Ross Hotel in Tasmania: Midland Highway Road Trip Guide

The Ross Hotel in Ross, Tasmania, sits at the midpoint of the Midland Highway between Hobart and Launceston — and it is currently closed for renovations, according to Visit Ross Tasmania. The practical planning question is how to build the drive around that closure: use Ross as the halfway heritage stop, and base overnight stays in Hobart or Launceston.

Last checked: 2026-10-12

Venue Name: The Ross Hotel (formerly Man O’Ross) · Address: 35 Church Street, Ross TAS 7209 · Contact: (03) 6381 5445 / hello@therosshotel.com.au · Current Status: Closed for renovations (opening hours suspended)

What Town Is Halfway Between Hobart and Launceston?

Ross is the town that answers the halfway question. It is the only major settlement on the Midland Highway at the midpoint, roughly 120 km from Hobart (about 1.5 hours) and 75 km from Launceston (about 55 minutes).

Why Ross holds the title

The Midland Highway is the direct corridor between the two cities, and Ross’s position places the town at the driving midpoint rather than at a distant edge of the route. That geography makes the town the natural rest point of the drive.

Population of Ross, Tasmania

Ross has roughly 500 residents. The centre is compact, with the hotel, the main intersection, and the bridge precinct grouped around the highway rather than spread out.

The Ross Hotel and local attractions

The Ross Hotel — formerly Man O’Ross — is the town’s principal hospitality building. Regional tourism body Visit Ross lists the property as closed for renovations and points travellers to the hotel’s Facebook page for updates; no reopening date has been published. The town’s other landmark is the historic sandstone bridge and the riverside scenery immediately around it.

What this means: Ross remains the logical halfway stop, but until the hotel reopens, plan it as a lunch-and-look stop rather than an overnight one.

Ross Hotel key facts

Getting to Ross: location and driving details

The Ross Hotel is at 35 Church Street, Ross TAS 7209, on the Midland Highway corridor. From Hobart, count about 120 km and 1.5 hours; from Launceston, about 75 km and 55 minutes.

If you are flying in, Hobart’s airport is the major gateway; from there, Ross is about 1.5 hours up the highway. The Cradle Mountain leg starts from the Launceston end, so travellers usually run the corridor from Hobart to Launceston and stop in Ross in the middle.

Is It Better to Stay in Hobart or Launceston?

The short answer depends on your flight and your next destination. Hobart holds the state’s major airport, so most self-drive itineraries start there. Launceston is the closer overnight base if Cradle Mountain is on the plan, because the drive from Launceston to the park is significantly shorter than from Hobart — a difference that matters for a day trip.

Pros of staying in Hobart

• Major airport for arrivals
• Southern Tasmania’s sights reachable without changing base
• Richmond, a heritage village, lies on the Hobart side of the route north

Pros of staying in Launceston

• About 55 minutes to Ross
• Closer access to Cradle Mountain
• Shorter final leg if you drive Hobart to Launceston in one day

Adding Cradle Mountain to your plan

Cradle Mountain changes the arithmetic. From Launceston, a day trip is manageable, with the park accessible via a winding road. From Hobart, the same round trip consumes the entire day behind the wheel, with little daylight left in the park. The corridor’s geography puts the practical route in this order: Hobart → Ross → Launceston → Cradle Mountain.

Hobart vs Launceston vs Ross as a route base

Pros and cons of each base

The trade-off: Hobart wins on arrivals, Launceston wins on Cradle Mountain, and Ross wins the midday pause. Let the flight and the next destination decide the overnight.

How Long Does It Take to Drive from Hobart to Launceston?

The non-stop drive is about 2.5 hours on the Midland Highway. With stops, plan a half-day: the route’s usual stops are Richmond on the Hobart side, Oatlands on the highway before Ross, and Ross at the midpoint.

Best stops to break up the drive

• Richmond: heritage village on the Hobart side of the route.
• Oatlands: heritage town on the highway before Ross.
• Ross: the halfway settlement, with the sandstone bridge and the closed Ross Hotel.

Distance and drive time from both cities

From Hobart, Ross is about 120 km and 1.5 hours; from Launceston, about 75 km and 55 minutes. The Midland Highway links the two directly, so the corridor is a straight north-south run rather than a mountain route; the winding section is saved for the Cradle Mountain leg.

A two-day itinerary using Ross as the halfway anchor

1. Day 1, morning: leave Hobart by 9:00am and drive the 1.5-hour leg to Ross.
2. Day 1, midday: spend 60–90 minutes in Ross — bridge precinct, Georgian streetscape, and a main-street lunch. The hotel is closed, so this is an open-air stop.
3. Day 1, afternoon: continue about 55 minutes to Launceston for the night.
4. Day 2: drive to Cradle Mountain and return the same evening.

Prefer Hobart as the base? The route works in reverse, but the Cradle Mountain leg becomes a full driving day; the northern option needs the Launceston overnight rather than a day trip from Hobart.

The catch: the 2.5-hour non-stop drive is easy to overestimate; the stops are the productive part of the day, and Ross is the one that splits the leg cleanly in half.

What’s in Ross, Tasmania?

Ross is a town of about 500 people at the Midland Highway’s midpoint. Its visible sights cluster around the historic sandstone bridge, the Georgian streetscape along Church Street, and the Ross Hotel at 35 Church Street — the building that anchors the main intersection but is currently closed for renovations.

The Ross Hotel (currently closed for renovations)

The hotel now trades as The Ross Hotel and was previously known as Man O’Ross. Visit Ross lists it as closed for renovations and directs travellers to the hotel’s Facebook page for renovation updates; no reopening date has been confirmed.

“The Ross Hotel is currently closed for renovations.”

— Regional tourism authority

Ross Hotel spec sheet

The Ross Hotel timeline

• Pre-closure: the property traded as Man O’Ross before adopting the Ross Hotel name.
• May 2020: a Hotels.com listing (on its Hoteis.com domain) reported the hotel closed for accommodation, while the platform allegedly continued to list it.
• May 2021: one guest report on the same listing claimed the property was closed on 24 and 25 May despite a confirmed booking.
• Current: Visit Ross reports the hotel closed for renovations; no reopening date is published.

Ross Bridge and scenery

Ross’s sandstone bridge and its river setting are the town’s principal scenery; the streetscape around Church Street gives the centre its Georgian character. These are public sights, so the hotel closure does not close them.

The Riverview and community vibe

The Riverview is listed in the regional visitor guidance as a separate accommodation option in Ross with a scenic setting — the practical alternative for an overnight in town while the hotel is closed. The main street stays active around the highway, and the midpoint location keeps the town a regular stop for drivers on the corridor.

What to watch: the reopening date on the hotel’s Facebook page. Until it appears, treat Ross as a daylight destination, and let The Riverview cover any overnight need in town.

Which Is Closer to Cradle Mountain, Hobart or Launceston?

Launceston is closer. The drive from Launceston to Cradle Mountain is shorter than from Hobart — a difference that changes how you structure a day trip.

Distance from Launceston vs Hobart

The round trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain is an extensive drive. From Launceston, the same day trip is shorter, which changes how much daylight you have at the park.

Is the drive difficult?

The final approach to Cradle Mountain involves winding roads, so travel time can stretch in traffic or wet weather. The Midland Highway section between Hobart and Launceston is the simpler part of the drive; the mountain road at the end is where drivers should add buffer.

Why this matters: if Cradle Mountain is a fixed part of the plan, Launceston should anchor the trip — the time saving each way changes the shape of the day.

Which traveller types fit Ross best?

The pattern: the travellers who get the most from Ross treat it as a pause, not a destination — the bridge precinct sits at the 120 km mark from Hobart and 75 km from Launceston, and the town rewards a stop of 60–90 minutes.

Operating heritage alternatives near the Midland Highway

While the Ross Hotel is closed, travellers who want an operating heritage stay can anchor the route at either end. Richmond, on the Hobart side, and Launceston, at the northern end, both have operating heritage pub and boutique accommodation in the mid-range band.

Readers comparing single-name hotels across regions can apply the same verified-facts method in our Banksia Hotel Review and our Crown Hotel Guide: Ownership, Locations & Prices Compared, both of which weigh name-shared properties against independent review data.

The implication: with the Ross Hotel temporarily out of service, the practical alternative is not another Ross — it is a Richmond or Launceston base with Ross as the drive-day centrepiece.

Planning context for a Tasmanian road trip

All costs in this guide are in Australian dollars (AUD). Tasmania’s busiest travel window is the southern summer, roughly December to February; spring and autumn bring lighter traffic and cooler walking weather on the Midland Highway.

Driving in Australia is on the left-hand side of the road. The Midland Highway is the principal north-south corridor; the winding approach to Cradle Mountain is the section that needs the extra time.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line for Midland Highway travellers

The bottom line: Ross is the halfway town on a 2.5-hour drive, and the Ross Hotel’s closure does not close the town. Stop at the bridge precinct, base the night in Launceston if Cradle Mountain is next or in Hobart if you flew into the major airport, and follow the hotel’s Facebook page for the reopening date before you adjust any booking.

Sources

• Visit Ross Tasmania — Ross Hotel (renovation status)
• Hotel Ross Meissen — official hotel page
• HRS — Ross Hotel Stuttgart listing
• Tripadvisor — The Ross, Killarney
• Hotels.com — The Ross, Killarney
• Hoteis.com (Hotels.com) — Ross Hotel, Ross, Australia listing