Only 20 minutes from the centre of Hobart rising 1270 meters above the harbor is Mount Wellington. This is a much loved local attraction. Mount Wellington brings the wilderness to the city. It is a 21 kilometer drive to the summit which will take you through temperate rainforests up to sub-alpine wildflowers and plants and glacial rock formations. The summit brings breathtaking views over Hobart, Bruny Island, and the Tasman Peninsula. Look out from the open viewing platform on the western side of the mountain to view out of the World Heritage listed area beyond. The mountain is covered in bush walking and mountain biking trails, there are tracks to suit all fitness levels and for the more adventurous abseiling is also available on Mount Wellington. During the warmer months ensure to take plenty of water and sunscreen.

It is important to check the road conditions before heading off to Mount Wellington. Road conditions can be checked with the Hobart City Council either by telephone on 6278 0200 or by viewing the website www.hobartcity.com.au. During the winter months you will need to wear warm clothing and it is always a good idea to take a spare set of warm clothes, especially for children as conditions are likely to be cold and wet. Some sensible safety tips for driving on the mountain can be found on the Hobart City Council website. Always leave double the normal distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. Stopping on icy cold roads can be tricky, allow enough room to stop safely. Brakes can take a lot longer to work; do not put the brakes on hard, gently pump the brake peddle to maintain control of your vehicle. Try not to make harsh steering maneuvers, you may find that your vehicle is unable to cope with abrupt turning. Be patient on the road, traffic may be slow, and tourists and locals alike need to take caution while driving in icy conditions. Car hire in Hobart is made easy using carhirehobartairport.com.au, allowing you to compare hire car companies, prices and vehicles from the one website. There is nothing to pay until you pick up your car from the hire car company that you booked with online.

Hobart Airport is around 15 minutes drive from the city. Budget, Avis and Europcar, operate from the Hobart Airport, to quickly and easily compare prices from these companies use carhirehobartairport.com.au. These companies provide their best prices to carhirehobartairport.com.au for you to compare. Go directly to the company of your choosing from the carhirehobartairport.com.au site.

When in Hobart take the drive to Launceston. It will take around two and a half hours, including a short pit stop. This is a well maintained highway that passes through many interesting towns and villages. Not far out of Hobart you will start to drive through the rolling countryside. This is mostly farmlands. About half way along your trip you will find the historic town of Oatlands. Oatlands is an historic town with wonderful antique and curio shops along the main street. During your trip you will notice cut out figures of different convict day scenes. This adds a great deal of interest for the kids, something very interesting to look out for. You may also notice some topiary along the way, shapes of all kinds. You can quite easily make this drive in one day, however it is a long drive, and I think I would recommend an overnight stay in Launceston. If you stop in Campbell Town, take a walk from about the pub up to the shops and then again back from the park opposite the shops to the IGA store, and you will be able to read the names of the convicts, which ship they sailed to Australia on and if known, what happened to them. This is a great walk, with details about the convicts’ crime; it is easy to see what an unjust system was capable of. Campbell Town is around one and a half hours north of Hobart on the Midlands Highway. Enjoy your Tassie holiday and book your car rental easily with carhirehobartairport.com.au.

I had decided to attend my friends 40th Birthday Party in Launceston. It was a surprise party being held in at a nice restaurant. The party was set for the Saturday night, so I decided to book a flight after work on the Friday and then knock off early and head straight into the airport. I was so clever, booking the plane tickets and accommodation online. I was even able to get a good deal on a hire car at the Hobart Airport by comparing the prices from different companies on carhirehobartairport.com.au. I took off from Brisbane about 5pm and landed at the Airport about 3 hours later.

I felt exhausted after sitting dozily in my chair for so long. The freezing breeze soon gave me some energy; I had enough to run into the terminal! I wandered over and picked up my bags and then set off to the hire car desks near by. The attendant was really helpful, and I was quickly informed that Launceston was over 2 hours drive from Hobart. She offered to help change my accommodation booking for the evening, but really what a dope! How could I have not realized that Launceston was so far away? Do my homework next time, not just cheat my way through. We were able to cancel my hire car booking, then re book on a last minute deal rate, which meant that I didn’t get charged any extra. The lady took me back to the airline help desk and we even sorted out a return plane ticket from Launceston home again. So all in all it wasn’t a bad experience, just a long one.

The drive to Launceston was nice; the roads were good, dark but good, and I didn’t have to hurry. I stopped at a couple of places for a pit stop and coffee, Mood Food was the first one, not far outside of Hobart. There were a few trucks stopped outside, those guys know where to eat. The coffee was lovely and there was some nice hot food going too. Next time I’d like to do that drive in the daylight.