What's the most efficient plan to travel to Tasmania, fly in Launceston and out Hobart or other way around?
Is 5 days enough to see the highlights or would it be packed and rushed?
EDIT: Postponing the trip to another date. Going to do more research first.
I can make sacrifices for hikes which might take up a lot of time. Can see 1-3 or less top highlight hikes rather than seeing lots of places which look similar.
Going there to see the different vibe and mainly to eat (i.e. Tas Pacific Oysters + seafood) and if there's any good fishing charters.
Any particular recommends?
@Clear
Cafe called Get Shucked on Bruny island. The best oysters I've had in my life. But there are many roadside places that will probably be the same. There was one on the way back from Port Arthur, but didn't stop. Price was crazy at $19 a dozen I think.
If you only have 5 days, fly in and out of Hobart. Hire a car for $250. Cradle mountain if the weather is good. Port Arthur. Mt Wellington. MONA. Astor hotel restaurant. Hobart coffee roasters for brekky. Most eateries are good.
@Clear might be able to help
Would 5 days be enough to go from Launceston to Hobart (or other way around is better?) to see highlights along the way, stay in Hobart 2-3 days.
Then save the long trips / hikes out of the way for another trip.
Mostly eating, sightseeing and relaxing. Would be nice if I can squeeze in any lobster hunting / fishing.
Given 5 days, it appears other people have recommended to stick to Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula/Port Arthur.
2 hour drive from Hobart to Launceston. Work out what you want to do and plan accordingly. Especially if you're going to try and find a charter. Flying in one city and out the other is a good idea and may be cheaper with a rental car leaving one at another airport.
Or would in and out Hobart be better? Not sure what's good Launceston but could do a trip from there to Hobart to explore things along the way
I'd recommend flying into LST and out of HBA when Cradle Mountain isn't snowed-in, Bridestowe Lavender Estate is in bloom and it's penguin season in Bicheno.
Hobart was nice, most other capital cities are crap but I reckon I could live in Hobart. About a 20 minute drive or so is Richmond prison which has been maintained since the bad old days but not restored. Read the stories of the slaves, errm 'convicts' who built Australia and the pettiness of the 'crimes' which they were imprisoned for. I remarked to the guy who was working there that after the visit I really didn't know who the real criminals were. He agreed, nothing changed I guess. I'm sure others had different thoughts. You can drive up the top of the mountain at Hobart (I forget it's name now) but it was worth the ride.
Should still get a decent amount of sunlight and warm weather in Feb.
Flight wise it doesn't really matter. Hobart gets more than double the amount of flights than Launceston and is cheaper to fly into/out of.
What length of hike are you after?
If you landed in Launnie you could hit up Cradle Mountain and do the Dove Lake circuit and get back in a day. Note you need to park in a car park and get on a 10 minute bus to start of the walks - this is $30 pp.
You could always combine Port Arthur (if you're into that thing) and either Cape Hauy or Cape Rhoul in a day. Those two tracks are quite nice (scenic wise - Hauy will kill your legs) and take about 3-4 hours. If that's a bit long, Cresent Bay/Mount Brown track is very nice and scenic only 10 mins past Port Arthur Historic Site.
Mt Wellington/Kunanyi is a great place for walks as well. A short walk would be The Springs to Sphinx Rock Lookout (30 min return) and a long but rewarding walk is Springs, up Pinnacle Track and Zig Zag Track to the summit (3 hours~ return).
The east coast in general has really nice beaches. You could stay a night in Bicheno and sit on the beach at night and watch Penguins come in and nest.
It's hard to describe MONA and whether it's worth visiting - I'd say it's a personal thing. If you are into abstract and strange art then you'd be right at home. If you walked through and took a glance at things and kept walking you'd probably spend maybe 2 hours there since it's quite big.
Let me know if you want more suggestions for walks/hikes. I've probably done every single day walk in the south of Tassie.
Thanks for the detailed info
Max 30 min hike one way, unless it's really worth it and is breathtakingly beautiful.
Based on pics it doesn't look too many places offer spectacular breathtaking views compared to Yellowstone National Park, parts of China or NZ etc. although I'm not a huge nature fan.
Just don't want to waste time on meh views and focus on food and exploring unique views, history, places to eat etc.
I get that it exceeds OP's 60min round trip limit, but do you rate the 1,000 stairs down to Wineglass Bay?
Can spend way longer than that there IMO, we did a fairly rushed 2 week lap of Tasmania in 2019 including 4 days in Hobart (skipping the north-east and north-west corners), then went back in 2020 for a week just in Hobart, no shortage of things to do/see.
Heading down for my 12th visit in Feb. You can spend 5 days just in Hobart and not cover everything. So comes down to your priorities and whether you plan to return.