Trip to Tasmania following animals and nature
Tasmania, an island in southern Australia, near Melbourne, is the island where you will get the most opportunities to see unique wildlife roaming free. Just from the large amounts of animals run over on the sides of the roads, you can understand how many wild animals roam the island freely and unfortunately many of them end their lives in a cruel encounter with modernization.
And it's not like there are many cars on the island. On the contrary, when you move away from the big city of Hobart, the number of cars dwindles rapidly. Sometimes you drive for long minutes without meeting a single car.
Arrival:
The capital city of Tasmania - Hobart, has an international airport, and it is also recommended to stay a few nights in Hobart from where you can take several beautiful trips on the island of Tasmania and also on small islands adjacent to it.
Recommended hotels in Hobart:
A 5-star hotel located in the historic center of Hobart. 2 restaurants, bar, gym, parking, free internet.
♦ The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart
A 5-star hotel located in the city center. Bar, gym, private parking, free internet. Shuttle from the airport.
A 4-star hotel in the city center. Indoor pool, sauna, bar, private parking, free internet.
A 4-star apartment hotel in the city center. Free parking and internet.
♦ Mayfair Plaza Motel and Apartments
A 4-star motel with rooms and apartments close to the city center. Free parking and internet.
♦ Recommended guided tours in Tasmania (to book from Viator):
Tasmania is an ideal destination for nature lovers. In addition to the variety of unique animals it has (most of which have a pouch) which can be seen walking freely in nature or in a plethora of zoos and reserves, the island has an impressive selection of national parks, with diverse landscapes where you can see lakes, waterfalls, climb mountain peaks, walk between beaches with bright white sand, wild cliffs, alpine vegetation and forests with giant trees. Trekking enthusiasts will be able to hike in them for several days on organized treks (some of which require registering long in advance due to their huge popularity), but less energetic travelers, including families with young children, will also find easy and charming walking trails in the parks.
At the entrance to the first park you visit, it is recommended to purchase a pass for the national parks in Tasmania which you will use again later in the trip.
Google map of Tasmania:
The three most popular national parks on the island are:
Mount Field National Park
The most successful hiking trails in the park are:
Russel Falls - An easy half-hour trail that goes through rich characteristic vegetation and reaches an observation point of the waterfalls.
Tall Tree Walk - Another easy trail of about half an hour that goes through a forest of the tallest flowering trees in the world: Swamp Gums.
Pandani Grove Nature Walk - A sub-alpine area near a charming lake, Lake Dobson, abundant with trees and flowers with impressive scenery. The drive by car to Lake Dobson takes about 30 minutes. The duration of the hike on the circular trail is about 40 minutes.
Freycinet National Park
The park is adjacent to the town of Coles Bay in the east of the island. It is a national park with a spectacular view of bays with white sands and turquoise water, rocks, plenty of wildflowers and wildlife.
Two successful short hiking trails are: Cape Tourville Walk - A circular trail of about 20 minutes around the lighthouse near the coastline, on raised platforms from which there is an impressive view of Wineglass bay and to the Friendly Beaches.
A successful short trail is on the Friendly Beaches themselves - beautiful white beaches that can be reached by a good dirt road. Near the parking lot is an observation point of the beautiful beaches. The beaches are located about 18 km north of Coles Bay.
The highlight of the visit to the park is a hiking trail to the lookout over Wineglass Bay - Wineglass Bay Lookout (about an hour to an hour and a half climb to the most beautiful lookout point in Tasmania) and then a descent to Wineglass bay down to the beach. The duration of the circular trip (which includes a quite steep climb on the way back) is about 2:30-3:00. Highly recommended! You arrive at a magical and isolated beach in a wild bay with plenty of animals (including friendly kangaroos and seagulls that will eat from your hand).
It is possible to combine a cruise by the Freycinet Sea Cruises company which will allow you to see the beautiful beaches and bays from the sea and also see a variety of sea animals (dolphins, whales, seals) and caves in the cliffs in the sea.
You can take a scenic flight in a light aircraft over the bay, the beaches and the cliffs.
Cradle Mountain National Park
Entrance to the park by car is prohibited. You park near the visitor center and from there take a free shuttle to the various points in the park.
Considered the most famous park in Tasmania. It is known for its amazing trek, the "Overland" trek where hikers travel for several days and stay in huts along the route.
Recommended hiking trails for day trips are:
Dove Lake Circuit - A 6 km trail, about two hours of walking that circles Dove Lake with the full splendor of the Cradle mountains all around. The lake is 7.7 km from the park entrance.
Nearby, you can also circle the small "Lilla" lake on a circular trail that is 1.2 km long (about 30 minutes).
Enchanted Walk - A circular 800-meter trail (about 20 minutes of walking) that starts from the park entrance and passes through vegetation characteristic of the area.
Between the different parts of the park connects an 8.5 km trail called Cradle Valley Boardwalk that you can walk only part of between two shuttle stations, instead of riding the bus.
Drive back to the "Mole Creek" area. If time permits, you can take a short trip to Devils Gullet (drive on the B12 road between Mole Creek and the King Solomon caves and then drive on the C138 road, whose last 14 km are unpaved). The duration of the walk on the trail is about 40 minutes. The view of the cliffs rising above the Fisher River valley is impressive and the observation point at the end of the trail provides a 180-degree view of the Cradle mountain peaks.
There are many more interesting nature sites in Tasmania including stalactite caves, arches and cliffs in the water and more.
On the website: https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=1315 there are recommendations for 60 easy trails recommended by Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service throughout the country.
♦ Car rental from the reliable and convenient Booking site: Booking.com
Wildlife Parks
The best wildlife park in Tasmania is: Trowunna Wildlife Park .This is an Australian wildlife park especially famous for its Tasmanian devils, but it has a large variety of typical marsupials such as: kangaroos, koalas, wombats and a plethora of other marsupials that you probably haven't even heard of.
In the park, guided tours are held three times a day among the various animals including petting koalas and Tasmanian devils, watching the feeding of the Tasmanian devils and sometimes you can even hold a wombat joey or another marsupial.
The park is located in Mole Creek in the northern part of the island.
Other wildlife parks that boast their Tasmanian devils are:
Devils@Cradle in Sheffield
Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park on the Tasman Peninsula in the south-east of the island (near Port Arthur). In the park, guided night tours are also held following the Tasmanian devils.
Something Wild Wildlife Sanctuary near "Mount Field" National Park also provides a unique night trip.
The most fascinating encounter with animals awaits you in the north of the island, in the town of Low Head, where you will join a small-group guided tour following the penguins emerging from the sea.
Booking in advance is required. The tour leaves every evening as the sun sets. Amazing and highly recommended!
(Another penguin tour is held in the east of the island near the town of Bicheno).
Not far from there, in the beautiful "Tamar Valley", in the town of "Beauty Point" you can visit the "Platypus House" where you will learn a lot about the only duck-billed mammal in the world with a pouch and about the cute Echidna and also the world of seahorses, Seahorse World where an interesting guided tour is held between aquariums containing seahorses of all types and species.
There are over 15 more parks and wildlife reserves on the island, so for animal lovers it is a real celebration!
One animal you won't get to see (except for its stuffed version) is the Tasmanian tiger, which has already gone extinct from the world.
In addition to animals and nature, the island also has historical sites (the most famous and fascinating of all is the Port Arthur prison), factories for chocolate, beer and cheese, colorful markets, elegant and vibrant cities: Launceston and of course the capital Hobart, adventure and entertainment facilities (such as flying on a glider attached to a cable, plant mazes, mini golf, etc.) and everything is surrounded by peaceful and magical landscapes.
It is no wonder that many call Tasmania the "New Zealand" of Australia.