Hobart - Launceston via Tasman Highway (Hwy 3)
Total distance 330km
All distances measured from Hobart

The Tasman Highway (Hwy3) is a more scenic route than the Midland Highway (Hwy 1) as it hugs the east coast for a lot of the journey and starts out by crossing the Derwent River via the Tasman Bridge - once the scene of a major disaster when a ship collided with one of the pylons.

Another water crossing, this time over Pitt Water, takes us to the junction with the Arthur Highway (Hwy 9) at Sorell (25km)where a right turn would take us down to the old convict settlement of Port Arthur - scene of a shooting tragedy some years ago.

Our route turns left here and continues inland through Buckland (63km) to reach the coast at Orford (80km) . From here we pass through a number of attractive coastal townships - most with long sandy beaches and many with fishing fleets bringing in the harvest from the sea.

These include Pontypool and Swansea (120km) where a number of historic building show the links with early days of settlement.
The charming little coastal township of Bicheno (163km) is our next stop and beside being a popular holiday destination the town is home for an active fishing fleet.

We continue to follow the coast for a little while after Bicheno until turning left at St Maryís Esk Main Road (Hwy 4) for the twisty and hilly drive through Fingal and Avoca to join the Midland Highway at Conara (236km). The Tasman Highway (Hwy 3) continues northwards to St Helens and eventually Scottsdale.

From Conara we follow the Midland Highway (Hwy 1) to Launceston - see the Route Notes from Hobart to Burnie via the Midland Highway.