We cannot tell you how happy we are when we get to carry on the journey from wedding to honeymoon with couples who have had their day featured with us. And Meaghan & Tom’s Tasmanian Road Trip Honeymoon is an epic “end” to their wedding planning. First and foremost, you should absolutely check out their wedding here, captured by Christine Lim Photography, then read on to find out how they celebrated together as newlyweds in one of their favourite places ever.

We were engaged in Tasmania during our first visit to the beautiful state in 2019. We absolutely fell in love with this incredible place and with borders still closed and options limited how could we refuse a trip back?

We spent 10 days roundtripping around Tasmania, two days after our wedding leaving on Tuesday 30 November 2021. While it was another thing to think about so close to your wedding, we are so glad we planned this so soon afterwards. Staying in the ‘love bubble’ and having time to connect and reflect as newlyweds was really special.

We adore nature, animals, and love holidays with a mix of history, luxury, and plenty to see and do. Tasmania has the perfect mix of all these things across the region. There is something for everyone, we could have easily spent another week and already look forward to going back.

Starting with a few days in Hobart, we headed to the wild and stunningly beautiful West Coast (the long mountain driving is worth it!), stopping at lake St Clair (the deepest lake in Australia) and had an overnight visit in the small coastal town Strahan, then on to the breathtaking Cradle Mountain (this place is seriously magical, which is maybe biased because it’s where we got engaged 2 years earlier but it’s such a special place). We then travelled on to Launceston (foodie heaven!), then down through the wine region to the East Coast, staying in beautiful Swansea. We had done Freycinet National Park on our previous visit and it was hard to decide between the two locations for our honeymoon but after staying in the accommodation we had booked I am so glad we mixed it up and chose Swansea for this trip. The next stop was Port Arthur and then back to Hobart.

I could talk about our accommodation endlessly because we had the best mix and variety! The main focus of our accommodation was that it be in a good location, whether it’s for the view or being within walking distance of bars and restaurants, attractions.

Hobart

The Grand Chancellor Hotel. Having stayed here before we adored the view and the amazing harbour location. Also, well priced compared to other venues in the area boasting the same amazing features. While your classic hotel room, it is fit for purpose after a day out in the city (and has a great restaurant and harbour-facing bar).

Images of Hobart

Strahan

The Stables through Airbnb has an amazing location and a gorgeous rustic ‘cabin’ with a bedroom loft. Even in late November / early December, Tasmania can be freezing! This Airbnb was so cozy and romantic!

Image: The Stables, Strahan, Airbnb

Image of Strahan

Cradle Mountain

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge. You would think I work here after how much I recommend this place to friends, family… and anyone who will listen haha!

After staying and getting engaged here in 2019 we knew we had to come back, this place is pure magic and was our longest stay during the trip, even after three nights / four days we were so sad to leave. If it wasn’t for the ABUNDANCE of Australian wildlife you would think you were in a European ski resort. While it was a little pricier, staying here is worth every cent. On the doorstep of the national park, amazing restaurant and bar/ café, knowledgeable staff, just awesome! Also, amazing if you are looking for intimacy and isolation on your honeymoon, there isn’t a lot of phone reception, so you are forced to ‘unplug’, slow down and connect with the space and people around you.

Image of Cradle Mountain Lodge

On our first trip, we stayed in the King Billy Suite, and if it’s in your budget OMG book this room type! With your own outdoor hot tub, central fireplace, and heated flooring bathtub – perfection for honeymooners. Being a bit more conservative and staying longer this trip we booked into their midrange accommodation offering and opted for a spa suite, a gorgeous “cabin in the woods”, with its own balcony for animal watching, a fireplace, spacious and well-appointed for relaxing in between hikes and adventuring.

Images: King Billy Suite at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

The Waldheim Spa at the lodge is also incredible and a must-do while here. The ‘Sanctuary Spa’ is a booking they offer stand-alone (no spa treatments required) which gives you access to the very Instagram-worthy outdoor infinity spa overlooking the Cradle Mountain National Park. Just incredible, and one of those ‘photos speak for themselves’ moments. We had a couple’s massage too which was so nice after the “wedding week.”

The in-house tavern is great for your classic ‘pub’ meals and drinks by the fireplace. The highland restaurant is amazing for those fancier evening meals (also a beautiful venue for the morning buffet breakfast)!

If you are into walking this place is the PERFECT base and has something for every fitness level. We pride ourselves on having the perfect balance of relaxation and adventure when we travel, and our honeymoon was no different. Hikes, walks, kayaking – we had the best time.

We opted not to do any formal tours this trip (having visited and done various tours 2yrs before) we did visit ‘Devils at Cradle’ for the second time, which is amazing and would recommend it to anyone going to Cradle Mountain. It’s an awesome animal sanctuary for Tasmania’s unique wildlife.

Launceston

Hotel Verge, when booking hotels in major cities we always try and look for one that’s a bit different to the standard. This hotel was new, and modern and had a cool industrial vibe, is owned, and operated locally which is awesome. It was the perfect base in the city, well located for bars and restaurants and across from the historic Albert Hall.

Image of Verge in Launceston

Swansea

Piermont Retreat is another one of those incredible luxury places we will never forget. Our only regret from the trip is that we didn’t stay here longer. A historic homestead (housing the reception and restaurant) with self-appointed cabins overlooking the Freycinet Peninsula. This place is amazing with so much to offer, private beach walks, kayaking, and tennis – an adult and honeymoon haven.

Image of Piermont Retreat

Port Arthur

NRMA Park – Glamping Tent. This was one of the coolest places we have ever stayed, absolutely recommend it just for the experience. We booked into the “Star Gazing Safari Tent’ a fixed glamping style accommodation with views of the bush and the bay.

Images of Safari Tent experience

Now onto the good stuff! Did you have any standout meals? Amazing experiences with food that you must recommend?

We have regularly asked ourselves… does the food taste that good because you are on holiday, and everything is ‘rose coloured’ or is the food in Tassie just that good! I wish I could list every restaurant because they were all just so good, another great mix of casual and upmarket dining and even a few nights of just having cheese, wine and gin that we had brought during a day of travels.

One of the really special stand-out ‘fancy’ meals for us was in a gorgeous restaurant in Hobart called Aloft. My sister (who was unable to attend our wedding due to covid) surprised us with a reservation and organised a chefs degustation, as I am vegetarian being able to cater to both of us tapas style was really special.

We love road-tripping and just sharing experiences together. Some of my favourite moments when I think back aren’t the fancy dinners or plans, they were the long drives listening to podcasts together or the spontaneous moments like wading through mud and rain in Strahan at 8:00 pm one evening after a beautiful dinner and deciding this was the perfect moment to venture into the woods to see if we could see a platypus in the wild…. We did!! Ruined a pair of shoes but was worth it!

What was funny was just a few days later (after MANY hours of platypus ‘hunting’ on our previous trip!) seeing another wild platypus and watching it for about 30mins as it frolicked in the pond at the Cradle Mountain lodge!

Tom is a lot more adventurous than I am and gets very smug when he convinces me to do something out of my comfort zone that ends up being amazing… like Marions Peak in Cradle Mountain National Park (a very steep climb into the clouds halfway through an already exhausting hike!) or Kayaking in the freezing waters of the Freycinet Peninsula.

Everywhere makes you feel so special on your honeymoon. If you are with someone you love, doing things you both enjoy you cannot go wrong. Just like your wedding, stick to a budget and plan ahead where possible to keep the trip as cost-effective as possible.

We did a ‘wishing well’ on our wedding day and were blown away by how generous our guests were. Spending special moments on your honeymoon and knowing they have been “provided” by your loved ones was really overwhelming.