Adventures on a heart-shaped isle

With its crisp air and stunning scenery, Tasmania is ideal for a holiday, with adventures to suit every age group and palate

- Rishad Saam Mehta

Six years ago, fresh from a Tasmanian adventure, I sang its praises at our Sunday family lunch of dhansak and kebabs—a Parsi tradition. My then four-year-old niece, seemingly preoccupied with her meal, was actually soaking in my talk about spectacular locales, wide skies and soul-stirring seafood. "Tasmania stands apart and not just geographically. It ranks amongst the world's prettiest places," I had proclaimed. And she never forgot.

So when a family road trip to Australia was being planned in 2024, she voted for "the part that stands apart" to be included.

And that's how the five of us—my sister, her husband, my now 10-year-old niece, my 80-year-old mum and I—find ourselves standing at the rail of the Spirit of Tasmania as it glides into Devonport. We chose the overnight ferry from Geelong, on the mainland, to Devonport over a flight because this was 10 hours of comfortable cabins, hearty meals, buzzing bars and open seas compared to the crowded bustle and boredom of a flight. Around midnight, I had taken my niece out to the deck, Bundaberg rum and hot chocolate in hand, respectively, and pointed out southern sky constellations that light pollution in cities have long hidden from our view.

Tasmania is shaped like a heart, and Devonport sits in the top cleft. Our plan is to drive from Launceston to Hobart on the A3 that goes down the east coast. It's touted as Tasmania's most stunning drive, and I know this is no idle boast because I have driven it twice before.