For many caravanners, Tasmania sits at the top of the bucket list – and for good reason. In this episode guide Tasmania will be featured to help you plan your adventures. The island state offers an unmatched mix of wild coastlines, world-class produce, ancient landscapes and a slower pace of life that rewards those who take the time to explore it properly.
In this episode, Ariarne Titmus leads the journey as What’s Up Downunder heads to Tasmania for 2026, with Jonathon Bleakley from the Central Coast of NSW kicking off the adventure the right way: on the water, before the wheels even hit the island.
Getting to Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania
The adventure starts before you even arrive. For caravanners, taking your own rig across Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania is part of the appeal – you bring your tow vehicle, your caravan, your gear and all the comforts of home, ready to roll straight off the ship and into your own Tassie itinerary. No unpacking into a hire car, no leaving the van behind. You arrive with everything you need.
The Spirit has done a lot of work to make the overnight crossing feel like the start of the holiday rather than the boring bit before it. Onboard you’ll find live music, a range of cabin options from simple recliner seats through to private cabins, plus bars, restaurants and plenty of entertainment to fill the hours as Bass Strait passes beneath you.
Interview: Andrea, Spirit of Tasmania Steward
In the episode, Jonathon sits down with Andrea, one of the Spirit’s stewards, who has been working onboard for 26 years and has completed almost 4,700 crossings. She talks about life on the ship, the excitement around the new custom-built fleet on the way, and the move toward more pet-friendly travel options – good news for caravanners who never leave home without the dog.
If you’re wondering what to order from the restaurant, take Andrea’s recommendation: the pork shoulder with crackle, local vegetables and gravy. She’s done enough crossings to know what’s worth eating.
Book this experience
Spirit of Tasmania
TRAVELLER TIP
Book your Spirit of Tasmania crossing well in advance – especially during school holidays, Easter and peak summer (December–February). Vehicle deck space for vans fills up fast.
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New Age – Manta Ray
Take a closer look at the New Age Manta Ray caravan – a comfortable, well-equipped touring van designed to make longer journeys easier. With a practical layout, modern features and plenty of onboard comforts, it provides a capable home away from home for exploring Tasmania and beyond.
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FIRST STOP – DELORAINE
Truffle Hunting at The Truffle Farm, Deloraine
After stepping off the boat and officially standing on Tasmanian soil, Jonathon heads inland toward Deloraine for what turns out to be one of the episode’s most memorable experiences: truffle hunting at The Truffle Farm.
This isn’t just any truffle farm. The Truffle Farm near Deloraine is widely recognised as the home of Australia’s first black truffle – unearthed here in 1999, a moment that put this small Tasmanian property firmly on the national food map and quietly launched what is now a significant domestic truffle industry.
Hunting with Poppy, Douglas and Peggy
Jonathan joins the dogs for the hunt – Poppy, Douglas and Peggy are the farm’s trained truffle dogs, working the rows between the oak trees with their noses to the ground. Watching a truffle dog work is genuinely impressive: moving at pace, then suddenly stopping and beginning to dig at a precise spot. Every time, they’re right.
The farm hunts for truffles for around 10 months of the year, which means this is an experience you can plan into a Tasmanian road trip across most of the year rather than being limited to a short winter window. Beyond the hunt itself, there are plenty of ways to taste truffles in various forms across the farm’s offerings.
Book this experience
The Truffle Farm Tasmania
Truffle hunting available most of the year
TRAVELLER TIP
Book your truffle hunting experience online before you travel – spots fill quickly during busy touring seasons.
Where They Stayed: Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park
From Deloraine the route heads across to Tasmania’s east coast – one of the most popular stretches of road for touring travellers. The east coast offers beach access, incredible seafood, proximity to Freycinet National Park, gentle coastal walks and that unhurried pace Tasmania does so well.
Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park makes a practical and well-located base for caravanners exploring this part of the island. Facilities include a modern amenities block, laundry, children’s playground, barbecue area and camp kitchen. It puts you close to the coast, close to great seafood, and within easy reach of several of this episode’s best stops.
WHERE WE STAYED
Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park
Must-Visit: The Lobster Shack, Bicheno
No east coast Tasmania episode would be complete without seafood, and The Lobster Shack in Bicheno is the kind of place that earns its reputation. This waterfront café works with locally caught southern rock lobster – brought in live and held in tanks before being prepared fresh each day.
The must-order is the lobster roll. Simple, fresh and exactly the kind of food moment you want on a Tassie road trip – just lobster, a soft roll and the view across the bay.
MUST TRY
The lobster roll. Plan your visit around lunchtime and allow time to eat with the view – this is a popular stop so don’t arrive expecting a quick in-and-out.
VISIT
The Lobster Shack
Oysters as Fresh as They Come: Freycinet Marine Farm
The seafood journey continues at Freycinet Marine Farm, where Pacific oysters are grown in the cold, clean waters of Great Oyster Bay. Briny, plump and intensely fresh – they’re a world away from anything that’s been sitting in transit.
Jonathan gets hands-on in the episode – out on the pontoon, shucking oysters and eating them straight from the shell with the Freycinet coastline as the backdrop. It’s the kind of experience that turns a meal into a travel memory. After the farm there’s time to explore the restaurant and eat more local seafood with that view.
TRAVELLER TIP
If you love oysters, book the farm experience before you arrive.
Book this experience
Freycinet Marine Farm
Tasman Sea Salt
A visit to Tasman Sea Salt – a producer that turns the Tasmanian coastline itself into a flavour. Their salt is harvested from clean Southern Ocean waters and sun-dried on the Tasman Peninsula, resulting in a mineral-rich, flaky salt that tastes genuinely different to the commercial stuff.
The must-try is the pepper berry salt – a combination of Tasmanian sea salt and native pepper berry that has a warm, aromatic heat unlike anything you’d find on a supermarket shelf. It goes incredibly well with fresh seafood, and makes a brilliant thing to bring home from the trip.
MUST TRY
The pepper berry salt – it’s a standout and a great thing to bring home.
Book A TOUR
Tasman Sea Salt
Fishing for Dinner: Fresh Squid on the East Coast
From farm-fresh oysters to fresh-caught squid, Episode 1 leans into one of the real joys of travelling with the right setup: catching your own dinner. Jonathon heads out for a squid session on the east coast, and the catch goes straight into the Dometic fridge onboard the New Age caravan before going into the evening’s cook-up.
It’s a great reminder of how important a quality fridge setup is when you’re travelling and fishing. Being able to chill fresh catch immediately and cook it the same day is one of the genuine pleasures of caravan life done properly.
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Dometic Fridge – Cold Storage on the Road
When you’re fishing and cooking coastal, reliable cold storage makes all the difference. The Dometic fridge keeps your fresh catch at the right temperature from water to plate – an essential piece of gear for serious touring.
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Recipe: Jonathon’s Fresh Squid Pasta
Caught the same day and cooked at camp, this squid pasta is what caravan cooking is all about – fresh ingredients, minimal fuss, maximum flavour. It works equally well on a two-burner camp stove outside or in a well-equipped van kitchen.
Recipe from Episode 1
Jonathon’s Fresh Squid Pasta
Ingredients
- 400g fresh squid, cleaned
- 300g spaghetti or linguine
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
- 1 lemon – zest and juice
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 150ml dry white wine
- 3 tbsp good-quality olive oil
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- Dried chilli flakes (optional)
Cleaning the Squid
Pull the head and tentacles away from the body – the clear quill comes out with it. Rinse the tube, peel away the purple skin, and cut the tentacles just below the eyes, squeezing out the beak. Score the tubes in a crosshatch pattern, then cut into 4–5cm pieces. This helps the squid cook quickly and curl nicely in the pan.
Method
- 1Cook the pasta. Boil well-salted water and cook spaghetti 1 minute under the packet time. Reserve a full cup of pasta water before draining.
- 2Get the pan ripping hot. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and wait until it shimmers.
- 3Sear the squid. Add squid in a single layer – don’t crowd the pan. Cook 60–90 seconds without touching, flip, cook another 30 seconds. Remove and set aside. Work in batches if needed.
- 4Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil, then garlic and chilli. Sauté 60 seconds until fragrant – don’t let the garlic colour.
- 5Add the wine. Pour in white wine, bubble for 1–2 minutes, scraping up the caramelised pan bits. Reduce by half.
- 6Toss the pasta in. Add drained pasta and a generous splash of pasta water. Toss on the heat for a minute until the sauce coats the pasta. Add more water if needed.
- 7Return the squid. Add back to the pan with the lemon zest and a good squeeze of juice. Toss to combine. Season generously.
- 8Finish and serve. Off the heat, add the chopped parsley and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately – straight from the pan.
Camp Cooking Tips
- ✓Keep squid cold until you cook it – fresh squid goes off quickly. Cook within a day of catching.
- ✓Hot and fast – a ripping hot pan and a short cook time gives you tender, lightly charred squid. Low and slow gives you rubber.
- ✓No white wine? A splash of chicken stock or extra pasta water works fine.
- ✓Check fishing rules – bag limits and size restrictions apply. Check fishing.tas.gov.au before you head out.
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Thetford Toilet – Comfort on Longer Tours
A practical look at the Thetford toilet setup and how it supports comfortable, self-contained touring. A reliable onboard toilet makes longer trips easier, giving travellers greater flexibility when staying off-grid, exploring remote areas or travelling through regions where public amenities are limited or non-existent. It is one of those essential caravan features that helps you travel further, stop where you want and enjoy the journey with added comfort and convenience.
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Camplify Short Stay: Seaford to Point Leo, Mornington Peninsula
Each episode this season features a Camplify short stay – a great caravan and camping destination closer to home, for those who want to get out without the full road-trip commitment. This episode’s pick is the Mornington Peninsula, with a route from Seaford down to Point Leo along the stunning coastline.
The Mornington Peninsula is a brilliant short-stay destination for Melbourne-based caravanners – close enough for a long weekend, with ocean beaches, bay beaches, wineries, hot springs, farm gates and coastal walks all within easy reach of a well-placed site.
Camplify Short Stay · This Season
Mornington Peninsula
📍 Seaford to Point Leo
This episode’s Camplify short stay explores the Mornington Peninsula – a taste of coastal Victoria close to home, bookended alongside the main Tassie journey.
Feature · Immerse
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Plan Your Own Tasmania Road Trip
This episode makes a great starting point for anyone planning a caravan trip through Tasmania. Here’s the Episode 1 route as a suggested itinerary you can build on.
Suggested itinerary
Episode 1 – Melbourne To Bicheno
- 1Board the Spirit of Tasmania – departs Port Melbourne, arrives Devonport. Overnight crossing.
- 2Drive to Deloraine – approx. 45 min from Devonport. Settle in before heading to The Truffle Farm.
- 3The Truffle Farm – book ahead, allow 2–3 hours for the full experience.
- 4Drive to Bicheno – approx. 2.5 hrs via the Midland Highway and east coast. Check in to Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park.
- 5The Lobster Shack – lunch stop in Bicheno. Arrive around midday.
- 6Freycinet Marine Farm – approx. 20 min south of Bicheno. Book the farm experience ahead.
- 7Tasman Sea Salt – approx. 2.5 hrs south on the Tasman Peninsula. Allow a half-day.
- 8Squid fishing – early morning or dusk sessions work best on the east coast.
Steph’s Traveller Notes
“The best thing about this episode is how much it shows that Tasmania is not just a destination – it’s a touring experience. You’re not rushing from one attraction to the next. You’re catching the ferry, rolling off with your caravan, following the produce trail, meeting the locals and tasting the island as you go. For caravanners, that’s the dream.”
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