Tasmania Road Trip: The 10-Day Anti-Clockwise Loop Checklist

Tasmania is the road trip destination that Australians who do it won’t stop talking about. The distance is manageable, the roads are good (mostly), there are almost no traffic jams and the scenery shifts dramatically every two hours of driving. Mountains, ancient rainforest, limestone caves, white sand beaches, orange-lichened rocks, deep harbour towns. It doesn’t feel like it should all be on one island.

This is the 10-day anti-clockwise loop from Hobart — the most logical route that catches everything worth catching without backtracking. Day-by-day, with a checklist for every stop.

Quick Verdict

Best season: November–April (summer/autumn). Summer gets crowded but weather is reliable. Shoulder seasons (March–May and September–November) are ideal.
Winter: Possible but Cradle Mountain can snow and the west coast gets brutal weather. Not recommended for first-timers.
Total distance: Approximately 1,600km for the full loop
Car required: Yes — absolutely mandatory. 4WD not required unless you detour to some gravel roads.
Budget: A$180–250/day covers accommodation, fuel, park fees and meals

What Car to Hire

Book a hire car with DiscoverCars — compare rates from Hobart Airport. Recommendations:

Vehicle type	Best for	Daily rate (approx)
Small SUV (Toyota RAV4)	Most travellers, comfort + clearance	A$65–85
Standard sedan	Budget option, sealed roads fine	A$40–60
Campervan	Freedom camping, accommodation savings	A$120–160
4WD (Landcruiser)	Gravel road detours, west coast tracks	A$100–140

Note: A standard 2WD sedan is fine for this entire route. The sealed roads in Tasmania are in good condition. 4WD adds flexibility if you want to explore fire trails or remote beaches.

Campsite Booking — Essential in Summer

Tasmanian national park campgrounds are popular and fill rapidly December through February. Book through the Parks Tasmania website (parks.tas.gov.au).

Book these in advance:

Freycinet National Park — Richardsons Beach, Honeymoon Bay
Cradle Mountain — Discovery Parks at Cradle Mountain
Bay of Fires — Swimcart Beach free camping (first-come basis but arrive early)
Fortescue Bay (Tasman Peninsula) — Parks Tasmania booking

If camping, hire a campervan or bring gear. If staying in accommodation throughout, find accommodation along the route — book everything before arriving in peak season.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1–2: Hobart

Base: Salamanca or Battery Point
Distance from airport: 20 minutes

Start with two nights in Hobart. The city rewards slow exploration.

Day 1 checklist:

MONA — take the ferry from Brooke Street Pier (A$22 return ferry + A$30 museum entry). Allow 3–4 hours minimum.
Salamanca waterfront for dinner — Frank Restaurant or Fish Frenzy for straightforward excellent seafood
Walk the Salamanca sandstone warehouses at dusk

Day 2 checklist:

Salamanca Market if it’s Saturday — otherwise start with Battery Point walk
Battery Point self-guided walk (Arthur’s Circus, Hampden Road, Signal Station) — free, 90 minutes
kunanyi/Mt Wellington drive or hike — check summit weather first
Cascade Brewery tour (A$25, book ahead) in the afternoon
Eat at Templo (small, excellent, book ahead) or Ethos Eat Drink for dinner

Day 3: Tasman Peninsula

Distance from Hobart: 1.5 hours (90km)
Return to Hobart end of day or stay overnight

One of the most geologically dramatic day trips in Australia — sea cliffs, natural arches, blowholes and the largest convict heritage site in the country, all within a 40km drive of each other.

Leave Hobart by 8am — Port Arthur gets crowded after 11am
Pirates Bay lookout (Eaglehawk Neck) — 2-minute stop, views of the narrow neck of land
Tessellated Pavement — 15-minute return walk, extraordinary natural geometric rock formation, free
Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen — free carpark, 5-minute walk to each. Impressive sea cliff formations.
Blowhole — only dramatic in heavy swell; check ahead
Port Arthur Historic Site (A$45 adults) — book online for slight discount. Allow 4 hours minimum. The audio guide is genuinely excellent. The penitentiary and separate prison are the centrepieces.
Harbour cruise at Port Arthur (additional A$18, 40 minutes) — includes Isle of the Dead with guide
Cape Hauy walk from Fortescue Bay — 10km return, 5 hours, requires an early start if combining with Port Arthur. Better as a dedicated day.

Overnight option: Several guesthouses near Port Arthur. Find accommodation on the Tasman Peninsula.

Day 4: East Coast — Freycinet National Park

Distance from Hobart: 2.5 hours (215km) via the East Coast Highway
Base: Coles Bay (1 hour off the highway)

The East Coast Highway (A3) north from Hobart through Orford and Swansea is one of Australia’s genuinely scenic drives — coastal headlands, oyster farms, empty beaches and the pink granite peaks of the Hazards Range coming into view north of Swansea.

Drive checklist:

Orford stop — 90 minutes from Hobart, bridge over the Prosser River estuary, good for fuel and coffee
Swansea — heritage town, quick walk through the main street, Spiky Bridge (1843 convict-built bridge, 10 mins north of Swansea, free)
The Hazards Range visible from the highway 20km south of Coles Bay — stop for a photo

Freycinet checklist:

Wineglass Bay Lookout — 3km return, 1.5 hours, 300m elevation gain. The view from the saddle is one of the most reproduced images of Tasmania. Go in the morning.
Wineglass Bay full circuit — 11km, 4–5 hours, descend to the beach (the walk to the beach itself is worth it)
Hazards Beach circuit — 11km alternative loop, quieter, beautiful
Sleepy Bay (10-minute drive from Coles Bay township) — dramatic pink granite rock pools, free
Moulting Lagoon (on the way in/out) — black swans, pelicans, waterfowl
Parks entry: A$24.50 per person per day or purchase a two-week pass (A$75 — worth it for this trip)

Accommodation: Freycinet Lodge (A$220–350/night) or camping at Richardsons Beach (book ahead in summer).

Day 5: Bay of Fires

Distance from Coles Bay to Binalong Bay: 2.5 hours (180km)
Base: Binalong Bay

The Bay of Fires gets its name not from the water temperature but from the orange and red lichen that covers the granite boulders along the beach. The combination of white silica sand, turquoise water and fire-coloured rocks is genuinely unlike anywhere else in Australia.

Day checklist:

Drive north along the coast road via St Helens
Binalong Bay — park, walk south along the beach for 20 minutes for the best lichen-covered boulders
Swimcart Beach (10 minutes north by 4WD track or short walk) — free camping, excellent swimming
The Gardens — further north along the park, requires entry fee (part of Mt William NP, A$12)
Eddystone Point Lighthouse — if you have time and a suitable vehicle (gravel road, 30 mins from The Gardens)
St Helens for dinner options — straightforward pub meals, fresh local fish

Free camping at Swimcart Beach: First-come basis. Arrive by 2pm in summer. No facilities — bring water, use a camp toilet.

Day 6: Launceston

Distance from Binalong Bay: 2 hours (155km)
Base: Launceston city

Tasmania’s second city is compact, food-obsessed and has one of the most extraordinary urban natural features in Australia.

Launceston checklist:

Cataract Gorge — 10-minute walk from the city centre, completely free. A 600m deep gorge with a natural swimming pool, peacocks wandering freely, a café and the world’s longest single-span chairlift (A$17 one way). Surreal that it’s this close to an urban centre.
Chairlift across the gorge (A$17 one way, A$25 return) — worth it for the view
First Basin swimming (December–March — pool is open seasonally)
Trevallyn Reserve trail from the First Basin to the Duck Reach Power Station (5km return, 2 hours, free)
Launceston Central Market (weekdays only, York Street) — local produce, coffee
Stillwater Restaurant on the Ritchie’s Mill precinct for dinner (A$40–55 mains, excellent)
Harvest Market (Saturday morning, Cimitiere Street) — the best of Tasmanian produce

Day 7: Cradle Mountain

Distance from Launceston: 2.5 hours (170km) via Deloraine
Base: Cradle Mountain area (limited but growing accommodation options)

Cradle Mountain requires a full day minimum. Two days is better if you want to hike seriously.

Day checklist:

Arrive by 9am — shuttle bus from the visitor centre is required (A$15.60 return, private vehicles cannot access the inner park)
Dove Lake Circuit — 6km, 2 hours, boardwalk, flat, suitable for all fitness levels. Cradle Mountain reflection in still morning conditions is exceptional.
Marion’s Lookout — 9.6km, 3–4 hours, more elevation, first views of the plateau
Wildlife at dusk: wombats in the camping area, Tasmanian devils at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village (guided spotting at 8pm, A$40)
Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge restaurant for dinner (A$40–60 mains, the best option available)
Check the weather forecast the night before — summit hikes are weather-dependent

Day 8: Strahan and the West Coast

Distance from Cradle Mountain: 2.5 hours (180km)
Base: Strahan

The west coast of Tasmania is one of the world’s great wilderness areas. Almost no settlement, ancient Huon pine forests, buttongrass plains. Strahan is the only town of note — population 700.

Gordon River Cruise (World Heritage Cruises, A$180 adults) — 6-hour cruise deep into the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Huon pine forests, mirror-calm water. Book in advance. This is the flagship experience of the west coast.
Sarah Island — included in the cruise, former convict settlement, extraordinary isolation
Hogarth Falls walk from Strahan township (2km return, 45 minutes, free)
Ocean Beach — the longest beach in Tasmania (34km), faces the Southern Ocean, not for swimming but dramatic
Queenstown on the way back or forward — the lunar landscape of the mining hills above the town is like nowhere else in Australia (copper leaching turned the hillsides bare)

Day 9: Huon Valley

Distance from Strahan to Huon Valley: 3.5 hours (250km)
Base: Huonville or return to Hobart (45 minutes from Huonville)

The Huon Valley south of Hobart is apple orchard country, with Atlantic salmon farms in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and one of the best casual food experiences in the state.

Willie Smiths Apple Shed (Grove) — cider bar, apple museum, fire pit, exceptional local produce. The Heritage Dry Cider is excellent. A$8–12 for a pint. Free entry.
Huon Valley Apple and Heritage Museum (adjacent to Willie Smiths, A$5) — documents the history of Tasmanian apple exports to Britain
Huon River foreshore in Huonville — short walk, picnic area, free
Petuna Seafood retail outlet — buy Huon Valley Atlantic salmon fillets direct from the farm (A$18–25/kg), excellent for dinner
Geeveston for a coffee — small heritage town, the Arve Road leads to Tahune AirWalk (A$32.50, boardwalk above the Huon River rainforest, 1 hour from Geeveston)

Day 10: Back to Hobart

Distance: 45–60 minutes from Huonville to Hobart CBD
Flights home: Mostly afternoon departures from Hobart Airport

Final morning in Hobart before departure.

Morning walk along the waterfront from Salamanca to Constitution Dock
Last coffee at Pilgrim Coffee (Criterion Street, consistently excellent)
Hill Street Grocer for Tasmanian produce to take home (jams, honey, chocolate, sparkling wine)
Hobart Airport return — 20 minutes from the CBD

Budget Guide

Category	Budget/day	Mid-range/day
Accommodation	A$45 (camping)	A$160 (guesthouse)
Food	A$50	A$90
Fuel	A$20	A$20
Park fees + entry	A$25	A$40
Total	A$140	A$310

Two-week national parks pass (A$75) covers Freycinet, Cradle Mountain, Mt Field, Tasman NP and all other parks. Buy it at your first park entry — it pays for itself within 2 days on this route.

Practical Checklist

Prices and hours current as of 2026. Always verify before visiting.

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