When you work for 4WD Action, what do you do when you get your annual leave approved? Well, go on a 4WD adventure of course. The idea to head for the untamed west coast of Tasmania was born when halfway through February, our plans for an early Simpson crossing over April were looking bleak. With a heap of rain falling out west, we decided to weigh up the cost of some other iconic Aussie destinations.

After deciding against the Cape due to time constraints and wanting to travel further than the VIC High Country, the idea of Tassie was raised. Now, Tassie has always been one of those places we have wanted to go, but the cost of getting there had put us off. Interestingly, when we looked into it, the reduced cost of fuel due to the fewer kilometres we would be doing easily paid for the boat trip there and back again.

So it was decided, and we booked the tickets. It is best to book your tickets on the Spirit of Tasmania well in advance because they do sell out, and if you are trying to fit in a holiday within a specific timeframe, a sold-out boat can leave you stranded… We decided to take an evening boat across, which meant a scoot down the blacktop from Sydney arriving at the boat terminal around 5pm.

After checking in all gas cylinders and jerry cans, we were loaded on and ushered to our small cabin. Luckily, all we intended doing was throwing back a drink or two and hitting the sack ready for the adventures of Tassie, which would start at 6am the next morning.

Well, 6am hit and we were off the boat in Devonport, which is where our adventure would begin. Since you can't take any fruit and veg into Tasmania, you will need to find a supermarket to fill the fridge, so we headed west to Burnie for brekkie and a stock up.

From here, you will take the blacktop all the way to Arthur River, and along the way there are a handful of interesting places to visit including the Tahune Wilderness Adventure Centre. Dismal Swamp may sound depressing, but it is a great morning tea stopover, especially if you have kids. Have a go of the 110m slide that will take you down to a maze of boardwalks to give you a taste of the wild Tassie rainforest, and for only $20, why wouldn't you?

Arthur River is a tiny little coastal town about an hour and a half from Burnie, and is where you will need to stop and arrange your off-road permit from the Parks and Wildlife Office if you haven't done so online. It's also where you will need to pay your camping fees for Sandy Cape, around $6 per person.

From here, our plan was to head down along the Sandy Cape Track out to the Sandy Cape Lighthouse and camp back from the beach in the dunes for a night, before heading onto the famed Balfour Track to see if we could retrace the footsteps of Roothy and the DVD crew. Remember to check tidal times with the ranger at the Parks office, because there is a good whack of beach driving involved in this track, and if you time it wrong, you can get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.

Just out of town on the southern side is a great spot for that lunch break. The turnoff is on your right, and will take you to a great little lookout for a taste of the rugged and untamed coastline you'll be travelling.

After lunch, we headed south out of town, and before long we reached the even smaller town of Temma. Well, if you could call it a town that is – 10 small fishing huts are more like a village in our opinion. From here, the dirt road stops and the fun immediately begins.