Touring Tasmania with Tweens
Travelling with kids is never easy, and even though tweens are a lot easier than toddlers, it can still be tricky to find age-appropriate entertainment that they really engage with. Recently we visited beautiful Tasmania, travelling from Hobart, through the centre of the island to Cradle Mountain and then home from Launceston. While the long car rides were certainly not a hit, each of the destinations we visited were, making the holiday a super fun mix of history, nature and adventure.
Here are our top three things to do with your tween in Tasmania…
Port Arthur Historic Site
Over its long history, Port Arthur has been a place of hardship and punishment, a place of opportunity, and now is one of Australia’s most important heritage destinations spanning over 40 hectares (100 acres) with over 30 buildings and ruins to explore. We weren’t sure whether a visit with kids would be worth it, given the 90 minute drive from Hobart and then the massive scale of the site (Would too much history be boring? Would they be tired from so much walking?) However we all loved it. The site is set up so well, with plenty of activities for kids (of all ages) as well as an introductory walking tour and boat ride included in the entry ticket price. The walking tour gave everyone a good initial understanding and then we were left to explore for ourselves. Running up and down the picturesque green hills was actually great for all the kids and then the boat ride (complete with ice-cream and a few glasses of wine) rounded the day out nicely. While it is a drive to get to from Hobart, this day was one of the absolute best moments of our whole trip. $45 adults $20 children.
Cradle Mountain
Walking and wombats! Cradle Mountain was another experience that bought us all closer to nature. While there are plenty of serious tracks for serious walkers (some even days long!) we stuck to the easy ones around Peppers Cradle Mountain. Walking through rainforest, along creek beds and into the open terrain, each one was so beautiful and made all the more fun through keeping a look out for wallabies, wombats and other cute wildlife.
The Wilderness Walk leaves directly from the hotel and is an easy walk for all the family.
Did you know wombats poop in cubes? There’s plenty of evidence laying about here and good to know that even tweens still find poop very funny.
West Coast Wilderness Railway
Located in the remote South-Western corner of Tasmania is the West Coast Wilderness Railway, a breathtaking four-hour journey in a restored heritage steam train deep into the rainforest wilderness.
A fascinating journey, the trip crosses rivers, walls of rock and steep drops down cliffsides to the ground far below.
While we initially booked this for our train-mad boy, Franc absolutely loved this trip which started in Strahan and ventured to intriguingly named, Dubbil Barril. During our journey, our guide shared stories of the railway from the men who laboured to build the line and keep the trains running, to the families and children that made a life in the forest.
For those in the first class carriage, champagne, scones and high tea is served throughout the trip, while those in second have the option to buy snacks either in the carriage or at one of the stops along the way. $270 for a family.
