The harbour at Kettering

Wilkins Tourist Maps produces a free map in this area. You can pick up a Huon Valley and Channel map from accommodation houses, attractions and businesses, and some information centres in towns in this area.

Select an area from below to automatically open it on this page.

SEE TOURING MAP

  
© Copyright Peter W. Wilkins

THE CHANNEL & BRUNY ISLAND

Following the d'Entrecasteaux Channel

The Channel area mainly follows the Derwent River coast south from Hobart passing through some major towns and then the smaller fishing and agricultural towns further south. The highway continues around the coast until it reaches Huonville and The Huon area.

Main towns along the way are:
Kingston, Blackmans Bay, Margate, Snug, Kettering, Woodbridge, Middleton, Howden and Cygnet, to mention only a few in this popular touring area. Then of course there is Bruny Island.

One of the first stops from Hobart along the Channel Highway past the Casino, is at Taroona, a southern suburb, where you will visit the Shot Tower, a fascinating building where molten lead was dropped from a height into cold water to make shot for ammunition.
Continue along the coast to Kingston and Blackmans Bay, the third largest town in Tasmania after Hobart and Launceston, and visit the beaches and coffee shops. Continue south.

At Margate you will see the Margate Train, and a new complex in Woodbridge, Peppermint Bay, offers a wide variety of local produce and has a ferry service running to and from it from Hobart.

THE HUON VALLEY

The Huon area mainly follows the Highway south from Hobart through Kingston to Huonville and south to Cockle Creek, the most southerly road in Australia. From Huonville the road leads south and east to Cygnet and follows the coast throughThe Channel area back to Hobart.

Main towns along the way are:
Kingston, Grove, Huonville, Franklin, Geeveston, Dover, Southport and Cockle Creek, to mention only a few in this popular touring area. Then of course there is the Tahune Forest Airwalk, the Wooden Boat display at Franklin, and the historic Hastings Caves to visit.

There are dozens of things to do in the Huon Valley from visiting craft shops and galleries to buying fresh food and produce and visiting museums such as the Huon Valley Apple Centre and learning the history of apples and hops which made the Huon famous.
Activities on the river are popular and the main interest is in the Huon Pine forests which cover the southern regions. A Forestry Centre at Geeveston will tell you all you need to know. Don't miss the Tahune Forest Airwalk or the Arve River Forest Drive. See a recent story of my visit to the caves here.

The Hastings Caves are one of the most popular attractions in the Huon Valley. Located amidst the rainforest, a short drive from Geeveston, the caves and Thermal Springs are a pleasant respite in your travels.

From the caves turn-off you can head south through Ida Bay, Lune River and Catamaran to Cockle Creek The most southerly driveable road in Australia.