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    Itinerary

    7 Days in Tasmania: Hobart to Launceston Itinerary

    This is a one-way run from Hobart to Launceston, not a loop — fly into one, drive the east coast, fly out of the other. Trying to loop back to Hobart in a week means cutting one of the four main stops, and Tasmania punishes any itinerary that tries to do too much.

    Length
    7 days
    Total distance
    ~600 km one way
    Season
    October–April. December–February is busiest and priciest; shoulder months are quieter.
    Vehicle
    Any 2WD. Tasmanian roads are narrow and constantly turning — add 30–40% to any time a map gives you.
    Suits
    Couples, Family, Friends Group
    Route style
    Point-to-point
    7 Days in Tasmania — Tasmania

    Route map

    Approximate route: Hobart → Tasman Peninsula → Coles Bay → St Helens → Launceston. Shown for planning only — this is not a turn-by-turn route. Always check current road conditions before you travel.

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    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Route stops in order: 1. Hobart, 2. Tasman Peninsula, 3. Coles Bay, 4. St Helens, 5. Launceston.

    The order matters: Tasman Peninsula first while you're fresh, then up the east coast to Freycinet and Bay of Fires, then across to Launceston to fly out. Doing it in reverse works too, but this direction keeps the best light on Wineglass Bay lookout for a morning visit.

    A one-way hire car (Hobart pickup, Launceston drop-off) usually carries a relocation fee. Price it against flying back to Hobart to collect a return-trip car — for a week, the one-way fee is normally still cheaper.

    Day by day

    7 Days in Tasmania — stage plan
    DaysRouteDistanceDriveWhat you doSleep
    Day 1Arrive Hobart——Settle in. Salamanca Place and Battery Point on foot; Salamanca Market runs Saturdays only. MONA is a 30-minute ferry from Brooke Street Pier if you have the afternoon.Hobart
    Day 2Hobart → Tasman Peninsula (Port Arthur)91 km1h 30mPort Arthur Historic Site — the entry ticket is valid for two consecutive days and includes a guided walk and harbour cruise. Budget at least half a day; a full day if the history holds you.Tasman Peninsula (Port Arthur / Nubeena area)
    Day 3Tasman Peninsulalocal—Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen and the Remarkable Cave — all short, well-formed walks. This is also convict-and-1996-memorial ground; Port Arthur itself asks visitors to treat the site as a place of mourning, not a photo stop.Tasman Peninsula
    Day 4Tasman Peninsula → Freycinet (Coles Bay)~210 km3hBacktrack via Sorell then north to Triabunna and Coles Bay. Arrive with light to spare for an easy afternoon — Freycinet's Wineglass Bay Lookout (1.3 km uphill, about an hour return) is best done fresh the next morning, not squeezed in after a long drive.Coles Bay
    Day 5Freycinet National Parklocal—Wineglass Bay Lookout at first light before the car park fills — it's the classic shot, and most people never need the extra 2.5 hours return to the beach itself to get it. A Tasmanian parks pass is required.Coles Bay
    Day 6Freycinet → Bay of Fires (via Bicheno & St Helens)~115 km1h 45mBicheno's blowhole and penguin colony are worth a stop en route. Bay of Fires' orange-lichen granite boulders and white sand run from Binalong Bay north — free, and the northern conservation area allows free camping if that's your style.St Helens / Binalong Bay
    Day 7Bay of Fires → Launceston~186 km2h 30mThe inland route via St Marys and the Elephant Pass, or the Tasman Highway via Scottsdale — either works. Arrive Launceston with time for Cataract Gorge (a 10-minute walk from the CBD, with a free swimming pool in summer) before your flight.—

    Cost and booking notes

    • Port Arthur's ticket is valid two consecutive days — buy it on arrival, not the morning you leave, so a slow first visit doesn't cost you a second full-price entry.
    • A Tasmanian Parks Pass covering Freycinet (and any other park you visit) is much cheaper than paying per-park if you're stopping at more than two — an eight-week holiday pass usually pays for itself by the third park.
    • One-way car hire (Hobart to Launceston) carries a relocation fee. Compare it against a return-trip hire plus a one-way domestic flight back to Hobart before booking.
    • Hire cars in Tasmania sell out over summer and Easter — book well ahead for a December–February trip.

    Common questions

    Enough for one coast, not both. This itinerary covers the south-east and east coast well. Ten days is the honest minimum to also add Cradle Mountain and the west, which this plan deliberately leaves out.

    Yes, for any national park including Freycinet. An eight-week holiday vehicle pass covering all parks is the better buy if you're visiting more than two.

    Yes, but it adds a full day of driving (Launceston to Hobart is about 2h15m via the Midland Highway) that this plan spends on the coast instead. If you need to return the hire car to Hobart, budget 8 days rather than 7.

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