Tasmania: "Stunning Beauty" per Sun. NY Times

Coming in the Sunday morning New York Times travel section, they have this feature and headline: "Mud, Leeches and Stunning Beauty in Tasmania" with these highlights: "As the sun set, we strolled along a beach dotted with starfish, watching wallabies and pademelons — mini kangaroos, essentially — feed among the dunes, while oystercatchers swooped above the crashing waves."

This first-person story is about an adventure along the South Coast Track. This reports on a seven-day tramp along a trail that remains "as untamed now as it was over a century ago, when the route was first blazed to help shipwrecked sailors find their way back to civilization. This swath of wilderness, protected as part of the 2,300-square-mile Southwest National Park, is the last stop from Australia before Antarctica. Its remoteness, rugged terrain and often fearsome weather have kept it essentially uninhabited and unexploited." For our visit in early 2014, we would not have time to reach this area and spend this much time in the true wilderness. BUT, this sampling for the unique aspects of Tasmania offers great insights about its settings and offerings.

Full story at:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/travel/mud-leeches-and-stunning-beauty-in-tasmania.html?ref=travel&_r=0

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 115,717 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Hi Terry, I spent 12 years living in Tasmania, and it really has some unique landscapes and coastlines. It is a beautiful part of the world. Yvette

On another CC Board, I got back this very good feed-back from Yvette. I really appreciate her comments and insights. We are really looking forward to our visit to Hobart on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. Less than a year away!! I asked her this follow-up question:

Quick Question: For this port stop, we have people in our group who really like and seek nature, wildlife, scenic sights, a sample of adventure, etc. We are looking at two different options that would achieve much of our interests and goals. What are your reactions, thoughts on these two good options outlined below?

1. Do Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and maybe Oatlands (a historic, convict-built country town with unique Georgian architecture, plus interesting nature areas enroute and back in a private tour with a good local guide for our group of about ten people . . .

OR . . .

2. Coastline of the Tasman National Park by 50-passenger boat close to cliffs, caves, waterfalls and animals in their natural habitat. This includes Jurassic Dolerite Sea Cliffs and Cape Pillar at 985 feet tall, the highest vertical sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere. Probably won't be able to do Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary if we choose this potential.

Love both ideas/options. Would love to hear more comments, experiences there, etc. Pro/con factors anybody would consider, weigh??

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 115,886 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

We love Tasmania and visit there often. We are going to Hobart next Tuesday just for four days which are looking forward to. We love visiting MONA (Museum of the Old and New) and we are taking a trip this time on the Ida Bay Railway which is south of Hobart and is run by volunteers.

There is so much to see and do in Tasmania and one recommendation I would make is to visit Port Arthur which you can do from Hobart. It is a very historical place for Australians and it is also a very pretty place.http://www.portarthur.org.au/ Another place that we always enjoy are the Russell Falls in the Mt. Field National Park.

http://www.discovertasmania.com/activities__and__attractions/wilderness_areas/national_parks_and_reserves/mount_field_national_park

Jennie

Aussie Gal, you sound like you know the Hobart area well, I would love your opinion on our options.

We are having a rental car for the day, and don't want to be driving long distances, so will do one of the following. We like beautiful scenery, wildlife and shortish walks (1-2 miles). Which option do you think would be best for this March?

It's a shame Mount Wellington and Bonorony are in opposite directions to each other, is there anything else close by to either one worth visiting?

If anyone else has any advice please chip in as well :)

Mount wellington

http://www.wellingtonpark.org.au/lookouts/

Bonorony wildlife park

http://www.bonorong.com.au/

Mount Field National Park

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=3589

Tasman National Park

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=19056

debsjc,

You can do both in the day you will be in Hobart. Bonorong is only 29km from where the ship docks and it will only take you 32 minutes to get there.

Mt. Wellington is only 20km away and that will take you no longer than 30 minutes. It is a slower drive than the trip to Bonorong as it is a windy road.

I would do one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. It depends on the weather as it is no good going up Mt. Wellington if it is at all wet or foggy. The view up there is terrific but it needs to be a clearish day and it can be cold up there even if it is warm in Hobart.

Though if you would like a nice walk, then you could do the Russell Falls first which is just over an hour from the dock and then on the return journey you could do Bonorong, which is 62km from the falls and it is on the way back to Hobart. If you want to get an idea of where everything is, go to Google Maps.

Enjoy your day in this lovely city.

Jennie

Just to add to Jennies post,

When we had a car in Hobart, we went up Mt Wellington first, then out to Richmond and back via Sorell. We still had time left in the afternoon so went for a "cruise" on a lovely highway to the Huon Valley and back.

When we picked the car up in the morning , we asked the name of the road to take to go up Mt Wellington . The guy was a bit embarrassed as he did not know the name of the road even though , as he said , he had been there many times...but no worries he said ..you just keep going up....and we sure did.

Sunshine in the City and snow on the top.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that as Hobart is small, the traffic is very light and you can get from A to B in no time at all. You will have tons of time to spare even doing Russell Falls, Bonorong and Mt. Wellington. Nothing is too far away unless you decide to drive to Strahan or Lake St. Claire!

Jennie

Another thing I forgot to mention is that as Hobart is small, the traffic is very light and you can get from A to B in no time at all. You will have tons of time to spare even doing Russell Falls, Bonorong and Mt. Wellington. Nothing is too far away unless you decide to drive to Strahan or Lake St. Claire!

 

Jennie

Hi Jennie, thank you for sharing your experiences.

Our ship will be Hobart from 7 AM to 4 PM on a Sunday in early March and we like beautiful scenery, wildlife and historical sightseeing. Assuming hiring/renting a car for 7 hours, is it feasible to see Russell Falls, Bonorong Wildlife Park, Richmond Historic Village, Battery Point, Mt Wellington and Hobart/Salamanca sightseeing? If it is too much... what would you suggest to drop off? How much time should we allow for Bonorong Wildlife Park and the Richmond Historic Village?

We are aware of the major tour guides/companies on CC & TripAdvisor... are there also local guides for hire at the port or at Visitor Information Centres?

Thank you very much ! ! ! :)

Hi Jennie, thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

Our ship will be Hobart from 7 AM to 4 PM on a Sunday in early March and we like beautiful scenery, wildlife and historical sightseeing. Assuming hiring/renting a car for 7 hours, is it feasible to see Russell Falls, Bonorong Wildlife Park, Richmond Historic Village, Battery Point, Mt Wellington and Hobart/Salamanca sightseeing? If it is too much... what would you suggest to drop off? How much time should we allow for Bonorong Wildlife Park and the Richmond Historic Village?

 

We are aware of the major tour guides/companies on CC & TripAdvisor... are there also local guides for hire at the port or at Visitor Information Centres?

 

Thank you very much ! ! ! :)

Dear Suncityga,

Whilst you could do all of this, you would be rushing from site to site and would not have an enjoyable time. Richmond is a lovely little town, it will take you about 20 minutes to drive from the city ( I use to live there). It has beautiful scenery on the drive, and once there some cute little shops which sell all the beautiful carved, bowls, jewellery boxes, cutting boards, all made from Tasmanian timbers, such as Huon Pine, Sassafrass, blackwood. Richmond also has the beautiful old bridge which you can walk over, and the oldest Catholic Church in Australia, just up on the hill. Also lovely pottery and art work. Tasmania is renowned for its beautiful wood work, and this can also be purchased at Salamanca.

Shame you will miss the Saturday markets in Salamanca, however mostly all of the Salamanca shops will be open on Sunday, and you can walk down the main drag and see the beautiful old buildings, and look up and have a wonderful view of Mount Wellington, if the day is clear.

If you want to see the Battery Point houses they are just up above Salamanca Place. You can either walk to them by going up Kelly steps, just goggle this on the map, or walking up past Lenna ( Hotel Accommodation) Alternatively to save time, you could just drive around Battery Point in about 10 minutes and see the main streets such as Arthur circus, a cute little street, which goes around in a circle.

Russell Falls is lovely, I suggest if you want to see everything else above, don't go to Russell falls, its a bit further out of the city, and a long way to go to see a waterfall, when you want to see so many other things. If you wanted to the falls, then don't go to Richmond.

I suggest not to drive up to Mount Wellington if the day is cloudy, as you will not see much, however if you are lucky enough to strike a clear day, then do the drive through South Hobart up to Fern tree to Mount Wellington. Be aware it is a very windy, steep road. There is a lovely little waterfall near the Cascade Brewery, that is closer to the city. Not as spectacular as the Russell falls, but still very nice.

Bonorong Park, is a lovely park close to Hobart, with all the Tasmanian wildlife. you will see everything, and it is worth a visit. You could spend many hours here, just enjoying the animals or having a picnic.

I now live in Sydney, however, I lived in Tasmania for many years, and I just returned from a short break there last week. Tasmania has been devastated by fires, so the Tasman Peninsula is not the same, so the once beautiful drive to Port Arthur, has many many hectares of burnt farm land, burnt homes, and blackened trees. Tasmania does not get a lot of rainfall, so it will take some time to recover, however, it is a very strong community and the Tasmanian people are just wonderful.

One last thing, make sure you try the Tasmanian Seafood, there is so many beautiful restaurants to choose from at the waterfront, or in Salamanca place.

I know that you will have a wonderful time in Hobart, it is such a beautiful, peaceful city, with so much to offer. I hope my information has been helpful to you.

Hi Jennie, thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

Our ship will be Hobart from 7 AM to 4 PM on a Sunday in early March and we like beautiful scenery, wildlife and historical sightseeing. Assuming hiring/renting a car for 7 hours, is it feasible to see Russell Falls, Bonorong Wildlife Park, Richmond Historic Village, Battery Point, Mt Wellington and Hobart/Salamanca sightseeing? If it is too much... what would you suggest to drop off? How much time should we allow for Bonorong Wildlife Park and the Richmond Historic Village?

 

We are aware of the major tour guides/companies on CC & TripAdvisor... are there also local guides for hire at the port or at Visitor Information Centres?

 

Thank you very much ! ! ! :)

I agree with most of what Eliza has posted. Richmond is in the opposite direction of everything else so you would have to take the Russell Falls off your list if you wanted to visit everything else and as Eliza says, and I mentioned in my previous post, don't think about going up to the top of Mt. Wellington unless the day is clear and sunny as it is a waste of time.

If you want to visit Richmond, you really don't need a lot of time there. We spent a couple of nights there years ago in a B&B and besides the beautiful old bridge and a few shops, there isn't that much to see and do.

Walking around Battery Point is much more interesting and that is just behind Salamanca Place where the ship docks. There is a lot of history in that area.

I still think that the Russell Falls are worth a visit not only to see the falls but also the forest is absolutely beautiful with its huge eculyptus trees and ferns. It is something that is unique to Australia. We don't only have our unusual wildlife, we also have very unusual forests which we seem to forget when taking visitors around.

But as you have to be back by 3pm for the 4pm sailaway, I would give that trip a miss and concentrate on first going to Bonorong and staying as long as you want. Then I would return to Hobart, see what the weather is like and if it is a lovely day, take the drive up to Mt. Wellington. After visiting the top of the mountain and perhaps stopping and doing a couple of walks on the way up, I would then drop off the car and head back to Salamanca Place. Buy lunch around the dock area - Muirs has great fish and chips - and then take a walk around Battery Point. At least you will be close to the ship if you are running out of time.

If the weather is not so good, then after visiting Bononrong, go onto Richmond and spend a little time there before heading back to the Rental Car Agency. Hopefully you will still have time to walk around the area of Salamanca and to Battery Point. You won't have a lot of time having to leave Hobart so early in the afternoon.

Enjoy, it is a lovely city and you are only touching the surface. There is so much to see and do in Tasmania.

Jennie

 

Enjoy, it is a lovely city and you are only touching the surface. There is so much to see and do in Tasmania.

 

Jennie

Aussie Girl and Eliza 10,

Thank you very much... your information has been very helpful. :)

We are looking forward to our first time in your beautiful country.