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Tasmania - the little lap
  • Brad and Mandy Pearce
  • Brad and Mandy Pearce

Tasmania - the little lap

We were not able to book a passage on the Spirit of Tasmania for the van (needed to book months in advance), so we dropped the van back home and returned to explore Tasmania by car using cabin accommodation. Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 19, 2026
    Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Not our actual boat - this is SOT4 - we were on SOT2
    Driving up the gangway... and into the holdPort Phillip BayOf course, there is always a lighthouse

    All aboard the Spirit of Tasmania

    January 19 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    After a couple of nights on Queanbeyan, we drove to Geelong, staying in a motel close to our embarkation point for The Spirit of Tasmania (now referred to as the SOT). We have a day sailing, departing Geelong, Victoria at 8.30am and arriving in Devonport, Tasmania at 7pm

    We arrived at the port a couple of hours before sailing, and the boarding process was quite straightforward. The crossing was relatively smooth - we had recliners for a bit more comfort. The caravan park (cabin) was only about a 5 minute drive from the port, so after booking in, we bought a few supplies from IGA as you cannot bring fresh fruit and veggies into Tasmania. We are all set to begin our Tassie adventure.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Mt Roland behind Sheffield
    Ludo and Pedro (mural and the real deal)Samples of the town muralsThese are the competition muralsVinyl records and fancy pianoA couple of tame lorikeets at SheffieldTasmazia - lavender and Lower Crackpot Village and mazeNovelty embassiesEmbassies for Poland, Iceland and HobbitsBalance mazeMersey Bluff lighthouseDevonport port activitySOT1 sailing for Geelong

    Devonport and Sheffield plus more

    January 20 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Our first full day in Tasmania, and we explored a couple of villages and managed to get a bike ride in the afternoon.

    Drove to Sheffield - a beautiful little town with a backdrop of Mt Roland. It is renowned for its murals, and every year (I think), they have a mural competition with a theme. The mural boards are on display as an outdoor art gallery near the visitors centre. Came across "local legends" Ludo and Pedro (his alpaca) having his morning coffee in front of one of the local cafes. They are also the subject of one of murals there.

    Next we visited Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot. I had heard about it on WikiCamps and thought it sounded interesting - loved the name Lower Crackpot. It made me smile but it's a place more suitable for children - the grandkids would have loved it with mazes and funny embassies and a mini town.

    Returning to Devonport we had a nice bike ride along the Western foreshore and down to the port where we were able to watch the SOT1 departing for the night sail back to Geelong.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    The Big Penguin
    Penguin bollards...and garbage binsThe TARDIS book boxLooking forward Wynyard from Fossil BluffFossils on the beach at Fossil BluffLooking across to Table Cape - the green area is covered in tulips in springA seagull decided to sit on the bonnet staring at us while we had a bite to eatViews on the way upViews over Stanley from The NutOn our way downSuch an impressive hillPutting Brad in the picture

    Devonport - Penguin - Stanley

    January 21 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Heading west from Devonport, we travelled along the Northern coastline, visiting some gems along the way to our final destination of Smithton. First port of call was Penguin, where the penguin theme is carried through from garbage bins to bollards and even a big penguin. Not quite fitting the penguin theme is the TARDIS, which serves as a free book exchange.

    We bypassed Burnie but stopped at Wynyard, where we climbed Fossil Bluff for views to the east. To the west was Table Cape, where during springtime, there are wonderful tulip farms. At the moment, though, there are fields of poppies (of the opium variety) that are grown for medicinal purposes such as morphine and codeine. Probably more profitable than tulips.

    Next was the wonderful town of Stanley with its impressive "The Nut." We have stayed here before and it is a very quaint town. We took the chairlift up (and back) to the nut. You can walk, but it is quite steep - besides, there is a fair bit of walking around the top. The views are spectacular, and we were fortunate to have a nice day. We sought out the picture frame for Stanley before heading to Smithton for the next 2 nights.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Walk to Trowatta Arch
    Massive tree fernsLooking down on the sinkholeLooking back up - magicalThe return walkJulius River Rainforest walk - these are the steps i didn't likeSumac lookoutCouta RocksArthur RiverEdge of the World - very windyHuge amounts of driftwood washed upLooking back towards the townViews from Smithton lookoutThe popular picture frame

    Tarkine Loop to the Edge of the World

    January 22 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    While based in Smithton, we drove the Tarkine Loop through the temperate rainforests to the wild coast of the northwest of Tasmania.

    The first stop was Trowatta Arch - a pretty walk through tree ferns and other rainforest trees to a sink hole. It had an almost mystical feel like something out of a fantasy movie (like The Hobbit).

    Further on, we stopped for lunch at Julius River Reserve - packed our own as there are no shops out here - before going on the rainforest walk. The first part was great along a boardwalk. I didn't like the 2nd half so much as there were steep steps on quite a narrow boardwalk with no railing.

    From there, we drove across to the rather desolate coast around Arthur River. A lookout at the town (Arthur River) is named the Edge of the World. It's windy and wild with piles of driftwood and logs washed up on the shore. If you are to head west, you wouldn't hit land for 15,000km (Argentina), as it is further south than South Africa.

    We closed the loop by returning to Smithton and thought we had better get a photo from the lookout as we were leaving in the morning.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Dove Lake boatshed with Cradle Mountain
    Philosophers Falls at WaratahStamping machine (Waratah)First view of Cradle Mountain areaDove LakePart of the Dove Lake CircuitVarious viewpoints around the lakeBrad arriving back (on path left of shed)Brad after doing the circuitView down to the boat shedA couple of photos of Cradle Mountain (from Marion's Lookout?)These are on the wall at one of our accommodation places

    Cradle Mountain

    Jan 23–25 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Finding accommodation near Cradle Mountain was either outrageously expensive or not available/booked out. Managed to secure a room in Tullah, about an hour drove from Cradle Mountain.

    We called into the small town of Waratah on the way to Tullah. Once a tin mining town, now it is home to only about 200 people - no shops except for the roadhouse and the local hotel. There is a waterfall in the town and museum to the tin stamper - press a button and you can see the machine in action (see video). Imagine that noise going day and night.

    Tullah Lakeside Lodge was a pretty location albeit pretty dated - reminded me of a former school or church camp from the 1970s converted to a hotel lodging. We spent the afternoon exploring the local sights - just some lakes and dams.

    Next morning we drove to Cradle Mountain. You have to park at the visitors centre and buy bus shuttle tickets to get to Dove Lake. We had the intention of doing the Dove Lake Circuit, but when they said it consists of 1600 steps and 6km, I opted for the shorter walks to glacier rock and the boatshed, while sending Brad on the loop. He said it wasn't too bad...just long. There are many other walks in Cradle Mountain, but many of them are strenuous, such as Marion's lookout. We called it a day and headed back to Tullah.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Overlooking Strahan
    The Spray Tunnel at ZeehanBonnet Island near entrance of Macquarie HarbourHells Gate to the left of lighthouseThe right side is too shallow for boats to crossFish farming (salmon and trout?)1Reflections on the Gordon RiverSarah Island convict penal colonyThey made boats on Sarah Island - this was the Wharf areaThe grey boat"The Ship that never was"

    Strahan - a nice day for a cruise

    Jan 25–27 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    We took the short drive from Tullah to Strahan, stopping off at Zeehan on the way. Not much at Zeehan, an old silver mining town. The main attraction was the Spray Tunnel, a rail tunnel used to transport the silver ore from the nearby mine. Now it is just a home for glow worms (but only at night). Spray refers to the name of the locomotive, not to an area where it was sprayed with water.

    Strahan is an attractive town. We drove out to the harbour entrance near Hells Gate and the lighthouse on Bonnet Island, while we waited for our accommodation to be ready. It was really windy.

    Last time we were in Strahan (2009), it was raining, and we did the Wilderness Train ride to Queenstown and back. This time, we had booked the Gordon River cruise, and we were fortunate to have a lovely day (Australia Day). The cruise took us from Strahan to Hells Gate (narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour), then down the Gordon River to Heritage Landing. The river reflections we got were magnificent - we were lucky because weather conditions are seldom this good. After a buffet lunch on board, we visited Sarah Island, a penal colony with a very harsh reputation. The guide on the island was quite entertaining. There are 2 companies that offer this tour - the red boat and the grey boat. We were on the grey boat (mainly because we got a 15% discount with NRMA), but they are virtually the same.

    Later that afternoon, we attended the play "The Ship That Never Was". This has been running daily (except Christmas, Good Friday etc) for 30 years. Very entertaining with a lot of audience participation.

    We leave the West Coast now and head towards Hobart and the East Coast of Tasmania.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    2Overlooking Queenstown
    Bit of a moonscape scenery near QueenstownIron Blow lookoutNear Iron Blow lookoutNelson Falls (between Queenstown and Derwent Bridge)The Wall - all the action is inside - no photosPostcards showing samples of the wood carvingBitumen Bones sculptureVeteran Huon Pine - 2300 years old when felled in 1975Gordon DamIt's a long way downI'm getting thereRussell FallsRussell FallsTrack to Horseshoe FallsPademelonHorseshoe Falls

    Queenstown to Maydena (Mt Field)

    Jan 27–29 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Working our way back towards the east, we visited points of interest along the way. Climbing out of Queenstown on the highway known as 99 bends, we stopped at the town lookout. The landscape is no longer the moonscape it once was. The vegetation that had been destroyed by the sulphur gasses that were produced from the copper mining and smelting has regenerated somewhat, although some areas are still quite barren. We also checked out the old Iron Blow mine and Nelson's Falls.

    At Derwent Bridge, about halfway to our destination, we visited the attraction I had been told about, called The Wall in the Wilderness. The Wall is an art installation that consists of a mural, 3m high by over 100m, carved from Huon pine. Generally, the scenes are of farming type scenes, and the detail is incredible. Other items, such as a coat hanging on a peg or a pair of work boots, looked very realistic. No photographs were permitted, but you can get a bit of an idea from the postcards I purchased.

    We stayed in an AirBnB in Maydena and the next day drove out to Gordon Dam. On the way there was a sculpture called Bitumen Bones. It was supposed to represent an animal bone on the side of the road with a crow picking at it. The inspiration was from a poem about a wombat - a road victim. There is plenty of roadkill in Tasmania (mainly possums and pademelons).

    At Strathgordon, the township near the dam, there was a veteran huon pine tree log that was 2300 years old when it was felled in 1975 to make way for the dam. There are markers on the rings with such historical events such as Julius Caesar, signing of the Magna Carta etc. The dam was quite impressive. Of course, we had to walk down to the wall, around 200 steps. The trouble is, we had to climb back up.

    Final stop in this area was Mt Field National Park, home of the beautiful waterfalls often seen on the tourism brochures (Russell Falls). They are very beautiful, however perhaps not flowing as much as the brochures show.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Lookout at Bruny Island isthmus
    Adventure Bay and the Bruny Island cruise boatsInteresting rock formations - the eagleHigh sea cliffsPlenty of sea cavesPeek-a-boo!The needle - we zoomed through hereZoooommm!Breathing rockBreathing rock in actionSeal colonies in this areaPlenty of sealsAm I handsome?PlayingThis behaviour is for temperature regulationLooks strangeAlbatrossGannetsFire memorial at SnugColourful beach shacks near SnugHuon River

    Bruny Island

    Jan 29–Feb 1 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We spent a few days at a little coastal place called Snug, about half an hour south of Hobart. It was only about 10 minutes drive to the Bruny Island ferry and we had booked an adventure cruise around the rugged cliffs of Bruny.

    We had done this cruise back in 2009, unfortunately we were unable to do it properly because the ocean was too rough. This day, however, was perfect with smooth seas. For the next 3 hours or so, we explored sea caves and soaring cliffs, zoomed through narrow passageways and observed seals at play. There was a lot of interesting commentary too.

    After the cruise, we climbed to the top of the iconic Bruny Island lookout located on a narrow isthmus called The Neck. There is a memorial to an Aboriginal woman - Truganini - one of the original people who inhabited Bruny Island before European settlement.

    Back in Snug, there is a memorial to the town that was almost completely destroyed by bushfire in 1967, with 11 people losing their lives. There were also some cute little beach huts nearby. We also did a bit of a drive out to Huonville. Last time we were in Tassie, we did a jet boat ride on the river.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Mt Wellington
    Great viewsTasman Bridge over the DerwentTasman BridgeHobart around Constitution DockLooking up to Mt WellingtonSalamanca marketsMONA - snake by Sidney NolanMONA - close upMONA - bubble carMONAMONA - sparks displayHobart Cenotaph

    Hobart

    Feb 1–5 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After Snug, we spent a few days in Hobart. The holiday park was pretty basic, just cabins, and a bit noisy as it was right next to the Tasman Hwy, but it was convenient to the city so that was OK.

    Main things we did in Hobart were a visit to Mt Wellington for some great views, went to Salamanca Markets and walked around Constitution Dock and the Wharf precinct. I had heard about MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). An interesting set up, but it really wasn't my thing. Some of the art work was a bit weird for my liking (and some of it disturbing!) There were a few pieces that were interesting. Other people love it though, so what would I know.

    We finished our stay with a bike ride from near MONA to the Hobart Cenotaph near the Tasman Bridge and back (over 30km). Interesting historical fact: The Tasman Bridge was hit by an oil taker in the 1975 . People died when their cars plunged into the river and several men on the ship, which sunk, also drowned.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Richmond Bridge - oldest Bridge in Australia - 1823
    From the other side... from down below... and from this angleSt John's ChurchPooseum - possum in toilet roll dispenserNovelty toilet rollsContainer made from intestinesA "poo" painting of Boonie

    Richmond

    February 5 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    On our way to the next destination, we called into the lovely town of Richmond. It's a very pretty town known for having Australia's oldest stone bridge (1823) built by convicts. It is very photogenic and they keep the banks nicely manicured.

    Lots of interesting shops (woodcraft, lolly shops, and other craft shops) that we had a look at. There is a model village of old Hobart town that we didn't go to, but we did visit the Pooseum. Yes, a museum with everything you wanted to know (or didn't want to know) about poo. Sounds gross, but it really was very interesting. Everything from the cube shaped wombat poos, to the introduction of dung beetles to help control the plague of flies, to the use of poo in some foods (a coffee, and a type of cheese egh!). There are even art works like paintings from poo and a knitted bag/bowl, made from pig intestines. There was also a bit of "toilet" humour.

    Richmond has several historic buildings such as Richmond gaol, a couple of old stone churches - we visited the Catholic Church which is the one in the background of Richmond Bridge.    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Inside a sea cave
    Calm seas = entering the cavesRainbow cave - look at the colours1Seal colonyLook at them allWhite headed sea eagle (I might have the name wrong)Caught a dolphin mid jumpDolphins and some seals playing togetherFossil cliffs on Maria IslandThe "green waterfall" vegetation is a bit stressed as it is so dryMaria Island settlementPainted cliffsI love these

    Maria Island

    Feb 5–7 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Next stop was Orford, a coastal town near Triabunna which is where you catch a ferry to Maria Island. Many people just catch the ferry across and wander around the island for the day. We, however, had booked a half day cruise which observed the main points of interest from the sea (and possibly a better observation point).

    When we arrived, there were only 5 passengers and the Captain was pretty excited because the weather and seas were so calm, it gave him the opportunity to cruise around Iles de Phoc where there was a great seal colony as well as colourful sea caves.
    There were heaps of seals and I'm amazed at how they climb up the cliff faces.

    On the way to Maria Island, we can across a pod of dolphins and one again the captain was excited because these were bottlenose dolphins which apparently are not that common down here. There were also seals playing with the dolphins.

    Back at Maria Island checked out the Fossil cliffs and the painted cliffs. Would have liked to get a photo of the entire painted cliffs, but a family decided it was a good spot to set up for a picnic lunch in front of the "artwork".    Read more

  • Brad and Mandy PearceTasmania - the little lapBrad and Mandy Pearce
    Wineglass Bay
    1Wineglass BaySome of the stepsViews from Cape Tourville - Wineglass Bay is just around the corner top rightCape Tourville viewsColes Bay - town for Freycinet NPBicheno blowholeNot much action todayOrange lichen covered rocksBichenoViews from Whalers lookoutBicheno townshipSealife restaurantPretty spot to enjoy lunch

    Freycinet NP and Bicheno

    Feb 8–10 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    After Maria Island, we made our way across to the east coast, visiting Bicheno, and Freycinet NP, home to the famous Wineglass Bay. We have visited here previously, and I remembered the trek to the lookout starts easily, but then becomes more difficult when you get to the steps. As for the walk down to Wineglass Bay, it is very strenuous, as Brad and Toby remembered from last time - a journey that shall not be repeated. There have been some great improvements to lookout platforms etc since our last visit. There is also a great, easily accessible lookout from Cape Tourville which were quite breathtaking.

    Bicheno is a pretty coastal town known for its blowhole and orange lichen covered rocks. We called in on a friend of a friend who owns a restaurant at Bicheno and enjoyed a lovely lunch overlooking the ocean (and probably the best garlic bread I've ever had)    Read more

    Trip end
    February 19, 2026
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