Hobart Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van from a depot beside Hobart Airport at Cambridge, where several close by mid-afternoon, so a morning flight helps. Do a big grocery shop before crossing the Tasman Bridge, then spend the late afternoon wandering Battery Point and the waterfront. Base yourself for two nights at the Hobart Showground motorhome park in Glenorchy or a holiday park near the airport.

Day 2: Leave the van at camp and catch a bus into the city for Salamanca Place, or take the MONA ferry from Brooke Street Pier, as the big city car parks have low height limits. If the summit is clear, drive the narrow, winding Pinnacle Road up kunanyi/Mount Wellington for views over the Derwent. Check the City of Hobart road status first, as it closes in snow and ice.

Day 3: Head south about 40 minutes to Huonville, the heart of Tasmania's apple and cider country, then follow the river through Franklin to Geeveston for riverside cafes and farm gate stalls. Continue to Dover, a quiet fishing town on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel with a beachfront holiday park. Top up the fuel tank before you leave the Huon, as towns thin out further south.

Day 4: Drive about 25 minutes to Hastings Caves State Reserve for a guided cave tour, then warm up in the thermal pool, which sits at around 28°C all year. No parks pass is needed here, but buy cave tickets at the visitor centre before your tour. Drive back north to Huonville or Cygnet for the night, leaving the reserve before dusk to avoid wildlife on the road.

Day 5: Drive through the Derwent Valley via New Norfolk to Mount Field National Park, about 2 hours from the Huon or just over an hour from Hobart. Buy a parks pass at the visitor centre, as this is the first national park on the route. Walk the sealed track to Russell Falls, about 25 minutes return, and camp beside the Tyenna River so you can come back after dark to spot glow worms.

Day 6: Walk among the giant swamp gums on the Tall Trees track in the morning, but skip the gravel Lake Dobson Road, which Parks says is not suitable for campervans. Follow the Lyell Highway west through the Central Highlands to Lake St Clair, about 1.5 hours, and take a lakeside walk from Cynthia Bay. Stay near Derwent Bridge and watch for wallabies on the road at dusk.

Day 7: Allow about two hours for the winding run to Queenstown, stopping for the short rainforest walk to Nelson Falls. Take the steep bends into town slowly, then refuel and restock, as services on the West Coast are spread out. Continue about 40 minutes to Strahan on Macquarie Harbour and book a powered site for two nights, as the town fills up in summer.

Day 8: Spend the day on the water with a Gordon River cruise into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, with stops at the Sarah Island convict ruins and the rainforest boardwalk at Heritage Landing. Back on shore, walk to Hogarth Falls or watch the surf at Ocean Beach. Download offline maps tonight, as mobile coverage is patchy on tomorrow's drive north.

Day 9: Drive north through Zeehan and along the Murchison Highway, about 2 to 2.5 hours with few towns, so leave Strahan with a full tank. Check in at a holiday park near the Cradle Mountain visitor centre. Campervans and motorhomes are not allowed on Dove Lake Road at any time, so plan to leave the van at the visitor centre and buy shuttle tickets there.

Day 10: Take an early shuttle to Dove Lake and walk the circuit, about 6 km and two to three hours, with the mountain mirrored in the water on still mornings. Carry waterproof layers, as the weather at this altitude can change fast in any season. In the late afternoon, look for wombats grazing around Ronny Creek before a second night at the park.

Day 11: Head east about 1.5 hours to Mole Creek and join a guided tour of Marakoopa Cave, known for its glow worms and reflective pools. Stop for lunch in the riverside town of Deloraine, then drive about 45 minutes on to Launceston. Set up at a holiday park within walking distance of Cataract Gorge, a good place to do laundry and refill water before the last leg.

Day 12: Walk from your park into Cataract Gorge and cross the suspension bridge, or ride the chairlift over the First Basin. Spend the afternoon in Launceston's city centre, with its Victorian streetscapes, markets and cafes. Restock for the final two days and take an easy evening, as tomorrow's route follows the Tamar River north towards Bass Strait.

Day 13: Follow the West Tamar Highway north through cool-climate wine country, with cellar doors along both banks of the river. Visit the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre, then cross the Batman Bridge to the east bank and continue to Low Head. Stay nearby and join a guided evening tour to watch little penguins waddle ashore at dusk.

Day 14: Drive back to Launceston, about an hour, and allow time to empty the waste tanks, refuel and tidy the van. Return it to the depot near Launceston Airport at Western Junction, then catch your flight home. Through us, LeisureRent offers the Hobart to Launceston one-way, so check availability and the one-way fee in your quote before you book.

Day 1: Pick up your van at Cambridge and stock up at the nearby supermarkets, then drive about 20 minutes to Richmond to see its convict-built bridge and Georgian streets. Join the Tasman Highway at Sorell and head north-east through Buckland to Orford, about an hour away. Settle into a holiday park by the Prosser River and book tomorrow's Maria Island ferry if you have not already.

Day 2: Leave the van at Triabunna, a few minutes up the road, and take the passenger ferry to Maria Island, a national park with no private vehicles. Explore the convict ruins at Darlington, meet the wombats grazing on the lawns and walk to the Painted Cliffs, best at low tide. Pack lunch and water, as the island has no shops, then catch the afternoon boat back.

Day 3: Drive about 45 minutes north to Swansea, where Great Oyster Bay frames views of the Freycinet Peninsula. Stop at the convict-built Spiky Bridge and Kate's Berry Farm along the way. Continue to Coles Bay, roughly another 45 minutes, and check in for two nights at a holiday park, as Freycinet's Richardsons Beach sites go to a ballot in peak summer.

Day 4: Make an early start for the Wineglass Bay Lookout, about 2.6 km return and 1 to 1.5 hours, with your parks pass on display. Fit walkers can continue down to the beach for a swim in clear, cold water. Spend the afternoon at Honeymoon Bay, then stay on for sunset as the granite peaks of the Hazards glow pink above Coles Bay.

Day 5: Drive about 40 minutes to Bicheno to watch the blowhole spray across the granite and eat fresh seafood by the harbour. Book an evening tour to see little penguins return to their burrows, and stay at a Bicheno holiday park with powered sites and laundry. It is a good night to refill water and empty the tanks before the free campgrounds further north.

Day 6: Head north about an hour to St Helens to restock with fuel and groceries, then continue to Binalong Bay at the southern end of the Bay of Fires. Free Parks campgrounds such as Cosy Corner take campervans on a first come, first served basis, with pit toilets and no drinking water. Arrive by early afternoon in summer and carry everything you need.

Day 7: Take a slow day, with a morning swim in clear water and a walk among the orange lichen-covered boulders around The Gardens. Pack a picnic and explore the coves along the coast road, or detour inland to St Columba Falls near Pyengana. Leave no trace at camp and take all rubbish with you, ready for tomorrow's drive across the Midlands.

Day 8: Leave the coast at St Helens and climb inland through St Marys and the Fingal Valley to the Midland Highway, about 2.5 hours in total. Stop at Campbell Town to see the convict-built Red Bridge, then drive about 15 minutes south to Ross. Stay in or near the village, whose sandstone bridge dates from 1836 and is known for its carved stonework.

Day 9: Explore Ross in the morning, then follow the Midland Highway south to Oatlands, where the restored Callington Mill stands above the town. Continue to Hobart, about an hour from Oatlands, and spend the afternoon around Salamanca Place or Battery Point. Spend the last night at the Hobart Showground motorhome park in Glenorchy, which has a dump point for guests.

Day 10: Spend a relaxed morning on the waterfront, or at the Salamanca Market if it is a Saturday, using an open-air car park, as the multi-storey car parks have low height limits. Then cross the Tasman Bridge outside the weekday peaks, refuel, empty the tanks and return the van by early afternoon, as several airport depots close at 3pm or 3:30pm.

Day 1: Collect your van near Hobart Airport, already on the right side of the river for the Tasman Peninsula, about 1.5 hours away. Stop for oysters at Dunalley, then walk out to the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen near Eaglehawk Neck. Check in at a holiday park near Port Arthur and get to know the van's heater and water system before dark.

Day 2: Spend the day at the Port Arthur Historic Site, where large vehicles have their own signposted car park and entry includes a short harbour cruise. Tickets are valid for two consecutive days, so there is no need to rush. Drive out to Remarkable Cave in the late afternoon, then return after dark for a lantern-lit ghost tour, which is booked separately.

Day 3: Drive back to Hobart, about 1.5 hours, timing the Tasman Bridge for outside the weekday peaks. Spend the afternoon at Salamanca Place and Battery Point, using an open-air car park, as Argyle Street and Hobart Central car parks have 2 m and 2.2 m height limits. If the summit is clear, drive up kunanyi/Mount Wellington, then stay at the Hobart Showground.

Day 4: Head south about 35 minutes to Kettering and join the queue for the Bruny Island ferry, as tickets cover the next available sailing rather than a set time. The crossing takes about 20 minutes. Climb the stairs at The Neck lookout, taste local cheese and oysters on the way south, and stay at a holiday park in Adventure Bay, once your hire company has okayed the ferry.

Day 5: Join a wilderness cruise from Adventure Bay past sea cliffs, seal colonies and, in season, migrating whales, or walk the Fluted Cape track for coastal views. Many Bruny side roads, including the way to Cape Bruny Lighthouse, are gravel, which most hire agreements exclude, so stay on sealed roads. Catch an afternoon ferry back to Kettering and stay nearby or in Cygnet.

Day 6: Spend a slow day in the Huon Valley, tasting cider and apple products and browsing farm gate stalls around Cygnet, Huonville and Franklin. In the afternoon, drive on to Geeveston for riverside walks and cafes. Stay at a holiday park in Huonville or Cygnet, both within about 40 minutes of Hobart, for an easy final morning.

Day 7: Drive back through Hobart to the depots at Cambridge, about 50 minutes, crossing the Tasman Bridge after the morning peak. With time to spare, detour 20 minutes to Richmond for its convict-built bridge. Empty the waste tanks, refuel and tidy the van, then return it by early afternoon, as some depots ask you to arrive an hour before their 3:30pm close.