South Tasmania in 3 days

Traveling to Tasmania for 3 days with two kids is challenging.

There was no lingering in cellar doors. No long lunches. No sleep ins. It’s all about balance.

We hired a car for our stay as we really wanted to venture to the surrounds of Hobart at our own pace.

What we did…..

MONA

Our visit here was shorter than I would have liked due to our arrival time. But we all loved it. The setting, the architecture, the curatorship, and the diverse works on display were all exceptional. And it was fine for the kids. Yes, we had heard about the ‘sensitive’ art works on display, but we just told our two that there were certain art pieces just for adults and kept them occupied elsewhere. And what was there, wasn’t really that sensitive.

The building really pulls you in, right down to the depths below making me feel drawn to return again.

ROAD TRIP.

We drove from Hobart to Port Arthur, occasionally steering off the beaten track and discovering special places, both touristy and hidden, but all magical.

The kids wanted to know what my favourite part of Tassie was and it was by far the flora. The wildflowers on the roadside, the colours of the valleys, the water life. So abundant and vibrant.

Port Arthur itself was fine, it is a spectacular place, well worth going to if you have never been to Southern Tasmania before, but if you miss it, then there are plenty of other things to fill your days.

 

Tasmanian Devils. Well as I said earlier, we went with kids. We couldn’t drive by without stopping at a conservation centre and the admission fees go to a very good cause.

We also drove down through the Huon Valley area to Cygnet and had many stopovers. The landscape is stunning. The fact that my two were on top of Mt Wellington playing in snow one day and then running around on the beach the next (albeit rugged up) is pretty special.

 

MARKETS and FOOD

If you are an Australian, you know that Tasmania offers some of the most amazing food and beverages. Google it if you have been living under a rock. We drank lots of quality wine, ate at a few nice restaurants, did the Salamanca markets….which are OK…there’s a lot of crap, but plenty of individual artisans and producers that are worth the look. I managed to walk to a few shops, and drink a few coffees here and there.

 

But for me it was about the landscape. I left dreaming of buying a cottage on a grassy hillside. Somewhere with a few open fires, walking distance to the rock pools on a beach, white wisteria falling over a stone walls and a backyard full of wildflowers. A place to retreat to with friends and family. Then I remembered how cold it is in winter. 

Comments

[michelle]

You know - it's not so cold in winter. I grew up in Hobart - and while in the mornings the walk to school would be slippery - with feathery ice-patterns on the footpaths, by the afternoon you'd have your jumper off and be racing around on the beach. Hobart is sheltered by the mountain, so even very cold days seem warmer somehow.... And there is something so magical about going up the mountain to see some snow almost any time you like, and the smell of the rainforest undergrowth, and the wildlife, and the coastlines.... I could go on for months. Glad you got there.