I'm going to tasmania for a week 27th dec 2003 to 3rd jan 2004, flying
into and out of Hobart. Can anyone suggest a good itinery?

In one week you will have time to cover quite a bit of ground.  It
only takes abour three hours to drive from the north of the island to
the south.  Here are a few suggestions.  The south west wilderness is
one of the great untouched areas on Earth.  You can drive out to the
edge of it and if you are fit and equipped you can trek into some very
spectacular places.  On the west coast of Tasmania is a small town
called Strahan.  There is a huge natural harbour here, Macquarie
Harbour almost totally surrounded by magnificent wilderness.  There is
plenty of accommodation in Strahan, it is a cosy little outpost.  In
the centre of Tasmania there are some spectacular national parks;
Cradle Mountain NP accessible from the towns along the N coast of
Tassie.  And the Lake St Clair NP accessible from the road out of
Hobart.  You can trek between the two NPs but you will not have enough
time for this.  An interesting day trip from Hobart is the Port Arthur
penal colony set up by the British and where convicts from England
were transported to.  The place is well preserved and is a haunting
place to visit.  Hobart is in a very beautiful setting; situated on a
huge natural harbour and backed by a large mountain.  Temps for Dec
Jan are 20-30 C. max and 14-18 C. min.  The best guide to Tasmania is
produced by Lonely Planet.