Now that it is my third winter living in Tasmania, I have had the chance to discover a few different snowy areas over these past years. The beauty of living somewhere as small as Tassie is that you never have to drive further than an hour or two in the midst of winter to find some snow. For a snapshot of my favourite spots to frolick in the snow, take a look below.
1. Mount Wellington
For those who live in the south or who come to visit Tassie's capital city, Mount Wellington is definitely the easiest place to get to in order to see some snow in winter. You can reach the summit by car from the centre of Hobart in about 15 minutes, which gives spectacular views of the city. If the mountain has received a heavy dumping of snow, part of the road may be closed to traffic, however there are numerous walking tracks up the mountain, so it is easy to park your car at one of the carparks and go for a walk or run in the snow from there. Dave and I took Moose up Mount Wellington earlier this week and he had such a great time running and jumping through the woods in the snow.
2. Ben Lomond National Park
If you are looking to do some skiing in Tasmania, Ben Lomond National Park is the place to visit. Located about 45 minutes' drive from Launceston, this is a popular spot for those living in the north. When we were living in Launceston, I visited Ben Lomond three times, and took another trip there last year when we were living in Burnie. While the skiing is not quite on par with Banff, Zermat or Whistler, if you are looking for a fun day on the slopes without needing to hop on a plane or take annual leave to drive 6+ hours to the ski fields, then Ben Lomond is the place to go. If you don't have a 4WD or chains for your car, then it's best to drive up the mountain to the shuttle buses, which will take you the rest of the way along the windy Jacob's Ladder to the top of the mountain.
3. Cradle Mountain
One of the most picturesque places in Tasmania to see the snow has to be Cradle Mountain. Living in Burnie last year meant that we were less than 90 minutes' drive from Cradle Mountain, and managed to visit it a couple of times during winter. If you can, I'd recommend staying a night or two at one of the hotels, lodges or motels in the area so that you can really make the most of the stunning scenery here. There are a range of walks that you can do at Cradle Mountain, many of which will definitely give you the opportunity to hike through plenty of snow.
4. Great Lake
Last weekend when a friend of ours came to visit, we decided to drive north for a couple of hours to the Great Lake area, where we found ourselves driving through a fair amount of falling snow. We had Moose in the car, and when we came across the Great Lake Hotel at Miena, we decided to stop off and let him have a run through the snow, along with another husky friend that he met. There were a few families building snowmen, a number of others enjoying the roaring open fire inside the pub, and all in all, a whole lot of content people enjoying a Saturday out in nature.
5. Mount Field National Park
A couple of months ago, Dave and I did a day hike at Mount Field National Park. It was late May when we went, and there was a fair amount of frost along the track, though sadly no snow at that time. However, in recent weeks, there has been a substantial amount of snowfall on the mountain, and I've seen some stunning shots of the scenery of Mount Field lately. As it is less than 2 hours' drive from Hobart, it is easy to make a day trip out there to enjoy the snow.
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