Duration: 13 Days
Tours to Tasmania don’t get much more epic than this two-week sojourn. Expect World Heritage-listed historic sites and wilderness areas, blinding beaches and glacial lakes, with a parade of distilleries, wineries and farm-gates in between. It’s hard to pick highlights, but we’ll throw a few out there: a Wineglass Bay cruise, part of your Freycinet adventure; a Gordon River cruise along Tasmania’s wild West Coast; and a Port Arthur guided tour, among so many others. This is Tasmania touring at its finest. Day 1
Welcome to Hobart
You don’t have to venture far from your hotel to find inspiration in Hobart, Tasmania’s cool little capital. Whether you’re exploring the harbour precinct with its oh-so-tasty seafood restaurants, browsing one of the city’s applauded galleries, or easing into your Tasmania tour by kicking back in a hidden wine bar, there city doesn’t disappoint. Save room for your welcome dinner hero-ing local produce, enjoyed in the company of your fellow adventure-seekers and soon-to-be best friends.
Day 2
Hobart
From alpaca throws to woodwork, gin to garden-fresh vegetables, Salamanca Market is like creative Tasmania in a bustling snapshot. Grab a coffee and a bulging bacon-and-egg breakfast roll before navigating more than 300 stalls, wedged alongside the Salamanca precinct’s historic sandstone warehouses. Your afternoon excursions delve deep into many of the things that make Hobart great: the leafy Botanic Gardens spotlighting endemic plants, historic Battery Point and the Cascade Brewery – raspberry cider, anyone? End the day on a literal high at the Mt Nelson Lookout, offering dizzying views over the city and the River Derwent, all the way to Bruny Island in the south.
Day 3
Hobart - Strahan
From waterfalls to lakes to ancient moonscapes, today is a journey of contrasts. Not to mention blissful moments of soul revival. Exhale amid the tangle of forest that drapes Mt Field National Park, where tiered Russell Falls casts a veil of mist over the flora. Forget your worries at mirror-like Lake St. Clair, the deepest of its kind in Australia. Sigh as you skirt the World Heritage-protected Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Then revel in the serenity of Strahan on the wild West Coast of the island. Did you know you’re overlooking Macquarie Harbour, which is a whopping seven times the size of Sydney Harbour?
Day 4
Strahan - Cradle Mountain
No day that involves a cruise is a bad day. Even better if it’s the deep, dark waters of the far-flung Tassie’s Gordon River. Soak up the silence of this untouched wilderness area on your Gordon River cruise en route to Sarah Island, the state’s oldest convict settlement. Today, the island’s haunting ruins have been reclaimed by nature, enveloped by forest and twisting vines. Your commute toward immense Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park visits Rosebery – the tagline here is “welcome to the rainforest, don’t complain about the rain” – and tiny Tullah, population 165. Rest up – Cradle Mountain tours await.
Day 5
Cradle Mountain
At the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Cradle Mountain is all moss-covered ancient rainforest and deep river gorges, snow-tipped peaks, wild alpine moorlands and glacial lakes – case in point Dove Lake, where you’ll likely spot Bennett’s wallabies, echidnas and pademelons grazing. Pause at Waldheim Chalet, once the home of Gustav and Kate Weindorfer, a passionate husband-and-wife team who played a pivotal role in the park’s formation and protection. Being here, you can understand their vision: this pocket of paradise is like a salve for the soul, at once humbling and inspiring.
Day 6
Cradle Mountain - Launceston
Tasmania has its fair share of award-winning gin and whisky distilleries. Among them – and one of Australia’s pioneers when it comes to delicious drops – is Hellyers Road Distillery in Burnie. The cellar door here pours some of the tastiest tipples you’ll come across. Whisky is a breakfast drink, right? Continue expanding your palate at Mount Gnomon Farm, in the hills overlooking the petite town of Penguin. If there’s a place with a cuter name, we’re yet to locate it on a map. Here, farmer Guy Robertson is as passionate about his orchards of heritage apples as he is about the cider he makes. Sip your way through a Be My Guest lunch. Call in at quirky Sheffield, the ‘Town of Murals’ and continue through the Meander Valley to Launceston.
Day 7
Launceston
Prepare for goosebumps – Cataract Gorge is humbling. How many cities can claim they have such a lush expanse of bushland and Victorian gardens within walking distance of the CBD? Explore at your leisure. By the time you reach Josef Chromy Wines, you’ll have worked up a thirst. We’ve got you covered, with a tasting of some of the state’s finest cool-climate wines paired with lunch. Don’t miss a stroll around the verdant grounds. This afternoon is yours: an optional cruise along the Tamar River, perhaps? Or splashing out at one of the produce-driven restaurants the city is known for?
Day 8
Launceston - Bicheno
You’ll smell Bridestowe Estate well before you arrive – this lavender farm welcomes with soothing aromas (did you know that lavender is a soporific?) and addictive flavours in the form of lavender ice-cream or perhaps a spoon of honey from the half-a-million bees that graze the floral fields. Moving moments await at Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees, a series of trees carved with sculptures as an homage to fallen WWI soldiers. It’s a poignant reminder just how lucky we are today, to have Tasmania’s scene-stealing landscapes to gaze over. Be sure to head out tonight to catch a glimpse of the little penguins that call this part of the world home.
Day 9
Freycinet National Park & Wineglass Bay
There’s a reason this part of Tasmania takes home top honours for its beaches – they were made for postcards. The brilliant blue ocean follows you through Cape Tourville’s virgin eucalypt forests, with golden beaches as far as the eye can see. Perhaps the only sight more dazzling is the flawless crescent of sand that marks Wineglass Bay, your cruise boat backdropped by the dusty pink Hazards mountains of Coles Bay.
Day 10
Triabunna - Hobart
Freestone Point was once home to the world’s largest wood chip mill, built on the unceded lands of the Paredarerme people. It’s had a philosophy change, and now has forward-thinking management intent on charting a sustainable path. As if your ‘welcome to country’ at Oyster Bay wasn’t humbling enough, you’ll then have the chance to visit beehives and worm farms, assisting horticulturists propagating seeds to regenerate the area. The GPS is now set for the historic township of Richmond; explore the convict-built goal and bridge or browsing the quaint boutique shops in town. This evening is at your leisure in Hobart.
Day 11
Port Arthur
While the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site has a grim convict history, you wouldn’t know it today – the countryside is all rolling green fields and ocean views, best glimpsed on a Port Arthur guided tour with an in-the-know historian. The secrets they can tell… It’s only the place names that give Port Arthur’s harsh heritage away: cruise around the Isle of the Dead, glimpse rugged sea cliffs from Pirate’s Bay Lookout, and veer past Tasman’s Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and the Blowhole. Tonight is at your leisure in Hobart – we can recommend any number of stellar restaurants and wine bars. There’s no shortage in Tasmania’s cool little capital.
Day 12
Hobart Free Time
There’s something about Tasmania’s capital that encourages life in the slow lane. Perhaps it’s the calming watery outlook. Maybe the art-filled streets. Definitely the forest-clad mountain backdrop. You’ll quickly fall into step, on this day to spend as you will. Perhaps add on a Bruny Island Cruise to spot playful sea lions and ogle Australia’s highest sea cliffs? Or enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Apple Isle on a scenic flight down to the great Southwest? Or get your cultural fix with a visit to the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery.
Day 13
Farewell from Hobart
If you can still count all the delicious things you have eaten and drunk, and all the epic things you have seen and done, two weeks down the track, we commend you. Now’s the time to re-live them with friends and family back at home.
- Hobart City Tour
- Salamanca Markets
- Russell Falls walk
- Lake St. Clair walk
- Gordon River Cruise
- Cradle Mountain & Dove Lake Hike
- Hellyers Road Whisky Distillery Tour
- Mt Gnomon Farm (BMG)
- Cataract Gorge Walk
- Joseph Chromy Winery Lunch
- Bridestowe Lavender Estate
- Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees
- Wineglass Bay lunch cruise
- Explore Spring Bay Mill
- Port Arthur Guided Tour
Start Date: 2023-10-13
End Date: 2023-10-25
twin
Adult Price: $9460
Child Price: $8520
twinShare
Adult Price: $9460
Child Price: $6640
triple
Adult Price: $8990
Child Price: $8520
single
Adult Price: $12625
Start Date: 2023-11-10
End Date: 2023-11-22
twin
Adult Price: $9460
Child Price: $8520
twinShare
Adult Price: $9460
triple
Adult Price: $8990
Child Price: $8520
single
Adult Price: $12625
Start Date: 2023-12-08
End Date: 2023-12-20
twin
Adult Price: $9460
Child Price: $8520
twinShare
Adult Price: $9460
triple
Adult Price: $8990
Child Price: $8520
single
Adult Price: $12625
Start Date: 2024-01-19
End Date: 2024-01-31
twin
Adult Price: $9745
Child Price: $8775
twinShare
Adult Price: $9745
triple
Adult Price: $9260
Child Price: $8775
single
Adult Price: $13000
Start Date: 2024-02-09
End Date: 2024-02-21
twin
Adult Price: $9745
Child Price: $8775
twinShare
Adult Price: $9745
triple
Adult Price: $9260
Child Price: $8775
single
Adult Price: $13000
Start Date: 2024-03-01
End Date: 2024-03-13
twin
Adult Price: $9745
Child Price: $8775
twinShare
Adult Price: $9745
triple
Adult Price: $9260
Child Price: $8775
single
Adult Price: $13000
Start Date: 2024-03-22
End Date: 2024-04-03
twin
Adult Price: $9745
Child Price: $8775
twinShare
Adult Price: $9745
triple
Adult Price: $9260
Child Price: $8775
single
Adult Price: $13000
