6 Day Taste of Tasmania

 
Rebecca Neininger (Switzerland)
May 2006

1st day - Hobart to Tullah

The journey in the comfortable mini-bus to Mount Field National Park was the beginning of the tour. I appreciated that Adam started a game, so that the atmosphere easily became very warm and we got to know the others.  The so called ‘Tail Tree Walk’ was a nice first walk to the Russel Falls.

Later, the weather was unfortunately too bad so I could not leave the little house were we ate lunch to see Lake St Clair, but anyway, the location was a good one for having lunch. The accommodation in Tullah is quite good and it was great to spend the evening in the restaurant there, having fun with the group.

2nd day - Tullah - Strahan - Tullah
The hike to the breathtaking Montezuma Falls was in my opinion one of the very highlights of the tour. Not only the falls itself were impressive, but also the walk through the temperate rainforest. As I have never seen a rainforest before, I enjoyed this walk even more.

The opportunity to ride a quad bike at the Henty Sandy Dunes is really good. Tip for guides: it is also possible to ride the bike when having no driving licence; I could sit in the back of the guide and had to pay instead of $40- only $10: and guess could enjoy the dunes even more than the others who had to concentrate on driving.

Returned to Tullah the weather was too bad to go canoeing, but we enjoyed a funny evening with the locals which was another cool experience.

3rd day - Cradle Mountain to Devonport
The 2nd day and 3rd day were the absolute highlight of the tour for me! The area of Cradle Mountain is so extremely beautiful, that it was a pity only to spend around 3 hours there. This was because we had to be fair with the part of the group who did not clime the mountain, which I understand. But I really recommend spending more time there if possible.

Devonport is a good destination to pick up new participates, but spending almost the whole Sunday afternoon there is a bit boring, as not only the shops but also internet cafes are closed.

4th day - Devonport to Bicheno
In the morning we visited Catract Gorge before heading to Ross. In Ross it was nice to “explore” the village with its lovely churches.
Especially the cliffs we visited before going to Bicheno were exciting as the waves broke over like thunders and seeing the little penguins in wild in the evening is also a special experience.

The house in Bicheno is good and its location so close to the beach and rocks super.

5th day - Freycinet to Port Arthur
As the weather did not allow us to climb Mt Amos we walked to the lookout to see Wineglass Bay. Visiting the bay is for sure a must and even though we could see it only from the lookout, it was really beautiful.

In the afternoon we visited the Blowhole which was not very impressive itself but the walk to it even more! Being so close to the waves when they break down on the cliffs was very cool.

Despite that the accommodation in Port Arthur is located next to a cemetery (which especially girls do not like), it is as the others good for groups and especially the billiard table is great.

6th day - Port Arthur to Hobart
Exploring the Port Arthur Historic Site in the morning was for me not as interesting as expected, because the local guides there talk just too boring. But it was really a good idea Bruce had that we were there quite early when not too many other tourists were there and we easily could take our photos with no tourists before the buildings.

After having lunch in the house we went to the Tasmanian Devil Park to see the devils get feed. That was not only a must when being on Tasmania, but very exciting to see how great fun the devils have when they get feed.

Returned to Hobart everyone went his own way to different accommodations but luckily we all met in the evening again to enjoy our last dinner together in a lovely restaurant at the Salamanca.  Although both tour guides did not come, what was a pity, we had a wonderful last evening together as a group and I am still missing the good time with them!