Do It Before You Die - An Epic Round Tour of Tasmania
Like no other, the southernmost Australian state is an island filled with epic adventures just waiting to be explored.
In 10 days I circumnavigated the incredible coastline of Tasmania in a 4WD in search of the most beautiful scenery I could point my camera at. 2500km of driving started in Hobart, the capital city. 100GB of photos later, here are the essentials for an epic Tasmanian experience.
1. South West Wilderness
I just found your dreamland...
The South West wilderness area is as remote as remote gets, with 4500 square km of nature, jaw dropping scenery and not a town in sight. It’s so incredible that it's listed a world heritage area, meeting 7 out of the 10 criteria! The reason this place is so epic and remote? No roads!
If you want to get here you have two options: Hike the staggering 85km South Coast track over 9 days, or get a light aircraft to drop you there from Hobart! Due to time constraints, we had to opt for the scenic flight with ParAvionTas. A lot less dedicated, but it sure was incredible to view from the air flying in! Once there, you have breathtaking scenery, incredible hiking and mirror perfect reflections on the water to feast your eyes on!
2. Great Eastern Drive
Flying back into Hobart from the South West, it was time to drive North via the Great Eastern Drive. This stretch was just voted the best in Australia! As soon as you hit the coast it’s not hard to see why. Beach after beach via small country towns scatter along the coast as you drive along! Then arriving at Freycinet National Park, home to Wineglass Bay and the Hazards mountain range. It’s yet another jaw drop moment.
If you want the best views of Wineglass bay, hiking is the best option, you can get to a relatively easy one within a 25min stroll, but for real awesome views climb Mount Amos and see for miles! To get the full experience, a boat trip around the Freycinet Peninsula to Wineglass bay is a must, not only can you see the area's scale, enormous cliffs and the remarkable views of Wineglass Bay, you also see heaps of marine life. Being joined by a pod of several thousand dolphins was a bucket list tick for me anyway!
What really blows people away by the East Coast is that it never seems to end. But if you can only do one more location, make it the Bay of Fires. Dreamy turquoise waters meet lichen covered rocks and white sandy beaches that make you never want to leave!
3. Cradle Mountain National Park and Surrounds
If you're after the iconic Tassie, then you best get yourself to Cradle Mountain national park, just like we did. But don’t forget to stop at one of Australia’s best waterfalls, Liffey Falls! Located between Launceston and Cradle Mountain, this series of waterfalls is the picture perfect Tasmania scene, where luscious rainforest meets beautiful falls.
Once you have the fill of waterfall goodness, stick that jumper on and head to the mountains! Cradle village and Dove Lake sit 900m above sea level, so even in the summer it can be a bit chilly. You'll meet epic views across Dove Lake to the monstrous Cradle mountain.
This area is hiking heaven, so pack your trekking gear and be prepared to see some of Tasmania’s finest scenery along with its native wildlife. If you have a real sense of adventure, get on the Overland track. 65km of amazingness from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, that’s going on my next itinerary for sure!
4. Tarkine Coast
Tasmania’s Northwest is the meeting of the gentle, dreamy sandy stretches of beach from the Northern coastline to the extremely dramatic, windswept gnarly rocks of the West Coast!
To appreciate this in all its epicness I took a helicopter over the area to get the full extent of the contrast, what my eyes looked down on blew my mind! This has to be one of the coolest scenic flights in Australia, just for sheer epic contrast alone.
The aptly named ‘Edge of the World’ was our destination! Open seas all the way to South America really makes you feel alive when you clamber up the huge, jagged rocks to take a look out at sea. With waves breaking into a foamy mess for hundreds of meters out into the ocean it was hard to get the camera out rather than just sit and take it all in!
This stretch of coast in the Tarkine is known to be some of the wildest in Australia, creating some of the coolest looking land formations. A stop at the notorious Sarah Anne Rocks was a no-brainer before we left the region.
5. Central West Coast and Highlands
The last stop before returning to Hobart is the enchanting town of Strahan. Home to the longest beach in Tasmania, a harbour five times the size of Sydney’s and the world famous Gordon River.
Ocean Beach is unmissable to really appreciate a West Coast sunset in all its glory. After a cruise down the Gordon River, you'll never want to leave! If you're hungry for more, you also have unreal waterfalls to visit before tripping back to Hobart. Hogarth and Nelson Falls are both epic, I highly recommend them!
It’s not hard to see why Tasmania should be done before you die. Release your inner adventure and get over to the Island state!
Written by Tom Jessett.
Travel and landscape photography is my game, if you want to see all the photos and hear more of my stories on the road, tune in to my social media channels!
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