r/travel • u/ChuqTas Australia • Jan 28 '14
Images So you want to come to Tasmania?
http://imgur.com/a/QkPso54
u/ThatDamnPoop Jan 28 '14
I think "So you want to come to..." is one of the greatest things that had happened to Reddit.
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u/HomerWells Jan 28 '14
Wow. thank you so much for the photos and lessons. As an American, I honestly never hear a word about Tasmania (except on old cartoons) and just never gave it much thought. Then I see your photos and realize how much there is for me to learn. I never heard of Hobart. I never heard of your tourism. I never heard of so much of what I now see. Did you do this yourself or are you on the tourism board.
Tasmania is now on my bucket list.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Wow! I'm glad it had that much of an effect on you!
Not on the tourism board! I did this myself - well, I didn't take the photos ;) but I'm just a proud parochial Tasmanian!
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u/HomerWells Jan 28 '14
I feel like I've had my eyes and part of my brain suddenly opened. I live in New Jersey. I travel the states from time to time, have relatives in England, Switzerland and Italy. Ancestors (and distant relatives) in Sweden Ireland and Poland.
So what makes someone get up one day and say, "I think I will move my family to Currie on King Island in Tasmania in Australia. It's only a million miles away from the rest of the world. I once considered buying a B&B in Ireland. I loved it. but I realized the entire rest of my life was in the U.S. So, I scraped that plan. Has your family been there forever or is it more recent?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
My Dad's family are from South Australia, my mums side have been in Tassie for at least 4-5 generations, maybe more. I grew up in Launceston but now live in Hobart!
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u/shniken Australia Jan 30 '14
Aaah, so you are the origin of the joke that Adelaide is proof that Tasmanians can swim...
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u/Scienceonyourface Jan 28 '14
I have met a few people from Tasmania in my time and they have always been the nicest people. I would love to go here as well.
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u/rushmix Jan 28 '14
I opened up this thread to say this post just made me add Tasmania to my bucket list, and here's your post, haha.
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u/nefariousmango Jan 28 '14
Tasmania is amazing, and definitely worthy of a travel bucket list! My little sister has lived there for six years now so my husband and I have had some opportunities to go exploring, and we always have an amazing time!
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u/KallistiEngel United States Jan 29 '14
I met a Tazzie once, on a pub crawl in San Francisco. I almost felt like I was meeting a unicorn.
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u/DogPencil United States (21 countries so far) Jan 30 '14
Fellow American here. It's definitely worth a visit! Oh yea, there's LOTS of road kill.
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u/The_Diabolical_One Apr 12 '14
As a Tasmanian who is well acquainted with Tourism Tasmania I am here to confirm that OP is not on the tourism board.
Source: Pictures of something that isn't Port Arthur Historic Site
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u/DONT_PM_ME_YOUR_FACE Jan 28 '14 edited Jan 28 '14
I've been there. Some friends and I backpacked all 'round Tasmania. It was the greatest trip of my life. The first night there we pulled into this old veteran's bar. The only people there were the owner and his wife and his 4 best friends. They chatted us up for a few hours, gave us FREE food and drank the night away with us playing local Tassie drinking games. When the night came to an end, they offered to have us over for a BBQ, we thought it would be another party, but lo' and behold, it was just their house and they cooked us another free meal! They even offered us the guest bedroom to sleep in instead of our van. We were so grateful, we had never come across anyone that nice before. I still talk to them today. Fred and Thelma. And that was just the first night.
I have so many good memories from that trip. The fern forests, the beautiful hikes, getting air lifted out of bumfuck nowhere back-country after getting hopelessly and desperately lost, driving down a mountain in a blizzard in a van with no tread on its wheels, my first time dry suit diving (where I got to see a WEEDY SEA DRAGON!!!), and the people... If you can, GO TO TASMANIA, (we mean you).
Edit: Also been to salamanca markets. Was amazing. Also got to see the marakoopa caves, Maria Island and wineglass bay.
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u/staticquantum Jan 28 '14
Hi OP, what is the best month(s) to visit Tasmania?
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Jan 28 '14 edited Jan 29 '14
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u/magingzulu Jan 28 '14
How cold is the cold weather there?
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u/joonix Jan 28 '14
It's a rainy/wet cold, but not snowing/freezing, however the former is often worse.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
This is true. Apart from mountainous areas, we never get heaps of snow settling like you see in American movies. Very jealous of that!
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u/Thunder-Road New York City Jan 28 '14
I always think its funny how many people around the world talk about American movies as their reference point for cold snowy climates, and often with some degree of jealousy like you mentioned. Whereas here in America it is at best taken for granted, and at worst quite hated by a lot of people. We're having an unusually cold winter this year (most days this month have had highs around 20F/-7C to 25F/-4C, and the lows have been routinely as low as 10F/-13C and even 5F/-15C) and so this time of year a lot of people start complaining and wishing they lived somewhere warmer. Personally I like it since I'm a big skier and it means we've been getting more and better snow, and I like the feeling of breathing in frigid air. But most people who live here would in fact be jealous of your climate.
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u/TooSubtle Jan 29 '14
As an Australian I think it's a little more than climate jealousy. It's been around for a very long time, and historically much more influenced by our roots in Europe than films from the US. We're a commonwealth nation that exists in and apart from Asia, and whose earliest cultural heirlooms were all born in the European landscape. If you look at our earliest (and even most modern) architecture, everything was built to emulate Europe. It was even commonplace to remove local fauna and replace them with European variants (which are much harder to keep healthy in our climate). Our music, food, etc all took a long time to diverge from Britain and Ireland. A big part of our cultural identity was, and still is in some cases, dissociated from our landscape.
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u/Thunder-Road New York City Jan 29 '14
I realize that's a recurring cultural theme in Australia, but part of what I meant was that I've heard the sentiment of "Cold and snow just like in the American movies, neat!" from all over the world. For example I remember that during the freak snowstorm in the Middle East last month, a lot of Egyptians on twitter were saying that their landscape suddenly looked like all the American movies.
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u/TooSubtle Jan 29 '14
Oh I definitely agree, especially in modern times I think it's a common case. I just think Australians have longed for a white christmas a little longer than Hollywood. It's not that often your mother land is in another hemisphere.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
In winter the temperature will generally range between overnight minimums of -2 to 0 deg C, to maximums of 9 to 12 deg C. That's for the cities - if you venture into the central highlands it will get a lot colder! Cold by Australian standards is nothing like cold by North American/European standards!
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Jan 28 '14
Although temperature wise it doesn't get below freezing that often (at least near Hobart), the wind chill and wetness of the air make it feel colder. I've felt as cold at 10C here as I have at -10C in America/Europe. And because people think Australia=Hot, a lot of our buildings don't have proper insulation/heating so you can't go indoors to escape the cold like you can elsewhere.
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u/staticquantum Jan 28 '14
Thanks, do you happen to know how warm it usually gets in summer? I can cope with heat but not sure how warm it gets there.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
/u/nyanyan_888 is pretty spot on! Plus add Dark Mofo to the winter events. Apparently hotels etc. experienced a significant boost in rooms fill during the inaugural Dark Mofo last year!
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u/OldBayBoy USA, 20 countries visited Jan 28 '14
Where's the dog?!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Sorry guys - I'll put a dog in the next one. Perhaps the Tasmanian Devil could count as a half-arsed dog for now?
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u/mikeoley United States Jan 28 '14
I scroll to the bottom immediately when I open these. Sad that there was no dog :(
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u/aramz777 Jan 28 '14
I've been to Australia and met some people who were from there, they generally weren't proud to be honest, and all the Australians ripped on them for it. It seemed to me that Tasmania was the Mississippi of Australia.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14 edited Jan 28 '14
Yep, we get that a lot. Smallest by area, smallest by population, geographically separated (Bass Strait is 240km across) - I have relatives and friends on the mainland who had never been to Tasmania.. some of them visited for the first time a couple of years ago and were blown away... then they return within a year!
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u/MattC53 Australia | 6 Countries 2 Continents Jan 28 '14
Tasmania is like Australia's simple cousin... everyone makes fun of him but we all still love him deep down.
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u/Falsey Jan 28 '14
People make jokes about Tasmania but there's no actual malice there. The only thing you can really say that's critical of Tas is that it's a bit boring.
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u/mamacat49 Jan 28 '14
I'm so excited! I'm coming from USA to visit my daughter in Melbourne(in March)--and we're spending a week in Tasmania! She's booked us on a few of the things you mentioned (the tree top adventure, MONA, Tahune airwalk and I honestly don't even know what else). We're taking the ferry (she owns a car). I'm a little leery of the zip line thing we have booked....I have a old shoulder injury and don't want to aggravate it. Have you ever done it? Thanks for the photos! Can't wait to take my own!!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
I expect you'll have a great time - feel free to show her this post and see if there was anything she had forgotten about!
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u/nefariousmango Jan 29 '14
Don't skip the food stops on the drive down to Hobart- particularly Christmas Hills! Have a few chocolate covered raspberries for me! There is also a salmon farm a bit off your route near Deloriane called 41 South that is absolutely worth stopping by. Their smoked salmon is phenomenal! Maybe make it part of your detour to do Trowunna, where you can hold a baby wombat.
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u/lobster_ragefist Jan 28 '14
sorry, the 'DARK MOFO' festival?
awesome
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14 edited Jan 28 '14
Wow.. that does sound kinda racist when you hear it out of context! Oops!
Museum of Old and New Art = MONA
MONA's Festival of Music and Art = MONA FOMA (held in summer) or MOFO for short.
MOFO held in winter = DARK MOFO.
So DARK MOFO = "Dark Museum of Old and New Art Festival of Music and Art". One of those examples where the expansion of the acronym doesn't help you know what it is!
I have to admit it was fantastic hearing our politicians say "MOFO" in interviews.
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u/joeltrane Jan 28 '14
Absoultely beautiful. Why has nobody told me about this before?!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
There isn't a lot of marketing for Tassie tourism internationally. The US marketing focuses around Sydney/the outback. Recently the focus has been east Asia (China, Japan, Korea) since our natural produce and lack of population is very appealing to them!
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u/joeltrane Jan 28 '14
That's interesting. Before I came to reddit, my only knowledge of Australia was that they had kangaroos and koalas and it was hot and mostly desert. Now I know that there is much more than that, but I think many people in the US just don't know much about Australia and the surrounding countries. New Zealand got some positive press from the LOTR movies, and I think Tasmania looks just as beautiful, if not more so, than New Zealand. If people knew it was more akin to Hawaii than Iraq I think more tourists would be willing to make the 24 hour flight over there.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
I think LOTR did great things for NZ tourism! Only in the last few years have we had a couple of Hollywood movies filmed here, one was 'The Hunter' with Willem Dafoe. It was about the hunt for the Thylacine (which went extinct in the 1930s, but people claim to see them around) There was another low budget sci-fi one called Arctic Blast, I haven't seen it - apparently it is pretty bad, but has a lot of recognisable Hobart landmarks in it! Personally, the island is just asking for a Bond movie!
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Jan 29 '14
I really don't know why since we literally have the cleanest air in the world that scientists come over to collect it as a control for experiments. There definitely has been an increase of Chinese tourists coming in in the couple of years I lived around the north-east area to see the Cradle Mountains and surrounding region. Though there used to be more Japanese especially with the trade we had with fish and wood.
Hopefully the whole deal with Shanghai and that, and hopefully a more affordable Aussie dollar in the future would boost incoming people.
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u/iammiscreant Australia Jan 28 '14
Expat Tasmanian here, excellent post /u/ChuqTas! I grew up in Hobart and spent more than half my life (so far) there and even I learned something new, unfortunately it was the bit about Wineglass Bay, but hey, history is history.
I vividly remember sliding down Mount Amos on my arse as a kid, on the way back from Wineglass. Good times :)
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Thanks - yeah, I had to google to make sure some of my facts were right and I learned a few things about my own state too!
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u/AwesomeMcAwesomeFace Jan 28 '14
Thank-you for posting this! As a matter of fact, I am leaving for Tasmania in three weeks and this got me even more stoked!
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u/turtleshelf Jan 28 '14
Great post! Something not mad a big enough deal about is our wine, whiskey and beer. Tasmania has some absolutely stunning cool-climate wines, with several stellar vineyards only a half hour drive from Hobart. More and more micro-breweries are popping up with interesting, high quality beers being made. And it seems like every year there's another distillery opening, making delicious, deep, peaty whiskey. Also: we have some of the best beef in the world, I kid you not.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
Very true! Apparently one of Obama's senior staff is originally from Tasmania and whenever he returns to visit family, Obama puts in a request to bring back a particular type of Tasmanian whiskey!
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u/turtleshelf Jan 29 '14
Whhaaaaat. I would love to learn who that is and which whiskey the leader of the free world prefers.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
Found!
My memory failed me slightly, he isn't from Tasmania, but he visits here regularly!
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u/warren_s Jan 29 '14
You're probably getting confused with Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, whose wife IS from Tasmania. He played semi-pro basketball here in the late 80's/early 90's.
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u/autowikibot Jan 29 '14
Arne Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American education administrator who has been United States Secretary of Education since 2009. Duncan previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.
Interesting: United States Secretary of Education | Race to the Top | Chicago Public Schools | Eric Shinseki
/u/warren_s can reply with 'delete'. Will delete on comment score of -1 or less. | FAQs | Magic Words | flag a glitch
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Jan 28 '14
Thank you very much for the post. It was very informative.
I have been interested in Tasmania for some time and this post really helped. I have always wanted to visit the Wineglass Bay. Here's hoping that I get a chance soon enough.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
I'll be there next weekend so I'll let you know!
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u/sarahawesomepants United States Jan 28 '14
I might be the only one, but I'd love an update, too-- if you wanted to do another post, I'd love to read it!
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u/phonein Jan 28 '14
What do you want to know about wineglass bay? Worked/lived in freycinet for a year.
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Jan 28 '14
TIL there’s a cricket world cup…
But seriously, great job OP. This was a fascinating read. I find it seriously impressive that 100% of Tasmania’s power is renewable. Looks like a beautiful place I will definitely have to visit in the future! That chairlift looks like a blast too!
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u/Glaciar Jan 29 '14
Indeed! Unfortunately Canada crashed out at the qualifiers in NZ a week or so ago.
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u/TheOceanWalker Jan 29 '14
There sure is! Apparently behind only the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics in terms of viewership for sporting events. In fact, noticing your flair, Canada participated in the last three World Cups (although won't be there in 2015, as Glaciar has pointed out).
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u/redpanda2012 Jan 28 '14
I spent one year in Hobart 10 years ago as an exchange student, I loved it. Great feeling to see it in picture again. I have to go back !
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Jan 28 '14
I love these guides, thank you for posting! I have wanted to visit Tasmania since I was little and one day I hope to make it there.
Funnily enough, I live down the road from the shore of a Lake St. Clair but I'm in a different hemisphere.
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u/RESERVA42 Jan 28 '14
Just curious, when you traverse wilderness without a trail, do you call it bushwalking? In Southwest USA we call it bushwhacking. source
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Jan 28 '14
I think bushwhacking is much less of a thing here. We have a lot of endangered/protected/sensitive life and on many walks you will be asked to stay on the path. Not to mention a lot of it is completely inhospitable terrain. If you're in a national park, you can't start walking and expect to find anything, even your way back.
Of course around cities you'll be fine, but I think that's just called walking.
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u/RESERVA42 Jan 28 '14
Bushwhacking is not exactly common here (in Arizona) either. In some areas with protected animals, we're required to stay on the trails certain times of the year, for example, during mating season. And there are trails to most of the places people want to go.
However, sometimes there's a place you see that you want to get to, and there are no trails to it, so you bushwhack. The terrain can vary in hospitality... where I like to explore there are forests of cat claw bushes, also known as wait a minute bushes. They'll rip you to shreds when you try to walk through them. And then shindagger forests. But I love the Arizona desert.
In the USA, there's some public land which is not a national park, but is managed by the BLM. They actually discourage creating trails, and ask that you stay off of the trails.
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Jan 29 '14
as far as i know, bushbashing is the same as what you call bushwhacking, and bushwalking is just walking through the bush on a track.
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Jan 28 '14
I think I'd call it 'going for a walk' but that could just be me. I've never felt there was anything unusual in not having a trail to follow; the population in AU is pretty low for the size of the country and focused around big cities.
Though following trails left by kangaroos is handy when the bush gets too thick. Or when you come across some rusty old barbed wire fence. They crash their way through pretty much anything.
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u/Uncle_Erik Arizona Jan 28 '14
I'm sure it varies by region and season, but what's the weather like down there? Would it be a shorts and t-shirt kind of place, or would I need to pack more substantial clothing?
Tasmania is certainly beautiful. It's on my list!
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u/pointlessbeats Jan 28 '14
Whereas most of Australia has weather belonging to Florida or Southern California, Tasmania is much colder because of the winds it receives from the south, and in the winter time can get down to below 30 Fahrenheit. In the summer time it probably has weather similar to San Francisco, 50-70 degrees and rarely goes above 80 but recently this summer it went all the way to 100 I believe.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
I just had to do the Fahrenheit conversions, but yesterday it was 102 F here. We don't get that sort of temperature very often though! /u/nyanyan_888's comment is quite accurate.
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Jan 28 '14
You'll need to pack some of everything, weather is random and can completely change within an hour.
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u/TravelingVoices Jan 28 '14
I have never thought about visiting Tasmania before. Now it has been placed on my bucket list.
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Jan 28 '14
What a great guide! You really put a lot of effort into this. Thanks so much for the top-quality content. I'd never really given much thought to Tasmania as a destination before, but you sell it so well! The state board of tourism should give you a weekend at Saffire or something. I only have one question, why no dog?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
If you like it, you could tell them at https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverTasmania or http://twitter.com/tasmania :)
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u/mculp Jan 28 '14
I thought Tasmania was just an uninhabited island filled with Tasmanian Devils and poppy plants. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
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u/sixtrees Jan 28 '14
Thanks for doing this! I'm a seppo that spent one month in Tassie 9 years ago. This really took me back and helped me remember what a great time I had there. I met some of the friendliest local people there. We were dirty backpackers and still got taken in by people we met. We traveled without a car, in the "off season" and found out the hard way how back o bourke tassie can be. We showed up for a bus that travels from town to town only to be told it wasn't coming for a few days, even though the schedule stated it should be everyday. A guy stocking shelves with bread and crisps offered to take us along his route, and drop us at a hostel. Or just mentioning in conversation to a random person that we wanted to see the botanical gardens and got an offer right there and then to be driven there. People seemed genuinely happy to show off their state.
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u/pointlessbeats Jan 28 '14
This is awesome. I never expected to want to put Tasmania up so high on my list of places to visit. Cheers, op.
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u/getamongst Jan 28 '14
The MONA museum looks awesome.
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u/nefariousmango Jan 29 '14
It is a very unique experience! The grounds are stunning as well, definitely plan to stay for a glass of wine on the lawn after touring the museum.
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u/BellisBlueday Jan 28 '14
I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Tasmania in 2012, around the Hobart area ...
Mona is an amazing place, tbh I'd go back just for that - I saw the picture with the rock wall and the mismatched chairs and thought 'I sat there with a glass of wine!'
Went to the top of Mt Wellington too, the change in vegetation as you go up is quite astonishing.
I still think about the lovely downtown area with the whirlygigs on top of the office buildings :)
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u/Dockboy 15 countries visited Jan 28 '14
I'm going to be in Aus for a year starting in May, and I think Tasmania just made its way up the list a lot. My sister went there a few years back and loved it, so I'm sure I will as well.
This little travel guide was awesome and I thank you for it.
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Jan 28 '14
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u/nefariousmango Jan 29 '14
We accidentally ended up in Hobart for the Yacht Race and then the Wooden Boat Festival last year, it was all pretty amazing!
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u/HardwareLust 29 and counting. Jan 28 '14
I have been to Tasmania. It is a beautiful part of Australia, enjoyed it very much. Would love to go back, but my next trip is to Melbourne and Surfer's.
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u/sambqt Jan 28 '14
Thank you! This is great information. I'm a Yank going to Australia next year and would love to add Tasmania to my list of stuff to see.
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u/penguintheft United States Jan 28 '14
This is really wonderful, and must have taken you a really long time. But your efforts were worth it—I wouldn't have really considered Tasmania a place I have to visit (in all honesty, it just never crossed my mind), but I've saved your post and will be visiting it again shortly while planning my next trip. It looks like a great place with a lot to offer in a relatively small area. Thank you!
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u/AnnoyinKnight Jan 28 '14
I've never thought about going to Tasmania. But now I really really want to go there. Thank you very much.
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u/Auslander99 Jan 28 '14
Honestly one of if not the BEST travel guide thing. I am putting Tasmania on my to do list.
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u/davidwright205 Jan 28 '14
I just read every one of those captions in an Australian accent, and didn't realize it until about 48/60. Thanks for being my tour guide, I look forward to visiting one day!
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u/IamVeryLost Jan 28 '14
I spent four of the best months of my life in that little state of yours. Going through all those photos I am happy to say that I did quite bit of that! With the highlight being the bay of fires.
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u/mollypaget Washington state, USA Jan 28 '14
Thanks for sharing! I'm from the US but my friend grew up in Tasmania and moved here when she was 11. Her other friend (now my friend too) lived in Tasmania up until last year when she moved here too. I love her accent! Seems like a really cool place.
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Jan 28 '14
No mention of Shipsterns Bluff?! Its an anomalie in the surfing world! Well worth a slide of its own.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
I couldn't fit everything is but going by the popularity I'll be doing a part 2 :)
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u/Glebeserker Jan 28 '14
Why would I go there if young einstein taught me anything is that the tasmanian devil eats shovels I do not want to be anywhere near there
BTW this is a joke
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u/mckenziedaul Jan 28 '14
I spent the summer in tas a couple years ago. Amazing, fantastic place to visit ! So many different and wonderful landscapes. Everything from the desert to the rain forest to beautiful sandy beaches. Definitely a great place for young travellers to venture to as there are many opportunities for strenuous activities and adventures!
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u/bain_marie_bosshog Jan 28 '14
This is a great guide! As a fellow taswegian I think you've nailed it.
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u/flano1 Jan 28 '14
Thanks for this, I hope to visit Tasmania soon. From these pictures it kind of reminds me of New Zealand in some ways, and I loved NZ!
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u/Innominate11 Australia Jan 29 '14
I visited Hobart last September for business, got a little bit of a chance to be a tourist but not much. Honestly I absolutely loved it, and seeing these photos only reaffirmed why I wanted to go back. Definitely one of my favourite places in Australia I have been so far, and the furthest I set foot outside of Hobart was MONA (Spectacular by the way). Seeing the countryside on the flight in was amazing enough. Definitely could see myself living in hobart one day if my job happens to take me there, and definitely hope that happens!
Also this "So you want to visit..." thing is legitimately the best thing to happen to reddit.
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u/Artyy Jan 29 '14
Writing this from Launceston, I'm a little disappointed you didn't include Flinders Island in your gallery yet you included King Island.
Though having grown up on Flinders I'm prone to have a little jealousy with the other bass strait island. It would have made my day to see a picture of Emita or Trousers Point in there.
In any case, any promotion of Tasmania is brilliant and this gallery was fantastic. Great work!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
There were a lot of things I missed - all of the Midlands for one! But that just leaves me with more to include in part 2!
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Jan 29 '14
Holy shit! don't want to visit, I want to move there!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 30 '14
If you have a job lined up before you get here or considerable savings in the bank, go for it! Otherwise be prepared for a bit of a job hunt!
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u/valeyard89 197 countries/254 TX counties/50 states Jan 29 '14
awesome pics and review... we did a circuit of Tassie a few years ago from hobart -> queenstown (train to strahn and back) -> launceston -> hobart. We were there for one of the festivals.
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u/electrobutter Jan 28 '14
tasmania is great. i was exploring the cliffs of maria island and happened upon a baby penguin, totally amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gekt8BFk8k
and here is a video of me chasing wombats and kangaroos in the middle of the forest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf48YleE7CU
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u/closingbell Toronto Jan 28 '14
What a great album & set of descriptions...thanks for posting!
I'm planning an Aussie trip later this year...for someone who only has 3-4 days to spare, what kind of rough itinerary would you suggest to get the "best" of Tasmania? I wouldn't mind checking out some of the 'touristy' stuff, and also get a taste of Tasmania's great natural beauty as well.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14 edited Jan 28 '14
Definitely summer - December-January specifically. It's the peak tourist season and there are heaps of events on.
Edit: Did I reply to the wrong comment by mistake? That's not even what you asked me!
3-4 days, focus on just one area I suggest. Maybe Hobart and the east coast? Cradle Mountain would be great if you could fit it in, but it's about a 4 hour drive from Hobart.
As a comparison, most people come here for a week, and are surprised when they realise you need several weeks to see the whole state!
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u/opiumcoquelicot Jan 28 '14
This is so amazing and informative- out of interest though, what's the cheapest awesome thing you can do? Do you know how expensive stuff is in general, if there are student discounts for museums etc...
I'm planning a proper all around the world thing and calculating the budget is hard
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Jan 28 '14
I studied abroad in Australia from the US and if you have a valid university ID you can get into museums for free. Though this might only apply to Australian universities. I lived in Melbourne for 6 months and did a fair amount of traveling including 3 days in Tasmania.
Also, Australia in general is incredibly expensive. Staying in hostels can be very cheap though YHA hostels are usually the nicest options, but can run a little more expensive. They do have membership discount incentives though. I would be happy to answer any other questions you have!
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u/joonix Jan 28 '14
Note that the AUD is back down to 0.86 USD so prices from an American POV are a little better now.
Dining is as expensive, but often cheaper than big city dining in the US (NYC / SF) once you factor in tax and tip. However the quality of ingredients is far superior and fresher, and you never really have to worry with Australian food like you do with American food.
Groceries are generally about the same.
Hotels are expensive. Use hostels or airbnb.
If you're looking for a luxury vacation, Australia will be very expensive. But for a backpacker it's great.
Tip for students -- if attending a domestic university you can get "Concession" prices on transport and admission to events. For transport this often means 50% off.
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u/opiumcoquelicot Jan 28 '14
Thank you for the answers!
I'm at a British uni atm, so I'm guessing my student id might not work for Australia- although it did in French museums.
Is the food expensive as well? In my mind, places like Australia and NZ are cheap because of the small population. And seeing as they produce most of their own food, then wouldn't it be a reasonable price, because there's no shipping/transport cost?
How easy is it to get into the "wild" bits? Is it absolutely necessary to hire cars and do you know what the hitch-hiking policy is like?
Sorry for all the questions, but I really want to go and I feel getting answers from those who've actually been at a place help me decide whether I should or not. :)
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Jan 28 '14
Like I said, everything in Australia is expensive including food. I think it's mainly due to their relatively high minimum wage as well as a favorable exchange rate for the Australian dollar, though if you're coming from the UK you probably aren't being screwed over there. NZ is much cheaper and more affordable.
Getting to the wilderness in either country is pretty easy because of the low population density. The problem in Australia is that the center of the country is so empty that I think it ends up being easier and cheapest to fly in to Alice Springs if you want to see the outback. I actually took a train, mostly because of the novelty. The impression I got is that tourism is pretty huge in Australia with students/backpackers so there are lots of budget travel tour options where buses will take you out to places of interest like the National Parks. I had the luxury of having lots of international friends from Uni that also wanted to travel so it was an affordable option to rent a car to travel. If you do rent a car, stick to main roads. I did a little "off-roading" in Tasmania and ended up having to pay for some damages to the car (who knew VW golf's weren't meant for dirt roads?). I also recommend looking into Europcar, they offered the best car-hire rates while I was there and customer service did manage to knock some charges off my bill for the damaged VW when I called in to explain the situation.
I only traveled to the south island of NZ so I can't speak for the north. I took a week-long bus tour of the island which was amazing. I can't remember the name of the tour company I went with, but there are several like it that offer great muti-day tours of NZ, both north and south islands.
I have zero knowledge of hitch-hiking in either country.
Don't worry about the questions. I was a "study abroad ambassador" for my home university, answering questions like these all the time. My friends and family are tired of hear how great Australia is so this is a great excuse for me to keep talking about it! :)
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Jan 28 '14 edited Feb 06 '14
I'm Tasmanian. I thought Australian food was cheaper than the UK, but I've also heard the opposite from British students.
If you want to go to the destinations in this slideshow, you'll need a car or a lot of luck. Hitch-hiking does happen, but there isn't the same culture as the US/Europe and we have a much lower population density so you're going to have a lot more trouble.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
In addition to the other replies, you can hire a 6 sleeper (three double bed) campervan (RV) for about A$160 a day. Just another option!
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u/1leggeddog Jan 28 '14
Looks great!
... how much?
I feel all this would cost a pretty penny.
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u/animorph Jan 28 '14
Honestly, it's not wildly expensive. It's all very accessible by car, I hired one and used it to sleep in a few times. There are nice areas that you can hole up in and get some privacy. (But I gave up on this because I was doing it in winter and I kept on waking up with the inside and outside of the car frozen).
Hostels are everywhere and cheap. The only thing you'll be spending money on is petrol, food and entrance to attractions. I mostly did walking and exploring for free, and even then I would just stumble on these places. I had a road map and just looked at places every night to see what I could find. And there is just so much that OP didn't have room to mention. Mole Creek also has the amazing Alum Cliffs:
http://i.imgur.com/sc1hkvv.jpg
Tasmania is possibly my favouritest place to visit in Australia.
Oh and Tasmania devils are cute until they're stripping a wallaby. :P
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Well for me? I just drive to those places, it's easy :P
Flying here from Melbourne about $60-100 each way. Flying here from Sydney about $100-140 each way.
There is a huge range of accommodation options... double rooms in a 3-4 star hotel are typically $80 to $150 a night. Lots of cheaper motels and of course camping spots are plentiful for the more adventurous. The price for Saffire is not typical!
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u/SgtBrowncoat Jan 28 '14
TIL that I want to move to Tasmania.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
If you want to move here - get a job lined up first! It's a bit of a challenge at the moment, although not as bad as the US (I don't think)
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u/SgtBrowncoat Jan 28 '14
Is there much need for family therapists?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Not that I'm aware... btw if a mainlander saw your comment they would laugh! (In their minds, Tasmania=isolated=inbred)
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u/moonbeanie Jan 28 '14
I visited Tasmania about 18 years ago and it was one of the coolest places I've ever been. Lots to see and the friendliest people I've ever met anywhere. Great post. Thanks.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Some things haven't changed much in that time, but the tourism infrastructure is now more focused on the eco-tourism side of things! Back in the 80s it was always conservation vs development (trees v concrete), but now you can build in an environmentally conscious and ecologically sensitive way.
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u/Voidjumper_ZA South Africa Jan 28 '14
So it's on the list, except, on a scale of one to ten (without pictures) how bad are the spiders there? (Severe arachnophobe)
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
The deadly ones you find on the mainland (funnel web, etc.) aren't here. The huntsman is the most prevalent one, and while they are big and not nice looking, they are harmless. Overall, 2 out of 10!
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u/Plecks Jan 28 '14
How "out to kill you" is the fauna in general on Tasmania compared to the mainland?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Snakes and spiders, most of the venomous ones aren't in Tassie. The mammals/marsupials are just cute and fluffy. Except the Devil but you aren't likely to run into them in the wild!
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u/sealionruler Jan 28 '14
Ha, I just looked up flights to Tasmania. That dream trip is definitely going to have to go on hold for a bit. $2,000 roundtrip for next winter. Ouch
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Yep! Sadly whenever we want to visit North America or Europe we get the same thing too :( That's why you get a lot of Australians who live in London for a few years in their 20s and use it as their base!
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u/hamduden Wish I had more money & time Jan 28 '14
What's the price range down there?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Accommodation? A$80-150 a night for a 3-4 star hotel, double room. Check www.wotif.com.au for price search. I can also refer you to a great airbnb host in Hobart for 1-2 people!
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u/moosejacket Jan 28 '14
Is there a place where this subreddit is cataloging these amazing, "So you want to come to ___"?
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u/GarinEtch Jan 28 '14
Question for you ChuqTas- there were several things on your list that were the oldest in Australia, like the brewery and the bridge. Why is this? Was Tasmania settled before mainland Australia? Or are things just more well-preserved there- there were breweries and bridges built earlier on the mainland but were torn down since? Thanks so much, Tasmania looks awesome!
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Sydney is the oldest city in Australia - established in 1788.
Hobart is the second oldest, established in 1803, and Launceston third, in 1804.
Sydney grew to about 4 million people. Hobart to about 240k, and Launceston to about 100k. So things didn't move as quickly down here!
(Europeans in particular will laugh at this definition of "old" as well!)
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u/godsbin Jan 28 '14
If am not mistaken you still have a Woolworths, and Quality Street factory?, count me in
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 28 '14
Woolworths = supermarket? Yeah we have about 20 of those!
Quality Street... chocolate factory? You probably mean the Cadbury factory - yes we have that too! You can do tours but there is still a visitor centre and an opportunity to buy discount bulk chocolate!
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u/Edbag Jan 29 '14
I just came back from a trip to Tasmania! Just outside of Hobart docks, the water is absolutely full of fish, my cousins called it "safe for kids" fishing, because within 10 seconds of putting your rod in the water you'd get a bite, so kids never get bored. Also recommend MONA and "Sweets & Treats" shop in Richmond, I spent like $50 there haha.
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u/UpBoatDownBoy I want to go everywhere Jan 29 '14
How expensive is it there?
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
Accommodation? A$80-150 a night for a 3-4 star hotel, double room. Check www.wotif.com.au for price search!
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u/sailon Jan 29 '14
My father went there for ~3 months after his divorce. He lost 80+ lbs while trekking around in the backcountry, signing the books as The American. It was full of magic, bringing him whale skeletons and pineapples when he was needy.
I really want to go.
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u/amyrantha Jan 29 '14
https://www.facebook.com/TinDragonTrailCottages
This place is run by a friend of mine. It's so beautiful! Definitely worth a weekend away to explore the area and relax in the gorgeous cabins.
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u/ChuqTas Australia Jan 29 '14
Branxholm! I don't know much about there except that my wife's grandfather was from there. Pictures look cool though!
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u/raidenmaiden Jan 28 '14
Ever since this 'So you want to come' thing started, I've been living vicariously through the pictures and now want to see every city on the planet. Damn you for a lovely album.