Five of our favourite Tasmanian road trips

With Easter on the way, here are five of our favourite Tasmanian road trips. Tasmania makes a real effort to self-guide visitors (see links within this story for more) through its many and varied landscapes, including the first of our top five road trips.

The famous Great Eastern Drive, beginning (or ending) in Hobart, is a 295km route along Tassie’s east coast to rival Victoria’s Great Ocean Road for spectacular ocean views – and serves to access three of the state’s better-known National Parks: Maria Island, Freycinet, and Douglas-Aspley.

From the postcard-perfect scenery of Wine Glass Bay and Coles Bay through sleepy coastal villages like Orford, the Great Eastern Drive also accesses Tasmania’s famed Convict Trail and captivating Painted Cliffs before terminating in beautiful Saint Helens.

If you’re up for a bite to eat, the east coast is famous for its curried scallop pies and now-legendary Mount Elephant pancakes.

Winding from Hobart to Launceston, the Heritage Highway quite literally traces the footprints of Tasmania’s convict past.

The road closely traces the original path carved by convict labour in the early 1800s, linking wonderfully-preserved historic towns such as Richmond (home to Australia’s oldest bridge), Evandale, Ross, Campbell Town and Fingal – many with their own World Heritage Listed convict sites.

Considering its relatively short 200km length, the Heritage Highway boasts many man-made and natural sites, including Georgian cottages and bridges constructed from hand-hewn stone, plus wonderfully preserved farming homesteads and attractions such as the towering Ben Lomond alpine region.

If a little more history is on the agenda, don’t miss the Heritage Highway Museum in Campbell Town, Brickendon and Woolmers Estate, or the National Rose Garden.

While Tasmania’s east coast draws much of the limelight, it’s the raw and rugged beauty of the state’s north-west that we reckon shouldn’t be missed.

From the ferry terminal in Devonport the road west passes picturesque vistas of Bass Strait, the towns of Ulverstone and Penguin a handy stop-off on the way to Narawntapu National Park or the Tasmanian Arboretoreum – and its 1900 trees!

Whether you continue west to Stanley, and its famous ‘nut’, or trek farther south through Gunns Plains and on to Zeehan, Strachan and Queenstown you’ll be dazzled by the scenery – and a unique collection of wildlife that includes platypus, devils and forester kangaroos.

Train spotters will also appreciate the historic West Coast Wilderness Railway that winds through Queenstown’s thick forest and on to Strachan, the 35km rail journey well worth extending to an overnight stay to take in the dramatic Hell’s Gates, entry to the mighty Southern Ocean.

Or stop by some of the spectacular man-made lakes used to power Tasmania’s extensive hydro-electric grid.

Cradle Mountain and Lake Saint Clair National Park are each a must-do for any Tasmanian road trip. The cover shot of many a tourist brochure, Cradle Mountain is itself a highlight of any visit to the Apple Isle, but the surrounding area is equally worth the drive.

Heading south from Burnie, the road to Cradle Mountain begins with the Devonport Maritime Museum and Tiagarra Aboriginal Centre, stunning Coles Beach and historic Latrobe – home to several antique shops and a café serving delicious home-made fudge – before passing through Warrawee Forest Reserve, home to the Australian Axeman’s Hall of Fame.

Dairy and berry farms dot the countryside through Sheffield and Elizabeth Town, and depending on which way you tackle it, the 226km circuit offers impressive views to Cradle Mountain and the World Heritage Wilderness Area that stretches to the horizon beyond.

Oh, and don’t fall into to Lake Saint Clair – at 160m it’s the deepest in Australia!

No Tasmanian road trip is complete without taking a drive to Port Arthur. This 205km circuit from Hobart runs along the picturesque Tasman Peninsula, taking in views that include the tallest sea cliffs in the world, and a history unique to what we once knew as Van Diemen’s Land.

Passing through historic Richmond (mentioned in Heritage Highway above), and the vineyards of Coal River Valley, Eaglehawk Neck and the Tasman National Park, this well-travelled road ends at the famous former convict settlement of Port Arthur; and accesses side trips including Tasman Island and Remarkable Cave we strongly recommend seeing.

Port Arthur operated as an ‘industrialised’ penitentiary from 1830-77, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site now home to more than a dozen sandstone buildings that remind visitors of the hardships once endured in this isolated place.

Obviously Tasmania offers much more than we can squeeze into our top-five shortlist. As well as being a place of outstanding natural beauty, it’s also a terrific state for enjoying a drive – and unparalleled views.

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