Tasmania Family Holiday: Ultimate Travel Guide

Tasmania Family Holiday – Itinerary – Part Two ✌

Continued from Two Weeks in Tasmania: Epic Week One 1️⃣

Day 7 of our Tasmania Family Holiday

Drive from Port Arthur to Hobart

The drive from Port Arthur to Hobart was happily uneventful. We stopped in at a car wash to get our hire vehicle looking nice and shiny, after all our unintentional off-road adventures. All of us were very much looking forward to getting into Hobart, mostly for the food options, because it was nearing lunch time!

Hobart Accommodation 2 Nights

I had booked a superior twin room at the Mayfair Plaza, on Sandy Bay Road. The location was amazing, within easy walking distance to eateries and the Salamanca Markets. The room was a great size for the four of us too, with two queen beds, a bath and shower, plus a fridge. The set-up of the place is a bit strange, it’s almost like being inside a small, old shopping mall. Don’t let that phase you, I would definitely stay here again.

After checking in and putting our luggage away, we walked down the road and got some lunch at “Burger Got Soul”. The staff were super friendly, and the food was delicious. Plus, it had options galore, so everyone was happy. If burgers aren’t your thing, there were plenty of other options in this area, you will not be disappointed. Daz loved the sushi which was downstairs inside the shopping mall. Out of all the meals we ate on our Tasmania family holiday, he still talks about this one.

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Being a complete animal lover, I had researched all the ethical animal-related places in preparation of our Tasmania family holiday. I settled on Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary after reading what they do, and all the positive reviews about their treatment of animals. I scheduled it for the day before our wedding anniversary, so I justified the large price tag of the private night tour, as a gift to myself from my loving husband. Thanks husband.

The tour included entry to the sanctuary, so we got to Bonorong in the mid afternoon (I think we amused the staff, when we rocked up at that time and said we were booked on the night tour). But, I really wanted to spend time with the animals in daylight… and once we were there, I realised we could have easily spent the whole day!

Forester Kangaroos are the sweetest, friendliest, most darling creatures ever. We all loved feeding them and just hanging out in their ginormous open space. The cockatoos were fans too, and a massive flock of them were sitting around the food troughs and flying overhead.

We saw Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Cape Barren Geese, Emus, Echindas, Bettongs and more.

The daylight hours flew past, and it was time for our night tour before we knew it.

Bonorong Feeding Frenzy Night Tour

There were two tour guides scheduled for our evening Bonorong Feeding Frenzy Tour, and besides the four of us, there was another group of three, plus a couple. They split us into two groups, our family of four, and the other group of five. We couldn’t believe our lucky stars, getting a tour all to ourselves!

Our guide’s name was Miguel, and all of us felt so fortunate to have him show us around. His passion for wildlife was abundantly obvious, as he took us through the variety of habitats, and let us interact with the residents whilst also teaching us about them.

We got the opportunity to visit the kangaroos again, and he explained that some of the joeys had been rejected by their mothers, so they have to pay extra close attention to make sure they are cared for. Then he told us why they have some species that are not endemic to Tasmania, like the emus, who were part of the previous zoo. When Bonorong became a sanctuary, they made the ethical decision to let all the non-native residents live out their life happily, in their existing home here.

We heard and saw how Bonorong’s animals are here out of complete necessity, and that Tasmania is the road kill capital of the WORLD. More than half a million animals are killed on their roads each year. This explained a lot. Throughout our road trip, we saw so many dead creatures, everywhere we went.

Bonorong have enlisted carers all across Tasmania, so that if an injured animal needs help, they can send someone to assist. The Bonorong Wildlife Rescue Service hotline is 0447 264 625 (0447 ANIMAL), and is available 24/7.

Wildlife Experiences

We got to cuddle with an adorable baby Wombat and assist feeding the wise looking Tawny Frog Mouths. The Spotted Quolls we fed were fast and skittish, but so incredibly cute. I reached my hand out as one darted around me looking for food and he wasn’t too shy to nibble at my fingers.

We found out that many of the farm owners in Tasmania (as in the mainland) shoot kangaroos. As the sanctuary can’t prevent this cruelty, they have asked the local shooters to please donate the kangaroo bodies, so that they can be used to feed the carnivorous sanctuary residents. I was happy to hear that they sanctuary has found a way to make a positive out of this.

Sugar Gliders are the softest and cutest little things imaginable, and feeding the Tasmanian Devils was hilarious, as they are extremely vocal.

Miguel explained that they are so loud with each other, because they know how powerful their bite is, and they don’t want to hurt each other. Instead, they use their vicious sounding growls to warn each other away, especially at meal times. Also, the unique white marking on their fur indicate where each animal stores their fat. This is helpful, as Tassie Devils have very poor eyesight, so if they do need to bite, they aim for these white patches, where the bite will do minimal damage.

By now, the time had gotten away from us all! Between Miguel talking passionately about the different species and their quirks, and us hanging on every word. This meant it was very late when we left, the plus side being that there was no traffic on the drive back into the city.

Day 8

Salamanca Markets

I planned our itinerary so that we would be able to visit the Salamanca Markets that run each Saturday morning. The walk was about ten minutes or so from our accommodation at the Mayfair Plaza, and we were lucky to have perfect weather, with clear skies.

The Salamanca Markets are pretty huge, and there are loads of food vans, making it a great place to get breakfast and/or lunch. We spent a couple of hours browsing and snacking. Between us we bought comic books, snacks, hand-made dress jewelry, more snacks, a Sea Shepherd t-shirt and lunch.

The Salamanca Markets are right by parliament house, and we happened to be travelling around the time that the USA was making crazy changes to their abortion laws. So, we ended up in the middle of a pro-choice rally, which we used as an opportunity to have an open family discussion with our sons.

Constitution Dock & Hobart Marina

It’s a short walk along the shore front to Constitution Dock and the Hobart Marina, so although we had a brief look around, we didn’t stay long. We knew we wanted to get to Mount Wellington today, and we still had to walk back to the motel to get the car. The waterfront is a nice place to visit though, and for those who have extra time in Hobart, you can visit the Maritime Museum nearby too.

Mount Wellington

It’s about half an hour from the city to Mount Wellington, and we didn’t have to get all the way up to find snow. There are a couple of carparks on the way up, and this allowed us to stop and go exploring!

I hadn’t seen snow in over twenty years, and the rest of the fam had never seen it at all, so of course we did exactly what you’d expect. This included throwing snow balls at one another, including Daz putting it down the back of my top (which was seriously NOT ok), making a snowman, and of course, the obligatory snow angels.

Eventually, after we were all pretty soaked from the snow fights, we headed further up the mountain to the lookout. About two minutes after that, we questioned that decision. The traffic to get the the top was insane, and once you’re heading up, you have made a commitment that cannot be backed out of! It was a long wait, but of course, the view was fantastic the entire way.

We did eventually reach the top, which was extremely busy on this fine winter’s afternoon. The views are still stunning, and the landscape is really unique as well. It was worth the wait to reach the top, and I imagine in summer the many walks and hiking trails would be a great way to spend a day in nature.

Day 9

Drive from Hobart to Strahan

It’s a four and a half hour drive from Hobart to Strahan, but I had several stops listed en route, so we got a nice and early start to the day. Also, having so many great brekky choices nearby was a luxury! After a visit to a nearby bakery, we were all fuelled up for a new destination.

The drive was beautiful, and for the first little while, we followed along the Derwent River and got to enjoy the beautiful view of the water.

Ouse

By the time we reached a tiny village called Ouse, we were about an hour outside Hobart and needed a bathroom stop. I am always too curious, so while the boys were still busy in the public toilet block of the small park we’d pulled in at, I took the camera and wandered off for a quick walk.

I found the prettiest landscape, one of many seen during our Tasmania family holiday. We found spectacularly beautiful places everywhere we went, often by accident, like this one.

Our next scheduled stop was the Franklin Nature Trail, inside the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The drive along the Lyell Highway to get there is spectacular, with a mixture of mountain views and rainforest. We even saw an elusive Lyre Bird on the side of the road (alive, thank goodness). I had never seen one in real life, and it’s beautiful lace-like tail was wonderfully striking. Unfortunately, no picture, but most certainly an unforgettable memory!

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park

Franklin Nature Trail

We had the entire Franklin Nature Trail to ourselves, as we meandered through a kilometre of ancient rainforest inside the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The track is a grade one walk, and the mossy, cool temperate environment is filled with colourful fungi, vibrant ferns and towering trees.

Nelson Falls

Nelson Falls is another thirty minute drive east along the Lyell Highway, also inside the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Had we known how similar the rainforest walk would be, we probably would have skipped the Franklin Nature Trail. Not because we didn’t love the it, but the Nelson Falls are fantastic, and the rainforest environment is the same in both. So, if you are doing this drive and are time poor, it would make sense to do just the one.

However, it was much busier with tourists! Maybe everyone else already got the memo about this being the better walk of the two! That said, the plus side of us having done the Franklin River Walk, meant we’d already seen and experienced the cool temperate rainforest (and taken a bunch of photos), so we headed straight for the waterfall.

The drive to Gormanston takes you past Lake Burbury, and I have no idea how or why, I’d never heard of this place before. I asked my husband to pull over when it was safe (we were on the Lyell Highway, not exactly set up to take scenic stops on the road side), because I had to take some photos!

How freaking STUNNING is this scenery?!@>#<!@??@!@!!!!

The drive from Hobart to Strahan was the most spectacular scenery out of any routes we took throughout our entire Tasmania road trip itinerary.

I googled Lake Burbury later and found that there is a campground located by the lake. I can imagine it would be an amazing spot to include on your Tasmania family holiday.

Iron Blow Lookout

The road between Gormanston and Queenstown is nicknamed “99 Bends”, and you quickly find out why, especially if you are prone to travel sickness. Luckily, it’s not a long distance, and the landscape provides a wonderful distraction.

The Iron Blow Lookout provides a view over an abandoned, open cut, gold mine. The damage that has been done to the environment in this region, from both mining and tree felling, is undeniable and devastating, and the information boards located around the lookout provide some insight into this history. However, the open mine itself is truly beautiful to see, not to mention the colours in the surrounding rocks and cliff faces, as well as the panoramic outlook of the mountains.

Given that the Lookout is accessible directly from the Lyell Highway, and does not require a detour, you would be crazy not to stop and see it firsthand.

Horsetail Falls

Directly opposite the Iron blow Lookout, on the other side of the Lyell Highway, is the walking track to Horsetail Falls. But… It was just starting to rain as we left the Lookout, and sadly, the idea of going for a walk to another waterfall, in the rain, was not appealing to any of us at this stage. I know, I know, but it was way past lunch o’clock, and no one wants to be hangry on a road trip!

We didn’t know it at the time, but Horsetail Falls are visible from the highway, so we didn’t miss out on seeing them after all! As soon as we left the walking trail parking lot (yes, we did sit in the car and discuss the idea of walking up), we drove around one of the 99 bends, and there it was on the mountain side! In the photo you can see the walking track on the left, and the falls to the right.

Queenstown

When we got to Queenstown, it was like a ghost town… and then we remembered it’s Sunday. Tasmanian’s take their weekends seriously, as we well remembered from the last one! Whilst wandering around looking for anything open, the signs of life we saw include: one man walking his dog, and one other car drive by.

This frontier mining town has a great view of the mountains, from basically any vantage point, and the old buildings really give the place a charming vibe.

We googled nearby places to eat (including any which were currently open), and winded up at the nearby Tracks Café.

The café is located at the Queenstown train station, home to the West Coast Wilderness Railway, a tour which we had booked from Strahan station for the next day. The food at the café was good, and we were all fueled up for our last thirty minutes of driving for the day.

Strahan Accommodation 2 Nights

The town of Strahan (NB pronounced Strawn, it seems I had been saying it wrong for a very long time), has a population of well under a thousand people. We stopped by the only convenience store, a well stocked IGA, to pick up dinner and breakfast provisions – and then checked in to our accommodation.

I originally booked Strahan Beach Tourist Park, but unfortunately, even though I made the booking six months before traveling, they called me a a few weeks prior to our holiday and advised they overbooked. They could no longer fit us in to the room we selected, which had two bedrooms, and offered to put us up in a one bedroom room at another property… for the same price. Instead of doing that, I checked other two bedroom options, and ended up booking a self-contained villa at Kitty’s Cottages. The villa’s are owned and operated by the Big4 Strahan Holiday park. The reception was closed when we arrived, but a sign on the door said we could check in via the liquor store, which is located next door. Unique set-up, but sure, why not?

The cottage was a great size, and appeared to have good amenities. Disappointingly, there was an awful musty smell which was overwhelming, and the couch needed to be bon-fired. The build up of grime after what looked like many many years of use, left it beyond saving. The hot water didn’t last long enough for all of us to shower, and I was the lucky one who had it change to cold midway through. This meant that the spa bath feature was useless. Also, the laundry looked abysmal, so I checked the reviews before we used it, and they all warned me against it. We decided to wait until Cradle Mountain to do any more washing.

It wasn’t all bad though! Not one for focusing on the negatives, I have to add that the kitchen was great, everything operated as it should, the beds were okay too, and the heating worked perfectly. Plus, it was only for two nights of our Tasmania family holiday.

Would we stay here again? No. However, the cabins or campsites at the Big4 have some great feedback, so I would definitely recommend exploring that option.

Day 10

West Coast Wilderness Railway

Gordon River Cruise

Because I had previously been to Strahan, and had done the Gordon River cruise twice, I asked the fam for input on whether they wanted do the cruise or the West Coast Wilderness Railway. They were absolutely zero help, which left this up to me. I figured because it was winter, as well as the fact I already experienced the Gordon River cruise, that I would book the Railway this time.

Although there were full day and half day tours available, I was pretty certain half day would be enough, and booked the River & Rainforest half day tour in Heritage Carriage class. There was also the more expensive option of Wilderness Carriage class, which included some food and beverages along the way.

There is another Tracks Café at the Strahan station, which is where you check in for the tour. We had something small to eat at the villa before we left, and had read that they have food and drinks available for purchase on board, so we just checked in and browsed the small gift store.

We were assigned carriage and seat numbers, then our boarding was done with ease. The interior is really lovely, and the lady who was staffing our carriage was also the tour guide. She enthusiastically told stories about the regions history, the construction of the railway, and the hardships faced by those who worked and lived in the remote wilderness of the West Coast.

Unfortunately, with a combination of heating in the carriage and cool temperate rainforest air outside, the windows fogged up frequently. Despite everyone being handed paper towels to wipe them down, it was unavoidable, and meant viewing anything outside was not very clear.

There were three stops en route, they included Lower Landing, Dubbil Barril and then back past Lower Landing on the return. The rainforest environment was very similar to what we saw in the National Park visits the previous day, on our trip from Hobart. However, with no waterfalls, and many more people.

By the time we were arriving to the second stop, we were all getting hungry, as it was around lunch time at this point. The food available on the train was sandwiches and bags of chips. There were no options that appealed to any of us, and now we were regretting not either eating a proper breakfast, or bringing snacks.

This was the first time I had regretted an activity I’d booked on our Tasmania family holiday, and wished I’d done the Gordon River Cruise for a third time. If you are visiting Strahan and have just one day to do a tour, I would absolutely recommend the Cruise.

However – after speaking to others who are in the know about the train, I was told the BEST section to do is from Queenstown to Dubbil Barril. Based on that, we did the completely wrong journey. But I won’t be making sure, I’ll just take their word for it. If anyone else has any input about this, happy to have your comments also!

Another hot tip – if you pay the extra for Wilderness Carriage, you are able to walk onto the railed platform while the train is moving and take photos. This would have solved our fogging up issue, and would be worth the extra cost just to break up the monotony of the journey.

This is definitely unpopular opinion, as every review I have read about the railway is singing its praises. I truly wish I could, but it would not be honest of me at all. Luckily, we only did a half day train journey, and had time to do another activity today!

Henty Sand Dunes

I knew I wanted my boys to experience the amazing Henty Sand Dunes while on our Tasmania family holiday, and had read that the Big4 park hired out toboggans. We went past the IGA to re-stock for a late lunch and dinner, dropped into our villa to eat and change, and the popped into the liquor store / Big4 office, to hire sand toboggans ($10 each for 4 hours).

It was 4pm when we arrived to Henty Sand Dunes, which are only a ten minute drive out of Strahan. It was an overcast day… but nothing that was going to stop our fun!

We took the pathway in, but you can also just walk directly up the first sand dune from the parking lot, and it puts you straight in the middle of some great tobogganing opportunities.

This is another destination on our lap of Tasmania, where photos don’t do it justice.

The vastness of the sand dunes makes you feel as though you are in a desert, and the animal tracks seen all over the sand remind you that you’re not alone. To walk to the beach from the carpark, it is approximately seven kilometres, and the dunes cover about fifteen kilometres of coastline. You feel lost pretty quickly once you walk inside, so I can’t imagine doing it on your own.

We managed to get an hour of exploring in before the weather started to turn, but we made it count!

Day 11

Drive from Strahan to Cradle Mountain

I’m not gonna lie, I have been the most excited about recapping this part of the trip. The Cradle Mountain experience was the highlight for sure.

Black Bluff Lookout

It’s only two hours from Strahan to Cradle Mountain accommodation, and as you get closer to the region, the view is fantastic. The only stop we made en route, was at Black Bluff lookout point, which gave us the opportunity to take some photos of the incredible alpine landscape.

Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park Destination Guide

Upon arrival at Cradle Mountain, we realised we had no idea about the place at all.

There was a huge visitors building, where you pay for your parks pass and get a ticket for the shuttle bus. We didn’t even know Cradle Mountain had shuttle buses.

Because we already bought a Parks Pass when we visited Freycinet earlier in the trip, we lined up and showed the attendant, who then printed a ticket for us to use throughout out stay. She also equipped us with a park map, and gave me a quick overview of the different walking trails. She was super helpful, in fact, every staff member we came across during our exploration of Cradle Mountain National Park, were all fantastic. This includes the shuttle bus drivers, and the on site café workers as well.

Once you visit Cradle Mountain, you really understand the reason behind the National Park Pass pricing, they spend a lot of money keeping this place protected, maintaining hiking trails, providing transport and so on. One of my favourite things, is that you don’t see roadkill up on the mountain. Thanks to the shuttle system, the abundant wildlife are much safer from traffic.

If you can’t already tell, this was my favourite part of our Tasmania family holiday.

Dove Lake Circuit

It was smack bang in the middle of winter and yet the day we arrived into Cradle Mountain, the sun was beaming, the weather was perfect, and not a chance of rain in sight. Admittedly, the rest of the family were a bit disappointed that it wasn’t snowing, but I think it was a blessing in disguise!

We took this opportunity to do the six kilometre lap of Dove Lake, and caught the shuttle bus all the way to the end of the line to do so. There aren’t too many stops, and the shuttles run continuously. However, they did warn us to be back before they finish for the day, or we would have a very long walk to the carpark! Unfortunately, this instilled fear into my husband, who treated a good part of the walk as a marathon.

Much to his dismay, I stopped every minute or so to take a photo. Because… Look. At. This. View.

As we continued walking, Daz said to me, “it looks too perfect to be real”. Meanwhile, Ra compared the scenery to the beginning of a Disney movie.

Not a bad couple of reviews, huh?! I can’t recommend this walk enough for anyone on a Tasmania family holiday.

Eventually my husband conceded defeat, mostly, and we all got to enjoy a normal walking pace for a fair part of the trail. From start to finish, the six kilometre Dove lake Circuit took us two hours, apparently the average time is two and half hours. Thanks to my husband, we could all now consider ourselves above average.

Ronny Creek

On the shuttle bus back to the park’s entrance, the driver asked if anyone wanted to get off at “Ronny Creek”. None of us were interested in more walking today… until he assured the bus load of people that there would be wombats at Ronny Creek. He had me at wombat, and I dragged our family off the shuttle so fast, that I left my scarf behind by accident.

The shuttle driver was not wrong, there were so many wombats! It was the perfect end to an astoundingly beautiful day.

You are advised verbally, and there are signs throughout the park, advising not to approach any wildlife, and to keep to marked trails (where there are marked trails). This is obviously working, because the wombats have absolutely no fear, and happily graze within touching distance, safe and secure in the massive expanse of National parklands.

Cradle Mountain Accommodation 2 Nights

We arrived to the Cradle Mountain Hotel earlier than check-in time, because we had to pass it on the way to the National Park entrance anyway. We figured it wouldn’t hurt to check-in first, but the room wasn’t ready yet. The clerk allowed me to sign the necessary paperwork and do my credit card imprint, which would save time when we got back.

Once we had finished our Dove Lake and Ronny Creek adventure, we came back and got the room key, plus some coins for the laundry. Our room was beautiful, the beds were the comfiest thing ever, and the balcony had a beautiful view of the alpine forest. As far as comfort goes, we would recommend this place without hesitation.

When it comes to Cradle Mountain pricing, anything food related is exorbitant. The menu at the hotel, like all the other hotels nearby, are very overpriced. They have a captive audience, so why not. If you are travelling in a motorhome, you could definitely save a LOT of money by bringing food along with you.

The only other VERY small annoyances, were the laundry and the buffet breakfast.

The laundry had only one washing machine functioning, and two dryers that don’t completely dry anything (we separated the one washing load into both dryers, which still didn’t help). If you don’t plan on doing washing on your vacation, then obviously this is a non-issue. Also, I’m jealous.

Buffet breakfast would have been amazing, despite the large price tag, except for one bug bear. There was not a single non-dairy milk available, to either add to your coffee, or for the many breakfast cereals. When I checked with a staff member, they said I could pay extra to order a specialty coffee from the barista, rather than using the coffee machine that was included.

Me being me, I had miniature soy milk cartons from a previous IGA visit… so I went for a quick walk to our room and grabbed one to use with my breakfast and coffee. Problem. Solved.

Like I said, the annoyances were small.

Would we stay here again? Yes!

The comfort comes out on top, and all the restaurants and hotels are on the expensive side in Cradle Mountain, so this is not a deal breaker.

Cradle Mountain Lodge

For dinner on the first night, we headed to the nearby Tavern Bar & Bistro, operated by the Cradle Mountain Lodge. It’s a beautiful property run by Peppers, who are known for luxurious accommodation. If you want to splurge, this is definitely the accommodation for you.

The fireplace and general ambience inside the tavern, was exactly what we all needed after a super busy day.

Day 12

Enchanted Forest Walk

We got up early, and after breakfast we headed straight back to the National Park. I had read about the Enchanted Walk prior to visiting, and knew I wanted to see it for ourselves.

The weather was scheduled to be rainy and miserable, and it was much colder than the day before. So we rugged up and headed back up the mountain.

From the Ranger Station (just past the Visitor Centre), it’s only a very short walk to reach the Enchanted trail, and then just twenty minutes or so to do the full circuit, which is less than two kilometres.

Just before the marked trail begins, you will find the lovely, cascading, Pencil Pine Falls.

To top that off, as we stood admiring the falls, this adorable wombat crossed the bridge we were standing on.

It was already a great start to the day!

I’m not sure exactly how long we took to do the enchanted walk, but it felt longer than twenty minutes. Mostly my fault, of course. I can’t even blame it on my photography antics, as this time it was because I was on the lookout for wildlife, especially the elusive platypus… which I’m sad to say… remained elusive to us.

We did see a few pademelons though, and kangaroos, so I was a happy traveler.

Speeler Track

As we came to the end of the Enchanted Walk, we saw a sign for other trails. When we looked up the details of each track to see what we were in for, our youngest son, Daz (10), was not keen in the slightest. My husband was not mega enthused either. Luckily for me, our eldest son, Ra (16), was just as excited to do the Speeler Track as I was.

The two-and-a-half kilometre Speeler Track, is not as clearly defined as other hikes in the park, and this is what makes it so much fun!

Almost as soon as we started walking, we had to hike through muddy terrain, which was mixed with ice, because it was THAT cold this morning. At this point I thought it was a good thing Daz had wanted to skip it, because I had no doubt he would have slipped immediately and been covered in mud.

The undefined track has ribbons tied to trees that help guide you through the forest.

There were so many different landscapes on our hike, and the shock we had once we stepped out of the mossy rainforest, was the best possible kind.

It felt like we were in an African savannah, and by now we had been walking for a while, and were no longer feeling the cold. So much so, that we had to start peeling layers off to cool down.

We finally saw some wildlife, which I’m sure was abundant in the cool temperate rainforest, but very well-hidden!

Now, this is where we lost any sign of ribbons or markings. As we crossed over a creek-bed, we decided that in the worst case scenario, we will just cross back over the creek and follow the entire trail back to the start.

Then we came across this gorgeous little pool of water, and not too far past it, was an actual track! About a minute after we found it, there was a sign telling us which way to go, and then almost immediately -my husband rang to see where we were. It was perfect timing, because we came out of the trail at the Cradle Mountain Lodge, and they were nearby to join us.

Cradle Valley Boardwalk

After enjoying a drink from the Cradle Mountain Lodge Boutique and General Store, we were all ready to keep exploring. We had no plans of where we were going, but stumbled across the Cradle Valley Boardwalk which starts beside the Ranger Station, where we had parked our car.

The boardwalk covers the entire trail, which makes it a very comfortable meander through the valley section. Surprisingly, we didn’t see any wildlife on this walk at all. Plenty of wombat poop all over the pathway, so they were definitely there, but not coming out to play today.

That was completely okay, the views of yet another Cradle Mountain landscape, were more than enough to make up for it.

When we embarked on the walk, we knew it went to Ronny Creek, but had no idea how far that was, either in kilometres, or in time. Eventually, we came upon stairs, and more stairs… and then when we were exhausted from walking up all the stairs. Yep, you guessed it… a few more stairs.

When we finally reached the end of the uphill torture, the sign said we were at Snake Hill. It had taken us just over an hour to walk to Snake Hill from the Ranger Station, and the sign now told us it was a further two kilometres to Ronny Creek.

My husband was the only one keen to walk the extra distance, the rest of us were focused on the shuttle bus stop, and the approaching shuttle bus heading in Ronny Creek direction.

Ronny Creek Part Two

When we got on board, she asked us how we liked the stairs, which we didn’t. And I asked her if anyone handed in a scarf yesterday. They did! It was being held for me at the visitor centre.

We arrived at Ronny Creek just as the weather started turning bad, it did darn well to hold out so long, and we were grateful. Today there was a baby and mama wombat, who were the absolute cutest.

After our required dosage of wombat encounters, we caught the shuttle back to the Rangers Station. Then a quick trip to the visitor centre to pick up my scarf, visit the gift shop and finally, have a late lunch at the on site café.

Once we got back to the hotel, everyone was exhausted, and no one wanted to leave again. Lucky for us, room service meant we didn’t have to.

Day 13

Drive from Cradle Mountain to Penguin

We arrived in Penguin around lunchtime, because we had gone past Ronny Creek one last time before leaving Cradle Mountain. The drive itself was only about an hour and a half, via pretty country towns with lovely scenery.

When I booked our last night of accommodation, I had never heard of the Tassie town called Penguin. I was just browsing for comfortable places, not too far out of Launceston (where our flight leaves the next day), with a bath to relax in and separate bedrooms (after sharing with the kids for the last two nights).

It was pure luck that it turned out to be one of the trips highlights.

Penguin Esplanade

We parked on the esplanade, and took ourselves for a wander down the shoreline. There is a beautiful church, sandy beach, kids playground, giant penguin statue and a randomly placed Tardis that doubles as a community library.

Penguin Accommodation 1 Night

After lunch at the local bakehouse, which is huge and has an amazing selection by the way, we drove a minute down the esplanade and arrived at Sunrise on Penguin.

The lovely owner of Sunrise on Penguin came to meet us, and the entire place exceeded well beyond our expectations. Daz exclaimed that we should have spent the whole holiday here and my husband wished we had at least a few days to enjoy this spectacular location.

As soon as we had settled in, I grabbed my kids and my camera, and wandered directly across the road to explore the gorgeous beach.

We spent a couple of blissful hours relaxing at the Penguin holiday rental, before heading out for an early dinner. There are quite a few eateries on the esplanade, and it is in such easy walking distance from Sunrise on Penguin.

The stroll to get there took us past all the Penguin themed quirkiness. The bins are adorned with them, as well as signboards, street posts, and lots of businesses include penguins in their logo.

We had dinner at Penguin Beer Co. It had great reviews online, and we can confirm that we agree with the positive feedback. The atmosphere was great, staff friendly, place clean and inviting, and we all enjoyed the variety of food available.

Walking back as the sun was setting, I loved seeing the historic buildings lining the way. Penguin was originally settled in the 1860’s, and some of the buildings had their year of establishment embossed into the architecture.

Day 14 End of Our Tasmania Family Holiday

Drive from Penguin to Launceston

We began the day at sunrise, when we walked to the bakehouse for breakfast.

We spent some time walking along the beach, giving the seagulls Daz’s leftover bread, and watching some birds of prey fly overhead.

Launceston

Although we flew into Launceston fourteen days ago, we hadn’t actually spent any time here on our Tasmania family holiday, apart from visiting Cataract Gorge. I always recommend travelers do a lap of Tasmania, rather than a one way. There is no need to back track, because there is so much to see in every part of the state.

Arriving into the Launceston CBD, we parked across the road from City Park, which housed some pretty gardens, and strangely, a family of Japanese macaque monkeys. I am not at all a fan of caged animals, and I wondered how this was happening in Australia.

The signboard by the enclosure explained that the monkeys first arrived in 1980, which made more sense, as I like to think we have come a long way ethically since then. But why were they still here?

Well, I read more of the information, and did a quick google search too. I found that the monkeys carry a type of herpes, which is transmittable to humans. At some stage it was proposed to euthanise them all, to which there was outrage. Understandably, because the herpes virus doesn’t impact these monkeys as much as it does humans. Instead, the enclosure was rebuilt to ensure that the herpes virus could not be spread to visitors.

Unfortunately, this means they can never be released.

Why do they allow these captive animals to continue breeding into a life of continual captivity? That’s a great question.

We headed into the city centre to have a walk around and find somewhere to have lunch. The old buildings along the way, give Launceston a charming, old-world quality.

We had lunch at Morty’s food court, which had a variety of different international, mostly asian, cuisines available. Everyone got to pick what they liked, which is why food courts are a lunchtime win! At least… for anyone that has a fussy kid.

The End of our Tasmania Family Holiday Road Trip

We didn’t want to rush ourselves checking in for the flight on time and returning the car, so we called it a day, and headed to the airport.

As much as we loved our lap of Tasmania, we were all very much looking forward to getting home to our baby, Halo. She is a Shih Tzu x Maltese Terrier x Bichon Frise ball of furry cuteness. My mother and father in-law had generously offered to look after her for us while we were on vacation.

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