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Day 1 - Cradle
Mountain, 2 nights
Collect your rental car from the Launceston Airport.
It is a 2 hour drive to Cradle Mountain, and you pass the
spectacular Great Western Tiers, a protected World Heritage
Area featuring a chain of mountains that holds more than 3,000
lakes.
If you have arrived early why not stop at the Mole Creek Karst National Park and
take a guided cave tour – there are more than 200 caves that began to form 30
million years ago. With a guide you can tour some of the caves and see animals
that dwell in the dark, lofty stalagmites, streams that disappear into the ground
and glow-worms that twinkle like the stars.
Your 2 night stay at Cradle Mountain will be in a Pencil Pine Cabin
(for larger families of more than 5 people there are Family Cabins).
Day 2 - Adventure or
relax in nature
Spend your days exploring this World Heritage landscape of
peaks, lakes, rainforests and moorland with an easy amble or a full
day hike. The track to the top of the mountain (1,545 metres above sea level)
is an eight-hour return walk, but there are many other shorter, easier walks
lower down. There are over 20 guided walking tracks around the lodge and Dove
Lake ranging from 20 minutes to 9 hours.
Wallabies, wombats and possums are frequently seen as they criss-cross the timber boardwalks and
walking trails through out the resort. There are also pademelons and Bennett's wallabies in the
area. At night the nocturnal animals that inhabit the park - the Tasmanian devil and possums - come
to the Lodge to be fed.
Hire a mountain bike, go horse riding and enjoy informative slide presentations.
In winter there is tobogganing and snow shuttle while in summer you can canoe on Dove
Lake or try your hand at fly-fishing. For travel-weary parents the Waldheim Alpine Spa
offers pampering treatments.
Day 3 - Strahan and
Franklin Manor, 2 nights
A leisurely 2 ˝ to 3 hours drive will bring you to the
lovely village of Strahan situated near the mouth of the Gordon
River on Tasmania’s west coast. Strahan is the gateway to another
of Australia’s great wilderness areas. With the background of Mt.Sorell
and the expanse of Macquarie Harbour, the area was first put on the map
with the notorious penal settlement of Sarah Island. The treacherous and
narrow waters of Macquarie Heads at the entrance to the harbour are the scene
of a number of shipwrecks.
Your accomodation will be Franklin Manor, a boutique hotel originally built for the Harbour Master
in 1896 and now lovingly restored. The Stables offer cottage accomodation ideal for families.
The highly regarded restaurant serves a country-style breakfast in the morning while the dinner menu
has an emphasis on Tasmanian produce and fresh local seafood.
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Day 4 -
The South West Wilderness
The magnificent scenery of the West coast can be enjoyed in
many ways: from a cruise boat, by seaplane, by helicopter, quad bike,
kayak or jet boat. Just a few ideas for your west coast day
include:
Go sailing; raft the rivers; walk the massive sand dunes at Henty; enjoy a crayfish
or Macquarie Harbour salmon; put on a miner’s helmet and light, and go deep underground
in Queenstown’s Mt Lyell mine; ride the newly restored Abt railway, now called the West
Coast Wilderness Railway; follow the tannin-dark Gordon River into the rainforest; climb
to the Teepookana Plateau; cross the restless waters of Macquarie Harbour and step ashore
on Sarah Island.
Day 5 -
To Hobart, Somerset on the Pier, 2 nights
The drive to Hobart will take about 5 hours and is a spectacular
one taking you up on to the Central Plateau and through the Lake St.Clair
National Park. From Cynthia Bay on the southern end of the Lake take a scenic
walk. Or go for a ride on Australia’s highest-altitude ferry and watch the waters
of the our deepest lake curl away from the bow - the glaciers that dug Lake St
Clair ’s bed and shaped the nearby crags melted 10,000 years ago.
The village of Derwent Bridge is on the southern end of the park, just 8 kms from Lake St.Clair and a
great lunch stop.
Arriving into Hobart, your 2 night stay will be at Somerset on the Pier - located in Hobart’s restored
waterfront area. With views of the Derwent River and historic Sullivan Cove, your one bedroom suite has
a private balcony and there is an on-site café, restaurant and bar. At your doorstep you will find the
Museum and Art Gallery, a range of restaurants and pubs, antique shops, studios and galleries.
Day 6 -
Get to know the Tasman Peninsula & Hobart
Although better known for its convict penal settlements, the
Tasman Peninsula is also notable for some of the finest coastal cliffs
in Australia, visible from a couple of spectacular viewpoints along your drive.
It is approximately 1˝ hours’ drive to Port Arthur, Australia’s most famous penal
settlement, and a unique and fascinating insight into the harsh existence that early
convicts experienced in the 19th century.
There is also the chance to see Tasmania’s most famous marsupial, the Tasmanian Devil, in John Hamilton’s
Devil Park on the Tasman Peninsula – these animals are rarely seen in the wild. The park also runs a Raptor
Conservation Centre, with free bird of prey flight displays. A gourmet lunch can be provided at the Devil
Park, otherwise take a picnic lunch to enjoy elsewhere along the peninsula.
Day 7 -
Departure
Return your hire car to Launceston Airport in time for
your departure flight.
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Options & Upgrades
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Up-grade your car to a
luxury vehicle
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Nature lovers should extend
and visit Bruny Island, either self-drive or
hosted
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Up-grade to Deluxe
accommodation at Franklin Manor
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Include a gourmet Tasting
Menu at Franklin Manor
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