Holiday in Tasmania and Melbourne

A summary of my vacation to Tasmania and Melbourne. I was there for 2.5 weeks, so I won’t break it down into days.

In all it was a really good trip. Australia has made tourism an art. It’s easy to travel around, easy to get information, and the beautiful places it has tops it all.

Yes, Tasmania has lots of beautiful places. In one island, you can see it all. Fantastic beaches with blue seas and skies. Ages old forests, mountains, pasture lands, all on one island. The only land to obstruct the Roaring Forties, Tasmania boosts the cleanest air in the world.

We experienced the freakest weather while in Tasmania and Melbourne. Nearing summer, the weather was supposed to be getting warmer, but there were days when it was so cold and the wind went galeily. I remember the day in Melbourne, when Australia experienced 4 seasons in one day. It was hale storming in Queensland, hot and sunny in Sydney, raining in Melbourne, snowing in certain parts of Victoria and droughts in other areas.

Food in Australia is expensive! There are some that are lovely, but all are just plain expensive. In Tasmania whereby most towns are small in comparision, there are only a few places, or none to eat. Be prepared to either cook your own meals (some how!) or to pay at least A$30 per person in a restaurant. The portions are usually quite big, so you can just order one meal to share between 2. I found that to be quite workable because we Asians don’t eat that much anyway. Sorry Aussies, but you guys are eating way too much, and most of you need to go on a diet. The best value-for-money meals can be found in Melbourne’s Chinatown.

For pictures, you can find them in the following pages. I didn’t want to bleed your bandwidth unless you want to. 🙂

[Sceneries]

[Food]

My Tasmania itinerary

My work is mostly done. Planning for the trip to Tasmania is on the way. My first honeymoon after 3 years of marriage.

Here’s my itinerary so far:

Day 1, 2

Launceston – To rest from the flight, orientate ourselves to the environment and culture, stock up some food and do some sightseeing near Launceston.

Day 3

Lilydale, Nabowla, Scottsdale, Derby and (Mt. William National Park?) –

Distance across Tasmania seems to be short. I think we can cover so much places in a day, and spend the night at Derby.

Day 4

Mt. William National Park, Weldborough, Blue Tier Nature Recreational Area, Pyengana, Binalong Bay –

Places like Blue Tier Nature for some nature bonding, and Pyengana for the cheddar cheese. Binalong Bay for the night.

Day 5

Humbug Point Reserve – I read that it’s a beautiful place, so we plan to spend a day there.

Day 6

St. Helens, Beanmaris, Scamander, Douglas Apsley National Park, Bicheno –

This stretch is really all about the sea and the seafood!

Day 7

Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay, Swansea –

I’m not sure if a day is sufficient to see most of the sights around Freycinet National Park and Coles Bay,

Day 8

Swansea, Eaglehawk Neck –

We’ll just drive down from Swansea and Eaglehawk Neck, and see what we’ll find. We’ll stop over for the night at Eaglehawk Neck.

Day 9

Eaglehawk Neck, Hobart

After touring around Eaglehawk Neck area for the day, we’ll stop over at Hobart.

Day 10 – 12

Hobart area. We are planning this to be the last stop because there’ll be lots of shopping on Day 11, when there’s the Salamanca Market.

After which, we’ll fly back to Melbourne and spend about a week there. We’re not sure what we want to do in Melbourne yet.

www.discovertasmania.com is a great site to start with your planning. I’m sure you would have found it already if you googled for it. 🙂