Hobart to Launceston Campervan Hire Compare

The West Coast of Tasmania is wild and remote, populated by old mining towns amongst ancient rainforests. There’s a lot of history to be found in its more remote corners, but the main visitor spot is charming Strahan which affords easy access to Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River You’ll then surely want to cut back inland to take in wild and dramatic Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, oft titled the crown jewel of Tasmania. A quick jaunt across the bucolic Derwent Valley completes your circuit of the state.

Many visitors start their time in Tasmania in the state capital of Hobart. Hobart is well worth spending a few days in, and is often the best place to pick up your campervan or motorhome for the journey ahead.

Hobart sits in the foothills of Mt Wellington on the River Derwent. The port city neatly blends natural beauty, history, lively culture and a strong food scene into a well-rounded visitor experience.

Among its attractions is Salamanca Place, a series of renovated 1830s Georgian warehouses that are now theatres, cafes, shops, and eateries. On Saturdays, Salamanca Market, one of Australia's favourite farmers' markets, is held here.

Hobart offers many opportunities to take it easy for the day, sampling local craft beer or visiting museums, such as the acclaimed MONA (Museum of Old and New Art).

Continuing anti-clockwise brings you to the Garden City of Launceston and the surrounding agricultural Midlands. Tasmania’s ‘second city’ contains many excellent examples of well-preserved Colonial and Victorian architecture, as well as easily accessible Cataract Gorge, where the South Esk River meets the Tamar Estuary. The Midlands was Tasmania’s original food basket back in the 1800s and today in the Tamar Valley you can see evidence of orchards, wine grape cultivation, and lavender crops.

Heading west, Tasmania’s North West is home to a host of cute coastal towns, including Devonport, where you can take the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to the mainland (whether you can take your hired vehicle across depends on your hire agreement). Another popular town in this region is Stanley, home to ‘The Nut’, an imposing flat-topped volcanic intrusion.

A short 15–20-minute walk from the CBD, Cataract Gorge is Launceston’s own slice of wilderness, with walking tracks on both sides, having been established in the 1890s.

The South Esk River gushes through the gorge to Kings Bridge (completed 1864), a popular lookout. The chairlift at Cataract Gorge is the world’s longest single-span chairlift and Duck Reach Power Station—completed in 1895—was Australia’s first hydro-electric power station, supplying electricity to Launceston.

On the north shore is the Cliff Grounds, a landscaped Victorian garden, complete with wandering peacocks and wallabies.

Rising 1271 metres above the city at its base, the tallest peak in the Wellington Range (original name: Kunanyi) is frequently topped by snow, even into summer.

An enclosed lookout near the summit offers a dramatic 360-degree view of nearly 100 miles over the city and the Derwent River estuary as it enters the Tasman Sea. An extensive network of walking tracks within this urban natural reserve allows for a range of outdoor pursuits.