Travel guide Tasmania

  It seems when you go on holidays that Mum’s handbag turns into everyone’s bag! The Annabel Trends Shoulder Bag was given a very good road test on our recent family holiday to Lithgow in the Blue Mountains.     When we travel we do a lot of walking with the kids. Everyone has their own camera (around their neck) and their own drink bottle; I make sure I carry snacks and treats to keep everyone going, too. Then there are the beanies, jackets, towels, sun cream and everything else that you carry just in case you need it! That not only weighs you down, but also makes it hard to find something at the bottom of the bag, with all the other stuff on top.   However the Annabel Trends handbag is extremely lightweight, yet strong and features long shoulder strap... Read more

  The Magna Play Magnetic Puzzles from Haggus and Stookles is a cute little metal suitcase that opens to reveal magnetic pieces in all shapes and sizes, designed to get kid’s imaginations working, as they create all manner of objects from fairies to robots to animals. To help them along, there is a booklet with easy to follow designs, but we found our girls got the hang of it quickly and were soon making up the most intricate things.   Each brightly coloured magnet is quite thick so they are easy for little fingers to gently put into place and pick up. When we covered over 1,700kms in three days, we found the Magna Plays to be the most popular toy, and the one that kept the kids the quietest as they thought about what to make next.   The girls would open the suitc... Read more

Lisa Monk is a marketing communications writer with a diverse background that includes experience in travel, hotel, finance, public relations and advertising. She has worked with Club Med, the Holiday Inn group and on a number of other travel projects on a freelance basis. Lisa has travelled throughout Australia, Asia Pacific, North America and Britain. Lisa now works with occupancy.com, which powers both takeabreak.com.au and rentahome.com.au, as the editor of the Holiday Inspirations website and newsletter, and other e-publications. She lives in Sydney with her husband and sons.   Kylie-Jane Degeling is a freelance writer who has lived in Adelaide,Yulara (Uluru), Alice Springs and Canberra, as well as five different countries throughout the world. After backpac... Read more

  We all love to relax and get away from the stresses and responsibilities of everyday life, but more and more we realise the fragility of the many wonderful eco systems that comprise the Australian continent. We want to be able to leave our troubles behind and there is an inspiring way to do that, make memories and leave only footprints on our stunning landscape.   We have rounded up five of the top eco-friendly destinations on takeabreak.com.au to help you choose a holiday that leaves you – and our country – in good shape.   Anketell Forest, NSW Anketell Forest has history, location and eco awareness all rolled into one lovely property. All the timber used in the extensions, fittings and furniture was salvaged from fallen trees and milled and handcrafted ... Read more

Once upon a time, planning a holiday was both time-consuming and expensive. It could involve a lot of map reading, phone calls and visits to bookshops or the library. Doing all that research and then developing an organised system to record all your findings was a major trauma. Thanks to the internet, everything is now so much easier - and often cheaper, too. For our Great Ocean Road accommodation, I went to the local travel agency and picked up a few tourist brochures on the areas we intended to visit. These are useful to get an idea of the significant sites and tourist spots, so I can choose to include them in our itinerary – or, in some cases, avoid them.   I then worked out a route using the NRMA Trip Planner, www.drivethere.com.au, which gives you the distance betwe... Read more

Binalong Coastal Waters is situated at picturesque Binalong Bay which is the southern-most point of the world renowned Bay of Fires on Tasmania’s east coast. The vivid white sands of Binalong Bay and the clear cool turquoise waters of the beach can be seen from our holiday home – the view also takes in Grants Lagoon, and in the distance, the mountains of Mt. William National Park. The two-storey, distinctive split-level house has three bedrooms and sleeps six. Quality linen, bedding and towels are included in the tariff. The entrance level has two bedrooms, the master with queen-size bed, the second bedroom has twin beds, there is a full bathroom and separate toilet. The third bedroom on ground level has ensuite bathroom, king-size bed, which can be separated into twin b... Read more

Kenya Cottage, Deloraine Tasmania Pack up the children and head to Tasmania’s north for a great value family escape. Kenya Cottage in Deloraine has two queen rooms and one room with two single beds and a cot, and is perfect for families. The cottage has lots of books, DVDs and games for the children and a great garden for hide and seek! Parents will love the comfortable beds, log fire and casual ambience of the cottage as well as the great location, only a short walk from the river and town centre. The children will love feeding the ducks and trying to spot the resident platypus in the Meander river. Local food and wine are plentiful in the surrounding areas with a chocolate and cheese factory nearby, as well as raspberry, salmon and honey farms and the Tamar Valley ... Read more

Our property is perfectly positioned for the beach holidaymaker as we are absolute beachfront and boast breathtaking views from every window... of the beach, the bay, the Hartz Mountains and the Southern Ocean. There is direct access via a pathway including steps (approx 50 mts) for active people, or the pathway down to the beach, which doesn't involve a road crossing makes this a very attractive property for a beach stay. The Lido on Randalls provides two very well-appointed double bedrooms (1 queen/1 double) and is a self-contained/self-catered home away from home. Fully air-conditioned, Austar Pay TV, and all the conveniences required for a relaxing beach holiday.  Our pristine beach affords a great location for children to swim in complete safety. They can collect shells or buil... Read more

Newry Park Cottage is halfway between Burnie and Stanley yet only 20 kms off the highway on the edge of the Tarkine Wilderness area and within easy access of Cradle Mountain World Heritage Site. We offer peace, solitude, bushwalking, fishing, bird watching and a lovely rural farm experience yet we are only 20 minutes from the coast and stunning sandy beaches. We aim to offer our guests great rural accommodation at a reasonable price, which appeals to families or groups of singles who are on a cost-conscious budget and prefer to be self-catering. It can be a “stay put” rural experience or used as a base to explore further afield the North West Coast of Tasmania. We have planted a vegetable and flower garden for the use of visitors. We have created walk wa... Read more

Sanda House is a delightful, heritage listed, stone house, set in cottage gardens and with a friendly dog. Only ten minutes walk to long, often empty, beaches. A cliff walk to Spring Beach, looking out to Maria Island, is well worth doing. If you are looking for somewhere that still looks and feels like 1840 with a whimsical, soothing ambience, a garden and orchard to walk around, (picking a piece of fruit, in season, as you go) with no traffic noise, comfy chairs on the verandah, ten mins walk to cafes, river and beach? Then, you've found it! Known locally as the old Post Office (1876-1940) it is nestled in an acre of cottage garden, chooks, orchard and vege patch.  The house is built from local field and sandstone - very romantic and private, especially the Rose room. Four bed... Read more