The flight from Melbourne to Hobart was only just over an hour but it was dark by the time we arrived. We hopped on the shuttle and checked into our Hostel (which was more like a Motel - it seems like luxury now!). Knowing that we'd be cooking in the van for the rest of the week we decided to go out for a bite to eat and ended up in Salamanca Square. We had a nice meal and then wandered back to the hostel.

We were ready at 10am and we were picked up and taken to the hire place. The camper van was similar to the second one we had in NZ but longer! After stocking up at the supermarket we made our way south towards Port Arthur. On the way we stop at Pirates Bay and made some lunch. The weather was glorious (the forcast was for rain all week!) so we stopped again at the Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen, Fossil Beach and the Blowhole before arriving out our campsite near Port Arthur. It was a great place with each site seperated by trees we even had a fire pit! We befriended an aussie couple staying near our site and they gave us a couple of pieces if wood so we had a little fire and then as the cold weather set in for the night we settled into the van for a chilli then bed.

As the site was so nice we decided to spend another night there and headed to Fortesque Bay for the day. We had a cup of tea when we got there and then walked for about an hour round to Canoe Bay and back. We had some lunch and then set out in the opposite direction towards Cape Huoy which was much harder and all up hill. To get to the cape would have taken 3 hours each way so we walked half of it and then turned round so we would be sure to get back to the campsite before dark. We made it back in time to buy some wood as well so we had a fantastic fire (Boy Scout/Fire Starter Mark!) even though it was blowing a gale! Spag Bol for tea (a new addition to the Camper Van Menu) and bed.

The next day was sunny again (we have been so lucky with the weather!) so we headed up the east cost to Swansea. On the way we stopped at the Tasmainian Wildlife Conservation Centre which was great. We saw them feeding the Tasmainian Devils (they look so cute until you see them feeding and knawing and cruching bones!) and lots of other wildlife most of which had been rescued after being injured. We then carried on up the coast stopping at Skippy Beach before arriving at Swansea for sunset and a curry.

Yet another sunny (but windy) day and we set off for Coles Bay. We were there by 11am so checked into a campsite and then drove up to the start of the walk to Wineglass Bay. We made some sandwiches and packed our bags for the walk (approx 4 hours). Before getting to the bay you have to go up and back down 600 steps which certainly gets the heart racing! But what a beach. We sat and had our lunch and our only company was a wallaby! We then walked across to Hazards Beach on the opposite side and back round to the carpark. It was a great walk but we were exhausted! So back to the campsite and we had dinner on site, which was surprisingly good, and watched the last State of Orgin rugby match before being chucked out (it was 10pm a very late night for the locals in winter!).

We went back into the national park the next morning to go to the Lighthouse lookout and to Sleepy beach. Then we drove down towards Ross which was a really cute town (about 500 people and three churches!) and finally ended up in Snug for the night. It was the coldest night so far there but the campsite had a camp kitchen with indoor BBQ's and a log burner and we had the place to ourselves! It was very snug!!

We were greeted by frost on the inside of the campervan that morning so we were up and ready even quicker than usual and drove round from Snug following the Huon Trail stopping at Geeveston which was another sweet town. We made it to Seven Mile Beach (only 15km from the airport) by 2pm and sat and read for a while before going for a lovely walk on the beach. Another cold night (so cold we didn't venture to the BBQ to cook our sausages - we did them in a pan in the van!!) so had dinner and some red wine to warm us up and then hid under our 3 duvets!

An early start on our last day, cleaning out the van and packing. After breakfast we set of for the airport and left the van in the car park and checked in for our flight. Tasmania is really beautiful and we really only scratched the surface - it's on the list for a return visit one day! Next stop Adelaide - Woo Hoo!!