By Sarzana Asif Jyoti
Tasmania, the island state of Australia, which had always been on our wishlist albeit being a lower priority, finally made it to the top in December 2023. When we decided to tick one more Australian state off our travel list, we were glad we chose Tassie.
This is the state where every ten minutes you are pleasantly bewildered by the most scenic beauty of the mountain and sea. Words cannot do it justice. It is a sheer pleasure to share my travelling experience with you today.
After reading different articles and blogs, watching several vlogs, and taking recommendations from our friends who had already visited Tasmania, I was confident that we had done our research and homework quite well to make the most of our trip. As exploring Tasmania needs a lot of driving and not all the roads are well paved and smooth like the big cities, planning is crucial.
Day 1
We reached Hobart around noon. As soon as we picked up our car, which was only 5 minutes from the airport, we started towards our first destination, Bruny Island. It was a two-hour journey each way and involved a ferry ride, which added another layer of adventure and joy to the journey. The ferry departs from Kettering every 20 minutes and takes 20 minutes to reach Bruny Island. We enjoyed the short ride thoroughly as it introduced us to the pristine blue waters and the beautiful landscape of the island.
Bruny Island is picturesque and absolutely divine! The cleanest air, the shades of blue and the lush green cover of the island were simply mesmerizing. I have so far travelled to four states in Australia, but the beauty of Tasmania is unreal! Everywhere your eyes reach is like a scenic lookout.
We took the same ferry to return to the ‘mainland’ of Tasmania and drove to the must-see Mt Wellington. Luckily, the weather was very generous to us, and we drove straight to the top. Oh man, the drive was to die for and gave us an adrenaline rush. The view from the narrow road, breathtaking to say the least, can very easily run chills down your spine. When the late afternoon sun emanated from the clouds, it felt as if the creator was playing an orchestra with the sun, the clouds and the fog, and the eyes could hear the peaceful melody.
One important tip: the temperature drops sharply at the higher altitude – a puffer jacket and a beanie are a must!
We stayed the night in a beautiful and cosy accommodation amidst the forest.
Day 2
we woke up to the most lustrous view of trees and the pretty outlines of the mountains in the horizon. The plan for our second day in the island state was to drive to another beautifully built city called Launceston.
The drive felt like time travel – as if we were passing through European towns during the 60s. What I really appreciated was how history and heritage were restored rather than renovated. We stopped at the information centre in Launceston. As it had only 15-minute parking, we had to make our conversation with the sweet and friendly staff member brief, but we did find out what we must see in the 24 hours we would spend in this picturesque town. She suggested that we take a boat ride through the Cataract Gorge while going to our already booked stay at Grindelwald. We took her advice (as you can never go wrong with the locals!) and took the most relaxing and visually joyous boat ride through the South Esk River and saw the striking formation of the gorge.
Then we headed to Grindelwald. Grindelwald is only 15 kilometres north of Launceston in the Tamar Valley. The Swiss-themed Tamar Valley Resort in Grindelwald has a shopping arcade, news and gift store, clothing store, cafe and bakery. There are even an 18-hole mini-golf course, a ten-hole public golf course, paddle boat hire and canoeing on the lake, and the world’s longest bouncing pillow for children. Established in the 1980s, the village in Grindelwald has the same style of houses as the original Swiss town, with wide eaves and flower boxes. With all the Christmas lighting and the colourful decorations, the inner child in me felt like Alice in Wonderland! We had dinner at Lakeside Alpenrose Bistro. Day 2 was spectacular!
Day 3
We had the longest and most intense drive to touch on three major points of interest on our way to Bicheno, another Tassie town. Driving 68 kilometres from Tamar Valley Resort, the first stop was the Bridestowe Lavender Farm! Acres after acres of purple touching the horizon were simply magical and such a blissful treat to the eyes. My photographer husband took some phenomenal photos of me! I am sure when I am old with wrinkled skin, I will look at those photographs and reminisce about the beautiful memory with much joy.
After the photography session, we hurried ourselves to take a quick look at Lilydale Falls, which was only 15 minutes from the lavender farm and on our way to our next destination. There were two falls within a few minutes’ walking distance. Having a soft spot for waterfalls in general – the burbling of the water is so therapeutic and soothing – we were glad we made this quick stop!
I must say, Tassie is full of diversity. When you think you have just experienced a unique beauty of nature, another one reveals itself, leaving you bewildered. We walked back to the parking lot of the Falls and met a family from Victoria. When they said they were also going to Bicheno, we recommended to them our next scheduled stop on the way, the Bay of Fires. The road to the Bay of Fires was quite windy. We had to be very careful throughout the drive: even the slightest loss of concentration could cause havoc. At one point, the drive made me so motion-sick that we were impatient to reach our destination. But it was all worth it when we got to see the most unnatural yet naturally formed, orange-coloured rocks across the bay.
We went to Binalong Bay because this is the best beach to swim in apparently, thanks to the clearer-than-crystal water. It’s indeed unbelievable even after seeing with your own eyes how superbly dramatic nature can be. It was a hot day, and seeing the pristine and persuading water, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a quick dip. We were in awe of the surprises Tasmania was unfolding to us!
By then our stomachs were rumbling, and we couldn’t wait to drive to the famous Lobster Shack in Bicheno, which was our final destination for the day. We had another one and a half hours’ drive ahead of us.
We indulged ourselves in delicious and satiating lobsters and seafood marinara before visiting the maritime museum upstairs for a glimpse of the history of Tasmania’s commercial fishing industry as well as Bicheno.
The view, the food and the experience couldn’t be any better. It was like a visual story, not a single scene of which we wanted to miss.
We checked in to the Airbnb awfully tired. It started raining. We slept like babies with the lullaby of the pitter-patter on the roof!
Day 4
We woke up the next day, drove back to Hobart and headed straight to the great Salamanca Market.
Salamanca Market runs at the historic Salamanca Place every Saturday from 8.30 am to 3 pm, come rain, hail or shine. It was such an exciting experience to stroll through the stalls and admire the creativity and craftmanship of the artisans. The feeling of community at the market was so warm and hearty! I bought some homemade fudge, organic honey, and some cute souvenirs for my friends.
Our next destination was what is dubbed the Disneyland for adults – MONA, Museum of Old and New Art. We decided to have a few drinks in their edgy little bar before heading in to experience the striking and provocative art. It was a three-storeyed museum and well organized. The experience was exceptional.
On the way back, we stopped in a town called Richmond. The most prominent landmark in the town is Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia, built by convicts in the 1820s.
In the evening we had dinner with two of our friends who call Hobart home. They recommended a restaurant called The Drunken Admiral. The interior of the restaurant is maritime-themed. Sitting there, having the fish chowder with friends made my day so wholesome!
Day 5
For someone like me who is big on breakfast, skipping a good brunch opportunity when on holiday is out of the question. Before we went to Port Arthur, we stopped at a café named The Signal Station, located at the top of Mt Nelson. Surrounded by the most scenic beauty, we devoured the delish breakfast. The food was a ten out of ten and the view added a golden bonus point. We also found out that one of the chefs was from Bangladesh (- no doubt the food was delicious!).
Then we arrived at Port Arthur, Australia’s ‘most intact and evocative convict site’. The worst of the prisoners were sent to this remote and inhospitable location because an escape was impossible. One of the most visited tourist attractions in Tasmania, Port Arthur is regarded as a former township where many locals were born and raised.
Walking around the 30 or so historic buildings felt like going through the pages of a history book that tells the tales of all-consuming sadness, solitude, guilt, darkness and agony. Despite the melancholy, there was beauty around us. Port Arthur is dark yet scenic; disturbing yet peaceful.
My husband and I loved this historic visit. We wished we had another day to explore and absorb the history of the place, one day was not just enough.
Day 6
Our bags were packed. We were ready to say goodbye to beautiful Hobart. But we found out on our way to the airport that our flight was cancelled.
We hurriedly rescheduled it to the next day and decided to fulfill our desire to explore another site which we initially had to give up on because of time limitations. It was Hastings Caves, a spacious 40-million-year-old Dolomite cave system underneath the Tasmanian landscape.
Newdegate Cave is the largest dolomite cave in Australia accessible to tourists. We got to experience something for the first time in our lives when we entered the cave. The tour guide asked us to close our eyes and turn off all the lights, When we opened our eyes after a few seconds, all around us was the same darkness we saw with our eyes closed! We experienced complete darkness. It was thrilling and scary.
Back on the surface, we relaxed in the swimming pool warmed by mineral-rich thermal springs. It was a most pleasant experience.
We returned to Melbourne with refreshed minds and energised souls even though we had driven and driven for six days.
Tasmania is rich, abundant, scenic, raw, real, and indescribably beautiful. It has undeniably made its way into our hearts as our most favorite state, and we look forward to visiting Tasmania again and exploring the parts we weren’t able to visit this time. Never have I seen such a sweet and poetic combination of mountains, rivers, seas, skylines, and wildlife in one place. Tasmania is a must-visit for any traveller.
This was first published in Travels That make Us and has been republished here with the kind permission of the editor(s).
Contributing Author: Sarzana Asif Jyoti is a banker during the week, an avid traveller, an almost-writer, a lazy singer and an enthusiastic dancer on the weekend, Jyoti came to Australia to study a Master of Development Studies at the University of Canberra in 2015. Life changed its course – she became a Melbournian later on and completed a Master in Professional Accounting here. Her journey is no different from any other international student’s who carried ‘home’ in a suitcase to make a home here. Her zeal for life lies in exploring all kinds of beauty – the beauty in nature, the beauty of art, and the beauty of connecting with humans and animals. Her mantra for life is taken from Gerard Way: “One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” She hopes you enjoy reading this piece about her travel experience as much as she enjoyed the adventure.
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