Trip extension to Tasmania, southern Australia

HOBART
Arrival in Hobart and collection of your rental car at the airport. Day dedicated to exploring Hobart.

Hobart and its surroundings form a compelling blend of heritage and lifestyle, landscapes and intense cultural life. The city is bordered by river and sea. Take a cruise around the harbour or drive up to the summit of Mount Nelson or Mount Wellington and you’ll understand this place’s maritime character: the suburbs come down to meet the Derwent River, the city’s buildings cluster around the docks, and the estuary widens, opening into Storm Bay and then the sea beyond.

In the 19th-century waterfront warehouses that made the city’s name, whalers, soldiers, minor bureaucrats and opportunistic businessmen once went about their affairs. Today they house cafés, restaurants and studios, and are filled with shoppers and visitors. Parliament House keeps watch over its lawns, once the vegetable garden of old Hobart. The historic Government House sits serenely in its grounds on the city’s northern edge, where the governor’s cows still graze in their paddock right in the city centre, as they always have.

FREYCINET
Drive to the superb Freycinet National Park.
A day to take in this exceptional natural setting and explore Freycinet National Park: the Coles Bay area is one of the island’s most sought-after holiday spots, for visitors and locals alike. It overlooks the clear waters of Oyster Bay, an ideal spot for swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, boating and fishing, and a haven for hikers with its coastal cliffs, forests, trails and beaches.
The resort town of Coles Bay is tucked into a sheltered corner. From there, it’s a short walk across a small saddle to reach Wineglass Bay, a near-perfect crescent of sand ranked among the world’s finest beaches by the American magazine Outside.

2-night stay

LAUNCESTON
Launceston and the Tamar Valley blend history, landscapes, creativity, adventure, entertainment and the fine flavours of good food and wine.
Rising 58 kilometres north of Launceston and winding peacefully down to Bass Strait, the Tamar River is navigable along its entire length, and its sheltered banks provide an ideal environment for numerous species of waterbird.

At Tamar Island, eight kilometres from Launceston, you can walk along a wooden boardwalk over the wetlands and observe birds in their natural habitat. Notley Gorge has deep fern glades, dense rainforest and waterfalls. Little penguins nest in the coastal scrub further north at Low Head, home to Australia’s oldest pilot station. The station has never ceased operations and still guides ships into the river today. From George Town, you can take a boat trip along the coast to see a colony of Australian fur seals on Tenth Island.

The Tamar Valley tourist route takes you through Tasmania’s most productive and well-established wine region. Vines grow on gently sloping hillsides, and the long, mild autumn days add unique cool-climate flavours to these highly regarded wines.

Elegant historic streets and century-old parks and gardens border areas that have found a new lease of life, such as Launceston’s seaport with its restaurants and cafés. A wooden boardwalk links the seaport to the Inveresk cultural precinct, home to one of Australia’s finest regional art museums, the Queen Victoria Museum. With a population of 68,000, the city has a strong sense of identity.

The boardwalk leads to the Home Point rowing course, skirting Royal Park and Kings Park and passing Ritchies Mill with its galleries and restaurants, before winding its way into Cataract Gorge, a place of striking natural beauty.

CRADLE MOUNTAIN
Cradle Mountain, marking the start of the Overland Track, a 65-kilometre long-distance walking trail, forms the northern tip of the 161,000-hectare Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Close to the Overland Track, the park is home to Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak at 1,617 metres, bordered to the east by another magnificent national park, the Walls of Jerusalem.
To take in the full character of this region, follow one of the many short walks that cross the ever-changing vegetation of the shorelines and mountain slopes.
Walk the Enchanted Walk and in just 20 minutes pass from rushing streams into primary rainforest, or set aside most of a day for the climb to the summit.
If you set your sights on the Overland Track, you don’t have to do it alone — guided hikes are available on site.
If the park’s natural history interests you, you’ll appreciate the exhibits at the Visitor Centre, located on the road to Dove Lake.
2-night stay.

In summary:
– 1 night in Hobart, 4-star hotel
– 2 nights in Freycinet National Park, lodge of great charm
– 1 night in Launceston, 4-star hotel
– 2 nights in Cradle Mountain National Park, luxury lodge
– 1 night in Hobart, 4-star hotel