If activities to get the pulse racing are what you’re into, you’ve come to the right place. Where to start? Mountain biking!

Over the past 5 years, it’s no exaggeration to say that mountain biking has absolutely erupted in Tasmania. Mount Wellington and the Meehan Range in Hobart have always offered a range of trails. However it was the opening of the Blue Derby trails in 2015 that really put a rocket under Tassie mountain biking. Within 2 years Derby was hosting a round of the World Enduro series and at that point it’s status as one of the greatest MTB destinations was sealed.

Derby covers everything from green, family friendly runs to the double black diamond rated Detonate. In 2018, the launch of Maydena Bike Park brought a gravity enduro focused MTB park only one hour’s drive from Hobart. Maydena is NOT. FOR. THE. FAINT. HEARTED. Grab your full face helmet, a long travel bike and a mug of concrete and get ready to put your brakes through hell. With a shuttle lift to the top, you’ll get through 4-5 runs in a solid day’s riding and let me assure you, that will be enough!

Non riders have options too! 10 minutes from Maydena is Mount Field National Park, part of our Wild West Coast tour. Mount Field is home to magical Russell Falls, giant eucalyptus regnans trees (growing up to 100m in height!) and cute mini wallabies known as pademelons.

If you’re visiting Tasmania’s west coast you’ll have some great MTB options too. As part of the boom in new trails, local and state governments combined in 2018 to fund the West Coast MTB tracks. One of these is a steady ride to Tasmania’s tallest waterfall, Montezuma Falls (if you’d prefer to walk there instead of riding, join our Lap of Tassie Tour!)

The West Coast tracks are best covered over a number of days and are more trail rides rather than single track cross country or downhill blasts. At the end of the day, wherever you tour Tasmania, you’ll have a great MTB track just around the next corner 🙂

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TIME

SOOOO many people have made the mistake of trying to see Tasmania in only 3 or 4 days – it’s impossible! You’re visiting one of the world’s most beautiful islands – take your time! If you REALLY can’t spare the time, just visit one area. Try the east coast, or stay in Hobart and visit Bruny Island & Port Arthur. 

In the 10 years we’ve been operating, many people have said they wish they had more time to tour Tasmania – never less! Once here you will realise that although Tasmania looks small compared to the rest of Australia, it isn’t. Think the size of Scotland, twice as big as Taiwan. Drive 45 minutes in Tasmania and you’ll be in a completely different area, as beautiful if not more than the last place you were in! Give yourself plenty of time – 2 weeks preferably, but at least 1. If you have one week and want to see as much as possible, check out the Best of Tasmania tour.

YOU

Next up – who are you? Are you a backpacker on a gap year, or a 30 something on a career break? Maybe a couple on their honeymoon or a family with kids? Your answer to this question will inform how you travel. If you’re travelling alone, definitely take a tour of Tasmania. Hiring a car is boring by yourself. Tasmania’s twisting roads and lack of signage means too much time navigating and not enough time enjoying the great sights. Couples often like to tour Tasmania for the same reasons. A family with kids? Car hire is a great option. It gives you plenty of room and the ability to change plans as you need to.

THE FOLDING STUFF

Finally, how about the dollars? It’s an important question, as there are a lot of options to tour Tasmania. You could spend $700 on a 1 day seafood experience out of Hobart, or get on an e bike adventure for a similar price. Other Tasmania tours let you see the whole state over 7 days for around $900, like our Best of Tasmania tour. That includes backpacker dorm style accommodation – great if you want to save money. If you want more privacy, upgrade to a private room. Often the price is an indication of who the tour is aimed at – more expensive usually means it’s made for an older crowd. Others, like the great value Jump Tasmania Tours, are made for a younger, 18-35 crew.

THE END GAME

Different people like different stuff. If you love beaches, it’s better to stick tour Tasmania with a focus on the east coast. That means Bay of Fires, Bicheno, Wineglass Bay and Bruny Island. Are waterfalls and mountains your thing? The west coast is the place for you! If the convict history of Tasmania is your bag, head to Richmond and Port Arthur.

Got any questions? Hit us up on live chat – look for the button in the bottom right of the page 🙂

Cheers from Greg & the Jump crew!

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But the thing about islands, even quite big ones like Tasmania, is that lots of stuff has to be shipped or flown in, so sometimes things can be expensive.

As Tasmanians ourselves, we’ve got local knowledge on how to keep the price of having a good time on our island as low as possible! The easiest way is:

Hit Tasmania outside peak season

We’ve had people arrive here wearing 5 jackets, expecting Arctic temperatures when they get off the plane – usually because someone in Queensland told them that it’s “freezing”. Thing is, Queenslanders think anything under +20 degrees celsius is freezing. So the guy or girl who’s just got off the plane looking like the michelin man quickly realises that they’ve packed WAY too much gear for their Tasmania trip. Happens all the time.

Just to put it in perspective, Tasmania is 41 degrees south of the equator. Barcelona is 41 degrees north. You can draw the dots 😛

So don’t be afraid to visit Tasmania outside the super busy summer season. You’ll save hundreds of $$ on flights and accommodation and there will be less people to edit out of your selfie at Cradle Mountain. Here’s a rundown on what’s good, when.

October/November is epic for waterfalls – it’s when they’re flowing HARD and roaring like an earthquake. On our Best of Tasmania tour we hit Russell Falls, Montezuma Falls (Tasmania’s highest) and often St Columba Falls on the east coast.

Dark MOFO in Hobart

June/July is when Dark MOFO happens. Australia’s most incredible winter festival, Dark Mofo is only three years old but already it has an enormous following across the country. Held in Hobart each June, Dark Mofo brings together a celebration of the winter solstice, big music acts, organs made from scrap metal, big fire pits, great food and nude swimming. Even Sydney admits, it’s better than their Vivid festival 😛

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Get the ferry and go explore MONA

MONA is super hard to explain, but basically it’s the result of an eccentric gambling millionaire spending $100 million on his very, very unusual art collection, then about another $100 million on an enormous subterranean lair to house said collection. Because it’s entirely privately funded, he has not given a single f*ck what the government, voters or religious groups think and has unashamedly given it a sex and death theme. The collection changes regularly and there is a ferry (the MONA ROMA, shown left) which looks like some crazy high speed military assault vessel to get you from the Hobart Waterfront at Brook Street Pier to the museum upriver. Don’t miss this – Sydney & Melbourne visitors regularly fly down for the day just to go to MONA and as soon as it opened in 2011 it became Tasmania’s most visited attraction.

Salamanca Market

Salamanca Market is a Saturday institution in Hobart. One day a week, since 1972, this beautiful waterfront boulevard is closed to cars and becomes a huge open air market, selling Tasmanian made food, wine, crafts and much more, with street performers and a carnival atmosphere. Back in the 70s the old sandstone warehouses on Salamanca were mostly derelict, having been superseded in the shipping trade by the large Princes Wharf 1 & 2 sheds and Elizabeth Street Pier. The state government granted a few of the warehouses to the Salamanca Arts Centre and it was all up from there. Nowadays it’s prime real estate and Hobart’s main entertainment district, with bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs meaning there’s something for everyone.

Mount Wellington

The 1270m mountain looms over the top of Hobart, where locals simply refer to it as “The Mountain”. There’s a few ways to take in the epic views from the top, depending on how much money you want to spend. The cheapest way is to get the local Metro bus to the end of the line at Ferntree, about halfway up and walk the rest. This option costs all of about $3.50 and a bit of exertion as you walk to the top. Alternatively there is a shuttle bus all the way to the top from the Hobart Visitor Information Centre which costs about $25. A cable car has been proposed by many different parties over the year but don’t hold your breath for that one!

Bruny Island

Bruny is absolutely gorgeous, it’s as simple as that. About the size of Singapore, instead of 5 million residents it only has about 500! Some of them are white wallabies too – a rare variation on the Bennett’s Wallabies found elsewhere in Tasmania, who have made their home on Bruny.
Bruny has spectacular sea cliffs, dramatic views from the Cape Bruny lighthouse, great cruises and great cheese. No visit to Hobart is complete without seeing it – check out our Bruny Island Day Tour for the best and most affordable way to see it!

Micro breweries

Hobart is home to a thriving craft beer scene, so if you’re a fan of the amber liquid, give yourself a little extra time before your flight to check out newly opened Double Head Brewing or Last Rites near Hobart Airport at Cambridge, wander down to the waterfront to Hobart Brewing Company or walk up Elizabeth Street to Shambles.

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