Things to do in Tasmania with kids
Things to do in Tasmania with Kids
According to us!
Right, you’ve all been asking me to blog about our recent family vacay to Tassie, because you have all the same questions I had in the lead up to our trip and I couldn’t find any decent blogs about what to do with kids.
We flew over in early September, and everyone warned us how cold it would be – But it was actually so beautiful! High-teens during the day, and a little bit colder at night… But all in all, great weather to get out and explore! We flew to Hobart first, and hired a car. We stayed in Hobart for 4 nights, and then drove to Launceston, stayed there for 3 nights and flew home from Launny.
So you don’t have to read about all the details of our trip (because that is not the point of this blog, and could be boring), I am going to just dot point what we did in each town. Hopefully you will find it easy to read, and can screenshot it for when you get there too!
Hobart
- Explore Mount Wellington – We LOVED this! We drove up to the top, and as we got higher we started seeing snow on the side of the road (Eek! Excitement plus for the kids and erm… Me who hasn’t touched real snow since I was 6 years old) – By the time we got to the top we were completely up in the clouds, we couldn’t see a thing. It was freezing but fun! There is an observation lookout at the very top which would have the most AMAZING views on a day with no cloud. We packed snacks and ate them in the boot of the car and had bursts of braving the cold so we could throw snow at each other. About half way down, there is a cute little cafe (Lost Freight) that is made from a re-purposed shipping container. The staff were lovely, and so was the coffee.
- MONA – We caught the ferry from Brooke Street Pier (just across the road from Salamanca Place) and that was just as fun for us as the actual museum! With a cafe on board, and life-sized fibre glass sheep for seats for the kids we really enjoyed our little boat trip. It is about 25 min trip. MONA itself was really kid-friendly too, they have Audio tour guide headsets that have a special kids button called ‘Minor’ where the guide talks them through each art piece in kids-terms (and sometimes in song). Both of the girls felt super grown up getting their very own headset and phone each. We spent about 3 hours in there, with no complaints from them.
- Salamanca Market – This was the only real thing that I could find when I was researching Tassie myself. Everyone I’d spoken to had mentioned it too, so this was a must. We were staying an AirBNB 10 mins up the road so we walked down late Saturday morning and were blown away by the sheer size of it. It was AWESOME. We ate New York bagels and fresh gingerbread cookies. We bought some local cheeses, olives, dips & wine… and with that done, we went home to play boardgames and eat/drink.
- Cascade Brewery – What a stunning old building! Nestled at the foothills of Mount Wellington, it is located in the most picturesque location. The brewery itself is still in full operation and offers tours (which you can’t do with kids, so you either have to tag team or not do it), but we did attend ‘beer school’ where a guide taught us all about the origin of the hops etc and how it all works. Dez loved it. In his element! We then had lunch in the restaurant there, where we got to pour our own beers (part of beer school) – The staff were so lovely and attentive to the girls. With colouring in to keep them occupied inside, and a beautiful open garden outside as well, such a good activity to do with the whole family.
- ZooDoo Zoo – Located in Richmond, about 35 minutes north of Hobart, we drove here on our way from Hobart to Launceston. This place is EPIC. And worth the drive even if you are just staying in Hobart. The ticket price was really reasonable, and included a Safari Bus tour guide which let us feed Emu’s, Zebra’s and Camel’s which was the coolest experience ever! Once we got off the bus, we were free to roam the entire property, there were Kangaroo’s, Deer and Wallaby’s roaming free that you could pat. There were opportunities to feed Tasmanian devils (which we didn’t do) and also the Lion’s (which we did do!) – We fed a 6.5 year old girl called Maliqua, the most beautiful creature ever! They also have an indoor play area which was under construction when we were there, but looks like it would be awesome for future travellers.
Playgrounds
- Parliament Street Reserve – We loved this playground. It had a HUGGGEEEE long slide on one side, an open oval for kicking the footy and running around, and then another playground on the other side too. We played ‘Ninja Warrior’ on the little ropes course there for hours.
Eats
- Queens Pastry – A must! I would go solely just to admire the cute mint green & white interior honestly… But the fresh-baked donuts were soooooo good!
- Phat Fish – Really good quality seafood restaurant sitting pretty in the middle of Salamanca Place. We sat outside under the patio heaters and ate fresh Salmon & oysters. YUMMM
LAUNCESTON
- Cataract Gorge – This place is BEAUTIFUL. You could walk around in the manicured gardens for hours alone. We opted to walk across the suspension bridge (much to Dez’s hesitation – scarreedddd!), but the other option is to jump on the chair lift to the other side. There is a small playground area, and the peacocks roaming around showing off their feathers is a pretty sight too.
- Penny Royal – Honestly, a little over-priced and not that great. I wouldn’t recommend spending a whole heap of time there. We spend $100+ on 1 x boat ride (that the girls both shit themselves) and gem stone/gold mining (That was actually really cool).
- Honestly, we spent a lot of time at our AirBNB in Launceston. We nailed the choice. With a big backyard, heaps of toys and bunk beds (the best thing everrrrr, according to Miss 6!) it was a really nice relaxing end to our whirlwind week!
So there you have it, Tassie according to the Ladson’s!
I hope this can help you guys plan your perfect little Tassie getaway!
Big Love, Leah
~ xoxo ~
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