Tassie Road Trip, Part 3, TASMANIA
Airing Date: Mar 26th, 2002
CLICK HERE to go on Ernie's Virtual Road Trip of Tasmania.
With sparkling blue water, wide sweeping beaches and abundant wildlife, the coastline is a great place to hit the beach.
First stop for the day is St Helens beach: an ideal place for some boogie boarding.
The beaches on Georges Bay, one of which is St Helens, are perfect for swimming and surfing.
The town of St Helens is famous for its crayfish, scallops, abalone and flounder, and the Scamander River noted for its bream.
Such is the popularity of the area that it is estimated the population increases tenfold during summer.
After a day at the beach why not spend a night at the scenic Iluka Holiday Centre at Coles Bay.
From here it's only half an hour to Bicheno where you can join an evening Penguin Walk.
Bicheno Penguin Adventures began in 1992. At the time the penguin colony near Bicheno had been reduced to 40 birds because of feral cats and local dogs. Now as many as 600 birds come ashore at the peak of the season and year-round there is a continuing presence.
The final drive back to Hobart takes you through Orford where it's worth stopping at East Coast Seafood for lunch. Here they serve up some of Tassie's best fish and chips.
From Orford it's only an hour along the scenic coast road to Hobart and your journey's end.
The facts
Qantas flies to Hobart daily from all capital cities. Return airfares start from $220 from Melbourne per person. Additional taxes/levies/charges apply.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
Website: qantas.com
East Lines in St Helens will hire you a boogie board for $10 a day and a wetsuit for $10.
East Lines
Tel: 03 6376 1720
The Bicheno Penguin Walk costs $15 for adults and $7 for kids.
Bicheno Penguin Walk
Tel: 03 6375 1333
At the Iluka Holiday Centre at Coles Bay, powered sites start from $19 per night.
Iluka Holiday Centre
Tel: 03 6257 0115
Website: www.ilukaholidaycentre.com.au
East Coast Seafood
Tel: 03 6257 1549
You can hire a Maui Motorhome for around $149 a day.
Britz Campervan Rentals, Car & 4WD Rentals
Freecall: 1800 331 454
Website: www.britz.com
Tourism Tasmania
Website: www.discovertasmania.com.au
Suggested Reading Material
Lonely Planet
Website: www.lonelyplanet.com
Rough Guides
Website: www.roughguides.com
