It is a long drive from one corner of Tasmania to the other (East to West) – Hobart to Strahan.
All of 300 km – not too long a distance except that we were on a ‘leisurely drive’, with stops aplenty at scenic spots, plus a coffee break here and there. The road passes through a lot of pretty villages and open stretches of countryside and runs alongside the Derwent River for quite a bit.
This would mean about 6 hours or longer.
So, we decided to stop somewhere along the way. It was a bit of a problem finding a place to spend a night because there were not many options for good accommodation on this route. Eventually we chose the scenic village of Ellendale to spend a night. It is about 80 mins drive from Hobart, although it was not exactly mid-way but closer to Hobart.
Here’s our driving route.
A bit about Ellendale
The population of Ellendale, like other small villages around the world, is just 285 (as of 2021)! The River Derwent, the Broad River, and the Jones River all flow through the area.
It was May, almost close to Winter in Tasmania. Temperatures were about 15 deg C max and dropped to about 4 deg C at night. We were happy to find that the cottage that we chose had ample heating arrangements – both log fire and electric heater.
The cottage was a fully self-contained, open plan studio overlooking a lake adjacent to the Jones River, in the tranquil township of Ellendale, set within a 400-acre working farm. The best part was the veranda overlooking a lake with sheep wandering around taking sips from the lake. The farm also offered lovely views of the southern midlands.
The absolutely unique feature of this farm is that it had its own hydro-electric power plant!!
A self-designed Hydro Generator
A stream runs down a hillside at one corner of the farm. A pipe brings the stream’s water to a small power station, built by the host, which churns out 15 KW for use by the farm itself, and several nearby homes in Ellendale. This self-designed hydro generator does not require a dam. The 30-meter drop of the water is enough to run the turbine!
Needless to say, we had a good look at the power plant, and also climbed the hill to check out the stream and the surrounding hillside.
Jones River Waterfall
We walked through the farm and further for half hour to find this lovely waterfall. We spent some time admiring the fall and taking pictures.
Mount Field National Park and Russell Falls
We were happy to find a national park and a popular waterfall about half hour drive from the cottage.
The main charm of Russell falls is that it is home to one of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks. It is classified as an “easy trail”. It passes beneath towering mountain ash trees and a host of other cool-temperate rainforest species.
The walk to the falls starts just from the back of the Mount Field visitor centre which was very convenient for us. There is a small grotto just before the falls inhabited by a colony of glow-worms.
It was lovely to watch the water cascade gently over multiple levels. There are two paths to the fall and we took one path to reach and another to return looping back to the fern filled creek.
THE LYELL HIGHWAY
The Lyell Highway (A10), on which we drove all the way from Hobart to Strahan, has both single lane stretches and two-lane stretches without any barrier in between. It is single lane especially in mountainous areas (that have some challenging slopy and curvy terrain) and two lane on straight stretches.
Some of the places where you could stop, or take a walk for a leg-stretch, are:
– The Wall in the Wilderness
– Area between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown
– Iron Blow lookout and Burberry lake near Queenstown
We passed through Tassie’s most picturesque driving road, which locals call the 99 Bends.
The 99 Bends refers to a section of the Lyell Highway just outside of Queenstown on the West Coast, between Queenstown and Gormanstan. It is also a popular spot in the Targa Tasmania Rally.
The 4 km road is well maintained, and the tarmac is silky-smooth, with a few sections that are quite steep. It is a fun drive, though very short, especially because this section of Tasmania is quite remote and you are likely to have the road to yourself. But a couple of points need to be borne in mind:
– Some people like to come out here to test the limit of their cars, so you might just find a speedster charging at you as you go around a blind curve.
– Ponderous logging and mining trucks occasionally use this road, and one has to watch out for them.
Queenstown to Strahan
The last part of the road between Queenstown and Strahan is twisty and bad surfaced. There is nothing to see for about 45 mins to an hour till you reach Strahan.
It’s just a very winding road. It was built along the route of an old aboriginal track. They chose not to walk through any creek, so it follows a meandering path through the bush. It’s not dangerous – just slow.
The route from Queenstown to Strahan was 41 km and the journey took 45 minutes. Along the way there was nothing interesting to stop for.
We reached Strahan and enjoyed a couple of pleasant days here.
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Such a beautiful spot! I had no idea about Ellendale before reading this, but now it’s definitely on my list for a future trip to Tasmania. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ellendale is so charming. Hard to believe less than 300 people live there.
Ellendale sounds like a lovely small town to stay overnight and how wonderful, that a local has created an off grid electric supply, with nature. Many years again I travelled along this road to Strahan, and enjoyed the rugged Strahan coastline.
Ellendale looks like such a beautiful and peaceful place. I could really use a visit there!
I hadn’t heard of this place before! It looks so charming and beautiful. I would love to see the falls.
I would certainly be looking for a place to stop as well on the 300km drive from Hobart to Strahan. We would love travelling the stretch of road with the “99 Bends”. The cottage you stayed at in Ellendale looks quite charming. Great to have so many good waterfalls close by. We will keep this in mind if we ever manage to get our visit to Tasmania booked.
Ellendale looks like such a charming and peaceful stop on the way from Hobart to Strahan! The farm stay with a veranda overlooking the lake sounds like the perfect place to unwind, especially with the sheep wandering around—what a picturesque scene! Also, Russell Falls and the Jones River Waterfall sound like must-visit spots for a scenic detour. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful hidden gem in Tasmania!
This sounds like the absolute perfect leisurely drive, and a beautiful cottage to spend the night in is such a great bonus! Tasmania is high on my list to spend considerable time. I love the picturesque views and small towns and have had fun exploring them through this post and others on your blog.
I’d never heard of Ellendale. Staying at the farm with sheep ambling by, and close to a national park, sounds like a great stopping point.
Such a pretty village on Tasmania, lovely houses and beautiful waterfalls…
I also don’t like driving all day and always try to break up long distances to experience more of a country. Tasmania has been on my list for a while, and the distances there seem quite vast. Ellendale looks lovely, and Russell Falls seems truly impressive! Thanks for the beautiful photos!
Ellendale looks like it would be such a lovely spot to explore and discover more of! It seems like the ideal spot for a summer road trip through, where you can stop and spot all of the local attractions and enjoy its natural beauty, too.
Ellendale sounds like such a pretty and relaxing place, the perfect one to break your trip for an overnighter. The cottage looks very charming as well, and I love that it has that cute veranda overlooking the water. It’s great that there were a few things to do in Ellendale as well, like the Russel Falls. Shame that the road to Strahan wasn’t scenic and it was in such bad shape. I love driving but I get bored if there are no pretty views along the road.
Ellendale is charming. I can imagine myself spending a weekend there. It seems so relaxing and serene.
Also, thank you for the heads-up regarding the road between Queenstown and Strahan. This is good to know.
The drive from Hobart to Stratham looks like quite a scenic one with 99 bends stretch a smooth one. The village of Ellendale idyllic and it’s surprising that it has a population of just 285 people. And the view of the midlands from the cottage is spectacular! And it’s amazing that the farm has its own hydroelectricity generator.
Ellendale is such a beautiful, charming village. Staying in a tiny cottage in the midst of a tiny village is just perfect. I’d love to do that. Tasmania has 60 great short-walks? That’s a perfect start to build my itinerary. The hike to Russell falls & the falls itself, looks awesome.
Ellendale looks so peaceful and picturesque at the same time! What a great idea to break the driving and see something interesting too. Good to know such a pretty falls as Russell Falls has an easy trail. Tasmania remains one of my bucket list places to visit one day.