Tasmanian Holiday: The Story so Far!

November 11th, 2011 |

A Tasmanian holiday… what makes people choose to visit the Apple Isle
over other places? Which attractions appeal to people? And when tourists
do get here, what Tasmanian regions and towns are high on their priority list?

We met a couple from South Australia at Hollybank Treetops Adventure. They
seemed so enthusiastic about their Tasmanian holiday, I asked them about
the highlights of their trip. Adam and Jen were only too pleased to share
their experience with us. And when you hear how much they achieved
during their short stay, your head will be spinning! This is their story.

Adam & Jen Thompson on their Tasmanian holiday

Our Tasmanian Holiday

by Jen Thompson

We chose a Tasmanian holiday because neither of us had ever been there before. We also knew we could cover a lot of attractions during our visit. We had a bit of a rough start on the Spirit of Tasmania, which Adam didn’t exactly enjoy. After he found his land legs, we started our Tassie trip in Launceston. We based ourselves there for the first three days and branched out and did day trips everywhere. We found lots of things to do in Launceston…

Launceston City Park and the Japanese macaques monkeys
Cataract Gorge Reserve
Tasmanian Copper & Metal Art Gallery in Carrick
Cradle Mountain
Jailhouse Grill for dinner
Tasmania Zoo

After leaving Launceston, we went on to Seahorse World in Beauty Point, then across to Bridport to do some quad-biking and then down to Bicheno for an east coast stop over. From there, we drove to Hobart where we parked ourselves for another for three days. While in the south of Tasmania, we went to…

We returned to stay in Launceston for another two days, and that’s when we went to Hollybank Treetops Adventures. We absolutely loved our stay, but we needed to go home for a rest!! It felt like we had walked, driven and eaten everywhere. But we will definitely be returning for another Tasmanian holiday, because we realise there’s so much more we didn’t get to see. The west coast is high on the list for next time. And if we had to narrow down just one thing that made our Tasmanian holiday so memorable, it would be the scenery. The views were “to die for” in every direction.

Tasmanian Holiday Photos

Here’s some of my favourite holiday snapshots and a little explanation about each for anyone who hasn’t been to Tassie yet.

Kookaburra Ridge Quad Bike Adventures

With Kookaburra Ridge Quad Bike Adventures you get to ride the quad bikes through the north east bush. There are plenty of twists, turns, mud puddles and hills as you ride through scenic countryside, with an adrenalin rush guaranteed. A memorable outdoor experience, offering something for everyone. The operators are warm, friendly and very welcoming. We loved it so much we did two sessions back to back, but boy did we feel it afterwards! Found muscles we didn’t even know existed.

A highlight of our Tasmanian holiday, the Kookaburra Ridge Quad Bike Adventures

Cataract Gorge Reserve Launceston

Cataract Gorge in Launceston was excellent. It was a nice, smooth and easy walk around the paths we took. Due to recent flooding, some areas were blocked off, but that didn’t stop us. We took the chair lift across the Gorge and found the views breath-taking; then we stopped off at the Gorge Cafe for morning tea before setting off on another walk.

Cataract Gorge Reserve in Launceston, a must-see on a Tasmanian holiday

Legerwood

We found these wood-carved, tree statues at Legerwood fascinating. Never seen them before… it must be a Tassie thing!

The memorial avenue of tree carvings at Legerwood, unique to Tassie

Mt Field National Park & Russell Falls

The walk to Russell Falls at Mt Field National Park started off easy enough, until it was time to go up the mountain of stairs to Horseshoe Falls. We took the Tall Trees Walk (more stairs) to finally reach Lady Barron waterfall. In all it was a lovely cool walk and we would definitely do it again.

Russell Falls is in Mt Field National Park about an hour or so from Hobart

Hollybank Treetops Adventure

We had a ball flying through the treetops. The weather was cool but nice enough. The only gripe I had with the adventure was the price. It was $80 entry and you weren’t allowed to take your own camera for safely reasons, so I reckon they should give you at least one free picture with the entry price. Other than that, it was wonderful and we’d definitely do that again too. We might even do the night tour next time.

Hollybank Treetops Adventure, a flying fox ride through the Tasmanian forest

Tahune AirWalk

The Tahune AirWalk extends for 597 metres, taking you on an amazing tour through the treetops. At the very top of the boardwalk you got to see a superb view of the Huon River and surrounding Tasmanian forest. The day we went it rained on us on the boardwalk, but once we descended back down to the forest floor it stopped. There’s also two swinging bridges and we had a ball bouncing around on them too.

In the south of the state, the Tahune AirWalk was a magical part of our holiday

Launceston City Park

We found Launceston City Park fascinating because we have never come across an exhibit containing Japanese macaque monkeys in the middle of a city before. Also in the park were other fascinating things like the John Hart Conservatory, an outdoor chess game, fish pond, ride-on-train, water fountains, statues and many more cool things. If you visit the place, make sure you visit the lovely ladies at the milk bar across from the main entrance. They do excellent chicken and salad rolls and coffee to die for.

Launceston City Park, and the Japanese monkeys in the middle of the city

East Coast Natureworld

While in Bicheno we went to East Coast Natureworld. Boy, you need a cut lunch and a water bottle to see this place: it’s huge!! Various times during the day there are animal feedings, but you can just go at your own pace. There’s loads of animals to see; nature walks; an old mine site; the beach lookout and the park’s very own private beach.

East Coast Natureworld in Bicheno, part of our whirlwind Tasmanian holiday

Tasman Peninsula

You drive through a little town called Doo Town to get to Tasman Arch. While there, you can also see Devils Kitchen. It over looks Pirates Bay and has absolutely beautiful views. We continued up the road to the Blow Hole also.

Tasman Arch on the Tasman Peninsula via Doo Town

These two have actually been to some places we haven’t even covered on
Think Tasmania yet. Just goes to show what an endless supply of material we
have! And what do you think? Did Jen and Adam cover all the essentials of a
good Tasmanian holiday, or is there something really vital they missed?
Please let us (and them) know by leaving a reply below.
You never know… they might factor it in to their next visit.

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