We Sold Our House And Came To Tasmania

Caravanning with the kids around Australia is becoming more popular every year. Getting an education on the road is so much more achievable now with better internet access and there are great distant education programs and smart phone apps, too, which really help keep the kids engaged. There is also the added bonus of exploring this giant country of ours, discovering and experiencing new towns, climates, landscapes and wildlife species. Its an adventure kids and parents will cherish for ever. We cannot wait to take ours - one day!

Originally from Canberra, our latest guest family sold up their home and set off travelling around Australia with their kids last year. They visited Tassie for five weeks in 2017 and loved it so much they have come back! We caught up with them to hear all about their Tassie adventures and why they loved it so much they just had to return for three months!

Images: Dove Lake Cradle Mountain & Camping at Cockle Creek - Nourished Wanderings.

TASSIE4KIDS - Thanks for joining us! Its great to hear you're all such big fans of our little Tassie! Lets start by finding a bit out about you:

Autumn: We are a family of four, myself (Autumn), my husband Scott and two kids Flynn (7) and Ryker (5). We sold our house in Canberra, temporarily relocated to Noosa and have been travelling around Australia in our Caravan since January 2017.

Have you travelled a lot?
When we lived in Canberra, our travels were restricted to weekends away on the South Coast and holidays to QLD to visit family. However after 12 months on the road, I think our kids are pretty well travelled :)

Image: Cockle Creek - Nourished Wanderings.

What are some of the places you’ve visited? We have travelled extensively in Tasmania, covered a big chunk of Victoria and South Australia and absolutely loved our visit through Central Australia. This year, we head North to Darwin and then down the Western Australian coastline.

When did your family travel to Tasmania and how long did you stay for?
When we left on our big ‘lap’ in 2017 we actually came straight to Tassie and spent a fantastic five weeks here but barely scratched the surface of what this incredible little island has to offer. We loved it so much that we decided to come back for an extended three month visit.

Images: Tesselated Pavement Tasman Peninsula & Bellreive Park, Hoabrt - Nourished Wanderings.

What attracted you and your family to visit here?
It is such a great place to caravan with kids. There are incredible free and low cost camps and you don’t have to drive far to get anywhere. We loved that we didn’t ‘have’ to pay for amazing experiences as some of the most incredible things to see and do are absolutely free. You can really get a great nature fix and there is fantastic local food and drink…Tassie basically has it all covered!

Where did you stay? Did you find it reasonably priced?
We have our little house on wheels, so using ‘wikicamps’ we were able to find fantastic camps all over Tasmania. We also purchased a National Parks pass which meant that we could access some fantastic free and low cost camps in all the national parks. We actually didn’t stay in any caravan parks during our visit as we are set up with solar power and big water tanks so we can stay off the grid. Free or under $20/night for a family of four is VERY reasonable and meant that we could spend our accommodation budget on other experiences while we were here.

Image: Myrtle Park Recreation and Campng Ground - Nourished Wanderings.

Did you find Tassie had enough services/facilities for a travelling family in a van? What about the smaller areas?
Tassie has a number of big commercial centres (Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie etc) which means that you can find most products and services you need. The smaller towns and villages are filled with local artisan products, fruit, veg and the whole place is so well set up for travellers so there are great facilities everywhere.

Did your family go on any tours?
We tend to limit the number of tours we go on but have enjoyed a few this trip:

• Richmond Gaol - Kids loved the discovery sheet,
• Seahorse World - Amazing to see so many of these animals up close,
• Cascades Female Factory - ‘Her Story’ Dramatised Tour was fantastic,
• Port Arthur - An absolute must if you are visiting Tasmania, and
• A cruise on the Gordon River, Strahan - We will be doing this one next week, looking forward to visiting Sarah Island [Mid Feb 2018]

Image: Local berry farm and a Spotted Tailed Quoll - Nourished Wanderings.

What are the highlight for kids?
The kids have been absolutely stoked with their encounters with wild animals. The East Coast was incredible with echidnas, wombats, quolls, wallabies, and a whole range of lizards. We have also seen plenty of platypus, penguins and birds and our South Coast trip included a few huge Tiger Snakes…pretty amazing! If you are an animal & nature lover you will be in your element in Tasmania.

Best free family experience you participated in?
We were lucky enough to be in Hobart over the Christmas and New Year period which meant we got to experience the Taste of Tasmania and the arrival of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race boats. What a vibrant and fantastic week it was and entry to all events (except NYE) was free. There was great kids entertainment with ‘kids in the park’ and getting to sample so much delicious Tasmanian food and drink at the Taste kept the adults very happy.

Image: Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race & MONA - Nourished Wanderings.

Best paid family experience you participated in?
We all LOVED our day at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). What a feast for the senses, there was so much to see and do and the kids absolutely loved it. Having two boys its no surprise that the ‘Poo machine’ was a highlight, but the kids were also engaged by loads of other interesting material and I’m so pleased they got to experience this place. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone.

Tassie4Kids Nourished Wanderings

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Image: Local seafood shop - Nourished Wanderings.

Did you eat out or cook your own meals?
We are pretty budget conscious which means that most of our meals are cooked at home (in the van) and picnic lunches packed each day. There is such beautiful local produce available everywhere you go so we have indulged in all the fresh fruit and veg, local honey and incredible berries that we have been able to pick up from local markets & roadside stalls. The seafood here is so fresh which means Fish & chips & scallop pies are on pretty high rotation too :)

What do you suggest other families take with them when visiting Tassie?
Tasmania is incredibly diverse so make sure you bring your beach gear and your hiking gear. The weather can also be pretty crazy, hot and sunny one minute and freezing cold the next so be prepared with layered clothing and a very good jacket. And remember your hat, the sun burns quickly down here. We’ve also seen our fair share of snakes, so if you are travelling with kids make sure they are snake aware and wear good covered shoes on walks.

Image: Bay of Fires & Wineglass Bay - Nourished Wanderings.

Anything else you would like to add?
If you have the chance to visit, come for as long as you can so that you can fit everything in. After three months we have still missed places which are now on our list for next time :) If you are bringing your caravan, book your spot on the Spirit of Tasmania nice and early as it fills up quickly. We opted for overnight sailings with a cabin which was excellent with small kids.

Autumn and her family are still travelling around Tassie on their second trip. If you would like to follow their adventures, and score some awesome inspiration and ideas for your family travels, check out her Facebook Blog Page 'Nourished Wanderings'; click on the image to go to thier page.

Thanks so much Autumn, for sharing your adventures so far with us!

If you have an adventure that you know other families will love to know about, contact us on Facebook, Instagram or drop us a line at enquiries@tassie4kids.com.

Dont forget to tag us #tassie4kids @ tassie4kids