10 day roadtrip around Tasmania

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
8
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
77 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
71st/454
Top 20%
continent
Oceania
country
Australia
Length of time
Around a week
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$210 ($600-$1,400 in 2020 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Adventure Driving Mountains
All Tags
Beaches Boat trip Bridges Bustling restaurants Forests Gardens Hiking Islands Isolation Lagoons Lakes Local villages Mazes Museums Sunsets Swimming Train journey UNESCO world heritage site Volcanoes
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐
Summary

Tasmania is one of the jewels of Australia for its rugged remoteness, world-class natural landscapes, unique history and fewer tourist numbers compared to some of the other famous sites.  It also has the added benefit of being far smaller than some of the other parts of Australia, which makes it ideal for a week-10day road trip.  The itinerary below gives you the highlights of this wonderful little island

 

3 high level tips:

  1. Could do in a week?  You could do this itinerary in a week by shaving off Port Arthur and the Tamar Valley, but it will feel a little rushed.  10 days far better . . . and don’t make the error most people make which is dropping the west coast – it is the highlight of Tasmania
  2. UNESCO rate Tasmania – the high scores give an idea for just how impressive Tasmania is, and in particular the West Coast.  But don’t only take my word for it.   UNESCO have 10 potential criteria for a site to be designated World Heritage, with only one of the criteria needed to be met.  The Tasmanian Wilderness Area in the south west part of Tasmania meets 7 of the 10 criteria which, alongside Tai Shan in China, places it at the top of all sites in the world.  Really is quite a remarkable place to visit
  3. Tasmania or South Island New Zealand?  The two are often compared as they’re relatively close and similar sizes which, considering the world-class natural landscapers of the South Island, gives you an idea of the quality on offer in Tasmania.  Broadly, I’d say that the South Island just nudges it from a natural sites point of view based on its snow capped mountains, glaciers and fjords, but Tasmania clearly wins from a cultural significance point of view and might just shade it based on its more compact size for a roadtrip and its lower fellow tourist numbers
Highlights
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#1 Heading off for a tour of Macquarie Harbour and its surrounding islands in style on the premier upper deck of one of the cruise boats

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#2 Driving through the interior of Tasmania with its magnificent wilderness and hardly anyone else around

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#3 Heading into the West Coast rainforests to see some of famous Huon Pines, some of the tallest trees in the world and used by the British Royal Navy for their tallest ship's masts

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#4 Keeping an eye out for wildlife unique to Tasmania. In particular the famous Tasmanian Devil

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#5 Taking the steam train West Coast Wilderness Railway to explore some of the abandoned old logging stations and villages hidden away in the rainforest

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#6 Seeing, and swimming in, the gorgeously coloured tannin-infused waters that come rushing into the harbour from the many rivers of the area. If not to your taste, don't worry, its crystal clear in many places as well

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#7 Wineglass Bay and views over one of the world's most famous beaches

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#8 Staying in the very cute and friendly village of Strahan, which is the place to base yourself for all adventure around the harbour

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#9 Views over Hobart from nearby Mount Wellington

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#10 The world-class beaches and their magnificent west-facing sunsets

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#11 Walking up the steep, but thankfully short, slopes of "The Nut" - an extinct volcano with great views of Stanley and the landscape around

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#12 Getting lost in the quirky and fun Tasmazia, formerly the world's largest maze, and with the glorious backdrop of Cradle Mountain

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#13 Lying on the white sand beaches of the Bay of Fires

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#14 A half day visit to Port Arthur to see what it could have been like to be sent to the British Empire's more infamous prison

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#15 Crossing the cute gorge bridges of the pretty Tamar Valley

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The route

Day 1 – Hobart.  Give yourself a day to wander the picturesque streets of Hobart, sample the world-class food and maybe drive up to the top of nearby Mount Wellington for views over the city and its gorgeous setting

Day 2 – drive from Hobart to Strahan.  The 4 hour drive won’t feel like a chore as you cross the Tasmanian interior and look out across some of the most stunning wilderness in the world

Day 3-5 – Macquarie Harbour.  Make sure to spend 3 days in this highlight of Tasmania and the joint highest rated site in the world according to UNESCO’s 10 criteria.  Take the boat trip round the harbour and islands, the train up to the abandoned logging sites, hike the nearby mountains and fish at Hell’s Gates entrance to the second largest harbour in the southern hemisphere.  For more tips see – Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania – fishing, sailing, trains and hiking

Day 6 – Stanley and Tasmazia.  Drive up to Stanley to climb The Nut headland and then make your way to Tasmazia for a bit of fun and gorgeous views of Cradle Mountain

Day 7 – Tamar Valley.  Spend a day in the very picturesque Tamar Valley with its changing between steep gorge sides and flatter pretty vineyards

Day 8 – Bay of Fires and Wineglass Bay.  Give yourself the day to travel down the east coast with its Bay of Fires beaches and the world-famous Wineglass bay.  Be sure to walk the 2.5 hours to Wineglass Bay itself as well as the closer lookout

Day 9 – Port Arthur and return to Hobart.  Drive down to see the infamous penal colony where the British empire send its most hardened criminals.  Return back to Hobart

Travel Tips

For the google maps link for the route, see here – 10 Day Tasmania Route Google Maps

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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