Tasmania Road Trip: Clockwise or anti-clockwise?

Designing the perfect Tasmania itinerary is an important part of the planning process, but it can also be confusing – especially choosing whether you should travel clockwise or anti-clockwise.

In this article I take you through the pros and cons of each approach, helping you put it all together!

Tasmania Road Trip: Clockwise or anti-clockwise?

You’ve just driven off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry in Devonport, or maybe you’ve just picked up your rental car or campervan at the airport… you are super excited to get your lap of Tasmania started and there’s a BIG question in your mind…

“Which direction do I go?“

Left or right? Clockwise or anti-clockwise? Or maybe you’ve got your eyes on doing the Tassie ‘infinity loop’?

First of all, don’t stress… it might sound like a big question, but it isn’t really.

One of the best things about a Tasmania itinerary is just how easy it is to get from A-to-B.

The roads are all in great condition, and for most of the year there isn’t a lot of traffic either, so there’s plenty of time to get around without feeling pressured, and a little bit of back-tracking isn’t the end of the world.

At the same time, there are a number of factors that do come into play when deciding which direction to do your Tasmania road trip, and they could make things just a little bit easier for you on unfamiliar roads and in different weather conditions to what you might be used to back home.

Seasonal Weather

It might surprise a lot of visitors, but for much of the year Tasmania doesn’t actually get a lot of rain.

The exception to this is the West Coast of Tasmania which can get very, VERY wet, with towns like Tullah receiving around 1,800mm of rain every year – most of it in winter.

If you are have some flexibility in your itinerary – especially if you are planning on staying in Tasmania for weeks or months – then you should consider structuring your holiday so that you visit the West Coast during the drier months.

Peak Tourist Times

Tasmania’s popularity has grown a lot in recent years, but for much of the year it is still a very laid-back, quiet island.

The exception to this is the peak summer season (mid-December through to late January), school holidays (click here for upcoming dates), and the Easter and Christmas holiday periods (click here for upcoming dates).

At these times of year Tasmania receives not only a large influx of visitors, but it is also when a lot of locals head off with their families for a quick road trip.

Their destination?

Tasmania’s sunny East Coast!

Again, if you have flexibility then you may want to plan your itinerary to avoid Freycinet, Bay of Fires and some of the East Coast’s more popular destinations at these times.

Accommodation Availability

A lot of visitors to Tasmania don’t realise just how limited accommodation options are outside Hobart and Launceston – and the truly special accommodation options get snapped up months in advance.

If you’re camping or caravanning then there are more options available and you will be able to ‘wing it’ most of the year, but if you’ve got your eye on a place like Thalia Haven, Domescapes in the Vines, the King Billy Suite at Cradle Mountain Lodge, or Freycinet Lodge, then you may need to adjust your direction of travel so that you can align your itinerary with room availability.

With that in mind, if there is a ‘must stay’ on your list then I suggest checking their availability early in the planning process. Discovering that they don’t have availability late in the process, and then needing to reverse your entire itinerary could waste you hours and hours.

Festivals and Events

When it comes to festivals and events, you don’t have any flexibility at all.

If there is a special event on your itinerary then I would be planning your itinerary around that event, right from the start.

Nervous Driver?

If you’re visiting Tasmania from overseas there is a good chance that this might be the first time you’ve ever driven on the left-hand side of the road in a right-hand-drive vehicle.

Feeling nervous is a completely natural reaction – I still remember driving on the opposite side of the road for the first time in Korea and I was absolutely pooing my pants for the first few days!

It might sound simple, but planning a clockwise ‘lap’ of Tasmania can actually make life a little bit easier for you.

The reason?

By driving clockwise the ocean views and beaches will always be on your left-hand side, making it as easy as possible to pull over to the side of the road for a photo, and you don’t need to cross on-coming traffic as often!

The ’99 Bends’ (West Coast)

This is an interesting one, and it depends on two things – your point of arrival in Tasmania, and your confidence level driving your vehicle on twisty and winding roads, especially if it’s a large motorhome or you are towing a caravan.

Tasmania’s roads are all in very good condition, but as you can expect for a mountainous island some of its roads are very steep and winding, often with very sharp hairpins bends.

One of the most extreme examples is the ’99 Bends’, a famous stretch of road on Tasmania’s wild West Coast between Queenstown and Gormanston.

If you’re in a car you probably won’t think twice about this section of the road, but if you’re driving a motorhome for the first time, or you aren’t used to towing your caravan on winding roads, you may want to plan your itinerary so that the ’99 Bends’ is towards the end of your road trip.

That way you can have plenty of time getting accustomed to Tassie’s roads and your vehicle, before you hit the twisty bits!

With that in mind, if you’re arriving in Hobart then you’ll want to head anti-clockwise.

Alternatively, if you’re arriving in Devonport or Launceston then you may want to head clockwise.

Infinity Loop / Sideways-Eight

All I’ve mentioned so far are the options of going clockwise or anti-clockwise, but there’s actually another option that is growing in popularity, and that is what I like to call the ‘Tassie Infinity Loop’ or the ‘Sideways-Eight’.

This road trip itinerary takes you up or down both the East Coast and West Coast, while doing a cross-over in the middle of Tasmania, taking you through the Central Highlands as well.

All the considerations I’ve listed above still apply to this route, but it’s a great way of mixing things up and seeing more of Tasmania than most other visitors.

Final thoughts on choosing the direction of your Tasmania road trip itinerary?

I hope these tips and observations have helped you get your itinerary planning off to a great start!

As I mentioned right at the start though, no matter which direction you choose to go Tasmania is such a small island that it is very easy to adjust your approach mid-holiday – especially if you have the freedom of a campervan, caravan, or motorhome.

I’ve got plenty more Tassie travel planning advice and planning resources on this page – I’m sure you’ll find them just as helpful as this article – and if you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Happy travels!

Andrew.