December 2023
After six weeks on Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Atoll, I traveled on to Tasmania. Tasmania is known as a nature and hiking paradise and had been on my bucket list for some time. So the decision was quickly made to visit Tasmania on my trip to Australia. I spent 3 weeks on the road with a rental car and traveled around the island. Because of the tourist boom in 2023, I had to book all my accommodations months in advance.
Table of Contents
Hobart
The center of Hobart is no different from other Australian cities. Here, too, there are entire streets with two-storey historic buildings. But Tasmania is famous for its oysters, so I ordered a few at the harbor. I loved them!
Oysters
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
A beautifully landscaped garden that also contains a collection of Tasmanian plants. Unique is the greenhouse with plants from the sub-Antarctic islands such as Marquaire Island, where fog and icy cold constantly prevail.
Cascade Brewery
This traditional brewery has been around since 1824, making it the oldest brewery still in operation in Australia. I really enjoyed their dark stout beer.
Museum of Old and New Art MONA
The museum has its roots in the private collection of Tasmanian millionaire David Walsh and is the largest privately funded museum in the southern hemisphere. The museum is unique. It displays a jumbled collection in which works of art dating back thousands of years stand side by side with contemporary works in the same room. The majority of the collection relates to the two themes of sex and death.
A hung dead horse
In the background are 76 replicas of the female vulva. The women volunteered in response to a public call by the artist.
An overweight Porsche
Bruny Island
The island is located off the coast of Tasmania and consists of two parts that are connected by a narrow isthmus.
View across the isthmus
I discovered the coasts of the island by speedboat.
Horse actinia
Taroona Shot Tower
On the way I made a stop at this 58.7 meter high tower. It was used to produce ammunition, as the lead forms into bullets in free fall. It was the tallest building in Australia when it was completed in 1870 and the tallest in Tasmania until 1960.
Mount Nelson Signal Station
View
Signal Station Restaurant
A mixed seafood platter
Richmond
On my journey north, I stopped in the historic town of Richmond. The stone bridge, built in 1825, is the oldest in Australia.
Port Arthur
Between 1787 and 1868, Great Britain brought over 166,000 convicts to Australia. There were thousands of prisons throughout the colony. Dangerous and recidivist criminals were housed in Port Arthur.
In one section, the “silent system” was implemented, in which the prisoners had to endure absolute silence and darkness. The idea was that this would allow the prisoners to think about their deeds. In fact, it turned out to be a brutal punishment, as many prisoners became mentally ill.
There was also a section for minors, where children were shipped from Britain to Port Arthur for minor offenses such as stealing a loaf of bread.
The most famous prisoner was Smith O’Brien, a member of the English Parliament and leader of the Young Irish Movement, who was arrested during a rebellion in Ireland. He was privileged and lived in a two-room hut (to the right of the chimney in the picture). He had many freedoms, but these were drastically curtailed after a female minor stayed with him over night.
Tasman Island Cruise
We discovered the rugged coastline around Port Arthur by speedboat.
Cape Hauy seen from the sea
Hike to Cape Hauy
There was a trail from the campsite at Fortescue Bay to Cape Hauy. The view from the top was just as spectacular as from the sea.
Echidna together with the platypus are the only egg-laying mammals.
Unzoo
As the name suggests, Unzoo is an institution for animals that can live as freely as possible and move around in a larger radius. The boundaries are as invisible as possible.
The most famous animal in Tasmania is the Tasmanian devil. It is the size of a medium-sized dog. Its teeth are very strong and can easily break bones. In relation to its body size, it even has the strongest bite of all mammals.
The Tasmanian devil is rarely seen in the wild as it is shy and nocturnal.
Eaglehawk Neck – Tessellated Pavement
This natural tiled floor was formed when the rock was broken by the movement of the earth. The constant erosion by the sea has further deepened the fractures.
Maria Island
The day tour to Maria Island off the coast of Tasmania starts from the small town of Triabunna. Once on the island, I hired a bike so that I could visit the most important sights in one day.
Mount Bishop & Clerk
The north coast. My hiking destination, the 600-metre-high Mount Bishop & Clerk, rises in the background on the left. For the last half hour, the path leads over stones of varying sizes and in a few places you even have to climb.
Magnificent views from the summit
The lizards love the sun-heated stones.
Wombats
Many wombats live on the island and are not afraid of humans. Wombats are herbivorous marsupials.
Painted Cliffs
The ‘Painted Cliffs’ are located to the left of this beach.
The name says it all.
Coles Bay
Coles Bay, around 200 km north of Hobart, is located in the immediate vicinity of Tasmania’s most famous landmark, the Wineglass Bay.
Sunset
The ‘Lure Wine Bar’ in the ‘Edge of the Bay’ hotel served excellent food.
Mount Amos
The next morning I tried to make the ascent of Mount Amos, which can only be reached by climbing without a predetermined route. Although it is only 445 meters high, the climb became more difficult the closer I got to the summit. It had rained the night before, so the rocks were slippery. I felt more and more insecure and was afraid of falling, so I abandoned the climb.
Afterwards, I walked along the well-maintained path to the viewpoint of Wineglass Bay and then down to the beach in the bay. Right at the beginning I saw this wallaby, a species of kangaroo.
Wineglass Bay
The famous view of Wineglass Bay. On the first day the sky was cloudy and on the second day it even rained. As my weather app soon indicated nicer weather, I waited about half an hour and was actually able to photograph the bay with sunshine. 15 minutes later, the sun disappeared again.
Wineglass Bay with its fine powdery sand.
Sleepy Bay
I also visited nearby Sleepy Bay twice. On the day I left, the sun was shining so that the red stones were beautifully accentuated.
On the way north to my next destination St. Helens, I visited two wineries. The wines from Freycinet Winery were average. However, the winery produces an excellent olive oil, which I bought.
Devil’s Corner Cellar Door
I liked the wines at this winery and tasting was free. A restaurant with good food rounded off the offer.
Bicheno
There are so-called ‘blow holes’ on the coast of the village of Bicheno. They are formed when seawater is sprayed into the air through cracks in the rocks.
But the coast near the village is also worth seeing!
Furneaux Restaurant & Comptoir in St. Helens
This restaurant is a culinary gem in the province of Tasmania. It is often fully booked and I also made reservations a few weeks in advance. A Belgian-Malaysian team of chefs conjure up French dishes with a Tasmanian-Asian influence.
I enjoyed a five-course menu. The photos show two courses.
Tasmanian scallops on spaghetti dyed with squid ink.
A nougat dessert
The restaurant does not reach Michelin star level. Nevertheless, it is one of the best restaurants in Tasmania, for which some guests travel from Hobart, a 3-hour drive away, just to visit the restaurant.
Pyengana Valley
The next day I visited the St. Columba Falls, 37 km away. They are located at the end of the Pyengana Valley, which was settled by the first pioneer families in 1875.
St. Columba Waterfalls
The hike through the humid jungle with its fern trees is an experience in itself.
The waterfall drops 90 meters over several steps, making it one of the largest in Tasmania.
Pub in the Paddock
This pub was licensed in 1880 and is therefore one of the oldest pubs in Tasmania. The sons liked to party and soon the property was the social meeting place in the valley. Dances and festivities were held regularly.
Pyengana Dairy Company
Not far from the pub, the local cheese dairy offers its products. The specialty is cheddar.
Binalong Bay
On the way back to St. Helens, I made a stop at Binalong Bay.
The next day I drove west from St. Helens. The drive took me through huge forests and was very winding. I spent the night in a house in the small village of Staverton. For dinner, I had to drive 20 minutes because the nearest restaurant was in the small town of Sheffield, 20 km away.
Sheffield
A historic house
A mural depicting the Tasmanian tiger on the right, also known as Thylacine. When the first Europeans came to Tasmania, there were around 5,000 of these animals living on the island. As they were considered a threat to the farmers’ livestock, rewards were offered for shooting them, which led to the extinction of this species.
The next day I visited two caves in the area, which are part of Mole Creek Karst National Park.
Both caves were quite large, so the tours took about 45 minutes each.
King Solomon’s Cave
Marakoopa Cave
Alum Cliffs Lookout
On my way to the west coast of Tasmania, I visited Cradle Mountain National Park.
Cradle Mountain National Park
The national park is car-free, so all visitors have to park at the visitor center. Shuttle buses take people to various points in the park.
I hiked in 3 hours from Dove Lake to Marion’s Lookout and then to Ronny Creek, from where the shuttle took me back to the parking lot.
Dove Lake: My hike started with a wheelchair accessible trail.
A magical place!
On the right is Cradle Mountain, which gave the area its name.
A wombat
Strahan
After a long drive through the wilderness of Tasmania with countless bends, I reached the picturesque town of Strahan on the west coast.
The big attraction is the boat trip on the Gordon River. As I came to Strahan over the Christmas period, the tour was already fully booked for days. Fortunately, Strahan had even more to offer.
My hotel
and the sunset from my room
The railroad from Queenstown to Strahan
Regatta Point is located a few kilometers outside Strahan. This is where the railroad line of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company ended, which from 1899 to 1963 transported over a million tons of copper, silver and gold over a distance of 43 km from Queenstown to the sea to Strahan. A cogwheel system developed by Swiss engineer Abt was used to overcome the gradients.
Today, the railroad transports tourists under the name ‘West Coast Wilderness Railway’.
A modern railroad carriage
When the mine was still in operation, the port of Regatta Point was a busy place where goods were handled and people streamed through the station. A lone steam-powered crane is a reminder of those days.
Hike to the Hogarth Waterfalls
This 1.2 km hike leads along a stream through a beautiful forest.
Henty Dunes
A few kilometers north of Strahan is a 15 km long dune landscape that extends several kilometers inland.
Ocean Beach
The kilometer-long beach of Strahan
Queenstown
On my way across the island towards Hobart, I first came to Queenstown. It is a historic little town from where the mine’s railroad used to start. Some steam locomotives from this time can still be admired today. The picture shows the new station of the West Coast Wilderness Railway.
Iron Blow viewpoint
View of an abandoned copper mine
Nelson Waterfalls
A few kilometers further on, the 700-meter-long path through the jungle to the Nelson Waterfalls began. An enchanted area!
Lake Saint Clair National Park
After another 55 km I came to Lake St. Clair National Park, where I chose the Frankland Beaches Walk.
The church of Ellendale
Mount Field National Park
My last national park in Tasmania was Mount Field National Park. I liked this park the best. It was the perfect end to my trip to Tasmania.
Tarn Shelf hike
On the first day, I did the Tarn Shelf circular walk. It is 12 km long and passes several mountain lakes. Very impressive!
In the morning before my departure back to Hobart, I hiked the three waterfalls circuit. In addition to the waterfalls, the jungle with its many different trees was another attraction.
Russell Waterfall
The Russell Waterfall from above
Horseshoe waterfall
The third waterfall was called ‘Lady Barron Falls’. It wasn’t impressive, so I’m not showing a picture of this waterfall here. But I really liked the way to get there.
Back in civilization, I finished my trip with a nine-course meal at the Fico restaurant. It has already won two awards as the best restaurant in Tasmania. I enjoyed the food, but I had expected more.
This was the end of an impressive three-week trip around Tasmania. I flew on to Thailand, where I visited lesser-known islands in the south.