Where to stay in Tasmania
Tasmania's accommodation has become genuinely exceptional in the last decade — from design hotels on the Hobart waterfront to architectural retreats in the wilderness. Here's where I've stayed;
Macq01, Hobart Right on the Hobart waterfront, Macq01 is a beautifully designed hotel built around the stories of the people who shaped this city — First Tasmanians, convicts, whalers, settlers, and the characters who walk the streets today. The site itself has a history stretching back 42,500 years, and the hotel wears that lightly but meaningfully. The rooms are excellent, the location ideal, and the History of Hobart Walking Tour organised through the hotel is one of the best ways to understand where you've landed. From bed, you can usually see a seal or two playing in Sullivan's Cove. That's not nothing.
The Finish Line "Sydney Penthouse", Hobart Serious Hobart views, a proper kitchen for spreading out cheese and opening wine at the end of the night, two bedrooms and an outdoor tub (very important) — this apartment makes you feel like a local rather than a tourist from the moment you arrive. It's the kind of space that sets the tone for the whole trip: generous, well-positioned, and quietly excellent. A strong start to any Tasmanian visit.
'Thirteen' — Heritage Terrace, Battery Point A heritage terrace in one of Australia's most beautiful and intact historic neighbourhoods. Battery Point is the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and look properly, and staying here rather than in the centre of the city gives you immediate access to that feeling from the moment you wake up. Georgian streetscapes, tiny gardens, good bakeries within walking distance.
Sandy Bay Townhouse, Hobart A comfortable Hobart base in one of the city's quieter residential neighbourhoods, with two bedrooms and stunning views back out over the water and Hobart city. A good option if Battery Point isn't available — peaceful, well-located and a lovely place to come back to after a big day.
Cradle Mountain Lodge (Peppers), Cradle MountainThere is no more iconic wilderness stay in Tasmania than Cradle Mountain Lodge, and it earns that reputation entirely. Sitting on the edge of the World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, the Lodge puts you right inside one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Australia — and does it with real comfort and warmth. The cabins and suites are dotted through the alpine bush, ranging from intimate Pencil Pine Cabins to the luxurious King Billy Suites with private fireplaces, spa baths and a deck hot tub. Rooms are intentionally free from televisions and in-room WiFi — which sounds like a deprivation until you're sitting by a log fire listening to the forest, and it makes complete sense. The Highland Restaurant is one of Tasmania's most highly regarded dining experiences — a genuinely excellent meal in a setting that does most of the heavy lifting. Breakfast here before a big day on the mountain is something to look forward to. The wildlife wanders through freely. Wombats, wallabies and echidnas treat the property as their own, which they were here first, so fair enough.
The Stand Alone Shack, Eaglehawk Neck A remarkable stay — a standalone shack on Pirates Bay Drive on the Tasman Peninsula, with nothing between you and the view. Eaglehawk Neck is one of the most dramatic and historically significant spots in Tasmania: this is the narrow land bridge that once stopped convicts escaping the Tasman Peninsula, and the landscape carries that weight. Staying here rather than passing through changes your relationship to the place entirely. It is isolated, elemental and not for everyone — the only bathing option is outside, which is either a feature or a dealbreaker depending on who you are — and that's exactly why it's worth knowing about.
Piermont Estate (Piermont Retreat), Swansea One of Tasmania's great east coast stays, and a property with a genuinely interesting story behind it. The retreat was originally purchased by Rupert Von Haniel-Niethammer, a German forester, in the mid-nineties — when his ambition to grow walnut trees on the property proved unsuccessful, he turned his attention to creating a European lodge-style retreat, and the result is something quite unlike anywhere else on the island. Thirteen sustainably built stone and rammed earth cottages, six spa suites and seven architecturally designed lodgings sit alongside the original 186-year-old heritage-listed homestead that now houses the Homestead Restaurant. The cottages have log fires, full kitchens and decks looking straight out over Great Oyster Bay to the Freycinet peaks. Having oysters and local wine on that deck is not optional — it's the whole point. Private beach, kayaks, bikes and a pool round out a property that has no interest in being anything other than exactly what it is.
Saltair Freycinet, Coles Bay One of the most beautiful places I've stayed in Australia. The setting on Great Oyster Bay is hard to overstate — you can see the pink granite peaks of Freycinet from the deck, and the water changes colour all day long. The beach below is full of shells and if you're lucky you'll spot a seal on the rocks. At night, watch for bioluminescence in the bay — on a dark still evening the water glows, and it's one of those things that stays with you. There's an outdoor bath. Use it
Wilder Cottage, Gowrie Park A peaceful retreat 28 kilometres from Cradle Mountain, with views of Mount Roland, Van Dyke and Claude right at the doorstep. No WiFi, no shops nearby — that's the point entirely. Stock up in Sheffield (10 minutes away, IGA open until 7pm) before you arrive. On maps, search "Wilder Tasmania, Gowrie Park" — not Launceston, which has caught out a few guests before. This is the kind of place where you remember what quiet actually sounds like.
