Tasmania in July - am I crazy?

January 4, 2009 6:38 PM

Hi All, I'm looking to treat myself to some local (I'm from Australia) travel this year for my birthday. My birthday falls on July 22nd, so smack bang in the middle of winter in Australia. I love the cold. So I thought I would love to visit Tasmania. But if its raining/really windy then I might not be able to enjoy the nature, go for walks etc.

I don't mind if its cold while I'm walking around seeing the sights (and I am fine with REALLY cold, I was in Edmonton in Winter, Japan in Winter, Ireland in winter... you get the drift) but would rather it wasn't teeming with rain, or blowing a gale all day. Also, if the hive mind thinks July will be a wonderful (and cold) time to visit, then where should I go/where should I stay? I'm thinking high end accomodation since I want to spoil myself, and might have company from friends who don't like hostels etc. So top end accomodation suggestions are welcome too! Thanks!

posted by Admira to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

For some reason my paragraphs didn't come out properly there, sorry about the readability.
posted by Admira at 6:45 PM on January 4

I went to Tasmania (I'm not from Australia) in the middle half of August. It's was cold and cloudy for the 3 days we were there with some breaks for the sun.

Get a rental car and drive the main highway. Lots of twisty roads. Get a proper SUV from Hertz or whoever offers one. There's a guide with dedicated off road spots. DO those. However, avoid the utility roads and sketchy looking sign posted roads. We wrecked an SUV there in the process (bent the rear axle).

Hobart was a great artsy town to hang out in for a night. There's the Henry Jones Art Hotel there that was very cool and well worth trying out. Expensive but perhaps you can try to find a deal.

Hobart also has a nice farmers market on the weekend and in the evenings some artistic performances.

I enjoyed the Gordon River Cruise. That's was a $65/person deal with some discount if I recall correctly. Also did some offroading on the beach which was fun.

We tried to climb Cradle Mountain. You won't be able to do much mountain climbing due to the snow covering the trails at higher elevations, but you should still be able to see the easier trails. More than the cold - make sure you have water proof boots and goretex type clothing. Gloves/mittens and a hat and scarf as essential for anything you'll be doing down there.

What appealed to me most about Tasmania was the natural beauty of it all. The best way is to get in a car and drive off exploring on your own. Dressing in wind/water proof clothes (that are breathable) will help you see the place on foot. However, be warned that only certain cell networks operate in the Tasmanian country side.
posted by abdulf at 7:08 PM on January 4

Canberra is cold in winter, but clear and sunny. Plenty of national parks for walks, day trips to snowy country towns like Braidwood and Bungendore, and if you want some real cold, it's a quick trip up to Kosciuszko National Park.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:27 AM on January 5

I wouldn't worry too much about the weather down here, because it can be rather erratic. While that sounds nonsensical i'll just illustrate that so far this summer it has mostly been rainy with cold winds, and thinking back to last winter (and winters previous) i dont remember it being this wet at all.

So.. what i'm trying to say is... you likely wont need to worry about rain too much? yes it think thats it. Although this is from a Hobart city perspective, conditions in more remote areas could and likely would differ.
posted by a. at 2:21 AM on January 5

I had a great time visiting Tasmania from the US a few years ago. My favourite thing was taking the West Coast Wilderness Railway trip from Strahan to Queenstown on a restored steam engine train through the rainforests. Beautiful, fun old train, very comfortable. Spring for the upgraded ticket.

Strahan is a lovely little beach / tourist town, you can find some very nice little inns with good restaurants. Queenstown is a mining hell-hole, interesting for that. Hobart was boring, but the Port Arthur prison is worth visiting and the countryside around there is beautiful. Can't say much about the winter weather except it's very wild and outdoorsy there, I think it wouldn't be much fun if it's dark and rainy. I imagine Strahan will be near empty that time of year.
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on January 5

Island View Spa Cottage
posted by AnnaRat at 3:25 PM on January 5