Four points of the Compass

The tourists of Tasmania are as diverse as the Apple Isle itself. I bet you can identify with at least one of them.

The adventurous traveller will drive their van onto the Spirit of Tasmania ferry for a road trip devoid of car hire or accommodation in some cases. The foodie tourist will tease you with tales of paddock-to-plate deliciousness that’ll leave you salivating. The motoring aficionados are many – Tassie’s rally-ready roads feed the needs of adrenalin-seeking enthusiasts. The world heritage wilderness sites will amaze everyone, while outdoorsy types revel in hiking, fishing, sailing, mountain-bike riding and 4x4 adventures.

On the other hand, more cultured travellers will make a beeline for MONA while the festival folk flock to Hobart’s Dark Mofo every year. And, of course, there’s the Nude Solstice Swim.

The best thing about Tasmania and its many attractions however, is how their accessibility.

Blessed with great roads and light traffic, Tasmania is very easy to get around. The island spans around 360kms from north to south and 310km from east to west. Just over 68,000 square kilometres, shared by a population of only 511,000. Indeed, over 40 per cent of Tasmania is made up of protected areas, many of which are recognised as World Heritage sites.

We’re taking a week-long road trip in the Jeep Compass Trailhawk touching the four points of the compass to show you just a hint of what’s on offer.

We reckon the recipe for a good road trip is pretty simple really - great roads, a versatile car, interesting destinations and good company.

I bundled my relatively new colleague Alexandra Lawrence (half my age, ten times my energy) into a Jeep Compass Trailhawk for a week of 4x4-pawed adventure. It turns out that being confined to a small but comfortable space for seven days is actually a great way to get to know somebody.

Some solid road trip banter fuelled by probing questions, and face-aching levels of laughter delivered a road trip mash-up of the National Lampoon’s meets Thelma and Louise (minus the crime) with Dumb and Dumber undertones.

Please do persist, as we did.

Anyone keen to take their own wheels to Tasmania will jump on the Spirit of Tasmania. By day or night, it’s around 12 hours afloat.

We took the overnight option and bunked in the close confines of a twin share room for the night. Did I mention this was our first road trip together?

Your other option is a plane. Much quicker, but it leaves you at the mercy of car-rental options upon touchdown.

Whatever way you choose to get there, people are flocking to Tasmania in increasing numbers. The year ended September 2019 saw around 1.32m tourists visit Tasmania, adding around $2.53b to the Tasmanian economy.

It seems the secret is out. (Ed: so too, Nadine and Ali’s catering bill – which contributed substantially to the aforesaid $2.53b)

Our chariot for the week is the Jeep Compass Trailhawk which is available in four variants. The top-ranked Trailhawk badge brings with it a more sophisticated 4x4 system adding Low and Rock mode to its credentials.

Ideal for our trip, the Trailhawk also has a raised ride height, off-road suspension, three tow hooks, under-body skidplates and a full size spare. It’s fitted with 17-inch alloys and the fit-for-purpose rubber floor mats (front and rear) prove to be a godsend given the amount of grit we gather along the way.

We’re hoping the recovery hooks remain nothing more than an aesthetically pleasing feature for our time behind the wheel.

The Trailhawk’s punchy turbo-diesel engine (125kW/350Nm) is a great fit for a road trip that demands versatility and fewer trips to the bowser.

Over seven days we’ll travel close to 1500km visiting the north, west, south and eastern points of Tasmania.

Fresh (debatable!) off the ferry, we head to Stanley where the chairlift to the top of The Nut is something only Ali was game enough to try. I walked the steep zig-zag track and we met at the top where the 360-degree views beyond Stanley are something else.

The Nut (the plug of an extinct volcano) resembles a flat top mountain set on the ocean’s edge. Now it serves as a great tourist attraction and an amazing viewpoint.

Local wildlife includes penguins and seals, both of which you can spot thanks to local tour guides. We didn’t do the evening ghost tour, but maybe you should.

A little further north in Cape Grim, you can inhale the world’s cleanest air! The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, in partnership with the CSIRO, is used as a benchmark for air pollution studies worldwide. Breathe deep and file that.

From Stanley we headed southwest towards the harbour town Strahan on the west coast of Tasmania. A gorgeous waterside village flanked by cottages nestled into the towering hillside, Strahan offers Gordon River tours that explore its convict history.

Picturesque as it is, Strahan is mostly a pit-stop on our way to Ocean beach at Macquarie Heads where the Trailhawk’s off-road ability will come into play traversing the sandy coastline.

It’s Ali’s introduction to sand driving and the Jeep Compass Trailhawk tackled the sandy terrain that leads you to the beachfront with ease.

As the nose of your car lowers over the last mound, you’re met with kilometres of white sand.

With the fear of being swept off the beach to Antarctica front of mind, Ali kept it straight and steady and the well-compacted sand offered a stable bed for our Falken Wildpeak rubber.

We’ve got to admit though, as we approach our blind exit point and the expanse of sand gave way to trees and lapping waves, we got nervous. You should always be weary of quick shifting tides. With our researched tide times on point, we live to tell the tale. Make sure you do too.

Traversing Tasmania’s coastline on the sand was definitely a trip highlight. If you’ve never done sand driving, it’s worth a try. But do your homework and don’t go alone. Here are some tips.

Exiting Strahan, we head inland to continue our journey south. Motoring enthusiasts will be familiar with the stretch of the Lyell Highway (A10) just outside Queenstown known as 99 bends. The roads are narrow, the bends tight and the mountain peaks are stunning at every turn.

With Ali’s race-ready adrenalin in check, the Trailhawk offered some unexpected point-and-go fun around the tight turns. Fit for purpose again.

The bends ease a little as the A10 dissects the national parks of Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair. Here you’ll skirt the edges of Lake Burbury further inland before the road heads properly south.

The landscape is raw and breathtaking, dotted with campsites throughout.

If romance is ripe, a night at The Pumphouse at Lake St Clair is a must. We ate at the Hungry Wombat Café in Derwent Bridge, adding valuable dollars to the Tasmanian economy and our growing toasted sandwich tally.

Past Hobart and on our way further south, we stop off at Hastings caves which, I’ve got to admit, I was a little nervous about entering. Once you’re inside however, the mesmerising display of stalactites, stalagmites and halectites serve as a perfect distraction from the cavernous depths and 500 man-made steps inside the dolomite cave.

A guided tour takes about 45 minutes and you’ll be glad you did it.

Overnight in the town of Southport, we rise early to head to Whale Lookout - the southernmost point you can drive to and still be in Australia! (Okay, pedants try getting your Jeep Compass to Macquarie Island or Antartica!)

As the name suggests, whales can (apparently) be seen as they pass through on their annual migration. We missed them…

On the way we traversed the gravel roads and potholed path of nearby Boltons Green camp grounds which are home to some of the sweetest beachfronts you’ll ever see. They are small, private and with crystal clear water that is postcard perfect. We can’t vouch for the temperature of the water, however.

Literally at the end of Australia, we now turn about-face and head north-east to what feels like a jewel in Tassie’s tourism trade.

Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park is our final destination. We take the route through the Huon Valley where you’ll find an abundance of orchards and roadside vendors.

The region is famous for its produce including salmon, mushrooms, honey, stone and berry fruits. Many of which we managed to sample at Willie Smith’s Cider House and Apple Shed Museum. Purely for research purposes.

The Huon Highway connects us with the Tasman Highway (A3) north of Hobart for the final leg tracking along Tasmania’s beautiful east coast.

It’s this coast and the Freycinet National Park region that gets a lot of love from snap-happy, outdoorsy, gourmet-loving tourists – it’s got the lot.

We hiked through the Freycinet National Park for a sky-high view of Wineglass Bay, we marvelled at the white sands of Friendly Beaches and honed some new found skills at the Freycinet Marine Farm where you can pull on some waders and explore the oyster farms. A lesson on shucking – and of course eating is another must….

Delicious Pacific oysters and Tasmanian Blue mussels are harvested daily. Tours are also run daily and bookings are a must.

If our whistle-stop tour is too much, you can jump on Discover Tasmania’s website to find some great road trip itineraries… Convict trails, coast to coast, cradle country, heritage highways and more...

A week-long road trip reveals many things – some of which may or may not interest you. One of us can burp on demand, the other snores, lip-gloss is king, laughter is the best medicine, we cheat at cards, can play billiards, we rarely let the truth get in the way of a good story and neither of us can sing (tone deaf?). But I digress…

A long trip can also galvanise what you want and need in a car.

While there’s an abundance of technology in the Trailhawk, must-have inclusions were whittled down to satellite navigation, Apple Carplay (and equal time as DJ), dual-zone climate control and electric adjust heated seats with memory function.

Good oddment storage and cup holders brought us inexplicable joy. Despite this however, at the end of our trip the interior of the Compass Trailhawk looked like a crime scene.

Thus the robust interior trim and removable rubber floor mats were our saviour and the Trailhawk’s wipe clean can-do character served us well.

One-eyed enthusiasts of the European-badge may scoff at the decision of tackle Tasmania’s roads in a compact 4x4, but the versatility of the Jeep Compass Trailhawk allowed us to transition from tarmac to gravel, sandy beaches to rally perfect roads without missing a beat.

Try doing that in your rear-wheel-drive sportscar.

Our four points tour proffers but a glimpse of what Australia’s southern most state has to offer. We leave with a greater respect for the marvel of nature, some excellent oyster-shucking skills and road trip tales to last a lifetime.

Note: Nadine and Alexandra continue to live in different states and their long-distance relationship remains strong.

How much does the 2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk cost?
Price: $44,750 (plus on-road costs)/ $50,145 as-tested
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 125kW/350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 150g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP