9 experiences you didn’t know you could have on a road trip in Tasmania with the whole family.

I have a secret obsession.       

Some would call it dysfunctional. Others might even say it’s a complete waste of time and energy.

But if you’ve ever been to Tasmania on a family holiday and experienced the straight-up wonder that occurs on the other side of the Bass Strait, then you’d understand.

Let me backup and give you a bit of context.

Two years ago, when my boy-girl twin toddlers Cooper and Stella were barely walking, we took a family road trip in Tasmania. 

We explored Freycinet National Park, swam naked in the Bay of Fires, ran after birds in Dolphin Sands, ran after Scott Morrison at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, and spent our final hours frolicking around Cataract Gorge in Launceston.

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Honestly, I haven’t been able to get the vacation out of my head for the past year.

Which leads me back to that “secret obsession” I was talking about.

My guilty pleasure at the moment, especially after the kids have gone to bed and the wine has been poured, is planning our next trip to Tassie.

Do we have it booked? No. But has that stopped me from researching family-friendly activities and adding them all to a Pinterest board for when the time comes? Absolutely not.

Here’s a little sneak peek into the mind of a Tasmania-obsessed parent who believes – through many hundreds of hours worth of internet research – that he’s discovered the nine must-do activities that you can enjoy on a road trip with your entire family.

Hobart City Paddle

Sandwiched between river and mountain, Hobart has one of the most stunning harbours in the world. 

For a totally unique experience, switch things up and take a family tour with Roaring 40s Kayaking, which includes a fish and chips feast you devour while afloat.

A city tour hits different when you're on water! This tour even includes a feed of fish and chips (count us in any day of the week). From experience, can recommend the kids will love the double kayaks. Image: Wing Yin Ng. 

Maria Island National Park

Off of Tasmania’s East Coast, Maria Island National Park has something for everyone. 

Sandy beaches with intense turquoise water, mountains to hike and a rich cultural history to discover. 

If your children are anything like mine, they will be obsessed with the abundance of wildlife that calls this park home. Depending on the season, you can find wombats, endangered birds or even Tasmanian devils. Look out to sea and you might even see passing whales. Love it.

A Tassie Truth: Tasmania has over 2000km of walking tracks and its coastline measures about 4500km – that’s longer than the combined coastlines of NSW and VIC. With all this beauty, there’s seriously ‘More Ahhh’s To The Kilometre’ in Tassie.

Maria Island National Park: a wealth of wombats (and the twins' new best friends). Image: Tourism Tasmania & Dominic Zeng Photoart. 

Port Arthur Ghost Tour

If you have older children, adding a 90-minute lantern-lit Ghost Tour to your itinerary will keep them super engaged and entertained after-hours. We love a tour in this family.

It's pretty widely known as Australia's most haunted location, having more than 1000 people pass away there during its 47-year history as a penal settlement. Maybe you’ll be able to check “ghost sighting” off your bucket list while on holiday?

We love a tour in this family. Can confirm it's not Professor Snape running this one! Although we wish it was. Image: Alastair Bett. 

Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs

Situated in the far south of Tasmania’s Huon Valley, 90 minutes from Hobart, is an ancient underground wonderland where you and your family can discover subterranean formations like stalagmites and stalactites. 

Unlike some cave tours, Hastings Caves are spacious with no narrow passages. And if that wasn’t perfect enough for kids, you can swim in the 28-degree thermal swimming pool, which gathers and circulates natural thermal spring water.

A Tassie Truth: Tassie has water so pure that it produces the ONLY bottled rainwater approved by health departments around the world.

Is this real life? An ancient underground wonderland only 90 minutes from Hobart. Image: Jess Bonde. 

Henty Dunes

Amid the rainforests of Tassie’s west coast, there’s a series of giant dunes reaching heights of around 30m. They're incredible. Perfect for the kids to run around and explore, your adventurous adolescence might enjoy tobogganing down the Henty Dunes.

If my twins were writing this list instead, these dunes would be first on the list. Image: Jason Futrill. 

Hollybank Wilderness Adventures

I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I will in this case. 

Carve out an entire day to spend at Hollybank Wilderness Adventures. We can attest: we didn't spend long enough here, and wish we could have.

Only 20 minutes north-east of Launceston CBD, your children will also be on Cloud 9 as they fly through the treetops on a zipline, puzzle their way through an aerial ropes course or zip around the ground on mountain bikes or Segways.

For families who love an adventure-packed itinerary, like mine do. Image: Poon Wai Nang. 

Cataract Gorge

This is a must-do if you find yourself in Launceston. 

Just a 15-minute walk from the CBD, Cataract Gorge has an idyllic swimming pool, one of the world’s longest chairlifts and a gaggle of peacocks to take photos of. Penny Royal Adventures, at the mouth of the gorge, also has a range of family-friendly activities to enjoy. 

For adventurous children, there’s rock climbing and a controlled cliff jump.

Tucked away behind cliffs and hills is this gem with some exotic talent wandering the area for photos (that is, the incredible peacocks). Image: Jarrad Seng. 

Mount Field National Park

Known as the “park for all seasons”, Mount Field National Park is one of Tasmania’s oldest and most diverse parks. 

Spectacular landscapes compete for attention with cascading waterfalls, including arguably one of the most impressive waterfalls in Tassie, Russell Falls.

And to keep your animal-obsessed kids entertained like the twins are, there’s a night walk into Russell Falls that will reveal glow worms. 

I repeat: glow worms. Your kids need to see this (as well as all adults of course). Image: Off the Path. 

Wildlife Sanctuaries

If your children are anything like Stella and Cooper, then adding a wildlife sanctuary to the itinerary (or two) will ensure your trip to Tassie is a memorable one. 

There’s a superb selection of sanctuaries around the island state that have kid-specific experiences to enjoy.

You can go to Tasmanian Devil Unzoo for their ‘Zookeeper for a Day’ experience, East Coast Natureworld for the Devils in the Dark experience, or after-dark feeding tours at Devils@Cradle.

What’s the moral of this long, passionate story? You truly can only but love everything you come across on a family road trip in Tasmania, just like we did.

You can go to Tasmanian Devil Unzoo for their 'Zookeeper for a Day' experience, East Coast Natureworld for the Devils in the Dark experience, or after-dark feeding tours at Devils@Cradle. Image: Jewels Lynch.

If you think that I’ve missed a must-see spot in Tassie, help me expand on this list by adding your road trip recommendations in the comments below!