Tasmania wilderness; A teaser on things to see and do
If you’re looking for a holiday with great walks, great sights and a variety of activities, then I highly recommend visiting Tasmania’s many National Parks and Reserves – any time of the year.
The summer months are the peak travel season, however my wife and I choose winter for our visit. Being off peak, we grab some bargain lastminute deals on flights and accommodation to keep our holiday costs down.
There are 19 National Parks and over 420 Reserves within Tasmania, however the Parks and Wildlife Service have the 60 Great Short Walks to help you select some possible destinations. We do this, but also look for other things to do besides walking.
The Tasmanian Devils are high on our Tassie list, and we get the perfect opportunity to do so on a 90 minute Cradle Mountain After Dark Feeding Tour while we visit the Cradle Mountain National Park.
Waiting for food, our Tassie Devil isn’t impressed with the light snow fall.
Cradle Mountain is probably the most well known Tasmanian wilderness destination and it deserves the accolades. We wake to a light dusting of snow over the ground that adds to the charm and beauty of our surroundings.
Tip: A number of Tasmania’s National Parks have excellent accommodation within the park itself which is convenient if you plan to do more than just a day trip. We spend a bit extra to stay in luxury at the Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge for two nights so we can explore more of this beautiful location. Lastminute lovely Mitzi wrote about her experience here.
Lodge in snow from cabin. Our early morning view to the Lodge.
Walks of varying difficulties are available here. We choose the easy Dove Lack Circuit walk and see spectacular rainforest, mountains and alpine landscape – plus the lake, of course.
It’s snowing on Cradle Mountain and us too.
I love waterfalls and there are plenty to see in Tasmania. The Mt Field National Park has three that are conveniently located and easy to see on a day trip or tour. Russell Falls is the most famous and accessible, but we make the effort to see the nearby Horseshoe Falls as well.
I need a wider lens for Russell Falls!
Horseshoe Falls are worth the walk up the stairs from Russell Falls.
It rains a lot in Tasmania, but that doesn’t worry us as we do a cave tour at Mole Creek Karst National Park. In fact, the recent rain enhances the tour as the water seeps into the ground and drips off the stalactites to fill normally dry rock pools. Our guide is informative and entertaining for the 45 minute tour as we explore the caves viewing the various formations.
Caption: Beautiful Formations in King Solomon’s Cave.
Another cave tour is at the Hastings Creek Reserve, south of Hobart. This tour is more demanding physically than at Mole Creek, requiring around 500 steps to navigate but is still easy to do. Again our guide is great, using a torch to point out various unusual features.
It’s easy to see the great features in this well maintained dolomite cave.
A bit further south of Hastings Creek Reserve, is Cockle Creek in the Southwest National Park. It’s the end of the road here, the most southern part of Australia you can drive to! We do a short walk to see the view of the bay. It’s possible to do a much longer walk that takes you to the southern tip of Tasmania. Or multiple day walks to the remote wilderness in the southwest.
A poignant reminder of the Southern Right Whale, almost driven to extinction by whaling in the 1800s.
The pristine region of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park is on our must do list. We want to see for ourselves the now world famous area that was fought so hard for by environmentalists. They successfully stopped a dam being constructed on the Franklin-Gordon river and got the area listed as a World Heritage site. As we walk through the wilderness, we are impressed by the scenery and grateful to those who had fought so hard for it.
Franklin River wilderness near the Surprise River confluence.
We are quiet and careful walkers, so we often see a lot of wildlife, even if only for a short time before they race off into the bush. Pademelon are plentiful, but we also see wombats, platypus, dolphins, fairy penguins, parrots, wrens, ravens and other birds and even some fish near a waterfall!
This pademelon was surprised by my appearance.
A shy wombat peeking from the bushes.
There is plenty of photographic potential. Freycinet National Park is well known for the Wineglass Bay, however there are many other parts to the park that are picturesque. Sleepy Bay has a short walk showing red lichen on the rocks, similar to those found in the Bay of Fires further to the north.
Wineglass Bay from the Lookout.
The kelp forests darken the waters of Sleepy Bay.
Fungi, moss and lichen are everywhere you go. We are amazed by the variety and quantity we see in all the parks and reserves.
Weird fungi everywhere!
This has been a teaser on a few things you can see and do in some of Tasmania’s National Parks and Reserves. I assure you there’s much more possible to suit your time, fitness levels and interests that you will have an amazing time on your holiday.
Finally, before you go, remember to prepare for the trip. Tasmania has quite variable weather conditions and can get cold, wet, snowy or windy very quickly. Dress accordingly and take the appropriate gear with you when you visit. Note that some parks require you to sign a register before doing any walks, even the short ones.
Tip: A valid park entry permit is required for entry to Tasmania’s national parks. If you’re planning to do multiple parks, buy a Holiday Pass online before you travel.
Have you been to Tasmania? What was your favourite part?
There are no comments
Add yours