight?

Speaker 2 (24:53):
uh, yes, I have a few .
One of them this is next to orvery near to, cradle Mountain is
Mount Roland.
Now, a lot of people don'treally know about Mount Roland
because Cradle Mountain seems totake all the.
You know, the press andeveryone talks about Cradle
Mountain, but Mount Roland to me, I think, is the most beautiful

(25:16):
mountain in Tasmania.
So you know, that's near thetown of Sheffield.
We're going back to the centralcentral highlands in Tassie.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Um, I have to say I'm looking at throwing here Janet,
we, we, because Doug is fromDerby.
Yeah, there's Derby andSheffield and honestly, when we
went through those towns, dougwas like hey, this is amazing.
He said he still will talkabout that.
If he talks about, if he'smentioned, tasmania, the first
thing he'll say is Derby andSheffield which are British.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
there's a lot of very English yeah, um touches, and I
mean there's a lot of.
I've just recently seen someonethat I know on Facebook who's
in Tassie and he's English andhe's making the comment all the
time about wow, it is just likegoing back to England and he's

(26:04):
been sharing photos and hisfriends over in England are
saying I can't remember the nameof the regions, but yeah,
basically referring to them aslike, yeah, it looks like you're
in some part of England.
Yeah, very, very, very similar.
Look, one gorgeous little placethat I wanted to mention is
Cockle Creek, which is again,you know, I said Stanley's right

(26:27):
at the top.
This is right down south.
So you basically would go toHuon Valley through Huonville
Dover, go and see the caves, theHastings Caves, and end up at
Cockle Creek.
Basically would go to HuonValley through Huonville, dover,
go and see the caves, theHastings Caves and end up at

(26:47):
Cockle Creek and that's as farsouth as you can drive in
Australia.
Oh, wow, is there a sign sayingthat?
They've got signs saying that,oh, that's good, and I thought
I've got to do this.
I've just got to drive downthere, so you do and there's a
lovely little beach town bigbeach village, probably wouldn't
call it a town, it's probablyonly about four houses and
there's a lovely walk around thecoastline and they've got this
massive bronze sculpture of ahumpback whale and it's just,

(27:11):
yeah, it's a little treasure,you know.
So if you're driving, you know,and driving is your thing
definitely try and try and dothat, particularly if you've
gone and visited the huon valley.
You know, make time to go downthere, you can do it, do it in a
day and be back to yourdestination.
Yeah, I think I mentionedcorinna um in a previous
conversation, but that's anotherone of the the hidden gems, um,

(27:35):
it's not hidden, um, but it'slesser known, you know, less
talked about, but I think it'sreally got a lot going for it
from the wilderness point ofview.

Speaker 1 (27:45):
So what would you say are some common mistakes
visitors make when they visitTasmania?

Speaker 2 (27:51):
Underestimating the temperature, which I think I've
probably covered a little bit atthe beginning of the
conversation.
The state is actually it'ssmall and I've also probably
mentioned that.
You know, in the drivingdistances aren't that vast.
But you know, I don't know whatthe latest statistics are, but

(28:13):
there's I keep reminding myselfwhenever I visit there's only
like 500 000 people that live inthe whole of tasmania and
apparently 40 of those live inand around hobart.
So you can be driving and I'msure you and doug came across
this you can be driving.
You know single roads outbetween, say, sheff, Sheffield

(28:35):
and Cradle Mountain and youwon't see another soul?

Speaker 1 (28:38):
No, you don't.
And you're like where iseveryone?
I remember we drove fromLaunceston back down to Ho Park
to the airport, and we took theone of I think it's like the
central road rather than goingthe kind of scenic road, and I
think we drove for about an hourand a half.
I don't.
I don't think we saw anybody.
It actually started to freak meout a bit.

(29:00):
I was like are we on the rightroad?
Does is there anybody else here?
And I think we were working onthe road at that time, so there
was like bits of uh, bits ofkind of bitumen and then there
was bits of where there was juststones and they were working on
it, and so we kept stopping andstarting.
So we did see kind of workerson the road, but we didn't see
any cars for ages.

Speaker 2 (29:18):
So it just, it just blows, blows me away.
There's been so many countrylanes that I've gone down and
I'm like, oh, there's no one.
And then you know, like I don'tknow the road and I'm just
whining around and you know,trying to just take my time, and
then all of a sudden, you know,probably a youth and probably a
local comes right and I'm likeI'm just going slow because I

(29:39):
don't know the road, but yeah,that's what I love.
So that's one of the things isjust be reminded that you know
it's a small population and youknow, I always keep in mind that
some of the accommodationexperiences are so remote but so

(29:59):
amazing that you just reallyneed to give those business
owners as much you know of awrap that you can.
You know whether it's on socialmedia or you know platforms
that you've got.
Yeah, because they're, all youknow, struggling and I think
since COVID you know they're notgetting as many visitations or
visitors because people now aregoing overseas, whereas during

(30:22):
COVID a lot of them were coming,you know.
So I've noticed people sayingthat, like in the more remote
places, not necessarily in thecapital cities.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, that's a good point and I think that's another
reason to kind of get out thereand tell people around the
world that listen to the podcast, because we have listeners all
over is come to Tasmania, go andvisit Tasmania.
You know, when you're planningthat trip to Australia and I
know all you're going to go well, I want to go to Sydney, I want
to go to Melbourne, I mightwant to go and see the Great
Barrow Reef those are all thethings we hear.
We go, yeah, okay, do those,but you know what, go to

(30:52):
Tasmania because you will notregret it and that will be,
honestly, the place you willtalk about more than anything.
I genuinely believe that,because it's probably not what
people expect.
I think it kind of it blows ourmind a bit.
One thing we loved aboutTasmania and I'd say this is a
mistake not to make if you don'tdo this, I would stop off at

(31:13):
some of the honesty boxes andthe because it's amazing by the
side of the road and this issomething you would see in the
UK, in maybe some of the islands, maybe some of the more remoter
places, but you don't see it inkind of you know, in the middle
of England anymore.
But you can pull over and thereyou know, you can buy your
produce, leave the money theyhave.
I couldn't believe it wasfridges set up at one place

(31:35):
where you go in the fridge, takeout whatever it is you want,
leave the money and off you go,and that is fantastic.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
It's a wonderful concept and the Bruny Island
Baker has become famous for hisfridges that he stocks with
fresh bread every morning.
It's been a massive socialmedia hit, so anyone on the
podcast should go and check out.
You know the Bruny Island Baker, it's just incredible and he

(32:04):
bakes, you know, sourdoughloaves and they're gone.
I mean you know in the morning,and puts them in this fridge
not far from his property and,yeah, they're gone.
You know, by 11 o'clock.
Everyone's disappointed.
You've got to get their firstthing.
So, yeah, so there's just somany novelty things you know,
like that, which is justbeautiful, and if you can

(32:25):
support them, yeah, do it.
I mean, I stop at the side ofthe road and pick up avocados.
Do I get avocados?

Speaker 1 (32:32):
I'm trying to think the last things, yeah, anyway
fresh tomatoes, trying to thinkthe last things, yeah, anyway,
fresh flowers, you know allsorts of raspberries, potatoes.
It was amazing, we were therein january, so I guess it was
kind of peak time for thosethings, which was great yeah if
um, planet estate, where wouldyou say people base themselves?
would you say, if you'replanning, say, two to three

(32:52):
weeks in tasmania, would yourecommend having a few bases or
doing a kind of drive, anitinerary and stopping off like
this is what we did.
We honestly, I think weprobably stayed in maybe five
places off the top of my headover three weeks and honestly,
you know, three weeks justsaying we didn't cover, we
didn't go to the northwest atall and that's somewhere we want
to go to next.
So there's a lot, lot of thingsto see, but where would you

(33:15):
recommend people base themselves?

Speaker 2 (33:18):
Oh look, if they've got two to three weeks, you know
definitely drive like whetheryou want to do it in a motorhome
or whether you prefer to do itin a car and say you know cabins
or guest houses or B&Bs.
You know two to three weeks isa good time to see a lot of
Tasmania.
If you've got a week.
I would definitely try andlimit myself to a region or a

(33:43):
coastline.
You know, and everyone goes tothe East Coast because you know
it's got Freshenay and it's gotthe Bay of Fires and all these
amazing places.
But you know we keep sayingdon't forget.
You know the North places, butyou know we keep saying don't
forget.
You know the north, thenorthwest, because it's it's.
It's just it's got so much tooffer and people don't
necessarily head there becausethey're not aware of how amazing

(34:06):
it is yeah, honestly, we, wedidn't.

Speaker 1 (34:08):
We didn't see that on our last visit.
Now, what about australiansplanning to visit?
Because they can?
I know you can fly in frombrisbane, we can fly.
Um, I know that if you've got amotorhome, and a lot of people
do in the lap of ours, but whenthey go to Tasmania that they
take over the ferry and do that.
I was a bit shocked at how muchthat costs, by the way, because
it's not cheap, um, it's alldone.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
On size, yeah, so if you've got a motorhome, you're
obviously going to be paying alot more, and if you've got you
know a big Prado or you know abig car and a van, it's a lot
more.
I did check in with a friendwho did it and spent three
months there last I think it wasno two years ago and they paid

(34:49):
I think it was over $2,000 totake their car and their van
over in December and then comeback in, say April.
I think it's definitely.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
If you're planning to stay for a few months like that
, it's definitely cost effectiveand worth it.
Now, what about if I wasplanning not that I am, but you
never know to go to Tasmaniafrom Brisbane, for example, and
let's say I've got four days?
What would you recommend?
Where would you say?
What would you say to do?
I'm kind of throwing that atyou, jen, but I'm just kind of

(35:21):
that's great.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
I'm happy to have anything thrown at me.
I'm biased and I'll probablysay Hobart, like I've stayed in
Launceston once and that wasthat Bay of Fires walk that I
did back in 2012.
And I did go back for aconference in Launceston and it
is lovely.
But for me, I always fly intoHobart, obviously because I've
got a place nearby.

(35:42):
But, yeah, do that and thenbase yourself in Hobart, you
know, and do day trips, you know.
So you can do Bruny Island fromHobart.
You could go up Kunanyi, mountWellington.
You know, that's something thatI haven't actually mentioned
before, but definitely somethingthat everyone should do, and

(36:03):
hopefully on a clear day,because it's not the greatest on
an overcast day, but I thinkit's 1,200 metres above sea
level and you get the mostamazing view of Hobart and
beyond.
If it's a clear day, you know,you can go to the, the town of
Richmond for a day.
You can stop at Frogmore Creekwinery on the way back for lunch

(36:27):
.
What else would you do?
Take that drive to, you know,through the Huon Valley that I
suggested.
So, yeah, three to four days,you know.
You know, through the HuonValley that I suggested.
So, yeah, three to four days.
You know Brisbane you can getdirect flights.
Don't go via Melbourne orSydney.
Direct flight is about two, twoand a half hours.

Speaker 1 (36:46):
Yeah, so it's nothing .
So I mean, if you live insoutheast Queensland and you're
listening to this podcast,there's no excuse not to go and
visit.
And also I was going to say aswell, because we stayed east
queensland and you listen tothis podcast, there's no excuse
not to go and visit.
And also, I was going to say aswell, because we we stayed in
lots of different accommodationtypes.
So we kind of like to do budgetand then we kind of mix that up
with kind of the more expensive.
So we stayed in beautiful hoteland fresh night.

(37:07):
We stayed in in peppers at umcradle mountain, which was
outstanding.
So we do that mix up.
And the nice thing aboutTasmania is that it offers for
every budget.
There's everything availablefrom the B&Bs cabins.
We stayed in a cabin actuallyat Bay of Fires, which was
amazing.
So you've got that, so you canmix it up.
So if you're on a budget, youcan go for the more budget end,

(37:30):
but if you want something reallyto splash the cash and, to, you
know, treat yourself, there aresome really luxurious places to
stay as well.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
So yeah, there's some incredible places and I haven't
stayed in some of these, butyou know, like I've done
research and I they're on mywish list.
But there's a place called thekeep.
Um, that is, um, got well, it'snear the Bay of Fires, that's
absolutely like you know, if youGoogle the keep, it's a
repurposed industrial facility.

(38:01):
Anyway, it's for couples only.
There's another one that I didstay at, called Voyager.
That's a luxury cabin on theEsperance River, you know, at
the Huon Valley way.
Oh, my gosh, you have to lookat Voyager on their Instagram
page.
It is just one of the mostunique stays that I've had.

(38:24):
It is luxury but, you know,could sleep four couples easily.
You don't have to just go onyour own.
It's a bit silly if you go onyour own, because it's a lovely
big cabin.
And you mentioned, um, you know, lux places.
I have not stayed here, butI've seen plenty of people that
that have had the lux experienceis the sapphire at freshenay.

(38:47):
Freshenay, yeah, that looksincredible, so I'll put that on
my, on my.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
So many.
Well, I will link to those inthe show notes as well, and I'm
hoping you're going to sharesome pictures of your trips to
Tasmania that we can put in aswell in the show notes that
would be really good.
Now, what about getting around?
So I mean, doug and I hired acar and you've mentioned that
you can get a camper van, sothat's also an option.
So for you, the best way to getaround the island is hiring a
car, I think you'll see morewith a car.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
You know, like, I've been to hobart quite a few times
and not hired a car and justuse public transport.
You know which is it's, it'spretty good, um, and if you do a
tour, uh, the tour operatorswill pick you up from your
accommodation.
So so you don't have to.
But if you are going to getaround and see the state

(39:37):
properly, yeah, definitely ifyou can hire a car.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
Right.
So that's definitely somethingI guess that we did and we'd
recommend that Now, if you hirea camper van, there's plenty of
places that you can kind of stopoff at stay at yeah, there's
big four Tassie getaway parkshave cabins, glamping tents,
bunk houses, caravan and campingsites, so I haven't, you know,

(40:02):
stayed in those, but I knowpeople that have um, so they're
they're an option.

Speaker 2 (40:06):
So probably just jump on their website and see you
know um where they are aroundthe state.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
So lots of options.
Now.
I know we've kind of touched onfood.
We have touched on throughoutthis podcast, jen.

Speaker 2 (40:21):
We haven't touched on wine and distilleries though.

Speaker 1 (40:25):
No, that's what I was going to go to next, because I
know we've talked about theamazing produce in terms of, you
know, the fruit and veg, butlet's talk about wine and gin
yes, oh, very famous for um wine, cold climate wines.

Speaker 2 (40:42):
Obviously I have a couple of favorite wineries in
and around um the state.
I'm not going to mention thembecause I don't know if that's
appropriate.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
Yeah, go for it, you're free if you want.
In the picture give them ashout out.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
Yeah, Tasman Peninsula has Brim Creek
Vineyard amazing views fromtheir cellar door down the
valley, across the you know, thevines to Moriah Island.
It's become a very popularplace for people to stop off and
, you know, have a try and takeaway probably at least one, if

(41:19):
not a dozen.
There's another one down on thepeninsula and you pass it as
you go to Port Arthur and it'scalled Bengal Vineyard Shed.
They have got beautiful winesand another gorgeous restaurant
to sit at and, you know, have ameal and look out over Boomer
Bay, you know, near Dun Alley,which is also in the Tasman

(41:41):
Peninsula.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
See, I'm very lucky because Doug doesn't drink, so I
have a built-in driver, so I'mnoting it.
This is why I need to knowwhere these wineries are,
because they'll be in ouritinerary, I tell you.

Speaker 2 (41:53):
And Frogmore Creek is another one that's just outside
of hobart, but I've mentionedthat before.
That that is amazing and I haveto put a caveat here.
I don't eat seafood.
No, I don't actually either,but I've got to mention these
because you know people that dowould probably want to know.
Um, bichonneau apparently hastassie's best lobster roll at

(42:15):
the lobster shack, so I'm justgoing to put that out there.
Um, and everyone says you'vegot to try a scallop pie.
Tasmania is famous for itsscallop pies and I'm sorry I
haven't, but anyone that islistening to this podcast that
likes scallops should definitelytry a scallop pie.

Speaker 1 (42:41):
We did try one, because I don't eat a lot of
seafood I'm a very picky eater.
But I did try the scallop pieand Doug did too, and we can
attest they are definitely worthtrying.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
There you go and gosh .
This would be remiss of me if Ididn't mention the ice cream.
They have, I think, thehappiest cows in Tasmania and
they make the most creamiest,delicious ice cream.
So my pick is VDL, which is VanDiemen's Land ice cream, and

(43:08):
you can stop at their factory onthe Cradle Tasting Trail in
Cradle or near Cradle Mountain.
But you can actually try theirice cream when you're in Hobart,
down on the waterfront.
They've got a floating shop,you know.
So you walk, you know it'sthere and it's got all the

(43:29):
flavours, so BDL.
But I have found another onecalled Valhalla.
So BDL.
But I have found another onecalled Valhalla, which comes a
pretty close second to amazingice cream.
So yeah, beautiful and like, ifyou, you know, go to the Huon
Valley and you have apple pie,you can have a beautiful, fresh,
you know, scoop of ice creamwith your apple pie.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
Oh well, you'll have Doug on that because he loves
his apple pie.
We're going to head toStanthorpe in a few weeks
because guess what apple pie atSutton's it's his favorite, and
of course I'll be heading tosome of the wineries.
But anyway, now do you have anyadvice for anybody kind of
enjoying Tasmania affordably?
Because we know, you know,australia is is pretty pricey,

(44:13):
it's not?
Some things are quite expensivehere.
So what about kind of doinganything free or any local
markets or anything like thatyou would recommend to help with
people's budgets?

Speaker 2 (44:25):
Yeah, I mean the Salamanca markets are a go-to
every Saturday in Hobart, but Iwouldn't say, you know, know
they're on the budget side, butyou know you can find fresh
produce and craft and thingslike that.
But there is a market in Hobarton Sunday, a farmer's market,

(44:48):
and, budget-wise, you know, ifyou go to the national parks
you've got hiking which doesn'tcost anything.
However, you do have to have anational parks pass to visit,
you know, the national parks butthat's a fairly inexpensive
thing.
So that's something you can dothat won't cost a bomb.

(45:09):
I have found, you know, a fewwalking trails around Hobart
that you, you know, can do,obviously for free.
There's a lovely little quietwalk called the Rivulet Walk.
That takes you the back way toCascades Brewery, which is
something worth a visit.
You don't even have to likebeer to go there, but it's a

(45:32):
historical place and it's abeautiful old building.
I haven't stayed in these placesbut, um, my son has.
There's a couple of youthhostels, you know, in in the
city that are great, goodlocation, nice and close.
When I first was going down,I'd stay at an accommodation

(45:54):
called the Alabama Hotel, rightin the middle of Hobart CBD, and
it's a basic room and sharedbathroom.
But if you want to be in theheart of the city and not
spending hundreds and hundredsof dollars, it's a really great
option.
And they've got a lovely littlebar and coffee sort of area

(46:17):
lounge that you can, you know,relax in, and people from the
general public can come in andsit in the lounge as well and
just enjoy, you know, place tochill out I think it gives some
ideas.

Speaker 1 (46:30):
Like we said, you know that that you can look at
different accommodation optionsto kind of save a little bit.
You've got a lot of producethat is for sale.
Said you know that you can lookat different accommodation
options to kind of save a littlebit.
You've got a lot of producethat is for sale.
That you know.
Like I said, the honesty boxes,the fridges again, which you
know are good options as well,but it's always good to kind of
keep those sorts of things inmind.
I'm just thinking if mydaughter goes, she'll be looking

(46:50):
at how how much she needs to tosave up to go and do a hike.
Yeah, and yeah, that's theThree Capes hike.
Actually we were talking aboutthat, wasn't it?
Yes, yeah, the.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Three Capes hike is pretty amazing.
You can do the Three Capes hikewith a walking company, where
they take your pack and all youneed to do is take.
No, they don't take your pack,sorry.
You stay in nice accommodation,so all you need to carry during
the day is just a day pack.
Or you can do it throughTasmanian Parks and Wildlife and

(47:24):
you have to get onto theirwebsite and actually book in
advance a position, because theyonly allow a certain amount of
people in on a certain day,because there's obviously only a
certain number of beds in eachhut that they've got to stay in.
But that's a much moreeconomical way to do it.
But if you do it that way,you've obviously got to take

(47:45):
your own pack and your own food.

Speaker 1 (47:47):
Yeah, it's good to know that there's options,
though.
Now, what about kind of socialnorms, behaviours visitors
should consider when exploringthe?

Speaker 2 (47:55):
island.
Yeah, you know, one of thethings I feel is very important
and I've noticed, doing a fewtours, more tour operators are
doing this is acknowledging thetraditional custodians, the
Palawa people.
There's no way of glossing overthis.

(48:16):
It's a very sad and very bleakhistory in Tasmania.
You know, when the Europeanscame, there was conflict and you
know there was a loss of a lotof Indigenous lives and they
weren't treated well.
So I think it's a really bigbonus that we're seeing not a
bonus, that's not the right wordbut I think it's very

(48:38):
respectful that there's moreacknowledgement, you know, of
the traditional owners, and I'venoticed that, yeah, more tour
operators are doing that, whichis, yeah, a good thing.
So I think it's reallyimportant for us to acknowledge,
you know, the Indigenous namesas well, because they're being
adopted in Tasmania, andTasmania is Lutruwita

(49:00):
L-U-T-R-U-W-I-T-A.

Speaker 1 (49:06):
Do you know of any tours that are run by the Palawa
people?

Speaker 2 (49:09):
Yeah, yeah, and I admit I haven't done this walk,
but I do know a travel writerthat has done it and she was
blown away by the experience.
And it's the Wookalina Walk andit's coastal and inland bay of
fires.
It's a three-night, four-daywalk and it's led by Indigenous
guides, palawa people.

(49:30):
So that's another one that's onmy bucket list.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
Oh, brilliant.
Well, I'll find some moreinformation linked to that in
the show notes as well.
Now I always end the podcastwith the same question.
Same on the uk travel planpodcast and the global travel
plan podcast.
What would be the one tip youwould share with someone
visiting tasmania for the veryfirst time?

Speaker 2 (49:50):
I thought about this and I'm actually stealing a
little line from someone that Iinterviewed who is a bit of a
legend in Tasmania.
His name's Bill Lark.
He's the founder of oh, he andhis wife founded Lark Distillery
, so they produce gins andwhiskeys very much, so he's the

(50:11):
godfather of whiskey.
So, yeah, bill said to me whenI interviewed him for a story uh
, when I said you know any tipsfor people coming to tasmania
for the first time, he saidleave yourself plenty of time.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
And then he added to that don't pack a full itinerary
I think that's a good, verygood recommendation, because I
think, yeah, go with the flow.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
Go with the flow.
Yep, because you know theamount of fresh produce, you
know places to stop at quitelittle.
You know bars and parks.
You know there's so many.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Yeah, incredible nature escapes well, tasmania is
an amazing destination.
It's an amazing place to visit.
I know, doug and I can't waitto go, and I'm sure that our
listeners are now figuring outhow they can add Tasmania into
their um, their their bucketlist of destinations that they
want to go to.
It's a lot easier if you're inAustralia, so, honestly, I'd

(51:14):
encourage you, if you'reAustralian and listen to this
and you haven't been to Tasmania, to consider going.
If you're visiting from furtherafield and planning a trip to
Australia and I know for many ofyou it's a long way to go
include Tasmania, please.
You will not be disappointed.
But for this episode of thepodcast, thank you so much, jen,
for joining us and sharing allyour information and tips and

(51:36):
love for tasmania, uh,definitely came across and, um,
as I say, I can't wait to visitagain.
Um, you can get information andlinks to some of the places
that jen talked about in theshow notes for this episode,
which are at global travelplanningcom.
Forward slash, episode 58.
And before we end, jen, I knowthat you have started an

(51:56):
Instagram account and want toshare some information about
that, and I will link to that inthe show notes, but give us a
bit of info.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Look, I have an Instagram account called Travel
Bug Within, but because I'm sopassionate about Tasmania, I
decided just recently to start anew Instagram account and it's
called Travel Bug WithinTasmania.

Speaker 1 (52:15):
Fantastic.
Well, I will put a link to that.
I'm going to go and follow thatmyself from my couple of
Instagram accounts.
But yeah, we'll put links toall of those things in the show
notes.
But for this week, thanks somuch, jen, for joining us.
Maybe we can talk a little bitmore in depth about some of the
destinations within Tasmanianext time.
That would be cool.
Love to yeah, but for thisepisode, happy global travel

(52:37):
planning.
Thanks, tracey.
Thank you for joining us onthis episode of the Global
Travel Planning Podcast.
For more details and links toeverything we discussed today,
check out the show notes atglobaltravelplanningcom.
Remember, if you enjoyed theshow, please consider leaving us
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(52:59):
.
Anyway, that leaves me to say,as always happy global travel
planning.
Thank you.