Tour of Tasmania

1 – 9 June 2019

The Tasmania Tour  has been updated in an improved format and is set to be run from 1 – 9 June 2019. This is our signature event and one of the most popular we conduct each year.

Tasmania is always a wonderful tourist destination but I like to think that our unique take on this tour turn a great holiday into a truely memorable one, setting an event for those who enjoy driving, fine dining and comfortable accommodation.

The accommodation utilises the best rooms in the very best hotels that Tasmania has to offer. We such iconic hotels as Cradle Mountain Lodge. Stay in Luxury in the heart of the wild west coast at Strahan. Spend 2 wonderful nights in the heart of Hobart and spoil ourselves at Peppers Seaport in Launceston.

The dinners are a true highlight. Tasmania is renowned for their fine food and wines and we make the most of all that the state has to offer. Mures Seafood, Home Hill Vineyard, The Tamar Valley are all amongst the best in the country

The Roads well they are the basis of our tour. The route is loosely based around a series of Targa Tasmania Stage Roads but we do not have the restrictions that the Targa has to comply with so we can explore an amazing array of roads that are not available to Targa organisers. All roads are sealed and typical of Tasmania have a great surface. Best of all is that the roads wind through some of the most dramatic scenery anywhere.

The Schedule has been planned to be as flexible as possible. Apart from the overnight stops, you can set your own timetable. Follow the route chart through the Targa Stage Roads or take a short cut to the next stop for a spa and a nap or take time out to sight see or bushwalk through World Heritage Listed Areas.

The Vehicles the tour has been designed for you to bring your favourite Car. Previous tours have had a huge range of cars including classic Porsches, Ferraris, current model sports cars and family wagons. Whatever you are comfortable in will be fine. However, If you would like to try something a little bit different why not try one of our Porsche Boxster Hire Cars, Our fleet will be available for hire for the tour a special rates.

 

The itinerary is:

Day 1.
Saturday 1 June 2019

Board the ferry Spirit of Tasmania for an overnight cruise to Devonport, Tasmania. I have arranged port-hole cabins for everyone and of course a spot for your car below decks. The ferry sails at sunset and we will head straight to the dining room for our welcome dinner. Afterwards you can watch the lights of the mainland disappear over a beverage before getting a good nights sleep.

Leaving Melbourne – Tassie Bound

Day 2.

Sunday 2 June 2019
Ferry – Cradle Mountain
255 Km

Disembark in Devonport. 5 km later you will be driving your first Targa Stage Road. The route chart will lead you through a number of famous Targa Stages, through sweeping farmlands, forests and small villages. Tonight’s accommodation is at the Cradle Mountain Lodge. There is plenty of time for a walk or just relax before dinner.

Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain

 

Day 3.

Monday 3 June 2019

Cradle Mountain – Strahan

298 Km

There is time for a bushwalk before we hit the Targa Stages again. We start by winding through the mountain valleys of the northwest before tackling a very special snaking road to Zeehan. Then onto our overnight stay in the beautiful village of Strahan where we stay in waterfront cottages in the heart of the village.

Day 4.

Tuesday 4 June 2019

Strahan – Hobart

310Km

First thing this morning is one of the highlights of Targa Tasmania. A stage from the outskirts of Strahan to Queenstown. Used by Toyota, BMW and Porsche to test and refine their cars, this is a must for anyone who enjoys driving. From Queenstown we climb the barren slopes of Mt Lyall and head through the Franklin River wilderness to Mt Arrowsmith, the longest of the Targa stages. There are more stages as we drop into the Derwent Valley and our Hobart home, The Old Woolstore, located on the edge of the CBD has proven to be a great base to explore Hobart with easy walk to restaurants and Salamanca Place.

Climbing Out Of Queenstown

 

Day 5.

Wednesday 5 June 2019

Hobart – Hobart

146 Km

Apple orchards and fishing villages set the scene for today as we head for the Huon Valley and the Targa Stages, which make up the Southern Loop. South of Huonville we will break away from the stage roads to visit Home Hill Winery and their great restaurant for lunch. The road home takes in some great stages around the foot of Mt Wellington. Dinner tonight is at one of the superb seafood restaurants scattered around the harbour.

OR

Give yourself the day off. Stay in bed, and then hit the shops around the waterfront and/or MOANA. Visit some of the many historic sites around Hobart, go to the top of Mt Wellington or drive down to Port Arthur. A day to do your own thing.

 Salamanca Fashions

Home Hill Winery

Day 6.

Thursday 6 June 2019

Hobart – Freycinet Lodge.

204 Km.

Freycinet Sunset

A nice short day. First stop is at historic Richmond where we cross the oldest bridge in Australia before heading up the East Coast to the famous Freycinet Peninsula. There are great bush walks to try or just soak up the scenery before another spectacular dinner in the main lodge.

Day 7.
Friday 7 June 2019

Freycinet – Launceston.

307 Km

 

From Freycinet we continue along the coast before turning inland onto the brilliantly named Elephant Pass. Home of one of the best pancake houses around and a great Targa stage. St Marys Pass takes us back to the coast and a shed that doubles as a café that serves fresh crayfish for lunch during the season. We will do a quick side trip to the famous Pub in the Paddock and check out the cheese at the Holy Cow Cafe. Later we will head to the Historic town of Longford, once home of the Australian Grand Prix and now a popular Targa Stage. There will be time to check out the memorabilia in the pub that Stan Jones once famously crashed into during the AGP. It is then just a short hop up the highway into Launceston.

Accommodation is at Peppers Seaport Hotel, which has a great restaurant ideal for a big final night dinner.

 

Day 8.

Saturday 8 June 2019

Launceston – Devonport

238 Km

I have set a very special final day in Tasmania, we start by taking in the wine areas north-east of Launceston before looping back through Beaconsfield before taking to some amazing lane-ways that wind our way back to Devonport in time to board the ferry for the trip back to Melbourne.

 

Day 9.

Sunday 9 June 2019

Melbourne

Off the Ferry early Sunday morning, I have left the run home open, some may want to head straight home or you can take the scenic run through the mountains or even extend the trip by taking in the Great Ocean Road.

 

The Cost of the tour is  $6,500/couple, represents great value for such a memorable tour. The price includes a port hole cabin and car spot each way on the Spirit of Tasmania, all accommodation and breakfast each morning with the exception of Strahan and the Ferry trips. You will receive a detailed roadbook that explains the route in detail as well as facts and fables on the areas we pass through, As always I will be there to smooth your way and lend assistance along the way.

 

The next step:
Let me know if you would like to be included, I will arrange to take a deposit then keep you up to date with developments. Give me a call.

David Thomas

0418 473 916

david@drivingadventures.com.au