Tasmania Anyone?


mag

New Member
hi cooljet

tasmania is a really picturesque place
the sprawling land, the lake...
but consider yourself forewarned,
it's not the urban city kindda place
if you know what i mean
but to me personally,
it's a rather nice place for honeymoon
you spend quality time with your loved one
not the crowd, the tourists, the hustle-bustle

but do avoid winter if you can help it
it can be terribly cold
and days are really short
 

lisa

New Member
Mag,

My FH and I were thinking of going to Melbourne and Tasmania. Any suggestions on what to do / where to go? We have about 14 days. Also, if it is not too much trouble, could you also tell me how much a domestic flight from Melbourne to Tasmania costs? (We're trying to see what the cheapest alternative is) Thanks! :)

Lisa
 

mag

New Member
Hi Lisa,

You might wanna know that domestic travel can be pretty pricey here in australia. But things have eased up recently, with the increased competition from new airlines such as Virgin and Impulse. However, they have not extended their routes to all states, serving mainly Sydney, Melbourne and Brissy. So for the other routes, we're still relying on Ansett and Qantas.

You might be better off checking with your travel agent locally. Are you doing a packaged tour or DIY? If DIY, you can try STA Travel when you get to Melbourne, their airfares and packages are quite reasonable. Provided you book early enuff.

And hey, sometimes Qantas and Ansett offer fares+bed packages. So you might wanna check out www.qantas.com.au and www.ansett.com.au and look under Domestic Holidays. I know that lately, they've dreamed up some pretty nice packages. Like Qantas offered a 3D/2N package for about A$264! But that's for low season though...

Will call up STA tomorrow to check for you tomorrow, the offices are all closed now. Which month are you planning to come anyway? Not September, I hope! It's the Olympics!

Will post a message once I've checked it out. Watch this space :)
 

mag

New Member
<!-NOTE: Message edited by 'admin'-!>Hi Lisa

It's me again. Forgot to tell you that you can also get to Tasmania from Melbourne by sea. The main vessel in operation is called Spirit of Tasmania. You can even lug your car along, if you like!

The fares differ, depending on the time of travel and also your choice of on-board accommodation. There are three main seasons, Off Season, Shoulder Season, and Peak Season. As for the accommodation, the range is from hostel-type to cabin-type, from A$119 - A$354.

Go have a look at the website, www.tt-line.com.au. The description, complete with fares, are all there.
 

lisa

New Member
Mag,

Thanks a ton! I really appreciate all the information and tips. That was very helpful. :)))

To answer your question, I'm going in December.

:)
 
C

chin leng

Guest
Hi all,

Just a tip: If you typed in <FONT COLOR="0000ff">http://</FONT> together with the with website address, it'll provide an active link to the sites.

I'll find time to make your suggested addresses active.

Regards,
Chin Leng.
 

mag

New Member
Hi Lisa
Sorry, didn't find time to call STA for you today. But just as well, since it's better to call them now that I know your departure date is in December.

And have you been following the thread at Australia? Thot you might wanna knw there're some contribution about Melbourne.
 

lingling

New Member
Hi all,

Do check out this new site, http://www.webjet.com.au. It's a travel site that guarantees the lowest Qantas prices within and outside of Australia.

They also run hot deals, and right now, there's a airfare only promo Melbourne to Sydney or Brissy at only $66! And that's return too!

Other deals that they're running include domestic packages, including one at A$254 for airfare and accommodation (2 nites). Extra nites are at A$27 per pax per nite (twin-sharing).
 

mag

New Member
Hi Lisa,

The normal fares for Melbourne-Hobart is kindda high, about $525 per pax. I think you're better off looking for "hot deals" at travel sites and airlines. But have surfed thru some travel sites and their offerings are quite attractive with the packaged deals....

Try ansett and qantas sites. As well as travel sites such as webjet suggested by LingLing, and http://www.travel.com.au

Let me know if you need any help, k?
 

lisa

New Member
Thanks, Mag, for all the help. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Thanks to everyone for the links as well! :)
 
E

experience

Guest
I went for the 10 Days Tasmania/Melbourne package with Tradewinds. It was fantasic. I strongly recommend to honeymooners who like scenic tours. Do let the staff know you are on honeymoon, you may get some surprises. (Actually the article on Tasmania published some issues ago was written by my hubby). Grab the package soon !!!
 
C

chin leng

Guest
Hi Lisa,

Tradewinds is having a travel fair this weekend at Suntec Convention Hall. They have a 10 days Tasmania package $2288 (and upwards) departing on 17 Nov. You may want to take a look.

Regards,
Chin Leng.
 
C

chickbot

Guest
Hi there,

My hubby and I went for a post-ROM pre-customary honeymoon of sorts to Tasmania and Melbourne. It was wonderful! We booked a Contiki land tour at Chan Brothers' travel fair (land tour was about 600USD) and had 3 days F&amp;E in Hobart before the actual tour began. Be warned though, Tassie is not like Sydney or Melbourne. Be prepared to walk a lot if you really want to experience Tassie's natural beauty. We hiked up mountains, trekked around huge lakes and basically went off the beaten path on our 8-day tour. Public transport is not cheap, but car rentals are very reasonable. For a return-trip 25km taxi ride to a wildlife park, we shelled out 120AUD!! We spent 11 excellent days altogether in Tassie, then flew to Melbourne for 3 days of free and easy shopping. You can also do day trips to the Great Ocean Road and Phillips Island (to see penguins) If you don't particularly mind if your honeymoon is not of the mushy-smushy variety, go with Contiki (no vested interest here). They cater for 18-35s, and it's a lot of fun! No aunties and squalling babes to spoil your trip. Our second honeymoon after our customary will definitely be with Contiki.

Hope this helps
--chickbot
 

mocha

New Member
Dear all

My previous job in the travel industry has taken me to Tasmania a few years back. I must admit that it is indeed a very scenic place not to be missed. For those who do not mind travelling in a group tour, you may like to check out tour packages from Tradewinds Tours and Travel (located at pidemco Centre) around Oct. Every year Tradwinds organise group tours to Tasmania from Nov-Dec. As Tradewind is a subsidary of SIA, they will chartered an SIA carrier to fly directly to Tasmania. No domestic flight required and prices starts from about S$1888 onwards (that was the price 5 yrs ago not too sure if there is an increase in prices). Note departure dates are limited and for those who wish to extend their stay in Melbourne, you could probably do so too. It is a wonderful package not to be missed if you dun mind the company of a Singaporean group. FYI, other travel agents also promote Tradewinds packages. Do check it out.
 
T

tasmanian devil

Guest
I am planning a 2 week tour to Tasmania in early Sep. Got most of the preparation done already. Its a F&amp;E kind and plan to drive around the whole island. Looked up lots of websites as well and found some good deals.

So far this is the best website I've come across
www.tastemptations.com.au

Hope this helps.
 

rolly1

New Member
I went to Tas in jan 2001. It is fun driving around as the roads are not congested. Even along the way, u can stop to admire the natural scenery.

The place is tourist friendly. They do give notice on the time duration you were to take to reach the destination. So do remember to look out for it so that you can est your "departure time" !

My personal opinion for those who are interested join a tour group: you may not have time to really admire the scenery.

I do agree with Chickbot that there is a LOT of walking!

For those who are considering taking the Spirits of Tas, the sea is really ROUGH.

Have a great time!
 

rolly1

New Member
Hello Cleo,
the weather in Jan is fantastic! but at dawn, the weather can turn cold (air con temp). do bring along a light jacket.
For the day, just apply some sun block if u do not want to be red like a lobster...
happy.gif
well, the sun is shining but u feel gd even after trekking.
 

winik

New Member
Hi Cleo,

I would also suggest bringing along medication if you are prone to coughs and colds. Especially if you have asthma.

I had to use my asthma inhaler a lot while in Tassie, as the air is very cold and dry. Medication is also hard to obtain at pharmacies, because they ask you a lot of questions and in the end don't necessarily give you the medication you know you need. When my hubby and I tried to get some cough syrup, we ended up with a handful of pamphlets on asthma prevention and advice on the location of the nearest hospital should my wheezing deteriorate.

happy.gif

winik (aka chickbot)
 

tigerlily

New Member
Hi,

we're thinking of doing a 7-9 day self-drive holiday in Tasmania. Anyone can suggest which area's best to go? and what to see?

i've surfed quite abit on the web, but i'd like an opinion from real people...
happy.gif
 

besse

New Member
Hi Tiger Lily

I did a self drive in TaSSIE last April/may for 5 days.. only managed to cover the eastern penisular.. namely Port Arthur and Freycinet

we flew into Hobart .. stayed the nite. went to salamanca mkt (nice with nice crafts, but only on sat morning) and took picts of the port area in Hobart.. 2nd day drove to Port Arthur from Hobart.. nice scenery along the way.. nice bays and beaches.. so can stop and take picts .. and of cos eat the cheap oysters if you like.. (a must go is the Barilla Bay oyster near to the airport..

Drive to Port Arthur quite scenic.. stopped by the eaglehawk neck, and some rock frmations like devils kitchen, blowhole, tasselated pavcement.. do some bushwalking to get nice views and get close to the waves crashing to the rocks..

Port Arthur itself was ok. And we took the ghost tour which i fing it to be quite fun and informative, not to mention going around the historical buildings in the chilly air. (The tour includes a visit to the autopsy chambers underground.. )

Day4, we proceeded to drive to Freycinet and stayed at Bicheno, a town near to Freycinet.. had my penguin tour there.. up close and personal with the penguins.. so cool.. unlike philip island, which was so commercialised.. penguins literally brushed past my leg

day 5 went to Freycinet park.. a muz stop by place is a lodge/hotel on the way in to the park.. cos you can get a picture perfect view of the Hazard mountains from there.. the pictutres turned out amazingly pretty .. awesome view

At Freycinet park itself, trekked in for abt 1 hour to get a view of the famous wine glass bay.. if you have time, you can even trek down to the bay (another 1 hr). We also drove up to the light house for some nice pictures.. and then had our picnic at sleepy cove/bay!? it was a half an hour trek down from the car park.. nice quiet lil cove.. no one else but us were there.. and it was so close to the crashing waves.. really nice!! Can also check out the friendly beach on the drive out from freycinet.. quiet strip of beach with roaring waves.. white pristine sand..

Only have time to cover this much of Tas.. would love to see cradle mountains and launceston.. but no time.. you can oso visit there.. maybe someone will be able to help you with the details of the other parts of tas...

By the way.. we discovered a good plc to stay in Tas are the Cabins in the caravan parks.. nice log cabins with kitchen facilities so you can cook your own meals.. and cheap too.. abt A$60 per cabin per nite.. and can sleep up to 7 person (but you get ther whole cabin to yourself, of course..) Car can be parked outside your cabin. v safe and nice, and pretty new too.. we stayed in such cabin in bicheno and port arthur..

Hope it helps.. and have fun!!!
 

besse

New Member
Tigerlily

Oh.. forgot to mention.. the plc is v tourist friendly.. cos every lil town has a tourist counter / board to tell you where you are, and what are the accomodations around.. all you need to do is to look out for the but signboard with an alphabet "i" on it.

However, aussies don work late.. the information ctrs oso close at abt 4-5... plan your trip beforehand.. and buffer for time that you stop over for photo taking from plc to plc..
 

cody

New Member
Tigerlily, i was there for 10 days, but only managed to cover the eastern coast starting from Hobart. I went to Huon Valley, Eaglehawk Neck (Port Arthur), Freycinet, Great Oyster Bay route, Cradle Mountain etc up to Launceston.

What do u want to know about Tas?
I have a more detailed write in; if you like, i can share it with you. Pls leave your email addy here.
 
Z

zareline

Guest
hi, i'm thinking of going to tas for honeymoon in late mar next yr. is car rental easily available? is it easy to get ard by self-drive? are the road signs adequate? hubby n myself don't hav very gd sense of direction :p

how's the weather in late mar like?

anything i shld take note to travel in tas?

cody: how mcuh did it cost u for 10 days trip? can u email the info to me? [email protected]

tks!
 
D

dinos

Guest
Tassie is really a fantastic place to go for a holiday..
I was studying there for 2 years.. almost didn't want to come back...

Worth a trip there.. Besse gave quite a good intro of the places of interest...
 

cody

New Member
Hi Zareline

Roads in Aust are v good. Dun worry.
I only caution against exhaustion and road kill.

Make sure you have enough rest and have frequent breaks when you're on the road. Driving continuously is v dangerous. Besides, Tas is so picturesque that u will often want to stop the car to look around.

Booking a car is v easy. Book online at the car rental company's aussie website. eg Budget, Hertz, Delta etc they will have offers regularly. Tho i must inform u first that car rental in Tas is slightly higher than in mainland Aus coz Tas is an island on its own, everything they lack has to be "imported" from mainland.

I personally recommend Hawk rent a car, based in Singapore. They're v affordable, even cheaper than the previous times i used Budget &amp; Hertz. Check their website at: www.hawkrentacar.com

Mar is late summer. Better to bring a medium-thick sweater along. Tas is generally colder than the coastline cities of Aus (eg Melb) coz the wind is blowing in from over the artics. so its colder... regardless whether its summer or not.

I recommend you get a sweater that water-proof outside also, just in case it rains. Showers are quite common in Tas. When i was there, i witness Hail when in was in launceston. Lasted only about 5 mins, but definitely an experience!

my 10 days cost me about $4k+. There's really nothing much to shop, esp since the shops close early. The fashion in Tas is also more expensivve and alittle behind time compared to Melbourne (its next nearest Aus city). Next to note is that my accomodation varies from $60+ per night to $150 per night, depending on where i stay. Ranged from the hotel rooms above a bar (yucks!) , to motels (my usual), to 4* Heritage Bed &amp; Breakfast, to 5* Cradle Mountain Lodge etc. It really depends on you.
 

besse

New Member
Hi Zareline

no worries abt the rd.. like what Cody say, the Roads v good condition, and well signed. but gotta watch out for the small animals and the roos that might dash across the rd. Like wat i mentioned... look out for the tourist information ctr at every big town. They will be able to assist you in booking your accomodation too.. You can book your 1st nite in Hobart town upon arrival, then go to the big tourist information ctr in hobart to get them to help you in the booking for the rest of the nites in other parts of Tas.

Cars wise better book your car from Sg before you go.. walk in usually no cars. booking car in Oz usually quite cheap.. abt A$60-80 per day for a 2+litre camry.. take note of insurance

Like what Cody mentioned, nothing much to shop in Tas.. loads of scenery for the album.. and food wise, go for seafood there.. Yummy.. cheap succulent oysters!!!
 

tigerlily

New Member
Hi Cody,

Can u send me the information?

We're intending to go the full round, staying in Hobart, Strahan &amp; Launceston probably 2-3 days each, and 1 nite in Cradle Mtn. Any recommendations on where to stay?
 

cody

New Member
Hi Tigerlily and taddess

Will send u an email shortly.

Taddess, try not to go to Tas in June. That's almost winter and the mood is quite dampening.

Taz is better see in Jan / Feb (summer) where the sun sets at 9pm. It sets at 4pm during winter, so that really shortens your trip.

Yes, Taz is cold in winter. I mentioned earlier that Taz is generally colder than other parts of Melb coz the wind is blowing in from the artics. Imagine ... you someimtes get snow in summer, what less winter?

Not to mention the beautiful scenery being shrouded in snow / rain / gloomy dark clouds ... really dun want to see Taz that way. Its ALOT prettier in summer, esp the blooming lavender &amp; wild flowers.

Having said all that, its cheaper to travel to taz in winter. THe accomodation is discounted, and you dun have to worry about booking rooms in advance coz there are fewer people holidaying in winter.

Hope this helps. Tata!
 
F

first timer

Guest
Hi all,

i'm thinking of going tas in late mar. is that a good period? is it a good idea to rent motorhomes (those cars with beds/other facilities?) so that dun need to book hotels. but how abt showering/toilet needs?

thanks!
 

cody

New Member
Hi First Timer

I'm not so sure if Taz will be as nice in March.
The weather shold still hold up quite well, but there'll be no lavender for sure.

Accomodation in March should also be cheaper since the holiday season should be tapering off as well. For the same reason, getting accomodation should be relatively easy.

I won't advise you to drive a campervan / motorhome around. You may not be used to the size of the vehicle (large lorry), hence it can pose as a danger. In Singapore, you need a Class 4 lisence to drive that type of lorry around.

Also, the cross winds in Taz are stronger than in mainland Aust. The bigger the vehicle, the stronger the effects of the cross wind.

I've travelled 4 days on a campervan. The initial 1-2 days is quite fun, but after that its v cramped and not so enjoyable after all.

Large motorhomes carry a water tank along as well. The more you carry, the slower the lorry goes....

There are motorhome / campervan parks around. Not many, but there are some. They have bathing facilities etc for a nominal fee. Of course, there are A LOT more motels and motor inns at all the tourist spots instead of campervan parks.

Maybe just to try it out for 1-2 days? Coz we had to bring our home bedsheets and towels the last time we rented one in Melb. Kinda killed the fun, esp when we had to convert the sofas into bed and vice versa everyday.
 
F

first timer

Guest
hi cody!

thank u very much! your helpful and detailed infor is very useful!

too bad, our wedding is in mar therefore can only be there earliest mid mar..

but another problem - do they need a driving license to rent a car?.. if we can't drive and hv to join tour group, will it be less fun? cos heard from a friend who joined tour group to tas for 10 days and find it very boring.

thanks!
 

cody

New Member
yes of course you need a valid driving lisence before you take possession of their car.
In fact, depending on your age, there is also a surcharge in the insurance premiums.

Sorry, not sure abt tour groups...
 
F

first timer

Guest
thanks cody!

think we try to look for some package tour and see how first.
 

orchid

New Member
Hi first timer,

You will need to stop at caravan parks even with a camper van. don't think u can just park in the bush! hehe... besides, its easier to drive a normal car, stop anywhere we want then head to the hotel/motel/inn for a comfortable night's sleep.

what u can do is to stay 2-3 days in 1 area as a base and check out the day tours around the area. some local tours last 2-3 days and include accommodation &amp; food. the local tours in australia are alot more interesting than the singapore package tours and u don't get to spend the entire day with 40 singaporeans! yeeks! and then take their coaches to the next town.

if u can drive, u don't need an international licence, just the normal singapore licence is enough. i just found out that tt-lines (operators of Spirit of Tasmania) has special holiday deals for accommodation. as cheap as 7 nights for $259/person at nice motels. u can request a brochure &amp; check them out at: www.tt-line.com.au
 

dopey

New Member
for those taking the Spirit of Tas, bring along sea sick pill. The sea is very rough.

Imagine u have to do some kind of balancing while at the restuarant.

By the well, for me, no sea sick from mel to tas, but on the way back, it was terrible.... vomit till nothing to vomit.
sad.gif
 
F

first timer

Guest
thks Orchid!

actually i really thought that campervan can park at any roads/park etc...

will check out the website you recommended.
 

orchid

New Member
We're intending to go to Tasmania, but the earliest possible is in May. Anyone know how's Tasmania in May??
 



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