Tasmania Island Discovery

Hobart, the popular port city, is the capital of Tasmania. Standing by the Derwent River, its busy waterfront buzzes with crowds visiting trendy cafés, pubs and bars, and traveling via ferries or swanky yachts to attend its many cultural festivals. Overlooking the city is Mt Wellington or ‘kunanyi’, as the local Aboriginal people call it. It is popular for its many mountain biking and bushwalking trails among adventure travelers. For those looking for a spot of culture and heritage, the city offers museums, art galleries and genteel colonial-era neighborhoods with narrow old streets and quaint cottages. Over the years, Hobart has also grown into a foodie’s paradise with its fine dining restaurants, funky craft beer breweries and old pubs. The New Year holidays around Hobart’s high summer season are particularly popular with travelers and daytrippers. The Hobart Yacht Race and the Taste of Tasmania food festival are among the many other well known events that the city hosts every year.

Delve into the Tasmanian capital’s fascinating past and exciting present on this enjoyable city walk. Join your local guide and watch Hobart come alive through the engaging stories of its transformation into a buzzing waterfront city. Walk past heritage buildings and learn about the iconic characters and the histories associated with the city’s early landmarks. Take a tour of modern Hobart with a visit to Salamanca and Battery Point, before returning to your hotel. (Duration: 3 hrs; Private Activity).

Port Arthur is a small town and colonial-era convict settlement in Tasmania. A popular tourist destination today, the UNESCO World Heritage site attracts you with its old ruins and convict narratives. Port Arthur has been turned into an open-air museum, where visitors can drop by the sprawling complex of the 19th century penitentiary with its solitary cells and an old church of the penal settlement. The town’s historic cemetery is also the final resting place of innumerable convicts, soldiers and free settlers.

Journey back in time to experience Port Arthur’s tumultuous settler past over the course of two consecutive days. Kickstart your visit with a 40 minute, guided Introductory Walking Tour to the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic site. Check out the many popular landmarks of this former convict colony ranging from the unconsecrated Convict Church to the Cemetery, which marks the final resting place of more than 1000 convicts, soldiers and free settlers. Feel the chill run up your spine at sites like the Penitentiary, originally built as a flour mill and granary in 1843, before it was split into dormitories and cells to house convicts as well as the dreaded Separate Prison, where physical punishment gave way to psychological torture. On the second day, you can start your tour with the Port Arthur Gallery where interesting displays and interactive exhibits narrate the history of Port Arthur and its evolution into a settlement. Use your site tickets to enjoy a 25-minute Harbor Cruise that takes you past Point Puer and Isle of the Dead. After all that sightseeing, it is time to head to 1830 Restaurant & Bar where you can relish delicious Australian food complemented with craft beer or a bottle of fine Tasmanian wine. (Full Day; Group Tour Activity; Site entry ticket for two consecutive days included).

The Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park area in the island state of Tasmania is undoubtedly best known for the beautiful Wineglass Bay. This is a protected island landscape of coastal mountains and wonderfully tranquil beaches with numerous walking trails. The little seaside town of Coles Bay has been known to travelers through the years as the gateway to Tasmania’s spectacular Freycinet National Park. The park’s protected natural landscape is gorgeously etched with salmon pink granite mountains, a crystal clear cerulean blue sea and snow white sandy beaches. Enjoy panoramic views of the vast open landscape before you from the Cape Tourville Lighthouse, stretching over the stunning Wineglass Bay and the Tasmanian Sea, all the way to Schouten Island and the Hazards mountain range.

St Helens, standing on Georges Bay, is home to Tasmania’s largest fishing fleet. Tracing its roots back to a little 19th century fishing town, today it is known as the state’s angling capital. Every season, droves of anglers and tourists descend on the coastal town for the wonderful game fishing opportunities and, of course, the delicious food! St Helens is popular for its fresh seafood, especially oysters. Try taking a boat ride over the sea to spot whales and seal colonies.

Head out from your hotel at a convenient time as you embark on this self-guided activity. You could spend the day having fun in the surf and sand. Enjoy swimming in the clear waters off the pristine beaches before lounging in the sun. Or, explore the depths of the underwater caves with some scuba diving and snorkeling. You could also head out on an invigorating hour-long walk to Saint Helens Point, with a stop en route to marvel at the stunning Peron Dunes. If game fishing is your kind of pastime, then do not miss the chance to snare varieties such as albacore tuna and yellowfin tuna while at the game fishing capital of Tasmania. Relish your pick of seafood delicacies at one of the local eateries before you head back to your hotel. (Half Day; No guide; No transfers; Entrance fees and meals are not included).

Launceston, or ‘Lonnie’, as it is more affectionately called by Launcestonians, is a northern Tasmanian town that sits by the banks of the Tamar River. Its outdoorsy lifestyle, with good food and trendy cafés thrown in, makes it very hard for travelers to resist it. Lonnie traces its roots back to the ancient land of the Midland Plain Aboriginal community. The town’s highlight is its natural feature of Cataract Gorge with its landscaped gardens, popular walking trails and hilltop views of the town spread out beneath you. Bits of Tasmanian history are displayed at the Queen Victoria Museum, which was created from an old colonial-era railway workshop. The town’s elegant art galleries, the Royal Park by the Tamar River and the lovely vineyards of Tamar Valley that lie just beyond the city are all worth a visit.

Discover how Tasmanian grapes make their way from vineyards to wine bottles on a tour of one of the finest wineries in Launceston. Arrive at rolling valleys awash in picture-postcard beauty and then proceed on a guided tour through lush vineyards. See how the grapevines are nurtured and examine luscious bunches in various stages of growth. Next, get a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a winery as you sample wines in different phases of maturing. Head to the Cellar Door for a two-course lunch of fresh local produce paired with the perfect glass of estate wine. Finally, raise a toast to the exquisite beauty of Launceston wine growing region which produces some of the most reputed labels in the world. (Duration: 2.5 hrs; Shared Activity; Lunch and wine tasting included).

Cradle Mountain National Park is situated in the Central Highlands of Australia’s island state of Tasmania. Part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, the park is marked by precious ancient rainforests, rugged mountains with pine forests, alpine moors, glacial lakes and mountain streams. The park also includes Australia’s tallest peak, Mt Ossa, and its deepest lake: Lake St Clair. The region also teems with rich plant and wildlife, including the King Billy pines, deciduous beech trees, the platypus, exotic birds and, of course, the island’s famous Tasmanian devil. A number of popular walking trails crisscross the park, including Aboriginal cultural walks around ancient stone sites, rock shelters and caves. Lakeside walks trimmed with wildflowers, boat rides and trout fishing on Lake St Clair are other popular activities here.

Discover how the nocturnal animals of the Cradle Mountain National Park set about the business of hunting and feeding. Head out on the wildlife trails of the Park after darkness has fallen. Using environment-friendly lights, follow the movements of indigenous animals in the sanctuary. Learn all about nocturnal habits of the Tasmanian Devils as you spot them feeding and interacting in groups. Experience the thrill of watching these night-time activities and head back to your hotel, having acquired precious knowledge of the wildlife of the land. (Shared Activity; Duration: 1.25 hrs; No Transfer included.

Strahan is a Tasmanian seaside town that traces its roots to an old fishing village and colonial-era convict settlement. Wedged between Macquarie Harbour and ancient rainforests, the striking little town lies within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. This harbor town is popular among intrepid travelers as the gateway to the Franklin–Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The historic Strahan Harbour, the outdoor beach life, the coves and cruises along the sea continue to attract tourists all year round to this far flung part of the planet. Journeys down the West Coast Wilderness Railway and river boat cruises on the Gordon River are other wild attractions.

Experience the magnificence of the Tasmanian outdoors on a Strahan Cruise. Set off in the morning across the Macquarie Harbour, the second largest natural harbor in Australia. Make the thrilling passage through treacherous Hell’s Gate, named so by convicts who used to be taken to their penal settlements via this route. As you sip your morning tea, cruise by ancient rainforests on majestic mountains of the World Heritage-listed South West Wilderness National Park. Arrive at the breathtaking Gordon River whose crystal clear waters mirror the natural magnificence all around. Come ashore to marvel at the grandeur of the 2000-year-old pines and then proceed to Sarah Island. Learn all about the exciting history of the island from your guide and how one of the earliest penal settlements in the country became a symbol of human enterprise over adversity. On your way back to Strahan, enjoy a buffet lunch of hot and cold delicacies followed by your afternoon tea at the stylish upper viewing deck. (Half Day; Time of day: 0830 hrs; Shared Activity; Lunch & refreshments included).

Hobart, the popular port city, is the capital of Tasmania. Standing by the Derwent River, its busy waterfront buzzes with crowds visiting trendy cafés, pubs and bars, and traveling via ferries or swanky yachts to attend its many cultural festivals. Overlooking the city is Mt Wellington or ‘kunanyi’, as the local Aboriginal people call it. It is popular for its many mountain biking and bushwalking trails among adventure travelers. For those looking for a spot of culture and heritage, the city offers museums, art galleries and genteel colonial-era neighborhoods with narrow old streets and quaint cottages. Over the years, Hobart has also grown into a foodie’s paradise with its fine dining restaurants, funky craft beer breweries and old pubs. The New Year holidays around Hobart’s high summer season are particularly popular with travelers and daytrippers. The Hobart Yacht Race and the Taste of Tasmania food festival are among the many other well known events that the city hosts every year.