When I mentioned that we were planning to visit Tasmania, I got almost unified reactions from those around us:

“You are going where?”

Understandable. To be honest, we didn’t know much about Tasmania either. We knew it was a fine place, but couldn’t really imagine the parameter of ‘fine’. As we did some researches here and there, we decided to stay there for 8 days.

WHEN IN TASMANIA: DAY 1 & 2

We took a flight to Launceston, Tasmania on June 14th. Tasmania is a remote island, but surprisingly big. Clearly, it wasn’t an island like Lombok. Not to mention that it was winter in June, it would be impossible to travel around without a car – and so we rented a car.

When we got there, it was freezing cold – but the view was amazing. Without having to go anywhere in particular, Tasmania exuded a particular charm.

On the next day, we drove to Cradle mountain and stayed at a small town nearby (in which I couldn’t remember the name). We did some hiking and took tons of pictures. Hiking was not exactly my thing, but the experience and the view were totally worth it. Afterwards, we went to Stanley to catch the sunset and then went back to Launceston.

WHEN IN TASMANIA: DAY 3 & 4

We did some more hiking on the third day – so we went to Wineglass Bay at Freycinet National Park. We took an excellent half-day trek, continued on from the Wineglass Bay lookout down to Coles Bay. This was where we saw a very clear presence of Aurora. Afterwards, we went to Hobart.

Saturday morning was the perfect time for us to stroll around for a little while. So we visited Salamanca market in the city. This is where you can find Tasmania’s unique culture, creative artisans, and talented musicians. Afterwards, we took a drive onto a ferry and went to Bruny Island. This was already a whole day affair.

WHEN IN TASMANIA: DAY 5 & 6

On Sunday, we went to Mount Wellington. We drove for about 30 minutes from the city, but this time we didn’t do any hiking. Afterwards, we went to Wild Ocean Tasmania. I knew it was amazing, but honestly when we got there, it was completely beyond our expectations. We went for an adventure boat ride and was splurged with breathtaking views. If you still have time, you can set off to Tasman National Park/Port Arthur and catch another Aurora. The best route would be: Port Arthur, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman Arch, and then Wild Ocean Tasmania.

Insider tip: You can get a Tasmanian National Park Holiday Pass. This is a valid park entry permit that allows you to have an 8 weeks worth of access to all parks for one vehicle (excluding Cradle Mountain, up to 8 passengers) for just A$60. The alternative is to purchase a daily pass at A$24 each.

After our long day, we decided to chill at our nice Airbnb on the next day.

For the last two days, we visited back Freycinet, Mount Wellington, and Port Arthur.