The article we published last week about the drive from Hobart to Gordon Dam generated a lot of interest. Then we had a light-bulb moment… why don’t we gather several options for day-trips from the Tasmanian capital and share them all here in one convenient location? In no particular order, we give you five drives you can accomplish in a single day.

Stunning drive: Hobart to Gordon Dam

Choose a Drive From Hobart

Tasman Peninsula

Many Tasmanian tourists would regard a drive from Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula as a drive to the Port Arthur Convict Site. That indeed is a top-notch place to visit, and a day barely does the primary attraction justice, let alone all the other fabulous points of interest along the way there and back again.

If you only make one other stop on your journey, make it the Tessellated Pavement, it’s simply amazing. The Coal Mines are also very worthy of inspection.

Port Arthur Convict Settlement (photo by Dan Fellow)

Tessellated Pavement: Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman Peninsula

Coal Mines, convict history: Tasman Peninsula

If you can time your day-trip to perfection, include the monthly Bream Creek Farmers Market and collect yourselves a boot-load of goodies. The Lufra Hotel does a solid pub meal, accompanied by nice views over Pirate Bay. Sorell, Copping, Dunalley and Marion Bay all offer the visitor something of interest. So choose your itinerary very carefully!

Bream Creek Farmers Market, Copping

Fish and chips, Lufra Hotel: Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman Peninsula

Dunalley Hotel to Dunalley Fish Market

Vines and Designs at the Copping Museum

St Georges Anglican Church, Sorell Tasmania

Derwent Valley

A day trip from Hobart to New Norfolk and the broader Derwent Valley region is not a good idea. Visiting is a great idea; but allowing only a single day is a tricky concept. How on Earth will you choose between all the tourist attractions within striking distance of Hobart? The Mt Field National Park could consume a whole day by itself, let alone the Salmon Ponds, the township of New Norfolk (the antiques capital of Tasmania) and places in Westerway and Maydena.

Russell Falls, Mt Field National Park (photo by Dan Fellow)

Museum of Trout Fishing, Salmon Ponds (photo by Carol Haberle)

Historic rail hauler, Maydena (photo by Carol Haberle)

Ignoring our own sage advice, we did tackle a mid-winter’s drive from Hobart to the Derwent Valley once. Our day featured shopping at the Nurses Quarters in Willow Court; lunching at the Possum Shed and a look-see at the Platypus Power Station and waterfall walk near Ellendale. The whole trip included beautiful countryside, so there were many photographic opportunities.

Platypus Power Station, riverside waterfall walk (Ellendale)

Coles Bay and the East Coast

Questions from readers are still popping up regularly, and particularly about Coles Bay lately. Margaret Morgan from Sheoaks Bed and Breakfast has written several articles for Think Tasmania about her local region, and we’ve been only to happy to share the information. If you’re keen to drive from Hobart to the east coast, here’s a little inspiration to help you plan your trip…

• Local Tassie Knowledge – Margaret Morgan
• Hobart to Coles Bay – Self Catering Holiday
• Drive to Coles Bay – Take the Tourist Route
• Think Coles Bay – Things to Do
• Coles Bay Tasmania – One of Our Favourite Places

Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay (photo by Dan Fellow)

Southern Tasmania

Take a gallop around the southern section of Hobart’s surrounds, starting with Franklin. It’s a great little town with plenty of coffee shops and nice river views. Tahune AirWalk is a popular attraction, but you may like to continue past Geeveston to the tiny fishing villages of Southport and Dover.

Swinging bridge, Tahune Forest AirWalk (photo by Anelda Lotter)

Some may say Ida Bay Railway and Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs are non-negotiable highlights on a southern drive from Hobart, but there’s only so many hours in the day! If you positively cannot stay in this region of Tasmania overnight, we’d suggest returning to Hobart via Cygnet, Kettering and Kingston.

Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs, southern Tasmania

At the risk of repeating myself over and over again, there’s no way you can cover the whole Huon Valley and D’Entrecasteaux Channel in just one drive from Hobart either. We’ve published many articles detailing our experiences to the southern end of the state, including several jaunts to Bruny Island. The search function on the website does a great job rounding up stories that may be of interest. Just type in your keywords.

Drive from Hobart: juicy apples, Huon Trail

Coal River Valley

On reflection, one article we published years ago was ridiculously optimistic about the amount of ground to be covered in a single drive from Hobart. We suggested a morning coffee in Hobart and a whisky tasting upon return, with a multitude of places to cover in-between.

Richmond was named as a starting point, but really the historic village in the Coal River Valley should be allocated an entire day, if not more. Especially if you’re partial to wine and cheese. We threw in Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, New Norfolk and the Cadbury Chocolate Factory for good measure. No wonder we dubbed it the “day trip on steroids”. Only those with good endurance and grease-lightning touring skills should attempt that one!

Drive from Hobart to Richmond (photo by Dan Fellow)

Our Next Drive from Hobart

This article round-up really should have a sixth heading, for the Heritage Highway region. It’s another relatively easy place to explore from a base in Hobart. Reading The Essential Doggy Guide has definitely moved that very mission up Think Tasmania’s to do list.

The Essential Doggy Guide to the Heritage Highway

No doubt you’ll be reading about another day-trip (or maybe more) covering Oatlands, Ross and Campbell Town at least. Dare we say it… stay tuned. In the meantime, you are welcome to leave your own comments about the highlights and features of the Heritage Highway region in the reply section below.

1 April 2014 – Think Tasmania readers now have the chance to win their very own copy of The Essential Doggy Guide. We wish you all the best of luck… please tell your friends, too?

Chainsaw sculptures, Campbell Town (photo by Carol Haberle)

Allow More Time Than You Think

On the map, Tasmania seems like a small island that one might zip around in a few days. Unless you drive a Targa rally car (and miss all the wonderful scenery and things to do) you should allow lots of time for your Tassie holiday. There’s so much more we could include here, but we’ll leave you to flick around Think Tasmania’s website to discover other little gems we’ve mentioned previously. Please use the SEARCH function (see top right hand side corner) or follow the links in the index to find out more.

Targa racing car (photo by Dan Fellow)

Drive safely, and please… if we can stress one important thing… don’t limit your holiday to Hobart and surrounds. Rest assured the remainder of the state has just as much to offer, and you really don’t want to miss any of it.

Beautiful scenery on a drive from Hobart

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