Short answer: yes. Slightly longer answer: yes. So you can either take my word for it, or I can prove my point by sharing the places that a bus tour or rideshare simply won’t take you.
Hobart and Launceston are genuinely great cities. Good coffee, better food, and enough culture and history to fill your days without ever getting bored. But Tasmania’s real magic doesn’t happen within city limits. A hire car isn’t just convenient in Tasmania – it’s the difference between seeing the highlights and experiencing it.
The Cities Are Just the Starting Point
There’s no denying Hobart and Launceston pull their weight. Hobart brings MONA, one of the most talked about galleries in the country, along with the Saturday buzz of Salamanca Market and the historic charm of Battery Point. Launceston counters with Cataract Gorge, a genuinely stunning natural gorge you can walk to from the CBD, plus a food and wine scene that punches well above its size.
But treat either city as the whole trip, and you’re only getting a fraction of what Tasmania actually offers. The island’s best moments are scattered across coastlines, national parks and small towns, that a bus tour company wouldn’t be able to offer you.
Where a Hire Car Actually Takes You
Ok so now to actually prove my point. Here’s a list of places that a rental car can take you:
Cradle Mountain
One of Tasmania’s most iconic landscapes, and not somewhere you stumble across by accident. The drive out to Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park rewards you with the classic view over Dove Lake, plus walking trails ranging from an easy lakeside stroll to the full Overland Track for the more ambitious.
Freycinet National Park & Wineglass Bay
The postcard shot of Tasmania, a perfect white sand crescent against turquoise water, is only reachable by a windy road, followed by a walk up to the lookout. Coles Bay, the gateway town, makes a great base for a night or two, with Bicheno and its little penguin colony just up the coast.
Bruny Island
A short drive south of Hobart gets you to the ferry across to Bruny Island, where cheese, oysters, whisky and honey producers are dotted along quiet country roads. It’s a full day trip that’s essentially impossible without your own wheels, the island’s charm is in the meandering, not the destination.
Port Arthur & the Tasman Peninsula
History buffs will want to allow a full day for the Port Arthur Historic Site, one of Australia’s most significant convict-era locations. The drive down the Tasman Peninsula also takes in dramatic coastal formations like the Tessellated Pavement and Devils Kitchen, all easy stops along the way.
Bay of Fires
Up on the northeast coast, the Bay of Fires is known for its bright orange lichen-covered granite boulders against white sand and impossibly blue water. It’s remote, quiet, and exactly the kind of spot that rewards travellers willing to drive a little further than most.
The West Coast & Strahan
Wilder, wetter and far less crowded than the east coast, a drive out to Strahan opens up Tasmania’s rugged west, think Gordon River cruises, rainforest walks, and a real sense of how untamed parts of the island still are.
Why Driving Beats the Alternative
Tasmania’s attractions are spread out, and public transport between them is limited at best. A hire car means:
- Freedom to chase the weather: Tasmania’s conditions change fast, and having your own vehicle means you can shift plans to wherever the sun actually is that day.
- Access to places tour companies skip: small wineries, quiet beaches and lookouts that don’t make it onto a standard coach itinerary.
- Flexibility on timing: linger at Wineglass Bay a little longer, or leave Cradle Mountain earlier if the weather turns, without being tied to a schedule.
- The ability to combine regions: east coast beaches, central highlands, and west coast wilderness are all realistically achievable in one trip, but only with your own transport connecting them.
So, Is It Worth It?
If your Tasmania trip begins and ends in Hobart or Launceston, you’ll have a genuinely good time, but you’ll also be seeing a small slice of what the island actually offers. Tasmania rewards travellers who get off the main strip and into the wilderness, and a hire car is what makes that possible. Between the mountains, the coastlines, the wildlife and the wineries, the real Tasmania is out on the open road, you just need a perfect set of wheels to go find it.
