New Deals for the Budget-Minded in Tasmania

LAUNCESTON, Tasmania —  Tasmania has several new services this year, specifically geared to student-style travelers.

Low-cost bunk accommodations have been added to the overnight ferry service from mainland Australia. New bunkhouse lodgings have been opened in one of the state’s most popular wilderness areas and in a Launceston suburb. And a new company has introduced cable-controlled “hang-gliding” for about $4 U.S.

Tasmania, Australia’s lush and rugged island state, was originally known as Van Diemen’s Land, the last stop for many convicts shipped out from Britain.

It may look like a small dot on your map, but don’t be misled. You could easily spend several weeks exploring the area, especially if you decide to make part of your way by bike.

One of the most popular ways for budget travelers to reach the island is on the Able Tasman, an overnight ferry service from Melbourne that can carry 919 passengers, plus vehicles.

It crosses from Melbourne every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This year, 64 budget bunks (with separate areas for men and women) were added.

Bunk passengers pay the lowest fare, which is about $54 until Sept. 14, when it will rise to about $70. For holiday travel, book a bunk in advance. In Melbourne call (03) 645-2766.

Before you go to the ferry, pick up a free copy of Tasmanian Travelways, an excellent publication available from the Tasmanian Travel Center, 256 Collins St., Melbourne, telephone (03) 653-7999, or in Sydney at 149 King St., telephone (02) 233-2500.

It offers schedules and rates for all the Tasmanian transportation services, plus information and telephone numbers for all types of accommodations and a wide variety of tourist services.

Most young visitors bicycle, hitchhike (not recommended), or gather small groups and rent their own vehicles. A new fleet of 30 buses is providing a special service linking popular hiking areas with key tourist centers, but it’s not cheap.

For example, Tasmanian Wilderness Services will take you from Devonport (where the ferry arrives) to the popular Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, an 80-minute trip, for about $24. If you continue to Launceston, the total will be about $49.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park is part of a wilderness area that has been listed as a World Heritage Site.

Hikers will find a network of trails, from one that takes an hour to walk to an internationally known 53-mile track that traverses the length of the park. The best hiking months are January to April.

Last year, two new bunkhouses were added in the campground area. They offer dormitory accommodation for about $11 per night.

The campground is 1.3 miles from the main lodge, where each evening the guests congregate to watch the staff use snacks to coax the wildlife into making an appearance. Possums, wallabies, native cats and the growling, howling, dog-sized Tasmanian Devil are frequent visitors.

If you want to include cycling, add a stop at Launceston’s youth hostel, which is at 36 Thistle St.

Not only does manager Doug Snare have more than 150 bicycles available for rent, but he also has produced a helpful information sheet. The 10-speed bikes rent for $7 per day or $45 per week. Youth hostel members and long-term rentals can get discounts.

While in Launceston, consider the Trevallyn State Recreation Area and Cable Hang Gliding, telephone (03) 30-1567.

The ride offers the sensation of hang gliding while being connected to a cable that guides the flight. Participants plunge off a 60-foot platform, which used to be part of a quarry, strapped to the kite-like winged apparatus, and glide to a point 650 feet away.

For more information on travel to Tasmania, contact Tourism Tasmania, 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1200T, Los Angeles 90067, (213) 552-3010.