Family holidays in Tasmania

Family holidays in Tasmania are about letting your kids find the feral within, helping them connect with wilderness and wildlife. The walking trail network within national parks is superb, so you can confidently go off grid totally for a few days. The food is fab and readily available at local farm stalls and shops. As for adventurous days out, from kayaking to canyoning, ziplining to mountain biking, Tasmania is one big natural playground.

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Family holidays in Tasmania

Is Tasmania good for families?

Touring Tasmania with kids is as easy as it is fun, with lots of fantastic activities and short driving distances between destinations. There is abundant family accommodation in Tasmania too, which welcomes little ones with open arms whether you’re on a guided small group trip, or a more independent self-drive holiday.

Tasmania family holidays mean walks to suit all lengths of leg, food is so good you’ll always be looking ahead to the next mealtime, and eclectic ecosystems so that bringing your kids up close and personal with nature is a breeze, making for some memorable encounters. Read on for our guide to the best things to do in Tasmania for families.

Activities for families in Tasmania

What to do with little ones

Twilight sagas. Nightfall is when Tasmania comes brilliantly to life for kids. Pack a torch for everyone and instead of driving to your local restaurant, take a walk and see all the nocturnal wildlife emerge. It’s everywhere – the ultimate find being the elusive Tasmanian Devil. You don’t have to climb a mountain to find wildlife wonders here. And away from urban areas, the night skies are perfect for showing your kids how to find the constellations.

Fly by night. Tasmania is home to Australia’s longest, continuous cable ride, taking you up high in the forest canopy near Launceston in the North. Hollybank Treetop Adventure is one of the island’s best family days out, soaring over the Cataract Gorge. Other
family forest
adventures
include a river
trip through
the Tarkine
rainforest.

From cradle to canyon. Between the months of Nov-April, children over the age of eight can climb, swim, abseil and jump their way down through a variety of canyons, creeks and waterfalls along the Dove River, and the in the Cradle Mountain UNESCO World Heritage Area. Surrounded by ancient pines, wombats and other creatures looking on curiously. Who said conservation wasn’t fun?

Tips for families

responsible travel asks the experts

Susie de Carteret from our partner, Tasmanian Odyssey, shares some advice for kid-friendly holidays in Tasmania based on many experiences with her own family:

Wildlife tips

“What children love more than anything else is the wildlife interaction and as well as getting really up close to kangaroos and wallabies, baby wombats and so on, they get a really good education about the importance of conservation. Bonorong is perfect for this and definitely worth booking. So always get off the beaten track so that you can really immerse yourself in wildlife. The places to stay may be rustic or simple, but that is fine because children don’t really worry about being posh. And a lot of these places have been nurturing the land for wildlife for decades.”

Accommodation tips

“The self-catering accommodation is superb when it comes to Tasmania for families, so I would definitely book somewhere with an element of self catering. A lot of it has two bedrooms, and is aimed to cater for families."

Itinerary tips

"The Arthur River cruise up in the NW is much more child friendly than the Gordon River cruise just because the children get to be so much more active. One of my children got to drive the boat and the other one was having her face painted in the old Aboriginal paints by the guide. It’s not particularly promoted as a child friendly tour; they don’t do that in Tassie, because just about everything here is great for families.”

Food tips

“The food is fantastic. My kids probably ate fish and chips once a day! Fish and chips and pies – every day we had to stop for a Tasmanian pie, because they are just so delicious.”

Hello.
If you'd like to chat about Tasmania or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Rosy & team

01273 823 700
rosy@responsibletravel.com

Photo credits: [Top box: Ben Tubby] [Twilight sagas: Soma Kondo] [Fly by night: jeaneeem] [From cradle to canyon: Rob Taylor] [Wildlife tips: Raja Syazwina RS] [Itinerary tips: Stephan Ridgway]

Written by Catherine Mack

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