Walking On Sunshine

Can you recommend other places to eat and stay in Tasmania? Add them here.

How to Get There

The best way to get to Tasmania is to fly to Melbourne, (Sydney's airport is Australia's busiest and has frequent delays). American Airlines (partnered with Qantas) flies daily from Los Angeles to Melbourne (14.5 hours) and daily from New York, via LAX (20.5 hours). Two Australian airlines, Qantas and Virgin Blue, have one-hour connecting flights to Hobart, Tasmania's capital.

Walking Tours

FREYCINET EXPERIENCE holds four-day guided walks of Freycinet National Park. Included are two nights at Cooks Beach and Bluestone Bay and a night at Friendly Beaches Lodge. They depart Monday and Friday, from mid-October through April (spring and summer in Tasmania). Package includes all transportation in Tasmania; meals and wine; park fee; and hiking gear, including a light backpack, weatherproof jackets, and sleeping bags. Rates: $1,045; Battery Park, Hobart; 61-03-6223-7565; www.freycinet.com.au.

Hotels

KABUKI-BY-THE-SEA, though a 50-minute drive from the central peninsula, is my favorite hotel and restaurant in the area, with matchless views of the entire Great Oyster Bay, tasteful Japanese-influenced cabins perched above the rocks, and consistently good food. It's where I stayed the night before I found my own house. Room number four is especially charming, with its Japanese-inspired decor. My father and I celebrated journey's end here with a splendid meal of gyoza dumplings, sashimi, and sticky bread-and-butter pudding. Dinner, $30. Rooms, $110, breakfast included. Rocky Hills, Tasman Highway, Swansea; 61-03-6257-8588; www.kabukibythesea.com.au.

THE FREYCINET LODGE is unique in being situated within a Tasmanian national park. The 60 cabins are decorated in a clean, rustic style; many have Jacuzzis and terrific views of the Hazards, as the three central peaks of the peninsula are known. The best rooms are the Wineglass Premier cabins (numbers 27-36), each with its own large Jacuzzi, king-size bed, and balcony. The restaurant is overpriced, but has improved under an English chef who offers such dishes as baked Tasmanian lamb wrapped in vine leaves with minted couscous and a tomato-and-pepper chutney and chili-and-cilantro-crusted baby abalone. Dinner: $45. Rooms: $175-$270, breakfast included. Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay; 61-03-6257-0101; www.frecyinetlodge.com.au.

Restaurant

THE EDGE RESTAURANT, in Edge of the Bay Resort, outside Cole's Bay, is one of the best restaurants on the east coast of Tasmania. The owner prides himself on being a bit of a tyrant, but the dining room itself is stylish and the food is terrific. $ Dinner, $35. 2308 Main Road, Coles Bay; 61-03-6257-0102; www.edgeofthebay.com.au.


Restaurant prices reflect a three-course dinner for two, excluding beverages and gratuity. Hotel prices show high-season rates from the least expensive double to the most expensive suite.

$ Establishment accepts no charge/credit cards or accepts cards other than the American Express Card.