South Pacific Paradise? Bruny Island, Tasmania

Advantages: Stunningly Beautiful, Unspoilt, Unique
Disadvantages: Located at the very end of the world...

..., but the first European to land on the island was a French Admiral, Bruny D'Encetastreaux, after whom it was later named. Captains Bligh and Cook both anchored on the Island in the late 18th century, with Bligh rumoured to have planted the island's very first apple tree. Cook's relations with the island's natives during his 1777 visit were by all accounts amicable, and he took back the first ever Eucalyptus specimens from Bruny. However, the story of the Aboriginal people of Bruny, subsequent to European settlement, was to be a brutal and tragic one, and one that closely mirrored that of their counterparts on mainland Tasmania. It was tantamount to Genocide. Those few that escaped slaughter, or did not succumb to introduced diseases, were eventually transported to Flinders Island, where a similarly bleak fate awaited them. More than 20...

snowbunni 29.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Tasmania (Australia)

A superb travel guide to Tasmania

Advantages: Full of usful information, easy to use/read.
Disadvantages: None

...The Lonely Planet travel guide to Tasmania is a must for anyone thinking of visiting this beautiful state of Australia. It is filled with info on virtually everything that you require from transport to accommodation. I travelled around Tasmania for a month whilst on a year out from my studies and this guide just made my life so much easier during that period. Like the rest of the Lonely Planet series this guide was produced to a very high standard and is very easy to use, even when flustered and in a panic as to which bus you were meant to get on. Virtually very town/place featured within the book is accompanied by a map of the high street and surrounding areas, and those places which do not have a map are generally to small to get lost in. It contains lots of information on where to stay, ranging from budget hostels to B&B and beyond...

s.garland 25.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Lonely Planet Tasmania - Lonely Planet

"Genuine beer that cannot be excelled in this colony"

Advantages: Beautiful building, a core part of Tasmania's heritage
Disadvantages: None - this is even for non-beer drinkers!

...The Cascade Brewery is Australia's oldest brewery being founded by Peter Degraves in 1824. It is set amongst the mountains of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia and is located only a short ten minute drive from the centre of town. When looking at the Brewery factory the building is in its old and original condition with dark walls and huge old fashioned windows. The building stands alone surrounded by mountains, trees and grassland at the base of Mount Wellington which makes for a beautiful photo. It does look very daunting though and it has an eerie feel and looks very much like an old haunted mansion. Cascade manufacture a range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including beer, cider and syrups. Even though Degraves originally emigrated from England, all of Cascade's products are very much Australian. The Brewery produces...

frankiefromings13 23.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Cascade Brewery, Hobart, Tasmania

A Wicked Little Tasmanian Devil..... In Greece!!

Advantages: Family Run, Tranquil Location
Disadvantages: Unsuitable For Those with Walking Difficulties

...The Choice... My partner and I have been travelling to Greece for many years and spend cold winter evenings browsing brochures religiously for a new place to visit. On one particular evening we decided on the charming fishing village of Elounda in North Eastern Crete and settled on the Tasmania Village as our choice of accommodation, which we booked through Kosmar as a package at just under £700 for 2 weeks during peak season. The Location.... After landing in Heraklion we travelled by coach for approximately 2 hours travelling along the main coast road when we finally snaked over the precarious hill from Agios Nicholas down into the village of Elounda, past the village square - which is lined with an array of tavernas, bars and shops and the harbour where fishing boats and caiques advertising trips to the nearby Island...

gizmogizmo 19.10.2006 (20.10.2006) · Read review
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Review of Tasmania Village, Elounda

A day and night at the Park!

Advantages: Nice friendly hotel
Disadvantages: To eat in was expensive

...Sandors On The Park, Launceston, Tasmania Sandors on the Park are a 3 ½ star hotel/motel. It isn't a huge hotel so you get that personal touch. They have 70 rooms a mixture of twin, double and family sized rooms. Inside has a licensed bar and a Monkey Bar café. The café is open for breakfast at 6am and closed at 9pm. Room service is available 7 days a week if you want it. Breakfast is not included in the price of the room so we did not eat breakfast in the hotel. In face we chose not to eat at all in the hotel. Double or twin costs $125 New Zealand Dollars. A double & single bedroom costs $135 New Zealand. One New Zealand dollar is equal to 0.385578 United Kingdom pounds. The hotel is located in a central location opposite the City Park. It is about a 10-minute walk to the city centre. Close by is the Queen Victoria Museum...

DeniseKelly40 01.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sandors on the Park, Launceston, Tasmania

What's The Point?

Advantages: close to city centre, beautiful little historic town, great views
Disadvantages: the prestigious suburb of Hobart so it is quite expensive to stay and eat there

...Battery point is the most historic suburb of Hobart, Australia?s second oldest city. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, the only island state of Australia and separated from the mainland by the Bass strait. **Getting there** For visa requirements for Australia see my general review of Australia. If you are already in Australia, domestic flights into Hobart are available with Qantas, Virginblue, Jetstar or Rex airlines. Otherwise you could get an overnight boat from Melbourne to the north of Tasmania and then drive down to Hobart which is in South West Tasmania and would take about three and a half hours. The airport is about a 15 minute drive to the city centre. Battery Point is only a short walk from the centre, taking around 10 minutes from Salamanca Place and Constitution Dock, the dock famous for being the end of the annual...

Allyalcock 28.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania

Devilishly Tassie

Advantages: cheap, convenient, modest
Disadvantages: basic, noisy neighbours

...While staying in Australia with my best friend, we decided to have a few days away in Tasmania. I left the booking of the hotel up to my friend and she managed to get us a discounted room at the Corus hotel, courtesy of her cousin who works in the travel industry. Situated in the business district, the hotel is around 25 minutes drive from the airport. We didn't hire a car as we were only in Hobart for 2 days - so we used the airport shuttle. Check in at the Corus was smooth - our room was already allocated so my friend filled out the registration card and we were given two keys. A Visa imprint was also taken for any extras. However, we weren't planning on raiding the mini bar! Reception is located on the left as you enter the door and the two lifts are out of sight but straight ahead. There are five floors and we were located...

kirstymack80 05.06.2005 · Read review
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Review of Corus Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania

Wine, cheese, convicts, blue sea

Advantages: Perfect if you are looking for outdoor activities
Disadvantages: Not as perfect if you are looking for night life

...I went to Tasmania a couple of years ago and since I wrote a diary during my travels I decided to share my experience. I flew to Lauceston from Melbourne while a couple of friends came across with the ferry so that we could take the car with us. I do not know much about tranport in Tasmania but if you can choose , get a rental car and drive aroud yourself because the petrol is cheap in Oz and this state is so small compared to Queensland or the Northern Territory and in a week you can see quite a bit. Day 1 We drove to Swansea and from there we got to the real attractions: Freycenet Park and Coles Bay which are in the East Coast. There you can choose to do different walks, long or short, depending on what you are up for. We walked for 6 miles through the best scenery I have ever seen: rolling hills, perfectly blue sea, white beaches...

giovannacossali 01.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of General: Tasmania (Australia)

Wineglass Bay - sun, sea, sand, solitude

Advantages: amazing unspoilt natural scenery
Disadvantages: a long way away and not easily accessible

...How often have you seen a picture of a place and thought "I'd love to go there?" How often have you actually acted on that wish? And out of that many times, how many times has the picture paled into insignificance alongside the actual experience? This, for me, was one such place. I saw the picture in October 2006, on the cover of Lonely Planet Tasmania. By late November, I was there. The island of Tasmania is a short hop by plane from mainland Australia. And halfway along the east coast of Tasmania, about three hours' drive from either of the main towns of Hobart or Launceston, is the Freycinet Peninsula, one of several national parks in Tasmania. Driving up from the south, I had a wonderfully dramatic view over the bay of pink-grey mountains that rise up straight out of the sea. Like most of Tasmania, Freycinet is a paradise...

natalka57 30.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Freycinet National Park, Swansea, Tasmania

Hobnobbing In Hobart

Advantages: Central and cheap
Disadvantages: Worn around the edges

...on hostels in other parts of the country for those going all round Oz. I spent some time in the lounge on both nights and was continuously engaged in conversation by random strangers including a rather charming older lady whose son lives in Antractica which is, it seems, even colder than Tasmania. In general the clientele were older than I had expected - I was typically one of the younger ones and I left my teenage years quite a while ago. Rates are reasonable: dorms are between $20 and $25 per person and private rooms range from $46 to $56 per room depending on the number of people. I paid $46 per night for sole occupancy of a twin bedded room, which at current exchange rates is 20 GBP per night. Bedding is not included and can be hired for $1 - $3, and since Hobart is a cool place I would recommend the more expensive option as it includes...

zoe_page 19.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Central City Backpackers, Hobart, Tasmania