[Chat] What to see in Tasmania ?

[Christopher Neugebauer]

On 8 January 2017 at 09:35, Marc MERLIN <marc at merlins.org> wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 08, 2017 at 08:56:56AM +1100, Christopher Neugebauer wrote:
>> On 8 January 2017 at 05:07, Marc MERLIN <marc at merlins.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > Then, my problem is getting back to Hobart. Is 5H by road, or likely to
>> > be even longer? Honestly I don't enjoy these very long drives at the end
>> > of a day, but I have a 06:30 flight out of hobart the next morning.
>> > Another option is to pay (way too much) for a private flight back to
>> > Hobart.
>> > Now, I see that there is an optoin to take a bus:
>> > https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=bus%20from%20strahan%20to%20hobart
>> > 4:30 PM - 10:07 PM (5h37, one connection)
>> > http://www.tassielink.com.au/timetables/strahan-lake-st-clair-hobart
>> > Is it basically my best bet to skip the long drive?
>>
>> wrt the Train -- the *whole* trip is worth it for the rail trip alone,
>> but not the trip to Queenstown.
>
> Sorry, just to be clear: you are saying that doing the train is a must
> do (I got that), but that a half day train ride (they have two) is
> enough and that I don't need to do the full day train ride with 1h stop
> in queenstown. Correct?
>
> If so, they have:
> http://www.wcwr.com.au/
> rack and gorge
> or
> river and rainforest
>
> both half day (one morning, one afternoon)
> Do you have one you recommend over the other?

You should do the full trip, one-way to Queenstown (if you can), and
take a bus back to strahan.

The Rack and Gorge has more interesting rail technology. The river and
rainforest has more interesting scenery. Take your pick if you can
only do the half-day.

>> Wrt everything else:
>>
>> Looking at your entire itinerary Marc, you're being *very* brave with
>> the amount of driving you're planning on doing around the West Coast
>
> Actually, it's not so bad :)
> I'm only driving from Launceston to Strahan in 3 bits, no leg being more
> than 3h I believe (probably closer to 2). It's not really about being
> brave but more how can I get from A to B otherwise without losing up to
> a day waiting for a bus or not having the option at all?
> In New Zealand it was the same problem, for half our trip driving was
> almost unavoidable.
>
>> (and to a lesser extent the east). The 2h from Cradle Mountain to
>> Strahan involves mountain passes and winding roads that are dangerous
>> after dark (sunset is around 20:40 at that time of year). Cell
>> coverage is minimal on all networks. You should factor in maybe 50%
>> extra based on the shortest estimates of driving if you are not
>> experienced driving on the left of the road on narrow roads.
>
> Correct about sunset, I already looked it up.
> Mountain passes, again, I race cars and do driving around mountain
> roads for fun. Straight driving bores me to death :)
> My biggest issue with driving on the left side is getting the windshield
> wipers mixed up with the turn signal. The rest is not really a big deal.
> That said, I realize that for the average driver, it's probably more
> daunting, so thanks for the warning.
>

Don't say I didn't warn you :)

Add 50% over the times that you see. The roads are narrow and
dangerous, and because it's summer, they'll be full of tourists who
cannot drive nearly as well as you claim to be able to.

The roads are narrow. You can very easily get stuck behind people who
are less capable than you, with no overtaking opportunities for 40-50
minutes. Especially in summer, we're talking about heavy caravans and
the like. And rental cars that aren't suited for Tasmanian roads.

--Chris

-- 
--Christopher Neugebauer

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