Pure Traveller organised our trip to Tasmania for the whole extended family. This post is sponsored by Grandma, who paid for the trip! The links are just for information, no one has given me any money or products for doing so.
We travelled around in convoy, with grandparents, a great-grandmother, cousins, aunty and uncle, staying in a few spots and exploring as much as we possibly could. What an incredible place. I had naively assumed we would get through seeing most things of interest in the nine days we were there- ha! While small, Tassie is so intensely
rich. So much to see and experience! And eat! And wine! We found there was plenty to entertain the kids.
We stayed at the amazing
Curringa Farm, at Hamilton. We drove the hire cars there from the airport, stopping to grab our order of groceries along the way.
Curringa Farm has three gorgeous cottages, we stayed in the cottage called "Out the Back". It was the oldest of the cottages, and, in my opinion, the cosiest. We enjoyed the view of the river, snuggled next to the fire when we saw the nearby mountain with snow on it, and devoured delicious cooked breakfast thanks to the lovely local bacon, eggs, milk and juice found in the fridge. This is a working farm, and the hosts offer farm day tours if you are passing through.
From Hamilton we took a day trip to
Mt Field National Park. Although Tassie looks small, don't be deceived into thinking everything is five minutes away. The roads are country, with lots of things to stop and explore along the way. Allow extra time in your planning for stopping at farm gate stalls, and possible car sickness.
Mt Field National Park is stunning. While Grandma, Poppi and Great-Nana sat in the warm information centre with a cuppa, the rest of us took a little drive up the hill. Where it started to kind of slushy-snow (please note, it is summer!). This pleased the eldest boy greatly, who had managed to tick off his Tassie wish list on our first day.
We headed north for a few days, staying at
Platypus Park Country Retreat at Bridport, a gorgeous coastal town. I did put my feet in Bass Strait, refreshing! We did some wandering around the farm, checking out the curious cows and saying hello to shy sheep. We had a nice dinner at the
Bridport Hotel, which did a good kids corner and an awesome steak.
Near Bridport I discovered three words that may have changed my life: Cold. Climate. Wines. So delicious. Thoroughly enjoyed tasting along the
Tamar Valley Wine Route, particularly savouring the delicious bubbly Kreglinger goodness at
Ninth Island/ Pipers Brook Wines.
A visit to
Hillwood Berry Farm was a winner with the kids, the raspberries and strawberries were pick-you-own and delicious.
We headed down to Hobart for the last leg of our tour, enjoying a myriad interesting touristy things very close-by. One of my favourite places to visit was the
Richmond Historic Gaol. It is perfectly preserved, so it is wonderfully tactile for children. The displays and information signs are really interesting snippets into what life was like for prisoners of the colony.
Zoodoo was another fab stop for the kids. All the favourites are there, and our middlekid ticked off his list, seeing the Tasmanian Devils. Being a smaller zoo, a morning visit will allow plenty of time to wander through the vineyards in the Coal Valley. Check out
Pooley Wines (on the most beautiful setting you could imagine),
Puddleduck Vineyard (a family-run, family-oriented small boutique vineyard with the loveliest hosts to pour a drop) and of course
Wicked Cheese.
Tasmania really was a wonderful family destination. I'll be back soon with a quick guide to travelling Tassie with a young family. What are your Tasmania must-do's?
