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Day 1 Sunday
The Great Lake is located in the heart of Tasmania. It is a three-hour drive from Hobart directly to Miena; however, a diversion via Russell Falls will make it a very pleasant day. One important thing to note is that there a no supermarkets anywhere near the Great Lake! The nearest supermarkets are located in the outskirts of Hobart or Launceston, so we would strongly suggest stocking up now before heading to the holiday home.
Like many other towns in Tasmania, New Norfolk, just 30 minutes west of Hobart, abounds with historical buildings. Oast houses are characteristic of the area, and were once used for drying hops in preparation for brewing. The Oast House in New Norfolk is worth a visit. It was a fully operational oast house which has been converted into a hops museum and teahouse.
Continue along either side of the Derwent River on the A10 or B62 until you reach Westerway, then follow the signs to the Mount Field National Park, a bit over a half-an-hour drive. This is a delightful, interesting drive, the river is very pretty and you will drive through field after field of hops. Mount Field, along with Freycinet, is Tasmania’s oldest national park, and the area around the Russell Falls is Tasmania’s oldest nature reserve. This national park is most famous for Russell Falls, a stunning, three-tier waterfall surrounded by tree ferns which has a wheelchair grade walk to the falls. For the able-bodied, continue on from Russell Falls and check out the Tall Trees Walk and walk amongst some of the tallest trees in the world, and the tallest flowering plants in the world. There are many other walks to choose from in the Mount Field National Park, stop in at the Visitor Centre for more information.
On the way to the national park stop off for coffee, lunch or a snack at the Possum Shed in Westerway. This delightful café has great coffee and food and the most charming location anywhere on earth. Sit at one of the outdoor tables overlooking the Tyenna River and see if you can spot a platypus.
From National Park take the Lyell Highway and then travel through Hamilton and Bothwell about two hours on to Miena and the holiday home. Settle in and relax.
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Day 2 Monday
The Great Lake is famous for its fantastic trout fishing. The trout fishing in the Great Lake itself is excellent (as it is in most of the waters in this central highlands region), but it is renowned for its summer ‘hatches’ of Highland Dun mayflies and the fat, speckled brown trout that dine greedily upon them. The Great Lake attracts fly-casting visitors from across the country and around the world.
Paul Kaine’s Guided Fishing Tasmania is based at the Great Lake and provides a diverse range of fishing-related services including; guided trout fishing, boat hire, tackle hire and Drift Stopper boat fishing drogues. Their specialist guides offer shore-based fishing among shallow highland lake margins, boat-based fishing on the larger hydro lakes, wilderness fly fishing adventures to the remote Western Lake region and wade fishing on lowland rivers.
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Day 3 Tuesday
Less than an hour from the Great Lake is Lake St Clair. Lake St Clair is at the southern end of the world-famous Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Carved out by ice during several glaciations over the last two million years, this is the deepest lake in Australia and the headwaters of the Derwent River.
Take the Marlborough Highway out to Miena and then turn into the Lyell Highway at Bronte Park. Follow the Lyell Highway to Derwent Bridge and then turn right into the access road to Cynthia Bay and Lake St Clair.
Start your visit to Lake St Clair by calling in to the impressive park centre. There, via innovative displays, you can take a trip through time that shows how the Lake St Clair area has developed from ancient times through to the present day. Discover the effects of glaciations on the highland areas of Tasmania learn how Aborigines and early white explorers interacted with the environment and explore the relationship between animals and their habitat.
The area around Lake St Clair offers a wealth of walks, ranging from leisurely strolls to overnight bushwalks, as well as beautiful forests to explore. Lake St Clair is also the end point of the famous Overland Track, a long-distance walk which runs from Cradle Mountain in the north to Cynthia Bay on the southern shore of Lake St Clair. Please note that the weather here changes by the day, sometimes by the hour. As well, conditions on the lake and along the tracks can be windier, wetter and colder than at Cynthia Bay. Be prepared and seek advice from park staff about weather forecasts. Two easy, short walks to consider are the Lake Walk and Watersmeet.
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Day 4 Wednesday
Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania’s premier attractions and no visit to Tasmania is complete without seeing this awesome area, just over two hours from the Great Lake. Cradle Mountain is at the northern end of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park and in turn, is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
To get to Cradle Mountain, head north and follow the Lake Highway to Deloraine. From here you will be able to follow the signs to Cradle Mountain and you’ll pass through the charming town of Sheffield, the “Town of Murals”. It’s well worth a stop if you feel like a break.
Depending on how long you plan to spend at Cradle Mountain, there are a number of walks that can be undertaken. For the really keen, there is the famous six-day Overland Track. If you are considering this walk please refer to the following website for important information: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=7771. A must for the day walker is the Dove Lake Circuit, you should allow about two hours for the walk.
There are many other activities to keep you busy at Cradle Mountain. Perhaps a trail ride or four-wheel-drive motorcycle tour just outside the park boundaries sounds like your idea of fun? Or why not view world-class photography at the Wilderness Gallery, a purpose built showcase for environmental photography from around Australia and the world?
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Day 5 Thursday
Stay relatively close to the Great Lake today. Just 30km north of Miena is the Pine Lake track which offers a rare opportunity to get close to one of Tasmania's rarest trees without having to go on an extended bushwalk. The pencil pine is an ancient species that evolved before flowering plants and which is only found in the Tasmanian highlands. Various walking trails and scenic lookouts are also located nearby. The shores of the Great Lake itself are also lovely to walk along, with or without your fishing gear.
About 40 minutes to the south of Miena is Tarraleah. The site was initially cleared as part of the Hydro development in the area during the 1920’s and 1930’s and the Lodge was built to house Tasmania’s pioneering hydro electricity officers and gentlemen. The Aboriginal meaning of Tarraleah is Forrester Kangaroo and the site is host to an enormous range of Tasmanian flora and fauna. It is quite possible to see platypus and quolls, wallabies, wombats, devils and echidnas all on the site all on the same evening, whilst some say the Tasmanian tiger is also about...
There is a wealth of activities at Tarraleah that includes gentle strolls around the estate and surrounds, wildlife spotting, kayaking and bike riding. You can also play a round of golf on Tasmania’s highest golf course.
There are a number of dining options at Tarraleah also, ranging from café style, to pub grub all the way to exquisite fine dining. If you enjoy a tipple you should stay for a drink as there is a very extensive wine list and a very extensive range of single malt whiskeys.
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Day 6 Friday
Get back in the car today and discover some of the history of the Central Highlands. First stop is the Waddamana Power Station, just a half-an-hour to the south. This decommissioned power station now operates as a museum and exhibits early electrical appliances and other items associated with the generation of electricity. From here continue south to Hamilton, a little over an hour away. This charming colonial village offers an old world experience. Originally an early European settlement, the village allows tourists to view colonial stone buildings.
Just a half an hour further south is Plenty. Here you can visit the oldest trout hatchery and accompanying Museum in the Southern hemisphere at the Salmon Ponds. Trout for Tasmania's renowned fishing waters have been raised at the Salmon Ponds since 1864. Wander through the beautiful grounds amongst century old trees and buildings. Feed the different kinds of trout and salmon contained in the six large display ponds. Visit the hatchery where displays explain the annual cycle of fish breeding activities. Why not stop of at Pancakes by the Ponds for lunch? They specialise in sweet and savoury European style pancakes.
From here head back north to Bothwell, which will take just under an hour. The historic country town of Bothwell offers a number of interesting tourist attractions. Take a swing on the oldest golf course in the Southern Hemisphere; in fact, it’s the oldest known golf course existing outside of Scotland! Visit the accompanying Australasian Golf Museum, which has with the largest display of historic and modern-day golfing memorabilia outside of St Andrew’s, Scotland. You won't want to miss the amazing country style pastries from the Fat Doe Bakery; you can pick up dinner here, to take home with you.
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Day 7 Saturday
Just over two hours to the west of Miena is Strahan, simply follow the Lyell Highway west until you reach Strahan. This route between Strahan and Hobart has been voted one of the top ten drives in Australia. It is truly spectacular!
Strahan is the departure point for cruise boats into the Wild Rivers National Park. Along the way, step back in time on Sarah Island, the infamous penal settlement that, over a number of years, was the colony’s largest ship-building centre. The dark and silent Gordon River will hypnotise you with its mirror-still reflections, and afterwards there’ll still be time to enjoy a fishing excursion on the harbour, a scenic floatplane trip up the Gordon or an exhilarating jet boat ride on the King River. Perhaps a leisurely stroll around the foreshore walking track and a cup of coffee is more your style. Almost every afternoon at the Visitor Centre there is a performance of The Ship That Never Was – the longest running theatre show in Australia, telling the story of convicts who stole a small boat and sailed it halfway around the world.
Join the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Strahan and take a totally wild trip along river gorges, across 40 bridges and over 35km mountain ranges on a unique ABT rail system that has been rebuilt after 40 years. The starkly beautiful barren hills that encircle Queenstown and the verandas that line its main street give the town a ‘wild west’ atmosphere. The smelting and mining practices of the early 1900s that resulted in the deforestation of the slopes ceased long ago and plants are slowly recolonising the slopes. Take the time to talk to the locals, tour the Mt Jukes Road to Bird River, or descend 1.5km underground and explore more than 7km of drives and workings of the Mt Lyell copper mine, still operating after more than 100 years.
Zeehan is about a half an hour out of Strahan and also well worth a visit. Zeehan was once Tasmania’s third-largest town and boasted a number of gold and silver mines, numerous hotels and more than 10,000 residents. Now it is at the centre of West-Coast mining heritage, with the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum, the unusual Spray Tunnel and the Grand Hotel and Gaiety Theatre the major attractions. Take a guided tour with one of the locals to hear all the myths and legends.
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