BRUNY ISLAND

Head south from Hobart on the lovely Channel Highway which hugs the coastline, and drive straight to the little port of Kettering. Cruising yachts and fishing boats sit in the harbour where the busy car ferry goes back and forth to Bruny Island.

If you have time, it’s worth making a side trip to Bruny. This 50km-long island encompasses gentle Tassie pastureland in the north, dense rainforests and towering sea cliffs in the south, and surfing beaches, lighthouses and a fascinating whaling heritage. These days whales are still big business as eco-adventure companies take tourists on whale (in season), seal and dolphin-viewing charters. Or stay the night and see the fairy penguins waddle up the beach at dusk.

PEPPERMINT BAY AND CYGNET

Back on the mainland, visit the Peppermint Bay complex at Woodbridge south of Kettering, where you can indulge in Tassie produce including oysters, crayfish, trevalla, or in winter, a hearty beef and stout pie. And no meal in Tas is complete without honeydew ice cream in summer or apple and rhubarb pie in winter.

Continue along the coast into the heart of fruit country. The roads are lined with apple trees, and in summer, the area turns into a riot of colour with apple, pear and cherry trees.

Cygnet (named after the wild swans in the area) is a berry centre and in summer you can feast on blueberries and strawberries. It is also a creative community and a great place to

pick up genuine Tas woodwork or pottery. If you’re into folk music, stay for the lively Cygnet Folk Festival on the second weekend in January, a celebration of folk, world and roots music (www.cygnetfolkfestival.org).

HUONVILLE

Huonville at the top end of the Huon River estuary is apple headquarters. This area used to export millions of apples to England, but since the UK joined Europe, two-thirds of the apple orchards have been abandoned. It is now a commercial centre for the Huon Valley and has turned its hand to tourism. Take a look at the surprisingly interesting Huon Valley Apple and Heritage Museum, with hundreds of varieties of apples and information about the once-thriving industry.

TAHUNE AIRWALK

From Huonville it’s time to head inland to sample Tassie’s great southern forests. Geeveston is the stepping-off point to the Forestry Tasmania-run Tahune Forest AirWalk, an impressive, $4.5 million attraction and visitor centre in old-growth forest. The 1.2km, steel-framed walkway that ends in a viewing platform on a cantilever is supported by 12 towers and suspended up to 48m in the air at the tree canopy level, with views to the Hartz Mountains. The AirWalk is wheelchair-accessible, and afterwards you can relax in the café or use one of the gas barbecues in the picnic grounds.

SOUTH OF GEEVESTON

If this whets your appetite for some serious walking, the Hartz Mountains National Park is 16km away, a wildly beautiful area of rainforests, glacial lakes and alpine moorlands (follow the links at www.parks.tas.gov.au). There are several long walks, or you can just go for a short wander (for instance, to Arve Falls) for a taste of untamed Tas highlands.

Heading further into the deep south, Hastings Caves, around 70km south of Geeveston, has interesting dolomite formations, but bring your fleece and a raincoat as it is always wet and cold inside – even in summer! You can warm up in the Thermal Springs Pool (www.parks.tas.gov.au/reserves/hastings).

Back on the main road and heading further south, stop at Lune River for a ride on the Ida Bay Railway, a vintage bush tram in operation since 1914 that runs 16km through bushland and ends up at a beautiful beach at Deep Hole Bay (www.idabayrailway.com.au).

Beyond Lune River the road is unsealed (but quite manageable if you take it easy) and goes through forest and along picturesque, sheltered bays to Recherche Bay. This is an unspoilt place, great for camping, fishing and bushwalking, and pit toilets and water are the only facilities. Cockle Creek, at the southern end of the bay, is the southernmost point in Australia accessible by road, and the bronze whale sculpture at the very end of the road commemorates the bay’s former whaling industry. From here it is pure wilderness, accessible only by foot or aircraft.

After a few days’ bushwalking, fishing or just touring, it’s only a short drive back to Hobart along the Huon Highway. No other Australian city can offer such a natural experience so close to civilisation.

For more about the Huon Trail, log on to www.huontrail.org.au, and pick up the free The Huon Trail fold-out map from tourist offices.

By Rob Van Driesum and Julie Ihle, as featured in Motorhome World issue 24, January/Februrary 2009.