Family holiday Tasmania road trip in a motorhome

ROD Chester takes his family on a road trip in Tasmania in an Apollo motorhome.

The Apollo motorhome. Picture: Rodney Chester

TACKLING Tasmania in a motorhome seems like a basic task. The distances are small, there's plenty to do and, on paper, you should be able to tick off all of the key tourist destinations in a week.

But the trouble with Tasmania is that looks are deceptive. In our 10 days of tripping around, we found there was so much to do and so little time. Twenty days would've been better.

If you're hiring a motorhome, it typically makes financial sense to pick it up and drop it off at the same location. That budget strategy is also a good itinerary starter because there is a logic to doing a loop that starts and ends in Hobart.

We took an Apollo Euro Deluxe six berth even though there were only three of us.

The thing about booking a motorhome is finding a balance. A small motorhome is easy to park, a big motorhome is easy to live in for a week. It comes down to your priorities.

For a small city, there is a lot to pack in when you visit Hobart, starting with the old favourites of driving to the top of Mt Wellington and getting lost in the crowds at Salamanca Markets on a Saturday morning.

Wineglass Bay in Tasmania. Picture: Rodney Chester

Some of the highlights of a Hobart visit are the simple pleasures. If you like to start the day with an early walk, head past the still closed shops of Salamanca Place and up to Battery Point, where you'll find locals kicking their day off with breakfast at the Jackman & McRoss Bakery, an institution for locals and a must-visit for food-loving tourists.

Any visitor to Hobart would be amiss to not head out to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, a short drive or ferry ride out of the city.

You may have read how professional gambler, entrepreneur and philanthropist David Walsh turned an old winery into Australia's largest privately funded museum but all of that doesn't prepare you for the scale and beauty of the building, which has quickly become THE must-see Hobart attraction since opening in early 2011.

After a few days in Hobart, we picked up a motorhome and started off on a loop up the east coast, across to Cradle Mountain and back down through Launceston and tourist favourites of Campbell Town, Ross and Richmond.

When you're travelling with a family, some of Tasmania's best-known walks are a bit too much to take on, but the hike to Wineglass Bay is the exception. The first part is a slow 1.3km hike up a steep gravel track that takes you to a lookout between The Hazards with that famous picture postcard view of Wineglass Bay below.

A boatshed near Cradle Mountain. Picture: Rodney Chester

Continue down to Wineglass Bay and while you're sitting on the pristine sand and gazing at the crystal-clear water, spare a thought that the name of the bay comes not just from the shape. This was a popular spot for whalers and the bay would turn red as the carcasses were butchered on the beach.

However, there is more to Freycinet than just a walk to look at Wineglass Bay.

We headed out on a kayak tour with Freycinet Adventures. Typically, the tour involves paddling around Coles Bay but windy conditions ruled that out for us. Instead, we headed out on the alternative tour called The Oyster Paddle, which takes you along the protected waters of Moulting Lagoon, a wetland area that's internationally recognised for its importance to waterbirds.

While not our first choice, The Oyster Paddle was hardly a second-best. The protected waters made it easier for younger family members and the morning tea spot, where a real oyster farmer shucks fresh oysters straight from the beds, is a treat for food lovers.

From Coles Bay it's a short drive to Bicheno, a quaint seaside town that has plenty to offer. Even if you're only here for one night, there are two things not to miss.

First of all it is the simple attraction of doing the foreshore walk and stopping for a while to watch the action of the Bicheno Blowhole.

The other must-see is a night-time activity.

Bicheno Penguin Tours started out as an idea 21 years ago by mates Paul Male and Nic Wardlaw who wanted to do something to cut down on the feral cats and boost the population of the little penguins (aka fairy penguins).

You expect to see penguins when you go on a tour like this. What you don't expect is how closely you see them. These penguins happily waddle past the tourists. Be careful if you take a step back that there's not a bird behind you.

From Bicheno, we darted across most of the state to reach Cradle Mountain.

One warning, if you arrive at Cradle Mountain in a motorhome, you should fill up your vehicle's water tank before you arrive, because you won't be able to in this area. The easy option for a family is to do the Dove Lake walk, which is 5-6km and gives you picture postcard views of Cradle Mountain.

If you're up for a bigger challenge, you can (and should) start the Overland Track, which is considered the premier long-distance hike in Australia.

If you were to walk the full track, about 70km later you would end up at Lake St Clair. As a day walker with a spare five hours, you can hike up to Marion's Lookout.

If you start your walk at Dove Lake, the hot tip is to loop back to the rangers hut at Ronny Creek to experience some of the variety of landscape the area has to offer, from the bleak and craggy mountain trails to the lush rainforest creeks.

But don't tackle a walk like this without preparation. On our hike to Marion's Lookout, on a freezing wet and windy day, we met two German tourists without a map, a raincoat, no idea of where they should be heading or even proper footwear.

No matter what time of year, you need your layers when you come to Cradle.

A wallaby getting friendly at Wineglass Bay. Picture: Rodney Chester

The morning we drove out of the Discovery Holiday Park at Cradle was freezing but by the time we hit Launceston for lunch it was suddenly summer again.

You can't see Launceston in just a lunch hour but that happens to be the perfect time to see the charming Launceston Cataract Gorge with its cable car, pool and restaurants. You also can't tour this part of Tassie without stopping at Ross and taking a picture of the famous Ross bridge, built by convicts in 1836 and one of Australia's oldest bridges still in use.

If you're a history buff who enjoys the walk around Ross, you'll be in a near frenzy by the time you reach Richmond.

Richmond has the oldest bridge still in use in Australia (sorry Ross), the old Richmond jail and the Richmond Bakery, which could be your last chance to try a famous Tasmanian scallop pie.

Go2 - Tasmania

TOURING THERE

Details on Apollo Euro Deluxe motorhome here or on 1800 777 779

More: See discovertasmania.com.au

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The blowhole at Bicheno. Picture: Rodney Chester