I'm looking forward to visiting Tassie one of these days but I've heard some people mention "thousands" when they talk about fares. Is that true? How about one person with a small motorhome (ute and slide-on). Are we talking hundreds for a return trip on the ferry or thousands? I know price depends on seasonal demand but I was thinking maybe early or late summer.
PS: I should have done this before I wrote the above. I searched GN forums for the cost of the ferry trip to Tassie and found a lot of helpful info. One tip is not booking a cabin but staying in a chair instead. Another is booking well in advance to get a good discount. It also occurred to me that booking a return trip would place pressure on your stay there, so I figured a one way trip would be better, and then you could spend as long as you like having a good look around... even several months. Then you could get back online when you felt you'd been there long enough, check out the discounts and book your return accordingly. For pensioners like me, it would also mean having plenty of time to save up for the cost of the fare back to the mainland. Yeah? Down there for dancin', baby.
-- Edited by GaryKelly on Monday 18th of February 2013 12:26:11 AM
herbie said
07:01 AM Feb 18, 2013
Friends have just returned from 3 weeks in Tassie, before they went they did the maths re $$ just getting over there with tug and caravan was cheaper for them to go to Bali, isn't that sad , but that is the realality .Then they calculated caravan park fees in, and came up with the idea to over come all this they went on line and got a beaut deal with fly / drive ( car )staying in hotel/ motel and even induldged one night at a b&b ,b/fastt was included in price per night for accomodation/ linen tea/ coffee supplyed.What they saved in not taking there own tug & van almost payed 1 weeks motel account. I know this will not be for every one i am just showing you how is was for them.
Duh said
11:55 AM Feb 18, 2013
That's interesting Herbie, sure would save a lot of stress as well, along with home comforts along the way.
Maybe not the flexibility of taking your own rig but certainly worth thinking about.
Big Gorilla said
03:23 PM Feb 18, 2013
Towing a caravan can be an expensive exercise on the Spirit. I live in Tasmania several months of the year. I am booked on the Spirit to Melbourne on March 31. Total cost is $197.00 inc. Ocean recliner, my 6 meter Iveco Van over 2.4 meters high because of roof mounted aircon. That is Pensioners rate which is not always available. I don't get a bed or cabin as I can sleep ok on the reclining chairs which are like an airline business class seat. In the off season the Van costs only $79.00. It's a matter of picking the right time to travel. A recent article I read said Spirit runs at 20% capacity in the off season. This is the time to look for specials. Unfortunately the off season can take in most of winter which, if you're not used to the cold weather, can be difficult to handle.
Gerty Dancer said
05:08 PM Feb 18, 2013
We did the same as Herbies friends years ago, and took 3 teenagers with us for 10 days. Had a ball! At the time we didnt have a caravan, but we loved the cabins/motels we stayed in, they were all different, and it became part of the highlights of the trip. With your caravan/m'home it becomes better value the longer you stay in Tassie. Compare the fares for the ferry plus c/p costs plus fuel costs against fares plus accommodation plus fuel for hire car.
herbie said
10:22 PM Feb 18, 2013
Hello Garry, just giving you my two bobs worth re Visiting Tassie, For starter let me say you will not be disappointed with visiting Tassie one of the better places to visit in Oz , but remember it gets damn cold over there and i mean cold.That is the reason the cheap prices are put in place in what they call off peak. In this off Peak is the codest and some times wetest months. If you have not got your rig set up with heating and the means to be able to use it, you would need to use a caravan park to use it. And that can even become expensive in winter over there .The other thing we found when we were there was some National Parks closed for days on end , due to being so wet. Not a lot to do when it can rain for days on end and you are there to see as much as possible in a certain amount of time. The other thing also if you have a set up where you have to eat/ cook/sit, out side that would become a problem also. But every one to there own i guess, but just thought i would let you know visitting Tassie in the winter does have it's down falls .But at the end of spring and all through summer it really is the only place to be .
Regards Herbie.
neilnruth said
01:53 AM Feb 19, 2013
Gary, just check out prices for your rig. You might find that with your height and length it's not as bad as some have found. With caravans you pay for the length between the car and caravan - it's total length from front to back. That's why the prices are so steep. Some outfits are equivalent to a semi-trailer.
I'm looking forward to visiting Tassie one of these days but I've heard some people mention "thousands" when they talk about fares. Is that true? How about one person with a small motorhome (ute and slide-on). Are we talking hundreds for a return trip on the ferry or thousands? I know price depends on seasonal demand but I was thinking maybe early or late summer.
PS: I should have done this before I wrote the above. I searched GN forums for the cost of the ferry trip to Tassie and found a lot of helpful info. One tip is not booking a cabin but staying in a chair instead. Another is booking well in advance to get a good discount. It also occurred to me that booking a return trip would place pressure on your stay there, so I figured a one way trip would be better, and then you could spend as long as you like having a good look around... even several months. Then you could get back online when you felt you'd been there long enough, check out the discounts and book your return accordingly. For pensioners like me, it would also mean having plenty of time to save up for the cost of the fare back to the mainland. Yeah? Down there for dancin', baby.
-- Edited by GaryKelly on Monday 18th of February 2013 12:26:11 AM
Friends have just returned from 3 weeks in Tassie, before they went they did the maths re $$ just getting over there with tug and caravan was cheaper for them to go to Bali, isn't that sad , but that is the realality .Then they calculated caravan park fees in, and came up with the idea to over come all this they went on line and got a beaut deal with fly / drive ( car )staying in hotel/ motel and even induldged one night at a b&b ,b/fastt was included in price per night for accomodation/ linen tea/ coffee supplyed.What they saved in not taking there own tug & van almost payed 1 weeks motel account. I know this will not be for every one i am just showing you how is was for them.
Maybe not the flexibility of taking your own rig but certainly worth thinking about.
Towing a caravan can be an expensive exercise on the Spirit. I live in Tasmania several months of the year. I am booked on the Spirit to Melbourne on March 31. Total cost is $197.00 inc. Ocean recliner, my 6 meter Iveco Van over 2.4 meters high because of roof mounted aircon. That is Pensioners rate which is not always available. I don't get a bed or cabin as I can sleep ok on the reclining chairs which are like an airline business class seat. In the off season the Van costs only $79.00. It's a matter of picking the right time to travel. A recent article I read said Spirit runs at 20% capacity in the off season. This is the time to look for specials. Unfortunately the off season can take in most of winter which, if you're not used to the cold weather, can be difficult to handle.
Hello Garry, just giving you my two bobs worth re Visiting Tassie, For starter let me say you will not be disappointed with visiting Tassie one of the better places to visit in Oz , but remember it gets damn cold over there and i mean cold.That is the reason the cheap prices are put in place in what they call off peak. In this off Peak is the codest and some times wetest months. If you have not got your rig set up with heating and the means to be able to use it, you would need to use a caravan park to use it. And that can even become expensive in winter over there .The other thing we found when we were there was some National Parks closed for days on end , due to being so wet. Not a lot to do when it can rain for days on end and you are there to see as much as possible in a certain amount of time. The other thing also if you have a set up where you have to eat/ cook/sit, out side that would become a problem also. But every one to there own i guess, but just thought i would let you know visitting Tassie in the winter does have it's down falls .But at the end of spring and all through summer it really is the only place to be .
Regards Herbie.