How to travel to Swansea by Bus 

Always nice up the east coast and so good to travel by bus.

Thanks Josh. The release date for the Launceston to Devonport journey is likely to be 23rd of July and it will feature a guest appearance by a north west bus enthusiast. Cheers Pete

Nice

Thanks for such a good question and pleasing you are considering travelling in response to our RU-vids at Tasmanian Bus Journeys. I have yet to do a RU-vid on Coles Bay but will do so in about 2 months time. Your proposed journey is a good one. Catching Tassielink is no problem and drivers are very good. I suggest you do both on Tassielink 1300300520 as for Natalie and especially important to book on Callows if you are transferring services 0400570036. callows drivers are pretty good as well. Just confirming then you should catch the 737 @ 16:00 from Hobart to Swansea or the earlier 736 service if you prefer. Next day catch the 737 @ 18:15 at Swansea for Bicheno Transfer onto the 745 @ 19:05 at Bicheno. Overnight at Coles bay. Next day catch the 744 @ 7:10 to St Marys transfer onto the 740 @ 8:55 at St Marys then either go to Launceston or if you want to go back to Hobart get off at Epping Forest at 10:05 and catch the InterCity route 702 @ 10:20 at Epping Forest back in Hobart at 12:35. Just two nights away.. If you connecting to Kinetic IntercIty service at Epping Forest you must book on line or 130036000. I have not done this trip in that order but all the drivers are good and the transfers do work. Other than talking to the bus operators over the phone I would also let every driver know what you are doing. So in the uncommon situation something is running late the drivers can talk to each other. And while the transfers are pretty easy at Bicheno and Epping Forest I believe the driver of the 744 service from Coles bay may drop you off opposite the St Marys pub and you have to cross the road to the bus stop next to the pub to catch the 740 bound for Launceston. Do talk to the driver and tell him/her what you are doing. The bus stops at St Marys are old are not clearly marked for correct departures. At least when I last looked a year ago. If I were you I would be tempted to change your journey. I would travel to Swansea as planned and then to Bicheno but overnight there. The next morning I would catch the route 743 from bicheno at 6:40 and that same will become the 744 which will depart Coles Bay at 7:10 travels through St Marys to St Helens and you could overnight there and catch the 740 service next morning @ 8:15 bound for Launceston. The benefits of this approach is that you minimise transfers and staying at Bicheno overnight is usually a lot cheaper than Coles bay. And while you just experience an out and back journey to Coles Bay you would experience the fantastic run 740 from Coles Bay to St Helens and then have a good chance to look around there. Just a thought. I better stop. get back to me with any further questions. Cheers Pete

@@tasmanianbusjourneys9406 Hi Pete, Thank you very much for your suggestion. It is an excellent suggestion to stay at St. Helen which I have never thought about it. I will follow that. It seems that this is the closest bus stop close to Bay of Fires right? I must say that your video is extremely useful for me as I almost gave up on coming to Tasmania due to Bus limitations, but after watching your bus video with useful information, it has made my trip possible, so if you do the Coles Bay video in the next 2 months, it will be great to me too as I am planning to go in April next year. In the meantime, I am trying to work out the day trip from Bicheno to Coles Bay as I also find accommodation at Coles Bay is very expensive compared to Bicheno as you said, but I would like to hike at Freycinet National Park & Wineglass Bay & Hazards Beach Circuit. According to the bus timetable, I can take Bus 743 from Bicheno at 6:35 am, arriving in Coles Bay at 7:10 am, but on the way back if I travel on weekdays, Bus 745 at 4:30 pm from Coles Bay, it has a sign ”S” which operates only school days, so if I travel when the schools are closed or school holiday, meaning I can’t return at Bicheno on the same day unless I go on Saturday and could return with Bus 743 at 7:35 pm, is my understanding correct?

Hi again. yes the St Helens bus stop is the closest one to the Bay of Fires. It is 25km away. There is no regular bus service there and there may be tours you can take ? Certainly worth a visit but St Helens itself is pleasant. I have to wait till daylight savings starts in October before completing this latest series of How to Travel to. With the evening arrival of services both on the East and West coast videoing can be problematic. I have almost zero footage of Coles Bay so I am unable to re use older footage. Forthcoming videos will be how to travel to Coles Bay, Bicheno and St Helens. While April is normally ok for travel in Tasmania, especially early April, I would recommend you travel during our daylight savings period up to March. If you can. If on a bus you can just see so much more. I would travel during school terms as there are more services and yes you can do a day trip to Coles bay on any weekday as well as the Saturday, I would definitely go on that hike on the Hazards circuit. It is sensational !!! But yes your only day option during school holidays without an overnight stay in Coles bay, appears to be on the Saturday. I think you could still have a good journey. With overnights Swansea on a Thursday Bicheno Friday and Saturday nights. (Coles Bay day trip Saturday) then depart Bicheno on a Sunday at 15:30 arrive St Marys at 16:10. You could wait at St Marys (the pub serves a very good dinner) until 20:50 and catch a very late bus from St Marys to St Helens or overnight at St Marys an enchanting town, catching the 744 from St Mary next day a Monday at 8:40. In summary, if you can, go during Tasmanian school term 8 February - 12 April You can certainly ask me further questions quite ok. cheers Pete

​@@tasmanianbusjourneys9406 Hi Pete, many thanks for your suggestions. Earlier I used to think of going in March, but I was told that it is still very hot, isn’t it? But after seeing bus timetable issue and with your daylight saving suggestion, I am now reconsidering to change back to March. What time is an average sunset in March or April? As for Hazards Circuit and Wineglass Bay hiking, how long does it take and if I base in Bicheno, I should have enough time for these hiking routes in one day right? How about the following plans: - Tuesday: arriving in Hobart - Wed: Take Bus from Hobart to Mt. Wellington, staying in Hobart - Thursday: Take Bus 736 ($9.6) from Hobart at 2:30 pm from to Swansea at 4:45 pm, staying in Swansea - Friday: Take Bus 737 ($3.6) from Swansea at 6:15 pm to Bicheno (Information Center) at 6:55 pm, staying in Bicheno - Saturday: Take Bus 743 ($2.1) from Bicheno at 6:35 am to Coles Bay at 7:10 am (a day trip from Bicheno) for Wineglass Bay/ Hazards Beach Circuit. On the return, take Bus 743 from Coles Bay at 7:35 pm to Bicheno at 8:10 pm, staying in Bicheno - Sunday: Spend a relaxing time in Bicheno or find some hiking routes, staying in Bicheno - Monday: Take Bus 744($5.1) from Bicheno at 7:10 am to St. Helen at 9:20 am, staying at St. Helen - Tuesday: Take Bus 740 ($14.4) from St. Helen at 8:15 am to Launceston at10:45 am (visit Cataract Gorge), staying in Launceston - Wed: Cradle Mountain Day Tour or shuttle transfer to Cradle Mountain, Launceston or Cradle Mountain? - Thursday: Launceston or Cradle Mountain? - Friday: Take a Bus 702 ($16.8) from Launceston at 9:45 am to Hobart at 12:35 pm - Sat: Salamanca Market in Hobart - Sunday: Hobart - Sydney (to visit Sydney for 3 days) Please note that I am still finding information if I should take Cradle Mountain Day Tour or shuttle transfer to Cradle Mountain, but with the latter option it is very expensive option for both the shuttle transfer and accommodation in Cradle Mountain. I would appreciate your advice on my draft itinerary on the bus routes before I buy a ticket. I think it will fly to and from Hobart as there are Skybus from the airport and more flights options than Launceston and now no shuttle bus between Launceston Airport to the city. Thanks.

Hi again thanks for your reply. and apologies for my slow response. The RU-vid studio system did not direct me it. Here goes March is not hot in Tasmania, usually. It is probably our best month for travel. Dry and warm with daylight saving. Sunset around 7pm in march one hour earlier in April, with no daylight savings I have done the hazards walking circuit. Quite doable in a full day. Your itenaries sounds great. Well thought out. I did not check the bus fares but timetables and links are spot on. Fly to Hobart is the best option. Quick comments If going to Mt Wellington you may consider a metropolitan bus to Fern Tree and then walking up and catching a Mt Wellington bus back OR doing it the other way around. Fern Tree buses usually go on an hourly basis. It is best to go to the east Coast during daylight savings time. Especially to see that East Coast scenery on the bus. Cataract George is a must see in Launceston. Other options for you would be a quick trip up the West Tamar by bus. They run every two hours. Cradle mountain is a great destination, very popular and usually quite expensive. Depending on how keen you are about Cradle I would consider catching the Intercity to to Devonport and then exploring the North West Coast on the North West Express route 708. The North West has wonderful coastal scenery and walks as well really nice towns - small cities. Finally back in Hobart I would be tempted not spend too long at Salamanca. It is pretty commercial and has gone downhill in recent years. Perhaps spend 3 hours there from 8am and if you have had enough of it go down to the Huon Valley by the depart 11:15 bus. Great scenery and short walks in Geevston or Franklin. An alternative would be to go to Richmond on the 12:15 bus. A great historic village. I have done RU-vids on these places. Apologies again for the slow reply. Your trip sounds very worthwhile Cheers Pete