Touring Tasmania tips

[RooFlyer]

There are a few threads on things to do/see in Tasmania, such as

Hobart accommodation, where to get the best scallop pies, tour suggestions, NW coast ideas, plus a range of trip reports - the most recent one drron's A Summer in Tasmania and my own Weekend at Cradle Mountain National Park. Rather than adding to the most recent, Hobart Accommodation thread, I thought I'd start a general one where locals and visitors can post tips and help guide a nice experience.

 

[RooFlyer]

FUEL

Fuel in Tasmania tends to be expensive compared to the mainland, especially in places like Coles Bay and other remote spots. But fuel in Hobart tends to be more expensive than just outside it.

Motor visitors should download the FuelCheck Tas app. It dynamically shows the price of various categories of fuel on a map and highlights the cheapest in the field of view.





The cheapest fuel around Hobart is to the east at at Cambridge (the highlighted locality on the first map) and outside Brighton, north of Hobart. The Cambridge Shell is unmanned and 24/7 and NOT on the highway to the airport, as it might appear. Look at the map in detail - you have to take the turn off the highway before or after it. Its convenient to refuel before returning a car to Hobart Airport, but again, take the turn off the highway, else you will miss it. Similarly, the Brighton one is NOT on the highway. Its tricky to get to if you are driving south from Launceston, but OK if you are heading north. Again, look closely at the map and take the right turn-off.

 

[RooFlyer]

ON THE ROAD

Roads in Tasmania tend to be of poorer quality than you might be used to - narrower, winding with fewer overtaking opportunities. You can get stuck behind a caravan or truck, especially in Summer. Therefore allow more time than a journey may look like it needs. Plus its scenic, so you may not want to go fast anyway

There are a number of places you might want to go that are only accessible by gravel roads, at least in the final stretch. Check your hire car rental conditions and insurance about this.

There are fixed and mobile speed cameras on the roads, plus marked and un-marked police cars with radar. On the east coast road that I use frequently, there is a black sports car with a police radar in it that does great trade .

There are several fixed speed cameras on the Tasman Bridge in Hobart. Stick to 70km/hr over the bridge!

Yes, we have peak hour traffic in Hobart, if you are leaving Hobart, or Hobart's 'western shore' for an airport departure between 4:30 and 6pm, allow more time. It sometimes gets completely jammed from the CBD up to and on the bridge after 4pm. Coming in from the airport in the morning - same. From 8am to 9am expect banked up traffic for several km before the bridge. If you are going into the city from the east coast or Port Arthur, expect very slow traffic from 7:30am from Sorell. From, say, 8:00am, allow up to 30 mins from Sorell to the airport due to congestion coupled with 2 sets of roadworks at the moment.

 

[drron]

I have actually noticed that fuel prices in the north of Tasmania have slowly become less expensive compared to the mainland - well the Sunshine Coast anyway - as the years have gone by.In fact when I came down in mid November unleaded was actually cheaper in the North West than the Sunshine Coast.
Coles Bay and Hobart though were expensive.

 

[RooFlyer]

Another thing visitors will need for the time being is the Check in Tas app, which is about to become the standard for covid checking-in of venues:



At the moment there are still a venue’s own choice of app or written check-in allowed, but the government app will be mandatory soon. There is confusion whether manual rego will still be allowed, but the govt web site says if no smart phone, some-one else has to check you in with the app as a ‘guest’.

 

[rogerkambah]

Great idea @RooFlyer. Hope others support it.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

This is a good article on Tassie from Conde Nast =

Going Off the Map in Tasmania’s Highlands and Forest Lodges

Where trees live for millennia, trout surf on lakes, and modernist hotels stitch together the past and future.

www.cntraveler.com

 

[Stealthflyer]

If you’re trying to beat the crowds at Mona, go in the afternoon… unless it’s Saturday, in which case mornings are quieter because all the tourists go to Salamanca Markets. Mona has just switched to Friday-Monday opening days (for the dark months), but check the website before visiting because it changes all the time.