From Living in Paris to Touring Tasmania in a Van

In February 2016, as I just got back from Singapore, it was time for me to leave home for 6 months. I terminated my lease, put away most of what I owned in a storage unit, and went on to board my plane with the rest of my clothes packed tightly into a small suitcase.
Boy oh boy… I had not even the slightest idea about what I was about to experience.
My home for 6 months became a small flat in Central Sydney.

If you’re thinking of moving to Sydney too, check out this great checklist of 10 tips

Sydney acted as my headquarters, and from there I travelled through Australia. Not even 2 weeks after settling down under, it was time to get moving.

Located 2 hours away from Sydney by plane, Tasmania is well within reach (both spatially and financially).

I was travelling with 5 friends I had just met in Sydney; we rented the biggest camper van we could, and packed our bag. Back then I was using a small and very unconvenient backpack, I hadn’t discovered yet .We then embarked on our 2 weeks journey through the Tasman wilderness.

The feeling you get when you wake up with a view on the beach from your bed; pure freedom.

Our Tasman road trip was all about exploration: we drove from one amazing spot to the other, and walked our way up to epic locations. Hikes were aplenty, and varied in lengths and difficulties, from ” ‘Tis but a breeze” to “Holy cow what did I get myself into???” And the latter is exactly the type we did on our second day; 5 hours return, through uneven stones and roots.

“Was the view worth it?”, you ask?

Well…

Despite the “only” 5 hours needed to complete the trail, we spent the whole day at Cape Raoul. We ate lunch on top of the cliffs, contemplating the sheer beauty of the area, lost in our thoughts, with a smile on our face.

As we had only 2 weeks on the island, we decided to go only for day hikes, as opposed to overnight or traverse hikes. That’s the beauty of Tasmania, offering so many diverse locations and options, but that’s also where lies the trap: you could spend 4 days going around Cape Pillar, or 1 week around Cradle Mountain (see more here!), only to realise afterwards that there are so many places you missed!

Choices, oh how I hate choices.

“Hiking to reach astonishing viewpoints only opens up your eagerness to explore”

Are you dreading long walks? Fear not, for there are stunning places accessible by car. You can also lay down on a secluded beach and just relax with not a care in the world as you feel the sun on your skin and listen to the sound of the ocean.

With 520,000 inhabitants, half of those located in the capital, Hobart, Tasmania really is a destination to consider if you’re overwhelmed by crowds, or fed up with touristy locations. If you stick to the most popular spots, you might encounter other travellers/locals – we met under 50 people on the whole day spent at Cradle Mountain.

However, Tassie, as nicknamed by the locals, is filled with beauty. You can just pick about any spot you want, and I bet you won’t be disappointed in the slightest way.

The weather varies greatly throughout the year, ranging from dry heat to blistering cold; I advise you to look it up and pick the best season depending on the kind of mood you’re after.

I was there in late summer. It was bright and sunny most of the time, but we experienced some soaking rains, and I can assure you the mood then changes dramatically. We went out anyway, threading the muddy paths along the shore, feeling like Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

To me, this is what makes the beauty of Tasmania. Diversity.

You could be bathing in a deep blue water, under a rainbow, watching dolphins in the distance (yes, that happened), then 2 hours later you’ll be hiking up a mountain to enjoy the view over Freycinet Peninsula, and 4 hours later you’ll be walking in a lustful jungle towards an unspoilt waterfall (if you plan to shoot waterfalls, be sure to bring this bad boy with you!)

Crafting the Mood – Editing

When shooting on location, I’m shooting RAW. This means the file has more data, allowing you to edit the picture afterward with much more depth. However, it also means the pictures don’t look that good straight out of the camera.
To me, the edit is as important as taking the shot. That’s when I’m really creating the mood for my images, and deciding what emotions I want to create for the viewers.

You can see below the before/after of the pictures (tap on a picture to show the before/after)

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