1 Week-Long Loop Around Tasmania Itinerary with Kids

Have you ever thought about taking a loop of Tasmania with the kids, but didn’t think that you had enough time?

So many families spend weeks, if not months, in Tasmania, and while we would love to have that opportunity, it isn’t always feasible.

We managed to take a week and wanted to show our kids as much of Tasmania as possible in such a short time.

If you are planning a longer loop around Tasmania with kids, this itinerary can be easily extended. We would have loved to spend more time in every single place that we visited.

If this long post overwhelms you, check out A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids, The Short Version. The short version of our Tasmania holiday includes just our stops without any commentary.

Day One: Loop around Tasmania with Kids

Hobart to Bicheno, driving time 2.5 hours

We rented a car at the airport and drove to Bicheno.

As our original plan was to do a lap of Tasmania, this was necessary after our flight changed locations. Luckily, we flew in during the early afternoon, and it is only a 2.5-hour drive from Hobart to Bicheno.

Of course, no one wants to drive 2.5 hours after a flight, but it made the most sense. Bicheno is almost 2 hours from Launceston. We wanted to go to Bicheno for a night to see the penguins.

The drive is pretty, and we saw so many sheep, plus a few cows and even some alpaca.

The penguin tour times vary by season as the penguins go onto land when it is dark outside.

We signed up for the first tour of the night, at 6:05 pm. Our flight was to arrive at 1 pm, so we had plenty of time to get to Bicheno.

Would you rather take a tour?  

This 5-Day West and East Coast Tour is appropriate for kids 8+ and is less that $800 a person.  Explore more on a week-long tour of Tasmania.

Hotel and Dinner in Bicheno

We got into town early enough to check into our hotel, Beachfront Bicheno.

Mark booked the hotels for this trip, and he tends to go with basic, but obviously clean.

Our room had 2 bedrooms. One had 3 single beds, and the other had a queen bed. There is a balcony with a table and chairs facing the water across the street.

There wasn’t too much time to relax at the hotel as we needed to have an early dinner. I chose Lobster Shack.

Tasmania is known for its seafood, so why not eat fresh seafood each day? I got the lobster roll, and I highly recommend it.

Lobster Shack is located on the water, and it was cold and windy. It wasn’t very cold in Hobart, so it was surprising for us to get a blast of cold air.

Bicheno Penguin Tour

After dinner, we drove to the shop where we were to meet for the Bicheno Penguin Tour.

As I said, the temperature was dropping fast, and we realized that we needed all of our layers. We went into the store to wait for the bus that would take us to the location where we would see penguins.

The bus ride is quick. I didn’t time it, but it might have taken 5 minutes to get on the bus, drive to the location, and get off.

Our guide took us into a small building and taught us about penguins. I did not get to hear it all because of the kids, but I did learn that we would be seeing the “little blue” penguins. Little blue penguins grow to about 0.3 meters high.

Our second stop was at a seating area above the water. After just a minute, we saw our very first penguins pop out of the water and onto the rocks.

You can not use flashlights or camera flashes, as they would scare the penguins. The guides use red lights so visitors can see the penguins in the dark.

Groups and Pairs of Penguins

The penguins tend to wait for a group before waddling up the rocks. They pair up and go to their “home.” Some of the homes are man-made boxes, while others are made by penguins.

Another group joined us at the spot, and we stayed just another minute or two before heading to the next seating area. We saw even more penguins get out of the water and climb up the rocks. They waddled right past us. Some stayed near us for a while, while others quickly waddled away.

After that, we went for a walk and checked out some of the boxes with penguins inside. I got close to one open box, and it stunk!

Bicheno Penguins and Stars

The penguins head out to fish all day and return to their homes at night. It is breeding season, and mates tend to stick together during breeding seasons, but they might separate afterwards.

Apparently, penguins do not sleep much. These penguins can only sleep for 30 seconds at a time in the water and up to 4 minutes on land.

While it was hard to take my eyes off the penguins, a beautiful sky filled with stars was above us. The night was completely clear.

Our bus driver pointed out the Southern Cross. I remember seeing it during my first trip to Australia when I camped outside in the Northern Territory.

We all highly recommend the Bicheno Penguin Tour, with or without kids.

A Loop of Tasmania with Kids Day 2

Bicheno-Freycinet National Park-Hobart
Driving Time 3 Hours

We were all up before the sun.

Luckily, there was a bakery open at 6 am, so we did not have to make any decisions and just went there. It was busy with people getting coffee before work.

The Blow Hole in Bicheno

After breakfast at Blue Edge Bakery, we headed to see The Blowhole. The blowhole is an area where the water hits the rocks, and it looks like a whale shooting water out of its blowhole.

The blowhole remains one of the kids’ absolute favorite things about our trip to Tasmania.

There are tons of rocks to climb on and over. Some of them have water going through them.

A sign by the entrance says that you can see penguins from the blowhole.

Had we stayed another night, we would have gone down here at night. I am not upset that we paid for a tour. We saw more than 50 penguins, and we got extremely close to them. I like having a guide teach us about the penguins. Also, we do not have a red light to see them.

We let the kids climb around the rocks for a while while we watched the water crash against the rocks.

There is a picnic table where we discussed having breakfast, but in the end, it is too cold and windy to enjoy a meal outside.

All of us would have loved more time at the blowhole, but we needed to move on.

Freycinet National Park

Mark proposed to me at Freycinet National Park in 2011. He wanted to propose at the Wineglass Bay Lookout, but it was closed, so instead, we took a bunch of smaller hikes until he found the spot he liked.

Our first stop was to finally walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout. The walk is about 3 kilometers and is considered a moderate hike. It is probably the longest and hardest hike that my kids have done so far.

Rather cruise?  Head out on a Wineglass Bay Lunch Cruise.

The Hike up to Wineglass Bay Lookout

There are lots of stairs on the way up. Of course, there are benches and rocks to sit on, as well as a “saddle seat” near the top.

About halfway up is Coles Bay lookout.

We were early and did not see many people on the way up. We started our hike just before 9. The first half of the hike has separate paths going up and down, but they combine into one path in the second half. We saw 1 person heading down the mountain, and a couple passed up at the top as we were snacking in the saddle seat. We saw them again at the lookout.

Right before you get to the path leading to the lookout, there are stairs leading to the beach at Wineglass Bay. From there, it is a 1.5-hour return hike, including 1000 stairs. Despite the kids begging to go, we skipped the beach and just went to the lookout.

There was a decent number of hikers on the way down. They were distanced far enough away that they did not have to walk together, but they would all meet up at the top.

The last half of the path separates, so there was a while where we didn’t see anyone. We all felt like the way down was longer. It probably has fewer stairs and a longer distance.

We finished by 11, and that included lots of stops and a while at the top. There are bathrooms at the bottom and a small area for kids to play (but I didn’t get a picture as it was drizzling).

Lookout and Lighthouse

In the end, Mark chose to propose at a lookout near the lighthouse. We walked the path and reminisced about how he had started that walk 10 years ago, before telling me he had forgotten his camera so he could go back to the car for the ring.

There had been a couple standing at the spot he wanted to propose, and they took picture after picture, so we walked around the lighthouse before finding another spot to look out on the water.

I had completely forgotten about the rock where I had tied my shoe before looking up to see Mark down on one knee.

Oh, by the way, the kids couldn’t care less about our stories. They just wanted to look into the binoculars that weren’t there 10 years ago.

I tried to get a picture of us in the same spot. The weather was completely different, and this time it was grey and rainy, but the rocks still looked the same.

Drive from Freycinet National Park back to Hobart

We stopped for lunch just outside the park at Pondering Frog Cafe.

There is a playground at Pondering Frog as well as a play area inside the restaurant.

The road back to Hobart is the same one that we took to Bicheno the day before. There are lots of vineyards and wineries, especially close to Freycinet. We realized that we had not seen many traffic lights in the past 2 days.

Our hotel for the night was Bay Hotel Apartments, just a few minutes from the wharves. Our apartment was 2 stories with the bedrooms on the top floor and the living room, kitchen, and bathroom on the bottom.

We weren’t at the hotel for long. We went down to the wharf for dinner at Mures Lower Deck. There are 3 restaurants inside that building, with the lower deck being the most casual. We walked around a little after dinner, but gave up due to the rain.

A Loop of Tasmania with Kids Day 3

Hobart-Southern Edge-Hobart-Medina
Driving Time 4.5 hours

If we had never been to Hobart before, we would have spent much of day 3 in Hobart. If you are looking to spend more time in Hobart with kids, use this 3-day Itinerary.

Mark and I were in Hobart in 2011, and I remember loving it. I remember thinking I wish it were closer (I lived in New York at the time) because I wanted to recommend that my friends and family visit.

Besides the bars, breweries, and distilleries I remember from my last visit, we also went to MONA and the Cadbury Chocolate Factory.

Unfortunately, the factory is now closed. I do not remember MONA being child-friendly, but that could have just been the exhibit that stands out in my mind the most. Either way, Hobart is an adorable small city, and I suggest exploring it if you have the chance.

Drive the Southern Edge

One of the places that we saved is Summer Kitchen Bakery. We do not know which one of us found out about this gem, but we are both happy to have found it.

Of course, we woke up early. We decided to drive a bit before breakfast. Summer Kitchen Bakery seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but their pastries are phenomenal. There was a line of locals waiting to get in.

I ordered the savory tart, and then Mark asked if I wanted to share a sweet item. He asked which was best, and that is how we ended up with carrot cake.

After breakfast, we continued to drive past farms. Some had stands out front with items for sale such as apples, eggs, and flowers. All items are sold on the honor system.

Tahune Adventures Airwalk and Hang Gliding

Mark chose Tahune Adventures for the airwalk.

It is a long drive into the forest, and there is no cell service.

We arrived early, as they do not open until 10, but they were willing to sell us tickets early and let us explore.

Tahune Adventures also has white water rafting in the Huon River, which they thought we were there to do. You can also stay in the cabins there.

As we were the first to arrive, we had to airwalk to ourselves until the end. The airwalk is basically a square. You climb upstairs and then around the airwalk before ending near the top of the hill and walking down.

The ticket for the airwalk includes other hikes in the park. The airwalk takes about 15 minutes, and then we chose to walk on the shorter of the 2 hikes, one that would be about 30 minutes return. That hike included a scavenger hunt, which the kids always get into.

The kids had to find silhouettes of Australian animals.

This walk had picnic tables and trash bins, and looked like a great place to stop for lunch.

On the way back by the river, we saw someone Hang Gliding and decided to check it out back at the visitor’s center.

Tahune Adventures Visitor Center

The Visitor Center has Wifi, which is needed to check in.

They also have bathrooms, a cafe, and a store.

We told them that the kids had spotted all of the animals except the platypus, and each kid got to pick out one of the animals to color in. Their drawings were then turned into pins for them to take home.

I asked about hang gliding, and while children can be as young as 5 years old to participate, they need to be at least 25 kilos. Unfortunately, only one person can go at a time, so it can not be a combined weight.

Hang Gliding

M is just over 25 kilos, so she was able to try hang gliding.

Try as he might, Z eats all day but is nowhere near 25 kilos at 6 years old. He was slightly upset but understands that sometimes he gets to do things that his sister doesn’t get to do.

The walk to the hang glider is about 10 minutes.

M was strapped in and then had to prove that she could hold on to the bar for 2 minutes.

The hang glider is attached to a rope, so she would not fall if she let go, but she would spin around a lot.

It was a little difficult for her to hold on, and she was almost not allowed to go. I am not sure how a 5-year-old would manage. M is 7 and strong. We were told that it is harder to hold onto while on the ground than in the air, but she needed to be able to hold on the whole time.

Thankfully, she was able to hold on. She had a quick trip back up the slope and then came racing toward us with a giant smile on her face.

Drive back to Hobart

Middle Row: The Apple Museum at Willy Smith’s. Eating out with kids is hard, so it was great for them to have a place to look while waiting for lunch.

Bottom Row: Lunch at Willy Smith’s in the Huon Valley. Delicious hot apple cider and a charcuterie plate with extra sides.

We stopped for apples from a farm stand on the way back to Hobart. A bag of 20 Gala apples costs $4, and we were happy to have a delicious and healthy snack for our trip.

Right after purchasing the apples, we saw a shop called the Honey Pot and realized we needed honey to eat with our apples for Rosh Hashanah, in a few days.

The shop offers samples of its various flavors of honey. We tried a bunch and decided to get 3 small jars.

There are also cherry farms, but they are not open due to the season.

After asking the woman running the hang glider for a lunch recommendation, we ended up at Willy Smith’s Cider House.

There was a market going on outside, and it was very busy inside.

They have a self-guided apple museum inside as well.

Mark got us hot apple cider, and we all shared a charcuterie plate.

I wanted to go to Hobart, but Mark really wanted to drive up to Mount Wellington. We had not gotten to go up Mount Wellington on our last visit. Mount Wellington is known for its view of the city below.

Mount Wellington

The higher up Mount Wellington we drove, the foggier it got. At one point, we almost turned back.

Then we noticed the temperature was quickly dropping. By the time we reached the top, there were snow flurries!

They only lasted a minute, but the kids have never seen snow (that they remember).

We found a large patch of old snow at the side of the mountain and pulled over to let the kids play.

For us, playing in the snow was worth skipping Hobart.

As I said, if we had never been to Hobart, we wouldn’t have left Hobart today. For now, I live a short plane ride away, and hopefully, I will get back there.

Mark wanted to get to our location before dark, and we hadn’t planned anything in Hobart, so we moved on.

Drive to Maydena

We drove through Hobart, past bright green hills and lakes with black swans, to an extremely small town called Maydena.

Our hotel is called Giant Table Cottages. They have a playground and plenty of room for kids to run, plus platypus in the stream behind the cottages. There are alpaca, chickens, and other animals there as well.

Our cottage had 2 bedrooms and a large living room/kitchen. I was most excited about the electric blankets because it was cold in Tasmania at the beginning of spring!

Tired from the long day, we planned on having dinner at the hotel pub. Unfortunately, it was closed and we had to backtrack in the dark to find a restaurant.

Besides being tired and ready to stop for the day, Mark didn’t want to drive at night, as there are a lot of wallabies near the road. We saw a lot of roadkill.

The nearest restaurant was only a 10-minute drive. We ended up at the National Park Hotel, which was warm and inviting (once we walked through the bar and into the restaurant).

A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids Day 4

Maydena-Mount Field National Park-Strahan
Driving Time 4 hours

Not even the town that we went to for dinner had a restaurant open when we tried to get breakfast.

We drove all the way to Mount Field National Park and did not find anywhere to eat.

Luckily, we always have snacks, so we decided to snack, hike, and then find coffee and breakfast.

*Lanie’s Tip*
If you are going to be visiting more than 1 national park, buy a visitor pass. A visitor pass costs the cost of 2 National Park visits and is good for 2 months. For $10 more, you can get an annual pass. We were able to show our receipt from Freycinet and upgrade to the visitor pass, so many other National Parks would essentially be free.

Mount Field National Park

Russell Falls is one of the great short walks in Tasmania, and our first stop.

By the time we got there, we saw a sign for Horseshoe Falls, just 15 minutes away.

The Russell Falls hike is quick and easy. There are lots of stairs to get to Horseshoe Falls.

The visitor center was open by the time we returned. We exchanged our pass for a visitor pass and asked about breakfast. The cafe opened in 10-15 minutes, but she suggested that we drive to Roadhouse in Ouse for breakfast. She wanted to make sure that I knew that Roadhouse is not fancy and would not have a lot of options. She told me that I would not be finding smashed avocado on toast, but maybe an egg and bacon roll.

Ouse is not that close, and it was close to 10:30 by the time we arrived. We only passed 1 or 2 service stations on the way. There are definitely not a lot of choices for food in this area, so come prepared.

Roadhouse did not have a lot of options, but I enjoyed my egg on a roll. M went with bacon and egg on a roll, and Mark and Z picked dim sim and a spring roll.

There is an IGA nearby, and we went to replenish our snack supply.

Geographical Centre of Tasmania

Today is the longest driving day, and it includes the Geographical Centre of Tasmania.

There isn’t a sign telling you where to go, but we had it tagged and found it easily.

There is a rock with a plaque, and of course, it isn’t exciting, but there aren’t a lot of great places to stop on this drive through central Tasmania, so it is a good place to get out of the car for a few minutes.

The Wall

Seemingly in the absolute middle of nowhere is the entrance to The Wall.

This is another thing that we had tagged, but we weren’t really sure what it was.

The only pictures that came up when we looked up reviews were giant bugs. Those bugs can be found on the light posts on the drive in.

Kids are free, but adults are not, so in an effort to save money, I stayed in the car and enjoyed a few minutes by myself.

Everyone seemed to like it. They said it was one long structure carved over 12 years. There is a story to follow, but the kids were mostly interested in the fireplace. There are no pictures allowed inside, which is why we couldn’t find any.

Lanie’s Tip: Not everyone has to do everything. It is nice to have a few minutes alone and save money at the same time.

Suspension Bridge at Franklin River

Again, thanks to our tags, we knew about a suspension bridge. The sign says that it is 15 15-minute return, but we think it was longer. There are a lot of stairs.

Only one person is allowed on the bridge at a time.

Basically, you hike to the bridge, over, and back, all on the same track.

Nelson Falls Track

Getting out of the car a lot definitely helped us enjoy the longest driving day.

Nelson Falls Track is an easy 20-minute return hike.

Driving Day 4 Wrap-Up

This is the one day I suggest making sure that you have food.

Of course, things change by the day of the week and the time of year.

For us, this was a Sunday. We woke up early. After eating a late breakfast, we just wanted a large snack for lunch (no more crackers or apples).

Queenstown appears to be a larger town, but besides a grocery store, nothing was open when we drove through in the middle of the afternoon. We knew that there would be restaurants open in Strahan, our stop for the night.

Strahan

We stayed at Driftwood Strahan Village. Our room had 2 bedrooms, one with a queen bed and the other with 2 single beds. There is a kitchen, a living area, and 1.5 bathrooms.

It was sprinkling, so we drove around the small waterfront town before deciding to have dinner at Hamer’s Hotel Pub.

A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids Day 5

Strahan-Cradle Mountain
Driving Time 1 hour 45 minutes

We drove back to the waterfront for breakfast at The Kitchen Strahan before boarding our boat cruise for the day.

There is a well-known train ride in Strahan. Tickets get booked out weeks in advance. I am sure that we could have called and gotten a last-minute cancellation, but instead decided to go on the Gordon River cruise.

Gordon River Cruise

There are 3 types of seats available for purchase on this 6-hour boat tour.

We went with the cheapest seats, the ones in the middle of the boat on the bottom floor.

The price went up for window seats, and up even higher for the 2nd level.

Those who paid for the VIP seats not only get priority seating and an outside deck to themselves, but they also get fed all day. Their tickets include a welcome meal, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and dessert. Plus unlimited drinks.

Our tickets included a buffet lunch, and we figured that we would bring our own snacks. The price difference is vast.

The bar is open as soon as the boat starts moving. There were options to buy scones and muffins for those who had not yet had breakfast. Many people purchased tea and coffee.

I also noticed they had sandwiches for sale, despite a lunch buffet included in every ticket.

Gordon River Cruise Seating

We were the only family with children on board.

Originally, we were sitting at the back of the boat, facing backward. The view would be spectacular. There were plenty of open seats, and they spaced everyone out. The kids were seated in front of us and had a table to color on. We sat behind them, and each seat had a tray table.

I get seasick, so Mark asked if our seats could be moved so that we face the front. All of the window seats face the front, but the middle seats in the back face the back.

We were moved to the last 2 rows of the front half of the boat, right in front of the buffet. The view wasn’t as grand, but at least we were facing forward.

It seems pretty even between people sitting at window seats and in middle seats.

The buffet is set up as a store at the beginning of the cruise.

There are 3 levels for everyone to go outside.

The first level has an area out front. The second area has a small seating area in the back and a private area in the front. The top of the boat has plenty of benches to sit on.

Guests are also allowed to go into the room with the captain of the boat. There is a 2-person limit, and there were always people talking with the captain, so we were unable to go in.

I was not willing to wait as it was cold and windy.

The Southern Ocean

The first stop is through Hell’s Gate to the Southern Ocean.

Hell’s Gate was named by prisoners entering during the 1800s.

Once we were in the Southern Ocean, the nearest land to the west, based on the latitude, was Argentina.

The boat doesn’t stay in the Southern Ocean for long. They turn around and head back through Hell’s Gate to the Gordon River. On the way, we passed salmon farms with seals lounging, and a few dolphins swam by.

Heritage Landing

Everyone can get off the boat for 30 minutes to walk around Heritage Landing.

There is a picture scavenger hunt for kids.

Heritage Landing is a rainforest that is part of the Tasmanian Heritage World Heritage Area. World Heritage Areas are protected for their natural and cultural heritage.

There is a list of 10 things that are considered when deciding if a place qualifies. Heritage Landing meets 7 out of the 10 qualifications, making it the area that satisfies the most criteria in the world.

Lunch on the Gordon River Boat

The buffet is set up when the passengers return, around 11:30 a.m.

Everyone returns to their seats and waits to be called up to the buffet.

Lunch includes smoked salmon, ham, and chicken as well as a variety of salads and rolls. Drinks are not included, but we got free water at the bar.

Sarah Island

Everyone can get off the boat again once it reaches Sarah Island.

Sarah Island housed Tasmania’s oldest and most remote convict settlement.

The passengers have a choice to walk around the island on their own or take a guided tour.

Of course, the kids wanted to just run around and wander, so Mark took them while I joined in on one of the 2 tours. Everyone else on the boat joined a tour.

The tours last about an hour. I heard stories about the inmates, including lots of escape attempts and recaptures.

Every night back in Strahan, there is a show, “The Ship that Never Was,” which is based on an escape attempt. We left town as soon as we returned to land, but it would be fun to check out for those who are in town another night.

Cradle Mountain

We left Strahan after the boat returned to Strahan at 2:30 p.m.

There are a few options for lodging at Cradle Mountain, and we went with one of the cheapest, a cabin at Discovery Park cabins. Of course, we did not pick the absolute cheapest as those do not come with bathrooms, and I insist on having a bathroom in our room.

The cabin has 2 bedrooms. One has a queen bed, and the other has 2 sets of bunk beds. The kids were thrilled to have bunk beds, especially a double set so that they could both sleep on top. There is a combined kitchen and living space.

A few restaurants were open for dinner, and we went to Altitude at Cradle Mountain Resort as it was the closest. The restaurant was booked out for the night, but we were able to immediately sit in the bar area and order off the same menu.

A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids Day 6

Cradle Mountain-Deloraine
Driving Time 1 hour and 45 minutes

It was Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, so we started our day eating the apples that we had bought at a roadside stand dipped in honey from the local honey shop.

Of course, we were up early and figured we could hike before breakfast.

Cradle Mountain requires everyone to enter by bus. There is no parking inside the park. However, there are a few tracks that you can get to from Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.

We parked at the lodge, but it was extremely cold and windy, and it started to drizzle. Instead of hiking, we decided to eat first.

The lodge normally only has a buffet breakfast for its guests, but we called, and they said that we were allowed to eat there that morning. The hostess did have to double-check, but then we were seated.

The buffet includes hot and cold items as well as fresh juices, tea, and coffee. We were (just a tiny bit) concerned that we did not know the price, but in the end, it cost our family of 4 AUD$76.

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time we went outside, but it was still cold. The kids were a bit whiny until we saw a wombat crossing the street!

Pencil Pine Falls and Knyvet Falls

We followed the wombat across the road to the path to Pencil Pine Falls.

There is a boardwalk-style path that everyone must stay on until they get to the dirt path.

We managed to see more wombats on our way. They do blend in with the surroundings, but we spotted some eating breakfast.

The walk to Pencil Pine Falls is quick and easy. From there, it is a short walk to Knyvet Falls.

Wallabies are plentiful along the path to Knyvet Falls.

Enchanted Walk

Another walk that you can do from outside of Cradle Mountain, without taking the bus in, is the Enchanted Walk.

I chose this walk to see more wildlife, but we did not see any platypus or echidnas. We did see more wombats and wallabies.

Enchanted Walk is a great walk for children. They have a few little areas specifically for kids. Adults can not fit inside. Each area has information about the wildlife and plants along the walk.

Tasmanian Devils

If you want to see a Tasmanian Devil, Devils @ Cradle is open day and night for various tours.

We have seen Tasmanian Devils before, so we did not go. However, it would have been at the top of my list if we had not seen them before.

Visitor Center

We actually visited the Visitor Center multiple times.

There is a store, an information center, and a cafe.

I purchased a guide to Australian animal poo for my niece.

After our hikes, we stopped at the cafe for hot chocolate. The day was cold and windy, and I had to bribe my kids a little to get them going.

Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

Not far from Cradle Mountain is the strangest little place.

Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot reminded me of an old roadside attraction.

We hiked a lot over the last few days, and while the kids enjoyed the hikes, it was nice to have something specifically for them.

A family ticket gets you into Tasmazia for the whole day, but we probably spent about 1-2 hours here.

There are 8 mazes and no directions. There is a map that shows you where in the giant area you are in relation to the other locations.

Some mazes are longer and harder than others. A few of them have “goals” to get to.

In addition to the mazes, there are cubby houses to explore, a model village, Embassy Gardens with buildings from many countries around the world, a cafe, and a shop. We also saw many animals that we were later told were paddy melons. They are similar to wallabies.

At the front of Tasmazia is a box where you can mail postcards that will have the location stamp of “the Village of Lower Crackpot.” Unfortunately, our postcards, purchased at Freycinet National Park, were still blank.

House of Anvers Chocolate Factory

Our drive went back to more fields and less curvy mountain roads. We saw lots of cows and horses, but fewer sheep than at the beginning of the trip. There were also a few alpacas.

We stopped at House of Anver’s Chocolate Factory. They have a free self-guided tour, and you can see the chocolate being made. They offer 1 type of sample each day. We got a strawberry-flavored truffle.

It was past lunchtime, so we went to the cafe for sandwiches. We didn’t want to eat too much as we knew the next stop would be a cheese factory.

Ashgrove Cheese Factory

Close to Ashgrove Cheese, there is a petrol station with a strange item on a pole. It looks like a potato.

Mark pointed it out and asked if we had seen it before. I said yes, thinking we saw a similar sign at another service station.

It wasn’t until we got to Ashgrove Cheese Factory and saw the painted cows outside that we realized we had been there before. A decade ago. Neither of us remembers being in the area, but looking back at pictures, we have been to Ashgrove Cheese.

They redid the factory a year or so ago, and it is much bigger. There is a play area outside with a tractor for kids to climb.

Inside, there is a self-guided tour.

There are no samples at this time, but there is a store and a cafe.

We purchased the Tassie favorites sampler, crackers, and apple spread. The kids played while I cut the cheese up, and then we snacked.

We had not booked a hotel yet as we weren’t sure if we wanted to drive to Launceston for the night. In the end, we decided not to. There are a few other farms that we were interested in, and neither of us loved Launceston the first time.

Deloraine

Our hotel, the Deloraine Hotel, is the only place we stayed on this trip that was just 1 room. I didn’t have high hopes based on the price, but our room was very nice. It had a high decorative ceiling. The room has a queen bed, two twin beds, and a fireplace.

I was worried about noise as the hotel included a bar and an area for gambling. The level below us has shared bathrooms.

The hotel itself was quiet at night; however, our room was at the front of the hotel, and we heard the train go by.

Deloraine is a small town. They do have a platypus viewing area, which we found by parking in a camper lot and walking through the woods. There weren’t any platypus visible, even at dusk, probably due to the cold weather.

We ate dinner at Cycles at the Empire Hotel.

A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids Day 7

Deloraine-Launceston-Brisbane
Driving time 40 minutes

We had breakfast at Deloraine Cafe Bakery and let the kids play at the playground across the street from the hotel while we packed.

At this point, our stuff was all over the car, so we emptied it and packed up our cold-weather wear, as today was the warmest day of all.

41 South Salmon Farm

41 South has a small shop and cafe, and you can purchase a self-guided tour around their property, which includes fish food.

I am pretty sure that my kids could spend all day at 41 South, if not weeks.

There is a small stream attached to the stairs at the beginning of the property. My kids would place a leaf or a stick at the top and chase it down. Again and again.

You can feed the salmon at 2 places. The water is murky, but we could see the fish, and even an eel, when they came up to eat.

There are various tubs of salmon in different stages of life.

Past that, there is a 5-minute hike to a waterfall, and then you can walk around the property.

We let the kids play while we purchased hot smoked salmon to take home.

Hazelbrae Hazelnuts

Unfortunately, we were running out of time and did not get to spend a long time at Hazelbrae Hazelnuts. There is a shop, a cafe, and a play area.

The kids loved cracking open and eating hazelnuts, and of course, they loved the play area.

We did not get to stay as long as any of us would have liked. Instead, we bought roasted hazelnuts and drove toward Launceston.

Cataract Gorge Reserve

There was one last stop before Launceston.

The hike up/down the gorge is not long, maybe 15 minutes. There is a chairlift that you can take up and down, but we chose to walk one way.

Thinking about it, it is probably easiest to take the chairlift up and hike down, but we walked up and took the chairlift down.

There are peacocks at the top, near the chairlift.

I do recommend hiking at least 1 way if you can. The view is beautiful.

I have ridden on many chairlifts, but maybe it is my age, because I was slightly scared. It didn’t ruin my trip, but I did not want to let go of the bar. Of course, the kids loved it and wished that they could ride it again.

Launceston

We did not have much time in Launceston.

We got to see the synagogue, which I had researched as soon as I realized our family would be in Tasmania for Rosh Hashanah. This is my children’s first year away from their temple during the High Holy Days. The population of Jewish people in Tasmania is around 250. There are temples in Hobart and in Launceston.

For lunch, we got to meet up with my friend whom I had not seen in 15 years. We ate at The Metz.

By the end of lunch, we had time to vacuum out the rental car before heading to the airport for our flight back to Brisbane.

Launceston Airport

I was not expecting to have to show our IDs, as we never showed them at Brisbane Airport.

Mark went to return the car and dropped the kids and me off with the luggage. When he realized it was a bit of a walk, he told me to check in.

Thankfully, he arrived as I was checking in, as she not only asked for our ID but also the Medicare card with the children’s names on it.

We carried both honey and salmon in our bags, which I thought would be checked, but we were allowed in without being checked.

A Quick 7-Day Loop Around Tasmania with Kids Takeaway

If you read all of this and want the highlights for your adventure around Tasmania with Kids, check out the much shorter version, A Loop Around Tasmania with Kids, the Short Version.

All 4 of us had a great time in Tasmania and want to return.

Checking out other blogs, it seemed impossible to get a whole loop of Tasmania in during just a week, but we did a good job of it. Sure, there are many places we were not able to see, but we got some great highlights.

Researching for a week-long Loop around Tasmania

After multiple canceled trips, I did not want to put effort into planning this trip.

Mark and I like to use Google Maps and save places (restaurants, museums, tours, anything interesting). Google Maps is great because we can share an account and see what is tagged. We are able to see how far away things are and if we are near anything that we have tagged.

If you don’t want to share your Google Maps account with the person that you are traveling with, there are apps that you can use, such as Wonderlog or TripIt.

I have 1 friend in Tasmania, and he sent me a bunch of ideas. I also did a quick Pinterest search and added a few more items. Mark looked at Reddit and added suggestions that he found.

The only things that we had booked before leaving home were the penguin tour, a night in Bicheno, and a night in Hobart.

Packing for Tasmania with Kids

Our trip fell in the first week of September, which is considered the beginning of Spring in Australia.

Spring in Tasmania is colder than what we are used to in Brisbane, and in Florida, which is where my kids have lived most or all of their lives.

I tried to pack light, and we managed to pack 1 medium-sized suitcase and 1 carry-on suitcase for the 4 of us. Both adults carried backpacks.

Packing cubes are my current favorite item when packing. I try to have us each pack in 1 cube to stay organized. The kids’ clothes fit in a medium-size packing cube, and each adult gets a large cube.

We have 2 types of packing cubes, Gonex and Amazon Basics. Unlike everyone else, I prefer Amazon Basics. They don’t compress, but I like the way they keep their shape. From experience, both types of bags fit the same amount inside. A large gonex = a large Amazon Basic. A medium Gonex = a medium Amazon Basic.

Each packing cube holds our daily clothes (pants, shirts, underwear, socks, pajamas).

Check the weather

The weather looked like rain, so we added raincoats and umbrellas, which we usually do not pack.

We bought or borrowed winter wear and accessories (jackets, gloves, hats) for our canceled trip to see snow in Victoria, but we were happy to have them for Tasmania.

I didn’t bother to put these items into packing cubes. We left them all in the trunk of the car so they were always readily accessible. For the plane, we just packed them into the suitcase.

The only items that we did not end up using were our bathing suits. I packed a swimsuit for everyone inside a wet bag so it would be easy to find in case one of our hotels had a pool or a hot tub. None of them did, and we didn’t miss swimming. Our days were packed.

Carry-on bags

Our backpacks hold items we would need on the plane: activity books, books to read, coloring books, and hoodies in case it is cold. Then we fill our bags to the brim with snacks.

The flight was during lunchtime, so I packed sandwiches and cleared every fresh fruit and vegetable from the refrigerator.

You May Also Like

• Kid-Friendly Accommodations in Hobart
• Hobart Hotels with Indoor Pools
• A Quick Loop Around Tasmania with Kids: The Short Version
• 3 Day Itinerary in Hobart with Kids
• Kid-Friendly Restaurants with Playgrounds in Tasmania

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