11 Best Tasmania Towns For A Weekend Trip

Tasmania's rainforests, harbours, and historic main streets provide the sort of scenic variety that makes a couple of days away feel like a true escape. Ride a steam train up the Rinadeena Saddle from Queenstown or cruise the Gordon River out of Strahan. Watch fairy penguins come ashore at Godfreys Beach beneath The Nut in Stanley. On the east coast, Swansea sits at the heart of a wine trail along the Great Eastern Drive, while inland Derby has turned old tin-mining tracks into 125 km (78 miles) of mountain bike trails. Pack for two days and pick your pace. These are 11 of the best towns for a weekend trip in Tasmania.

Queenstown

Queenstown seamlessly blends culture and outdoor recreation. Board the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown Station for the Rinadeena Rack & Rainforest journey, a three-hour steam trip that stops at the old gold town of Lynchford for a spot of gold panning before the rack-and-pinion line hauls the train up to the Rinadeena Saddle. Back in town, wander streets lined with murals from the mining era and catch a film or a gig at the 1930s Art Deco Paragon Theatre. Penghana, the 1898 mansion built for the mine's general manager, now runs as a B&B from the highest perch in town, between Mt Lyell and Mt Owen. Time a visit for the biennial Unconformity arts festival, or head east along the Lyell Highway into the river gorges and rainforest of Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

Strahan

Strahan is the launch point for an action-packed day on the water. World Heritage Cruises sails the catamaran Harbour Master II across Macquarie Harbour, out to the narrow Hells Gates entrance, and up the Gordon River into the UNESCO-listed Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, with a guided stop at the Sarah Island penal settlement and a rainforest boardwalk among ancient Huon pines at Heritage Landing. Back on shore, catch The Ship That Never Was, Australia's longest-running play, a comic retelling of the 10 convicts who stole a ship and sailed it to Chile. It plays at 5:30 pm daily from September to May at the Richard Davey Amphitheatre. Book dinner at Risby Cove, on the site of an old Huon pine sawmill, then settle into Ormiston House, an 1899 Federation mansion on the waterfront.

Evandale

Evandale sits just 5 km (3 miles) from Launceston Airport, so a weekend here starts the moment you land. Spend Sunday morning at the Evandale Market, then wander a Georgian streetscape of red brick shops and cottages. Plan your trip around Evandale's community calendar. The National Penny Farthing Championships fill the streets with high-wheel racers in Victorian dress every February, and the Glover Prize exhibition brings Australia's top landscape painters to the Falls Park Pavilion over the March long weekend. The Clarendon Arms, a Georgian hotel dating to around 1847, serves British-style pub meals and has a large beer garden for a relaxed afternoon drink. A 10-minute drive leads to Josef Chromy for cool-climate sparkling wine. For somewhere to stay, Briar Lane offers self-contained suites on an 1820s property with 2 hectares (5 acres) of gardens.

Stanley

Stanley lies beneath The Nut, a 143 m (469 ft) volcanic plug on the coast facing Bass Strait. Ride the chairlift 250 m (820 ft) to the top or tackle the steep ZigZag Track on foot, then loop the summit for views over town and sea. At dusk, the red-lit viewing platform at Godfreys Beach is the place to watch little penguins, better known as fairy penguins, waddle up to their burrows. By day, follow the self-guided Stanley Heritage Walk or drive out to Highfield Historic Site, the 1830s homestead of the Van Diemen's Land Company's chief agent. Lunch at Hursey Seafoods, whose red fishing fleet lands the lobster and trumpeter on the menu, and spend the night at the Ship Inn Stanley, an 1849 pub reborn as a boutique guesthouse.

Swansea

Swansea looks across Great Oyster Bay to the peaks of Freycinet, and its main street of 19th-century buildings makes an easy base for an east coast weekend. Spend a day on the wine trail along the Great Eastern Drive, where Milton Vineyard, Craigie Knowe, and Gala Estate sit within about 15 minutes of town and pour cool-climate Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Start the morning with crepes and berry ice cream at Kate's Berry Farm, overlooking the bay. Oyster lovers can head north toward Coles Bay, where Oyster Bay Tours hands out waders for a walk into the farm to harvest and shuck their own. For a splurge, Piermont Retreat spreads waterfront cottages across 93 hectares (230 acres) just south of town, with two private beaches and a restaurant in its 1838 Georgian homestead.

Bicheno

Bicheno is a working fishing town with a holiday pace, and most of its highlights are a short stroll apart. Follow the 3 km (2 miles) coastal walkway past the Gulch, where the fishing fleet ties up, to the Bicheno Blowhole, which fires sea spray through the granite with every big swell. Just offshore, the Governor Island Marine Reserve ranks among Australia's best temperate dive sites, with kelp reefs and sponge gardens; non-divers can see them from the Glass Bottom Boat. Order a lobster roll on the deck of the Lobster Shack Tasmania above the Gulch, then return to the shore at dusk to watch little penguins come home. Between May and December, keep an eye out for whales from the walkway. For something different overnight, Sea Stacks at The Denison offers three eco-pods steps from Denison Beach.

Richmond

Richmond sits about 25 km (16 miles) northeast of Hobart, close enough for an easy escape from the capital, with more than 50 Georgian buildings packed into its village streets. Start at Richmond Bridge, the oldest operational stone arch bridge in Australia, where ducks gather on the Coal River below, and the Flagellator's Ghost is said to linger. On the rise above it stands St John's, the oldest Catholic church still in use in the country, and a short walk away, Richmond Gaol opens its cells and flogging yard to visitors. Bellevue House, a convict-built sandstone home from 1840, offers accommodation, open gardens, and tastings of its own gin. On the edge of town, the Wicked Cheese Company offers free tastings all day and a "High Cheese" platter pairing its award-winning cheeses with chocolates.

Deloraine

Deloraine sits on the Meander River 50 km (31 miles) west of Launceston, with the Great Western Tiers rising behind town. Its headline attraction is Yarns Artwork in Silk at the Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre, where four panels created by more than 300 locals from 200 m (656 ft) of hand-dyed silk are brought to life by an audiovisual show every half hour. Visit in November when the town hosts the Tasmanian Craft Fair, with more than 200 makers selling their work. Walk the Meander River path to spot a platypus in the water and pass sculptures along the banks. For dinner and a place to lay your head, the Empire Hotel pairs a horseshoe bar and open log fire with its Cycles restaurant, while the Bush Inn Brewhouse, established in 1848, pours small-batch craft beer alongside sourdough pizza in its beer garden.

Derby

Derby is Tasmania's mountain biking capital, and a weekend here revolves around the trails. Old tin-mining tracks now form the Blue Derby network of 125 km (78 miles) of single track through the forest, good enough to host Enduro World Series rounds and the UCI Enduro World Cup. Less experienced riders can follow the family-friendly trail along the Ringarooma River to Branxholm. Plan around Derby Fest, the town's annual mountain bike festival. After a long ride, warm up in the Floating Sauna on Lake Derby, Australia's first floating sauna, before plunging into the cold water. Refuel with wood-fired pizza and beer on the deck at The Hub, and stay at Derby Bank House, a heritage-listed 1888 bank turned B&B in the centre of town. A 25-minute drive away, Little Blue Lake glows a vivid turquoise.

Franklin

Franklin stretches along the Huon River 45 km (28 miles) southwest of Hobart, and its riverfront still runs on wooden boats. Tour the Wooden Boat Centre, Australia's only traditional boat-building school, where students shape Huon pine and other Tasmanian timbers into hulls on the workshop floor. It closes on Saturdays, so make it a Sunday stop. Across the road, Frank's Cider House & Cafe fills an old church hall with free tastings of ciders made from the Clark family's orchard, farmed since 1836, plus a small apple museum. Just south at Castle Forbes Bay, Huon River Cruises takes guests upriver aboard LaDrone, a 1948 Tasmanian motor cruiser, from a private dock at Heriots Point Vineyard. Stay at the Bowmont, a two-bedroom apartment in a 1906 heritage building on the banks of the Huon.

Cygnet

Cygnet is the Huon Valley's creative hub, a small town of artists, musicians, and orchards on Port Cygnet. Browse the galleries along Mary Street, including The Artisan's Hand at Balfour House, where jewellers and other makers work in open studios. Drive out to the Pagan Cider cellar door, set in an old shed on a cherry orchard, to taste ciders pressed from local apples, pears, and cherries, with crepes from the Pandemonium food van in the warmer months. Back in town, the Red Velvet Lounge serves local produce by day and live music on Friday nights. Every January, the Cygnet Folk Festival takes over the town, with visiting musicians billeted in locals' homes. For a farm stay, The Barn at Eden Farm, a restored 1935 barn that sleeps up to nine, includes an afternoon tour to hand-feed the Highland cattle, goats, and alpacas.

A Weekend Well Spent in Tasmania

A weekend in Tasmania works best at a small-town scale. Queenstown and Strahan pair steam trains with river cruises on the west coast; Swansea and Bicheno showcase vineyards and penguin beaches on the east coast; and Stanley, Evandale, and Derby fill the north with chairlift views, Georgian streets, and mountain bike trails. Add Richmond's convict-built bridge and a glass of cider in the Huon Valley, and these 11 towns are the best way to spend a weekend in Tasmania.