Great Eastern Drive

Day One: Hobart to Orford via Maria Island National Park

Leave Hobart and travel through Sorrell, where you can stock up on supplies or stop for fish and chips. From here, curve inland to the tiny holiday town of Orford, on the mouth of the Prosser River and on to Triabunna where you can take a ferry to Maria Island. With no shops or cars, the island is a tranquil bushwalking and wildlife haven. Climb to the cliff-tops on the challenging Bishop and Clark or walk to the Painted Cliffs and Fossil Cliffs, filled with sea creature sediments more than 300 million years old. See the threatened Cape Barren geese, Forrester kangaroos, and Flinders Island wombats or scuba dive the marine reserve in the island’s northern end. Visit Bloodstone Point, where the Oyster Bay Aboriginal tribe collected stones to make hair colouring. Then wander the remains of the convict settlement in Darlington and learn about the failed Italian entrepreneur who turned their brick-and-stone buildings into a resort-style hotel. The vines and silk worm trees he planted remain today. Sleep in the old penitentiary, at one of the many campsites across the island or return to Triabunna or Orford for the night.

Day Two: Orford to Swansea

Enjoy panoramic views from the Three Thumbs Reserve in the Wielangta Forest or walk between Shelley and Spring beaches. Then follow one of the country’s most stunning stretches of coast towards the white beaches and pink-and-grey granite cliffs of the Freycinet Peninsula. Visit a berry farm, boutique vineyards and the Wine and Wool Centre in and around Swansea. Then do a heritage walk or visit the quirky convict-built Spiky Bridge just out of town.  Swim, surf, dive and fish from the Mayfield Bay Coastal Reserve and walk to lookouts over the picturesque coastline. See colonies of mutton birds and visit the wetlands of Moulting Lagoon, where you can watch black swans, pelicans, and pied oyster catchers wake to a new day.

Day 3: Swansea to Freycinet National Park

Enjoy some early morning walks in the Freycinet national park. On the Freycinet Peninsula the park features the Hazards range, superb coastal views and secluded aches including Wineglass Bay named one of the worlds best 10 beaches.  

Experience some of Tasmania's best natural surroundings at the Freycinet lodge which is located in the bushland compete with the coastal peacefulness and visits from local wildlife. The lodge has a waterfront bistro and its activities program include wildlife spotting and evening star gazing. Lunch will be some native oysters from the Freycinet Marine Farm. In the afternoon enjoy a wine tasting at Devils Corner Cellar Door Hazards Vineyard and then travel to the small but cosmopolitan city of Launceston. Your accommodation for the night will be in the Peppers Silo Hotel.

Day Four: Freycinet National Park to St Helens

Drive north to the holiday haven of Bicheno, where you can sea kayak, dive, snorkel or jump on a glass-bottomed boat. Walk to Rocking Rock and the Bicheno Blowhole or join a fine wine tour. Watch the dusk parade of Little penguins and see Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, and pelicans at the local wildlife park. Back on the road, stop for a swim at the Apsley River Waterhole or bushwalk in Douglas-Apsley National Park. Follow the scenic road to the shimmering Chain of Lagoons and stop at Elephant Pass for a plate of the town’s famous, European-style pancakes. In St Marys, climb to the top of St Patrick’s Head or the more accessible South Sister Peak, from where you can look out at a fairy tale patchwork of forest and coast. Finish your day of discovery in the charming fishing village of St Helens.

Day Five: St Helens to Bay of Fires

Learn about the Georges Bay Aboriginal tribe, and the whalers, sailors and Chinese tin miners who shaped the region in the St Helens History Room. Visit the historic house of Fair Lee, catch bream in the Scamander River and swim from the beaches around Georges Bay. Next, stop off at the resort town of Binalong Bay. Walk along the white sands and surf, swim and fish in the emerald sea. In the nearby Bay of Fires, you can do a two-day trek past deserted beaches, Aboriginal middens and lichen-covered boulders. Camp overnight in the sand dunes and visit the Eddystone Lighthouse before arriving at a remote eco-lodge with soul-stirring ocean views. End your trip relaxing from the huge deck or kayaking down the Ansons River. From St Helens it is a 2-hour drive to Launceston.