Tasmania Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving in Tasmania
Tasmania drives on the left and you can use the photo licence of any country to drive here, providing it’s written in Roman alphabet. Drivers from other countries need their own licence plus an international driving permit. Speed limits are 50kmh in built up areas and 100kmh in rural areas unless otherwise indicated by roadside signs. Some freeways have a limit of 110kmh, which will be displayed on roadside signs.
Tasmania has 24,000km of roads which are given alphanumerical numbers and are classed as-
Trunk roads – major highways
Regional freight roads – Main regional roads connecting trunk roads primarily for commercial traffic
Regional access roads – Main regional roads connecting trunk roads
Feeder roads –Connecting urban areas and tourist sites
Other roads – local roads
The following roads are classified as trunk roads-
National Route 1 – Bass Highway – Burnie-Devonport-Launceston
Brooker Highway – Hobart to Northern suburbs
A6 – Davey Street – Central Hobart
B36- Domain Highway-Links Tasman Highway and Brooker Highway
A8 East Tamar Highway -Launceston to Low Head
A6 Macquarie Street- Central Hobart
National Route 1- Midland Highway -Hobart to Launceston
A6 Southern Outlet- Hobart to Southern suburbs
A3- Tasman Highway -Hobart to Hobart Airport
Main routes are generally in good condition but roads in highland and mountain areas may be slippery or icy at any time of the year. Some roads, including main routes can be winding in places including the Lyell Highway between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown and the road from Queenstown to Strahan; the A3 Tasman Highway between Scottsdale and St Helens, and most roads into the remoter parts of the state including Cradle Mountain.
Driving style is generally good, with most drivers abiding by road rules. On smaller roads in rural areas, expect to be sharing the road with slow moving vehicles and occasional wandering livestock.
Tasmania has some renowned scenic drives including the Coast to Coast from Port Arthur to Launceston; The Convict Trail from Richmond to the Tasman National Park and Port Arthur Historic Site along the Tasman Peninsula, and the Great Eastern Coastal drive from Orford to St.Helens.
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Tasmania Car Rental –
Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, National,Avis, Budget, Thrifty have outlets here. Also usually features on Car rental broker sites s and Web discount sites such as Expedia
We currently have no local car rental partners in Tasmania. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com