The classic 7-day Tasmania loop from Launceston¶
The standard, popular way to see Tasmania's headline sights in a week, landing and departing at Launceston. It's an anticlockwise loop — Launceston → Cradle Mountain → Hobart → Freycinet → back to Launceston — which is how most first-time visitors do it because it hits Cradle Mountain, Wineglass Bay, Port Arthur and Hobart with almost no backtracking. Round-trip Launceston flights keep it simple.
This version is tuned for a family with young kids (think 7 and 10): drive legs are kept to one big travel push a day, and every stop has something for the kids rather than being a scenic drive they'll sleep through. You move base four times over six nights — Launceston, Cradle, Hobart (three nights), then the east coast.
The shape of the week¶
| Day | Base | Main drive | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launceston | — | Cataract Gorge |
| 2 | Cradle Mountain | 2.5 hr | Dove Lake, Tasmanian devils |
| 3 | Hobart | 4 hr | Drive south, Salamanca waterfront |
| 4 | Hobart | — | Bonorong wildlife, kunanyi/Mt Wellington |
| 5 | Hobart | day trip | Port Arthur, Tasman Peninsula |
| 6 | Coles Bay / Bicheno | 2.5 hr | Wineglass Bay, penguins |
| 7 | — | 2.5 hr | Freycinet → Launceston, fly out |
Book ahead: a Parks & Wildlife Holiday Pass (~$92 per vehicle, covers Cradle, Freycinet and the rest), the Cradle Mountain shuttle, the Bicheno penguin tour, and Port Arthur entry. A hire car is essential.
Day 1 — Launceston: Cataract Gorge¶
Arrival day, kept light. Cataract Gorge is a wilderness gorge five minutes from the city centre. Ride the chairlift across the basin (the longest single-span chairlift in the world), let the kids swim in the free basin pool in summer, watch the peacocks, and walk the loop across the suspension bridge. Fill any spare time at City Park, which has a Japanese macaque enclosure.
Watch on YouTube — Cowboy Jojo's Adventures.
Day 2 — Cradle Mountain: Dove Lake and Tasmanian devils¶
Drive 2.5 hours west and stay the night up here so it isn't a rush. Park at the visitor centre and take the shuttle to Dove Lake. With kids, skip the full 6 km circuit — do the flat Enchanted Walk and the first stretch of lakeshore for the classic Cradle view. Wombats graze the button-grass in the afternoon. Then Devils@Cradle for the keeper-led feeding: Tasmanian devils and quolls up close is the wildlife highlight of the north.
Watch on YouTube — Abbie and Wiebe.
Watch on YouTube — Aussie Beekeeping.
Day 3 — Drive to Hobart¶
The one big driving day, about 4 hours down through the midlands. Break it up: the historic bakery at Ross and the windmill at Oatlands are good leg-stretchers with a snack. Arrive Hobart mid-afternoon and settle in around the Salamanca waterfront — fish and chips off a punt at Constitution Dock is the easy first-night dinner. Base here for three nights.
Day 4 — Hobart: Bonorong and kunanyi/Mt Wellington¶
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, 30 minutes north, is the best animal stop in the south — hand-feed kangaroos, meet wombats, echidnas and devils, and it funds real wildlife rescue. In the afternoon drive to the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington (1,271 m) for the view over Hobart; it's a sealed road right to the top, so no walking required. If it's a Saturday, spend the morning at Salamanca Market instead and do the mountain after.
Watch on YouTube — Khiz & Eesa.
Watch on YouTube — Liesel81.
Day 5 — Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula¶
A day trip east, about 1.5 hours each way. Port Arthur Historic Site is Australia's best-preserved convict settlement — ruins and restored buildings across parkland by the water, with a harbour cruise included in the ticket. It's outdoors and roomy, so it works for kids; save the ghost tour for another trip. On the way, stop at the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen — dramatic coastal rock formations right by the road.
Watch on YouTube — Viator.
Day 6 — Freycinet and Bicheno penguins¶
Drive 2.5 hours north-east to the Freycinet Peninsula. The Wineglass Bay lookout is 3 km return and steep in parts — doable with breaks, and the view is one of the best in the state. If it's too much, Honeymoon Bay and the day-use beach are flat and swimmable. Stay the night nearby, and finish with the after-dark Bicheno penguin tour — a guided walk to watch little penguins come ashore.
Watch on YouTube — Sue Where Why What.
Watch on YouTube — Holiday Joyrides.
Day 7 — Back to Launceston, fly out¶
Freycinet to Launceston is about 2.5 hours. With an afternoon flight you can detour to the Bay of Fires at Binalong Bay on the way — white sand and orange lichen-covered boulders — for a last beach stop before dropping the car.
Watch on YouTube — Getaway.
Swaps and notes¶
- Too much driving? The Cradle-to-Hobart day (Day 3) is the long one. If you'd rather not, skip the far south entirely and do a shorter north-and-east loop (Launceston, Cradle, Freycinet, Bay of Fires), but you'd miss Port Arthur and Hobart.
- Younger or car-averse kids: swap Port Arthur (Day 5) for ZooDoo or a lazy beach day — Port Arthur is history-heavy and the peninsula drive is long.
- Near Cradle: Tasmazia (a large hedge maze and model village near Sheffield) is a big hit with this age group if you have a spare morning on the way to or from the mountain.
- Weather: Cradle Mountain and kunanyi make their own weather — pack layers and a rain jacket regardless of season, and have the wildlife parks as wet-weather backups.
For more trip write-ups see the travel section.