Tasmania is the Australia most backpackers skip, which is exactly why you should not. It is compact enough to loop in ten days, cool when the mainland is cooking, and wild in a way that feels closer to New Zealand than to Queensland. A third of the island is protected wilderness, and wombats outnumber traffic lights outside the two cities.
Getting there and around
Fly into Hobart (AUD 100–180 from Melbourne or Sydney) or bring a vehicle over on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Geelong (from about AUD 120 per person plus vehicle fees, 9–11 hours). On the island, hire a car or small camper — from AUD 60–100 a day in shoulder season. Public buses exist but are sparse; this is a driving destination. December to March is peak; we would pick March or April for stable weather, autumn colour in the highlands, and fewer people at the trailheads. Buy the AUD 96 vehicle parks pass — it pays for itself by day three.
Hobart and the peninsula
Hobart deserves two nights. MONA, the museum built downward into a sandstone headland, is a AUD 39 ferry-and-entry combo and the most argued-about art space in the country; the Saturday Salamanca Market and a drive (or cycle) up kunanyi/Mt Wellington round it out. Day-trip or overnight the Tasman Peninsula: Port Arthur's convict ruins (AUD 47, tickets valid two days) are affecting rather than gloomy, and the sea cliffs nearby are the tallest in the southern hemisphere. If your knees are willing, the three-hour return walk to the Cape Hauy dolerite columns is world class.
Freycinet and the east coast
Head north to Coles Bay, gateway to Freycinet National Park. The Wineglass Bay lookout is a 1.5-hour return climb; continue down to the beach itself and back over the isthmus via Hazards Beach to shake off the crowds — a 4-hour circuit where we shared the sand with a wallaby and precisely four humans. Camp at the national park ground (book ahead in summer) or the cheap council site at Bicheno, where little penguins waddle ashore after dark. Further north, the Bay of Fires' orange-lichened granite and white sand come with free beachside campsites — the best-value nights in Australia.
Launceston and the Tamar
Cut inland to Launceston, a handsome Victorian-era town where Cataract Gorge sits absurdly within walking distance of the city centre — swim in the basin pool, cross the suspension bridge, watch for peacocks. Use it as a resupply stop and, if you like wine, tour a Tamar Valley cellar door or two; the sparkling here rivals anything on the mainland.
Cradle Mountain
The island's centrepiece. Shuttle buses run from the visitor centre into the park (included with your pass). The Dove Lake circuit (2 hours, flat) is the postcard; the Cradle summit is a 6–8 hour scramble for clear days only. Go at dusk to the Ronny Creek boardwalks and you will see wombats grazing like fat lawnmowers — guaranteed, in a way wildlife rarely is. Cabins and dorms near the park run AUD 40–60; book early. Overnighting lets you catch the mountain before the day buses arrive, mirrored in Dove Lake at 7 a.m.
Closing the loop
From Cradle it is a four-hour drive back to Hobart through the central highlands, or continue west to Strahan and the dark history of Sarah Island if you have spare days. Total budget for ten days, two people sharing a camper: about AUD 1,800–2,200 all in. Tasmania is not a detour from Australia. It is the concentrate.
