all my recommendations from our Tasmanian roadtrip

This year we swapped our usual Queensland summer beach holiday for the east coast of Tasmania and woweeeee it was so so good! Bobbie (our four-year-old daughter) had never been on a plane before, so the whole trip felt extra sentimental. Everything and anything made her face light up! Lots of you asked for my recommendations, so I’m dusting off my travel blogger skills (I forgot how much work this is lol). We packed up the girls, boarded a plane and headed south for two weeks of beaches, wineries, wildlife, galleries, endless oysters anddddd ofc a healthy dose of children complaining all the time bc what is a holiday if not just a different albeit more beautiful place for your children to say their legs hurt and they don’t want to walk any further lol. Putting that aside, it was so good!

We flew in and out of Launceston and drove a loop down the East Coast, then back up through the Midlands to fly home. You could easily do the exact same trip starting and ending in Hobart instead, but we have close friends in Launceston and so we wanted to spend time with them, and they were so so kind as to lend us a car! Because we were travelling with kids, our strategy was to avoid constant packing and moving. Instead, we tried to base ourselves in one spot for several nights at a time and did day trips from there, which made the trip feel adventurous but not chaotic (and easier with kids, I always find it takes a few days to settle once we move). One thing you won’t see much of is fancy dinner recommendations, we opted for easy outdoor and child-friendly dining (the kids have about an hour limit and in general are loud, and we are always conscious of other diners!), and mainly dinners at home due to child exhaustion, so didn’t get to explore that side of the trip! Oh and if you’re wondering how I got to do a few things solo, Ben and I always plan a few half days on our own (him golf, me hiking or wandering) to stay sane!

Our trip looked like this:

• Launceston - 2 nights (arrive + settle in)

• Bicheno - 6 nights (our coastal base to visit Bay of Fires and Freycinet)

• Hobart - 5 nights (city, culture + Bruny)

• White Beach - 2 nights then return to Launceston on the day of the flight

We started in Launceston and stayed at Peppers Seaport, which was comfortable and (so long as you book river facing) had lovely river views. It’s also right across the river from Riverbend playground, which is perfect for kids too (I love visiting new cities and mainly touring the playgrounds lol). Our first highlight was lunch at our friend’s amazing winery Evenfall . We also walked and swam at Cataract Gorge, which feels like a magical nature pocket right near the city. I did the zig-zag track (leaving and returning near Stillwater, an amazing restuarant Ben has been to before but we didn’t get there this trip) solo the next day and loved it. We also loved Bread + Butter and Frankie’s.

From Launceston we headed toward the coast, stopping in Evandale for lunch at the Clarendon Arms before arriving in Bicheno. So many of you recommended this little beach town and you were completely right - it’s adorable!! We stayed at The Beach Path House and used Bicheno as our base for day trips, which was the best decision. Six nights meant we could get into a routine and so walks along the beach path into town and coffee at Govenor’s. Other Bicheno highlights included lunch at The Lobster Shack (simple and seaside), Le Gulch for wine and cheese, and an afternoon at Devil’s Corner Winery.

From there we explored places like the Bay of Fires. The beaches are pristine, the water is crystal clear and we loved Honeymoon Beach.We had lunch at Sco & Co and Lifebuoy cafe, and attempted a visit to the Serpentarium (closed sadly).

We also spent a day in Freycinet National Park, which is an absolute must. You’ll need a National Parks pass, but it’s so worth it. We hiked the Wineglass Bay Lookout track - technically around 3km, although the children insisted it was closer to 79,204,709,213km - and finished the day with mussels and oysters at Freycinet Marine Farm, which might be one of the best post-walk meals imaginable.

After our coastal week, we drove south to Hobart via Richmond, stopping for wood-fired pizzas at Pooley Wines. In Hobart we stayed at Little Elizabeth and filled our days easily. Hobart is such a lovely city to wander: Battery Point, galleries, the docks, cafés everywhere. I even snuck in a solo morning at Leoht. We also loved driving up to Mt Wellington! We spent a full day at MONA as well - we drove, but everyone says the ferry is iconic, so that’s on the list for next time. We also loved the markets. Salamanca is great, but my favourite was Farm Gate.

We took a day trip to Bruny Island (the return car ferry is only $50!), got oytsers and fries at Get Shucked, walked to the lighthouse, bought raisin sourdough from the famous bread fridge… and then ate the entire loaf in the car while waiting hours for the ferry back (we waited in the line for 4 ferries for 1 hour so don’t wait til the last one).

We also took a day trip to New Norfolk, with pretty shops like Miss Arthur and Black Swan Bookshop, The Drill Hall (best cureated antique store I have EVER seen), and lunch from the kiosk at Agrarian Kitchen (apparently lunch is incredible but alas, the fruit of my loins put a stop to any thoughts of a 3 hour degustation). All of this done with juggling small children who have no interest in sitting down or calmly exploring shops - there is a big park in the centre of time so we tag teamed.

For the final destination, we headed to White Beach and checked into The Pearl stopping for lunch on the way at Bangor Wine Shed . It was such a beautiful way to end the trip. After coffee at Cubed Espresso we did the short walk from Devil’s Kitchen to Tasman Arch, which was stunning. I continued solo to Waterfall Bay while Ben and the girls collected me at the other end.

To head home, we drove the historic highway back up to Launceston and stopped in Oatlands for lunch - a charming final stop before flying home. Phew! Travelling with kids is chaotic and challenging at times but in some ways it’s like childbirth - you tend to forget the bad bits and remember the good ones! If you don;t have kids this is still a lovely route, you just get to add in more lounging and lots of amazing restusarants!

Let me know if you have other suggestions that we missed! Thank you to everyone who sent me recommendations, you helped make our trip so amazing!

xx Geneva