Tasmania - DIY!

well, i guess if you're not driving, then your suggestion maybe workable if you dun mind travelling in and out everyday.

actually why dun you take a tour fr hobart all the way up to launceston? Day tours are good only if you intend to do 1 or 2 tours, not 14 tours over 14 days. Not only is it tiring, its also going to be expensive.

B&B in Tas is not cheap, coz most of them are Heritage B&B. Eg the B&B i stayed in Launceston is basic, but its already $99 per night.

Try the motor inns, and motels. If you dun mind, those cheap hotel rooms located on top of a bar are cheap and clean, about $60 per room per night.

Actually what's holding you back from driving?
14 day tours * 2 pax will cost you more than 14 days car rental + petrol + insurnace.

PLus its really quite inconveninet to get ard town without a car. There aren't very many taxis there.
 


hi cody
thanks thanks.
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Hi Autmn A!

Went to Tas in Nov last yr for my HM!
and i had a fantastic time!

we didn't drive also cos we really just wanted to relax.

What we did was to arrange for an independent local tour guide to bring us sightseeing.

we stayed in Hobart for 5 nights, moving unto Cradle Mountain for 1 night and then Lauceston for 2 nights.

when we arrived in Hobart, we booked the day tours ourselves and basically walked all over to Hobart's attractions. cos we stayed at the customs house hotel and it's so convenient and the Salamanca mkt is just across the rd fm the hotel
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))

we had the guide pick us up from Hobart and he drove us to Cradle Mountain along the way showing us just a few of the better local secrets based on our interests
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while we were at Cradle Mountain he even tried to bring us out at night to spot the nocturnal tassie animals but unfortunately we didn't get to see the elusive posums and tassie devils in their natural environment.

The next day he drove us to Lauceston and again along the way he showed us more local places and when we got to L'ton he showed us around the places we could visit on our own.

the guide cost us abt A$700 and it may seem ex, but it works out to be just slightly more compared to renting a car, petrol, insurance, purchasing of the car pass into some of the local attractions... and the hassle of arranging all of this
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basically, if you don't intend to drive, it's possible but you need to do a lot of planning first before you go.

You can email me if you would like more info.
 
Hi Cody,

Like Ava, we wun be driving cos we just want to relax...dun want to crack our brains looking at road maps during our 14 days stay...also, by joining their day tours, we hope to know more pple fr other ctries...this is also why we dun want to book a tour pkg fr SIN....dun want to see the same 40 Sporeans throughout 14 days!

For accomodation, both of us hv set a budget of $120 per double rm per nite, ie. $60 per person per nite. If the $99/nite tt u mentioned is for 2 persons, then it is within our budget.

also, i wld like to stay in B&B cos some of these buildings are very victorian kind, wanna hv a taste of staying there afterall we dun get to see such bldgs in SIN...plus their yummy breakfast...no need to go n search for food in the morning...heehee...

since accomodation in HOB city is expensive, how abt those along Sandy Bay?? areu aware of any cheap ones there?
 
sorry, i didn't stay in sandy bay but i know the accommodation there is cheaper than downtown Hobart.

The heritage B&B are rated according to the number of stars. To get a nice stay, look for at least 4 stars and above. The room rate will be approx A$120 per room.

I'm not sure if your $120 budget is in SIN or AUS, coz the AUS exchange rate is quite high now.

The general rule of thumb about heritage B&Bs are that they are not cheap. Those in town are more expensive, those at the outskirts are cheaper (and sometimes nicer coz the surrounding is more serene) but can be quite inaccessible without your own car.

The $99 room i mentioned wasn't very nice, the bldg was quite historical, the common areas very Victorian, but the rooms were small and basic.
If you read my write-up, there was one i recommended at Scottsdale, called Beulah B&B. That was very very good!

Oh yah, another thing abt heritage B&Bs is that they are very small, maybe only 3 guestrooms. So if there's one that you fancy, try to make advanced bookings online / by phone.

Happy planning!
 
hi autumn air
i stayed at sandy bay B&B
it's called louisa's cottage. you can scroll up to read abt my HM.

it was 94AUD per nite with daily breakfast, pretty convenient for us, cos near to the salamanca market. bus stop is also right in front, 5 mins ride to the casino and abt 2 mins to downtown.

the lady is very nice, realised that we were on HM and provided us with chocolates and shiraz.
 
Hi Cody,

My hubby and I are planning ot go this Sep/Oct. Can I have your write-up? ALso, chan brothers has a self drive package that includes yellow or pink passes to flag choice hotels. Has anyone taken up the package before? Care to share?
 
Monica ever told me that she's going to Taz for PS in Oct so I "suspect" it's you lor.

I hope you enjoy your Taz PS.

Monica is a v. jovial and fun loving gal.We enjoyed our AD PS with her and not to forget Fabian.He is simply FABULOUS.

Both of them can coordinate v.well.
 
hi all,
i am going for HM on this novemeber to Tas Mania, is NOV a good period for going to Tas Mania? will it be too hot?? i heard there s heat wave during this period, is it true?
 
nov is alright. there are no heat waves in tas ... in fact, tas is generally cooler than mainland aus even in summer due to the winds blowing over the island fr the antartics.

having said that, i experienced a hail storm in the height of summer when in went in early Feb. So please bring a good sweater, coz it will def be cold in the mornings and up in mt wellington where its very windy.

Keep the sweater ard with you at all times.
 
Hi Cody n Bortei Khan...

I'm planning to go for my honeymoon in late sep or early oct for 12 days. Read fm the other tread tat we could either start off fm Launceston or Hobart. Which is better?

As we r not into wine drinking, should we miss out Launceston? We intend to visit Hobart, Huon valley, Freycinet, Cradle Mountain n Port Arthur. Is there any other interesting place tat we should visit?

Should we book the accomodation n car rental through the internet when we r in sin or when we reach Tasmania? Which way will b cheaper?

Roughly how much will it cost for a 12 day trip for 2pax?

Tks in advance...!
happy.gif
 
Hi Yukie,

Great HM Choice!

Tasmania is an absolutely beautiful place.

There is no direct flight from Sin to Hobart/Lanceston.Got to transit at Melbourne.

So maybe you want to consider to aportion a part of your 12 days trip in Melbourne.

Check out Qantas Promotion nearer to your date.Can get really good price during their promotion.
 
Hi Yukie,

Sept and October will be their Spring Season.Can be pretty cold.Do bring more warm clothing.

Spring is a lovely season.You will get to see wild flowers blooming everywhere.
 
12 days is enough to cover almost the whole of tasmania (excluding the surrounding islands).

You should go to Launceston even if you're not into wine. There are other things to see there!

Both hobart and launceston are ok as starting points. Also depends on which domestic flight you take into tasmania, eg Qantas flies to both cities whereas Virgin Blue only goes to Launceston.

As for car rental, i prefer to book online ahead of my travel coz advance bookings usu entitles me to some discounts eg rent 5 days get 2 days free etc. Last minute rentals also have discounts factored it, but they often come with many terms and condition eg limited mileage, or you must pick-up and return at the same place.
Needless to say, walk-in rates are the most expensive!

Its ok to book accommodation only when you're there. Either depend on travel guide books for recommendations, or go to the tourist counters to get help with bookings. They charge a nominal fee of A$2 for each booking. Sometimes these tourist counters also have offers that are not published.


for 12 days, you have time to visit the west coast of tasmania as well eg Strahan. Its supposed to be v beautiful, and its only a one-day trip from launceston. The western part of Tas is mainly forested-heritage areas, so there's nothing much there except for the coastal towns. You can also find cheese farms, fish farms there.

How much it costs really depends on your accommodation preferences. Hotels within Freycinet and Cradle Mountain can be very expensive (approx A$200 per night); staying outside the national park is cheaper.

The same applies to the other areas of Tasmania; motels (very clean) and motor inns are very affordable (abt $60-80 per night). Hotels are minimum A$100+ per night. Bed & breakfast prices differ according to their rating (ie how many stars); their prices can range from A$80 to $200 per night.

Shopping, well there's nothing much to buy there...the fashion is not quite on par with mainlain Aus.

Food can be slightly more expensive, but again it depends on your preference. You can eat at nice restaurants, fast foods, cafes, streetside stalls etc. Bear in mind that you have to pay for sauces eg ketchup A$0.30 each packet.

On the whole, my hub and i spent about S$4k all-inclusive for 10days free & easy.
I think mine is considerably cheap coz i managed to get my air tickets to melb quite cheap.

Happy planning!
 
Hi Jessica n Cody,

Tks for all the info...!
happy.gif

I've look through the website under www.discoverTasmania.com.au
There's so much choices for accomodation!!! Any recommendation for each of the places i intend visit(hobart, huon valley, cradle mountain,Freycinet, port arthur)? We would like to experience different kind of lodging. Like Cradle Mountain, would like to try out Cradle Mountain lodge. But the rates in the website is quite expensive.

And wats the diff between Cottage n Motor Inns? Which is better?

Tks...!
 
Roughly how much will it cost for car rental on a 12day trip? There's oso lots of car rental company there. Any recomendation?
 
Accommodation:

Hobart: plenty of accommodation in various prices. If you are driving around, get those accommodation in Sandy Bay, they are cheaper and only 5mins drive into town.

Huon Valley: Franklin Lodge. Very nice!!!
http://www.franklinlodge.com.au/

Cradle Mountain: I stayed in cradle mt lodge, very nice place! (but warning, no tv in the rooms!) Agree that the rates published on their website is expensive, but went i went to launceston tourist info counter, they had better rates at A$99 per person per night. Cheaper than their internet offers. Its still abit pricey, but it was nice.

Freycinet: Freycinet Lodge is within the national park, something like cradle mt lodge. Again, quite expensive about A$200 per night but very nice.

Alternatively, drive 10mins to near-by areas to stay in the cottages for a fraction of the price.
Eg i stayed in Swanwick, cottage for 6 pax for only $90 per night. I still have the contact details, send me a pte message if you would like to have it.

Port Arthur: Fox & Hound Inn. often fully booked by tour groups who spend the night there. It was full when i got there, so i spent the night in an old cottage near-by run by an elderly couple. Not so nice, but nostalgic. Pretty view facing the sea. Again, send me a pte msg if you need the details.


Motor Inns are generally larger, with many rooms catering for diff number of people. Most of them are 1-2 storeys, and you get to drive your car to the doorstep / staircase leading to your room.

Cottages are generally family-run establishments. They usually run only 1 cottage, and they will live near-by. These cottages are usually built by themselves, and the cottages are self-contained eg kitchen ,bbq pit, washing machines etc. Size of the cottage varies.

Some places like cradle mt lodge also call their rooms cottages, becoz it is literally a cottage on its own, but its divided into 3 rooms. In cradle mt lodge, you get to drive to your doorstep.

If you ask me, both cottages and motor inns are ok. Cottages tend to be somewhat prettier, whereas motor inns are quite no-frill. Its really meant for those on the road, who want a place to sleep for the night. For this reason, they tend to be slightly cheaper. BOTH ARE VERY CLEAN and decent.


Choosing a variety of lodging types is a wise decision, coz its really nice! You must spend at least one night in a good-class heritage b&b. Depending on where its located, it will cost you at least A$100, but its worth the money. Heritage B&B rooms really make you feel as if you have been transported back to old england!
I stayed in a 4-star heritage B&B for A$150 per night; more expensive coz it was their honeymoon suite but it came with an attached personal sauna large enough for 2 pax, jacuzzi for 2 pax, and an attached tea room! Worth every cent!
 
i always use Budget. Cheap and good. Very reliable. Cars are all very new too, so you dun have to worry abt them breaking down along the way etc.

Go and look www.budget.com.au for their online offers. They usually have weekly rates. It will prob be cheaper to rent the car for a 2-week block than to rent 1week + 5 days.

I always believe in getting rented cars from larger companies, gives me more security when driving it esp when the car is still so new. Several times i rented from Budget, the cars were sooooo new they smelt like they had just rolled out the showroom and the mileage was still very low!
 
i was in Tasmania for honeymoon in feb
allow me to recommend edge of the bay resort
we wanted to stay in freycinet lodge initally but it was fully booked. we found edge of the bay from internet and its beautiful. the view from our room was beyond description. the food at the restaurant was also very very good!
 
Gd day to u cody...
happy.gif
tks a million for all the info...!
Hv printed out yr post for ref...!
Can share wif me yr write up for Mel & Tas? [email protected]

Hi Miso... tks for the alternative choice...!
happy.gif

Can share more of yr experience?
 
Hi, i believe cody is the real expert in tasmania.
I went to Tasmania for 8days via Sydney. stayed in Sydney for 2days on the way but Tasmania was so so much much better! well, prob only the viet beef noodles from sydney was memorable.


If you are going to Tasmania, eat lots of crayfish and oysters coz its so fresh and much cheaper than Sydney. Better to eat in Hobart and Swansea area..I dun see much seafood near cradle mountain area

Second, be prepared for the tedious climb if u are going up Mt Cradle..I took the 3 hr walk but ended up taking 4 hours..it was real tough on the way down coz there were no proper walking paths..The bees were a bit irritating coz when we wanted to stop and take pic, they will buzz around us..The scenery was great...but I guess I only have the energy to do this climb once in a life.

Freycinet was much easier to climb. the scenery was also totally different from cradle mt.took around 1.5 hours ..advise is to climb both to get the best of both worlds.

Our route was from Hobart (2nights)stayed in motor inn, drove up to Swansea, up to Freycinet (2 nights) edge of the bay resort, to cradle mt
(bad planning..very far) cradle mountain lodge(2 nights) and launceston penny motel??(1 night).

Launceston was boring i thought. Nothing much to do and very quiet. Seafood also more ex here than hobart

spent around 7.3k including sydney's 2 N accom
I booked most of my hotels through hotelclub.com
no problems at all

Had a really good time in Tasmania..If you want to hear from me, do let me know...
 
Hi Miso... 7.3K! Tats alot of $$$...! Me intend not to spend more than 5.5K...

Wat type of car did u rent...? Tink only certain type of car can b drove up to Cradle M. rite? Hw much did u spend on car rental n petrol?
 
miso: no no, i am no expert! i'm merely sharing what i know abt tas.

Yukie: tas is generally a more expensive place to visit than any other parts on mainland Aus. With the exception of fresh produce from the island itself, everything else is imported from the mainland. So just be prepared.

You're right, you need a 4WD to go up to Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain. However most accommodations around the national park organise tours that include the transportation to/fro the Lake.
You can still drive a normal car to the accommodation. No 4WD required.
 
Tks cody... hee...renting a normal car will b way cheaper..!
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Hv went into Budget webiste, Jus below the pic of the car, they indicate a suitcase wif 1,2,3 wif a logo of a man at the side. Wat does tat mean?

So sorry... got so much question...
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the suitcase means the amt of boot space

there are different suitcase icons, representing the diff size (S, M and L).

the numbers indicate the number of such suitcases you can put in the boot.

the logo of a man indicates the number of people the car can accommodate.

NO worries abt the questions, its my pleasure!
 
Oic... 1st time self drive so very suah ku...

Another few questions...
When is the peak period? Will it b very crowded?
R we still able to c tulip if goin 1st wk off oct?

Tks...
happy.gif
 
peak is in summer, typically the whole month of Dec to early Feb

if you're going in Sep / Oct , accommodation shouldn't be a problem.

make sure you schedule a weekend in Hobart to visit Salamanca Market. Try the chilli beer!

not sure abt the tulips, but there will def be lavender for you to see.
 
Hi cody... will it b cheaper/better to book accomodation upon arrival? Do we get our travel guide book here or at Tas? Will there b lots of tourist counter there? I mean like operated by diff company? Can we bargain for a better price (hee.. kiasu s'porean...)?
 
Yukie

we drove mitsubishi lancer throughout..but took a free shuttle bus outside cradle mountain lodge to cradle mountain...better coz the roads are very narrow inside..and i heard that they are trying to restrict the number of cars in the park.

its quite cold esp at night and early morning even in fen (summer) ..so be well prepared in the autumn and winter seasons.
warm clothing is a must. if u are planning to climb mt cradle, be aware that the winds are strongggg...i wore 1 t shirt and 1 wool long sleeve sweater during the climb..of course will sweat but i am not confident with t shirt only..

if you like flowers, i liked the botanic gardens at hobart a lot..very beautiful...plus good cool weather...really enjoyed myself
 
yukie:

bring your guide books from Singapore. Rent a copy of the Lonely Planet Tasmania guide book from the library here and read up before you go. In other words, do your research before you leave!
Bring the book along with you.
The listings in there are reliable, esp in the more recent additions.



Its up to you where you want to book your accommodation. I personally prefer to book when i am there, coz when you're on the road its sometimes hard to predict where you want to spend the night. Motor inns, B&B and motels seldom have internet websites; even if they do, few offer internet offers like the way large hotel chains.

The lonely planet guide book has accommodation listings as well. The price categories are reliable, so dun worry.

Apart from Salamanca market, bargaining is not popular there, esp for things such as car rental or accommodation.

No, there aren't very many tourist counters there. Some tourist counters in smaller towns are as simple as just a map and a short write-up of where you are.

However there is one each in launeston and hobart, and they are very very helpful. They help with directions, information, accomodation bookings, day-tour bookings, car rental bookings etc etc all the stuff that a tourist would need.
These 2 tourist counters are managed by the local govt. The office operates on normal office hours tho.

If you urgently need accommodation info, rely on the free tourist newspapers called Tasmanian Travelways. It lists information of many many accommodation types in the different areas, according to their price categories. Contact numbers are included. So just bring a mobile phone and a credit card to secure your booking.

Like i mentioned earlier, Sep / Oct is not the peak season. You can actually drive to the accommodation, take a look at it and decide whether you want to stay for the night or not.
Of course you will have to respect their booking policies if any.
 
Hi Cody n Miso... tks for spending the time to provide me all the info...!

Now i've a clearer picture of wat to do n not.

TQ... TQ... TQ...
happy.gif
 
oh and those of you who plan to go sept to nov period, i just got a email from qantas and their airfare offer is super cheap... to tas is only $675
 
late nov will be somewhat warmer but having said that, tasmania can experience all 4 seasons within one day, ie hot one minute, cold the next.

SO pls dress yourself in layers. No need to bring your winter jackets, but bring sweaters and t-shirts that you can wear on top of one another.

once it gets hot, just take off the layers accordingly.
likewise you will work up quite a sweat when you walk the dove lake or freycinet, so along the way you will probably take off a few layers.

when i was there in the peak of summer, i experienced a hail storm in launceston. right in the city, not even up in the mountain!
that's how crazy the weather is!
 


Hi Cody, thanks for the info that u have given on Tas so far. My frens and I are planning on a 2 week trip to Sydney, Melb and Tas. I am thinking of going 5 days to Sydney, 4 days in Melb, 4 days in Taz and the last day in Melb before flying back to Singapore. Any suggestions if the days i have allocated for each area is ok?

From Melb to Taz, i know we can either fly or take the overnight ferry (Spirit of Tasmania I & 11). Have you heard of this ferry before?

Thanks again!
 
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