The 14-Day Dilemma: Why You Should Not Lap Tasmania in 2 Weeks
You can physically drive around Tasmania in 14 days. You shouldn’t. Instead of a two-week lap of Tasmania, we suggest a half lap.
Mainland drivers look at the map and assume Tasmania is a quick spin. The island is small, but the roads are not fast. Mountain passes, tight single-lane bridges and winding highways keep your average speed well below what the map suggests. With a caravan on the back, expect 50 – 60 km/h through much of the west and less on the descents into Queenstown and Strahan.
Try to fit a full lap into a fortnight and the trip becomes a delivery route. You pack down camp every morning, set up again every afternoon and drive past the walks you crossed Bass Strait to do. Cradle Mountain gets an hour instead of a day, Freycinet shrinks to a lookout stop and you come home more tired than when you left.
Split the island in half instead. Fourteen days is enough to explore one side properly, with 2 – 3 night stops where you can unhitch, walk and sit still for a day. If you want the full circuit, it needs 4 – 6 weeks (or more), and our Tasmania Road Trip Guide provides links to itineraries of those lengths.
The Economics: Taking Your Rig vs Flying and Hiring
Before you lock in dates, look hard at the ferry. A peak-season return crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania with a tow vehicle and caravan or camper trailer can cost $2,500 to $3,500+ once you add rig length charges, passenger fares and a cabin. Our Spirit of Tasmania Guide breaks down how those fares are calculated and where you can save.
| Trip Length | Ferry Cost per Day (Based on $2,500 Return) |
|---|---|
| 14 Days | About $178 per day |
| 6 Weeks | About $60 per day |
| 3 Months | About $28 per day |
On a 6-week or 3-month trip, the ferry spreads out into a modest daily cost. On a 14-day trip, the ticket alone works out at roughly $180 for every day of your holiday, before you buy fuel, food or a single campsite.
Then add the mainland driving. Unless you live close to Geelong, getting to and from the terminal can cost 2 – 4 days of your leave, plus fuel and overnight stops.
For a strict two-week window, flying into Hobart or Launceston and hiring a campervan, motorhome or a rental car with cabin stays is often price-competitive. You land with your full 14 days intact. If you already own a well-sorted off-grid rig and have more time, take it. If you have exactly a fortnight, do the maths first.
How to Use This Guide
This is a bird’s-eye planning guide for doing a half lap of Tasmania. The itineraries have a lot of moving parts, so this page focuses on the big picture: the route logic, how the landscapes shift, seasonal timing, and the overall daily pacing of the trip.
To keep this master plan practical and readable, day-to-day entries highlight the core route flow, milestones, and major stops rather than turn-by-turn navigation or campsite amenities.
Each of the two itineraries links directly to a detailed itinerary. Those sub-guides cover the ground-level logistics: specific camp locations, dump points, fuel stops, road conditions, and towing notes.
The Common Highland Start and the Weather Pivot
Both itineraries share the leg via the highlands. On Day 1 you drive from Devonport to Deloraine (about 50 km), then climb onto the Central Plateau via the Lakes Highway (A5) and camp beside Little Pine Lagoon, a free camp near Miena at roughly 1,000 m elevation. Pack warm gear for that night whatever the season: the plateau can drop below 0 °C in summer and snow is possible in any month. On Day 2 you descend through the Derwent Valley into Hobart, about 150 km.
The leg between Devonport and Hobart is covered in our Central Highlands Itinerary. The linked detailed itinerary starts in Deloraine, which is an easy 50 km drive from the ferry terminal.
The Towing Advantage
The Lakes Highway climbs the Great Western Tiers on steep, winding grades. Climbing it on Day 1 is far easier on your brakes and transmission temperatures than coming down it with a loaded rig at the end of the trip. Uphill, the engine does the work and you control speed with the throttle. Downhill, your brakes and the caravan’s electric brakes carry the load and on long grades that is where overheating starts. If you are near your limits on ATM or GCM, check our Caravan Towing Weights guide before you tackle any Tasmanian climbs.
The Strategic Weather Fork
You make the call in Hobart. Both loops share the highland start and the Hobart stay, so you aren’t committed to either side until you hitch up and leave town. Check the forecast on your last night in Hobart. If a Southern Ocean front is pushing sleet and horizontal rain onto the West Coast, head east to the Tasman Peninsula instead of north-west to Mount Field and stay in the drier rain shadow of the East Coast. If the west looks clear, go while the window is open. Strahan averages well over 1,000 mm of rain a year; the Freycinet Peninsula gets a fraction of that.
14-Day Tasmania Road Trip Map
To help with your planning, we’ve prepared a route map. Later in the article, there is an interactive map for more information (jump to interactive map).
Itinerary 1: The 14-Day Western Wilderness and Highland Loop
This is the loop for cold-temperate rainforest, hydro lakes, mining valleys, giant trees and alpine peaks.
| Days | Route | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Devonport to Hobart via Lakes Highway | Overnight at Little Pine Lagoon, descend to Hobart |
| 3 – 4 | Base Hobart | kunanyi / Mount Wellington, waterfront docks, Salamanca, MONA |
| 5 – 7 | Hobart to Mount Field National Park | Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Tall Trees walk, Lake Dobson |
| 8 | Mount Field to Queenstown via Lyell Highway | The Wall in the Wilderness, Nelson Falls, Iron Blow, 99 Bends |
| 9 – 10 | Queenstown to Strahan | Macquarie Harbour, Gordon River cruise, Ocean Beach |
| 11 – 12 | Strahan to Lake Gairdner | Spray Tunnel detour, Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake |
| 13 | Lake Gairdner to Sheffield | Wilmot and Forth Valley, Mount Roland, outdoor murals |
| 14 | Sheffield to Devonport | Short afternoon drive to evening check-in |
Days 1 – 4: The Plateau and Hobart
After the shared highland start, spend three nights in or near Hobart. Drive up kunanyi / Mount Wellington unhitched, walk the waterfront docks and Salamanca and give MONA half a day if contemporary art is your thing. Caravan parking in central Hobart is tight, so base yourself on the fringe and drive in with the tow vehicle only.
Note: you may like to consider staying only 2 nights in Hobart and spend it at one of the other destinations.
Days 5 – 7: Mount Field National Park
Mount Field is about 75 km from Hobart via New Norfolk and the Mount Field National Park Campground is right at the park entrance with powered sites, hot showers and a short walk to Russell Falls. You need a Tasmanian Parks Pass; the 8-week holiday pass covers both itineraries. Three nights here lets you walk Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and the Tall Trees circuit (allow 1 – 2 hours for the combined loop), then make an unhitched drive up the gravel road to alpine Lake Dobson. That road is not suitable for caravans.
Day 8: Mount Field to Queenstown
At roughly 180 km along the Lyell Highway, this is the longest towing day on the western loop. Give it the whole day. Stop at Derwent Bridge and allow 90 minutes at The Wall in the Wilderness, Greg Duncan’s hand-carved Huon pine panels depicting the history of the Central Highlands. Further west, Nelson Falls is a flat 20-minute return walk from the roadside car park. Before Queenstown, pull in at the Iron Blow lookout over the old open-cut mine, then take the 99 Bends descent in a low gear. Camp at the Queenstown Football Campground, a low-cost option close to town.
Days 9 – 12: Strahan and the Cradle Mountain Base
Strahan is only 40 km from Queenstown. Base yourself at the Strahan Golf Club for two nights, book the Gordon River cruise ahead in summer and walk Ocean Beach at sunset. From Strahan, head north through Zeehan with a short detour to the Spray Tunnel, then continue to the Lake Gairdner Camping Area. Use it as a base for a day trip to Cradle Mountain. Take the park shuttle from the visitor centre to Dove Lake and walk the 6 km circuit (allow 2 – 3 hours). Private vehicles are restricted on the Dove Lake road in busy periods, so plan around the shuttle.
Days 13 – 14: Sheffield and the Ferry
Descend via Wilmot and the Forth Valley to Sheffield, camp under Mount Roland and spend the afternoon walking the town’s outdoor murals. Day 14 is an easy 30-minute drive to Devonport for evening check-in. For the full day-by-day version with camps and distances, see our West Coast Tasmania Road Trip guide.
Note that the detailed itinerary runs in the opposite direction.
Itinerary 2: The 14-Day East Coast and Heritage Loop
This is the loop for convict heritage, high sea cliffs, wildlife, pink granite peaks and clear blue bays.
| Days | Route | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Devonport to Hobart via Lakes Highway | Shared highland start at Little Pine Lagoon |
| 3 | Base Hobart | Waterfront, Battery Point, kunanyi / Mount Wellington |
| 4 – 5 | Hobart to Nubeena | Port Arthur, Cape Raoul, Remarkable Cave |
| 6 – 7 | Nubeena to Triabunna | Great Eastern Drive, Maria Island day trip |
| 8 – 9 | Triabunna to Coles Bay | The Hazards, Wineglass Bay lookout, Cape Tourville |
| 10 – 11 | Coles Bay to Binalong Bay | Bicheno blowhole, Bay of Fires, Swimcart Beach |
| 12 – 13 | Binalong Bay to Evandale | Esk Highway, Georgian village, Jacob’s Ladder |
| 14 | Evandale to Devonport | Morning tow to the evening ferry |
Days 1 – 3: The Plateau and Hobart
After the shared highland start, you get two nights in Hobart. Walk the waterfront and the cottages of historic Battery Point and drive up kunanyi / Mount Wellington unhitched for the view across the Derwent.
Days 4 – 5: The Tasman Peninsula
Nubeena is roughly 110 km from Hobart and the Nubeena Ex-Servicemen’s Club Campground puts you 15 minutes from Port Arthur. Give the Port Arthur Historic Site a full day; the ticket covers two consecutive days. On the second day, walk the Cape Raoul track (about 14 km return, allow 5 hours) for the dolerite columns, then finish at Remarkable Cave on the way back. If a long walk is not your thing, visit Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and the Tessellated Pavement. For a short walk you could tackle Waterfall Bay (3.4 km return).
Days 6 – 7: Triabunna and Maria Island
Head north on the Great Eastern Drive to Triabunna, where self-contained rigs can stay close to the ferry wharf. Take the passenger ferry across to Maria Island for a full day. No vehicles go across, so walk or hire a bike. The Painted Cliffs are an easy walk from Darlington (time it for low tide) and the wombats around the old settlement don’t care that you’re there. Carry your own food and water; there are no shops on the island.
Days 8 – 9: Freycinet
Coles Bay is about 110 km from Triabunna. The Freycinet Golf Club Campground is a budget alternative to the national park sites, which go to ballot over summer. Walk to the Wineglass Bay lookout early (allow 1 – 1.5 hours return) before the tour buses arrive and drive unhitched to Cape Tourville for the short lighthouse boardwalk.
Days 10 – 11: Bay of Fires
Head north via the Bicheno blowhole to Binalong Bay, about 120 km. The Bay of Fires Conservation Area has free beachfront camping along the Gardens Road, including Swimcart Beach, but sites fill fast in summer and some tracks are tight for longer vans. Aim to arrive by midday. Two nights gives you a full day to walk the orange lichen-covered granite between the bays.
Days 12 – 14: Evandale, Ben Lomond and the Ferry
Turn inland via St Marys and the Esk Highway to Evandale, a Georgian village with a riverside camp at Honeysuckle Banks. Leave the van here for the unhitched trip up Jacob’s Ladder at Ben Lomond. The road climbs the escarpment on 6 tight hairpin switchbacks with no guardrails on gravel. Don’t take a caravan up it under any circumstances. In winter, chains are mandatory. Day 14 is a straightforward morning tow via Deloraine and Sheffield to Devonport for the evening sailing.
For campsites, distances and fuel stops along the coast, our detailed Hobart to St Helens Road Trip covers the core of this route.
Interactive 14-Day Tasmania Road Trip Map
To help with your planning, we have prepared a route map. The map also shows campground locations, points of interest and starting points for walks. Each leg is on a separate layer.
You can turn the map layers on and off for clarity. Click the icon in the top left to view the layers. You can zoom into areas with a high density of points.
For those who jumped to the interactive map, you may return to the static map: click to return.
Which Route Should You Choose?
| Western Wilderness Loop | East Coast Loop | |
|---|---|---|
| Scenery | Rainforest, hydro lakes, alpine peaks | Sea cliffs, granite, white beaches |
| Weather | Cool, wet and changeable | Drier and milder |
| Towing | Steeper grades, slower average speeds | Easier roads, shorter daily drives |
| Walking | Mountain and rainforest hikes | Coastal walks and headlands |
| Best for | Hikers and wilderness lovers | Beach walkers, history buffs and wildlife watchers |
If you want raw wilderness, ancient trees, cool highland air and mountain hiking, go west. If beach walks, convict history, warmer weather, wildlife and coastal granite sound better, go east.
Rob’s Tip: Don’t decide until your last night in Hobart. Check the West Coast forecast before you hitch up and let the weather make the call. Both loops share the plateau and Hobart, so there’s nothing to gain by committing earlier.
If you can stretch the trip to 4 or 6 weeks, you can link both loops and add the north-west coast. Our Tasmania Road Trip Guide lays out the full lap of Tasmania with that extra time in mind.
