Tour of Tasmania

To celebrate a milestone birthday for Mom, we took her on a tour around Tasmania. We did a repeat of our trip five years ago with the exception of the Australian Open and we started from Launceston and ended in Hobart this time. Tasmania is as beautiful as we remembered and Mom was not disappointed.

From Tour of Tasmania

Melbourne
We decided to meet Mom in Melbourne before flying together to Tasmania. She had never been and has been wanting to go and we always enjoy our visits there. So we eventually found Mom after her she missed her original flight (along with many others) from Sydney because of her delayed flight from Los Angeles. Luckily she was on next the plane that arrived not too long after us. We were happy to see her and it was lovely that Nicholas and Catherine welcomed her straight away. They spent the next couple of days reacquainting with Granny.

We took the Skybus from the airport into the city and then a free shuttle to our hotel, Mantra Southbank. Lunch was at the Southgate food court, followed by a ride on the City Circle tram. The best dinner on our trip was on the first night at the Taiwan Cafe on Swanston Street near Melbourne Central.

We took in some of the city’s culture the next day and visited the National Gallery of Victoria, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. And after another filling breakfast at our hotel, we spent our last morning in Melbourne at Fitzroy Gardens.

Cradle Mountain
Soon after landing at Launceston, we picked up our hire car and drove to Cradle Mountain in the late afternoon. We drove to the Visitor’s Centre the next morning and took a shuttle into the national park to the last stop. After Catherine got over one of her memorable tantrums at Cradle Mountain, we walked to the boat shed on the Dove Lake circuit. Nicholas and Catherine even dipped their feet in the cold lake. In the afternoon we did a few more walks and spotted a few wombats. I stayed in the car with Catherine while she took her nap and the rest went on the Dove Lake circuit again but this time to Glacier Rock. We also did a new walk at Waldheim which ended with a magnificent view of Cradle Valley from the road. It was nice to see that both kids enjoyed hiking and appreciated the beauty around them.

Coles Bay
The best accommodation on our trip was at Coles Bay. We had a three bedroom house and lots of room to move around. It was only a few minutes drive to the Freycinet National Park and down the road from Sandpiper Beach. The adults even had some time to relax while Nicholas and Catherine had a blast playing out in the garden. Another highlight was Nicholas going up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout with Daddy and Granny. This time he went up on his own two feet. Last time Phil carried him all the way up the 600 steps. It was a huge achievement for him and Granny was especially proud to do it with him. Catherine and I stayed behind as I had injured my right knee a week before and we didn’t want to risk having to carry Catherine up if she got tired.

Hobart
After four days away, it was nice to be back in civilisation. We did all the usual tourist destinations around Hobart except for Port Arthur. We saw the devestating aftermath of the fires when we drove through the Tasman Peninsula. It was a gloomy morning when we first drove through which added to the solemn mood. Fortunately the sun appeared by the time we reached the Tasman Blowhole, Arch and the Devil’s Kitchen and we were able to take in the breathtaking coastal views. Along with the Tasman Peninsula, we enjoyed the Salamanca Market experience and the spectacular view of Hobart from Mt Wellington.