HIGHLIGHTS:
- Port Arthur Historic Site guided tour
- Visit the quaint town of Richmond
- Scenic drive to the summit of Mt Wellington (weather permitting)
- Tasmanian winery visit including tastings and a beautiful long lunch
- A visit to the impressive ‘The Wall in the Wilderness’
- Theatre performance of The Ship That Never Was, Strahan
- A highlight Gordon River Cruise, Gold Class seats including morning tea and lunch
- Stay on Tasmania’s remote and rugged West Coast
- Relaxed stay in Tasmania’s high country wilderness at Cradle Mountain
- Cradle Mountain National Park guided Explorer Tour
- Visit Devils @ Cradle, the conservation sanctuary for the endangered Tasmanian Devil
- A stop in Sheffield, the town of murals beneath Mount Roland
- Visit to Ashgrove Dairy Door for local Tasmanian produce
- Tamar River and Cataract Gorge cruise experience
- Lunch and wine tasting at Josef Chromy Estate
- Visit to a local whisky distillery with tastings
- Farewell dinner in Launceston
PRE TOUR STAY
Consider extra time before or after the tour. Some travellers like to include extra time to visit MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). MONA is open Fridays to Mondays. This is by your own arrangement. Ask our travel team about this option, and the additional cost.
DAY 1
Arrive to Hobart
Arrival in Hobart is by your own arrangement. Your holiday will commence with a leisurely three night stay in Hobart. This evening meet your fellow travellers for a pre dinner drink at the hotel before joining the group welcome dinner.
Meals: Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Group pre dinner meet up
- Group dinner
FREE TIME EXTRAS:
Arrive to Hobart in the morning to allow time to visit MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) on the outskirts of Hobart. Reaching the museum is a ferry ride. Entry to MONA and travel back to Hobart is by your own arrangement.
Salamanca Markets; 8:30am to 3pm. Visit Salamanca Market website
SPECIAL NOTES:
Pre dinner drinks and dinner are not hosted unless the group is 14 or more travellers, and then a group escort will join. Drinks for the pre-dinner meet up and during the dinner meal are at your own expense.
DAY 02
Visit Richmond. Local Winery Lunch
Later in the morning, we set off for Richmond, a historic and charming town not far out of Hobart. The town has a number of beautiful buildings, and quaint shops and is enjoyable for leisurely walking and shopping. For lunch, enjoy a stunning setting at a local winery, starting with some Tasmanian wine tastings. On our return to Hobart we drive to the top of Mt Wellington for views across the city and surrounds.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Visit the quaint town of Richmond
- Visit a local winery with tastings
- Beautiful 3 course winery lunch
- Drive up Mt Wellington
SPECIAL NOTES:
Take warm clothes for the drive to Mt Wellington as it can get very chilly near the summit. This excursion will only be possible if the weather permits.
DAY 03
Hobart - Port Arthur - Hobart
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. This morning you will travel from Hobart to the historic Port Arthur. The penal settlement at Port Arthur is a stark reminder of the harsh conditions endured by the earliest European inhabitants of this one-time island jail, where up to 12000 prisoners were kept in harsh conditions. Today, take a guided walking tour through the Penal Settlement. We also make a photo stop at Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen.
Port Arthur Tour Inclusions:
On this tour you will have access to more than thirty historic buildings, ruins, and gardens, as well as a guided walking tour. After the Port Arthur visit, the group is transferred back to Hobart. Tonight is at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Port Arthur Historic Site guided tour and free time
- Photo stop at Tasman Arch & Devil’s Kitchen
- Return transfers Hobart to Port Arthur
SPECIAL NOTES:
There is a café/restaurant at the Port Arthur site which is convenient for lunch. Take your umbrella and a warm jacket/wind sheeter for your Port Arthur visit
DAY 04
Drive to Strahan on the West Coast
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart Hobart for Strahan on the west coast, making some stops along the way. From Queenstown to Strahan, you will enjoy the spectacular scenery through the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park to arrive at our first stop near Derwent Bridge. Here you will view a fascinating attraction, The Wall in the Wilderness. The "Wall" is an art installation that is also a work in progress and will take more years to complete. However, already it’s remarkable. It comprises panels with intricate carved scenes; many with a historical background to commemorate those who helped to build Tasmania. When complete it will measure 100 metres in length.
Along the way we stop at one of Tasmania’s most iconic pubs for a casual lunch together before we continue to arrive to Strahan. A waterfront town, Strahan is located on the edge of the pretty Macquarie Harbour. Before dinner, enjoy a live theatre production called The Ship That Never Was. A story about The Frederick, the last ship built at the convict settlement of Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour, is about to sail for the new prison at Port Arthur. Ten convict shipwrights have other ideas. So begins the story of an amazing escape, an extraordinary voyage and an intriguing twist in the tale of The Ship That Never Was.
This evening the group joins for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Travel Hobart to Strahan
- A visit to the incredible Wall in the Wilderness
- A theatre production ‘The Ship That Never Was’
- Group dinner at the hotel
SPECIAL NOTES:
Bring drinks and snacks for touring day as it’s a reasonable driver between Hobart to Strahan, with stops along the way. The west coast can have experience harsher weather than other parts of Tasmania; come prepared with appropriate clothing, and an umbrella.
DAY 05
Gordon River Cruise
Breakfast at the hotel before the morning cruise departure of the Gordon River with in gold class seats to the enjoy the ultimate wilderness cruise experience along the magnificent Gordon River.
On this tour you will get the chance to:
- See some of Australia’s oldest convict ruins on Sarah Island, a settlement which pre-dates Port Arthur by decades.
- Pass through Hell’s Gates, the narrow entrance to Macquarie Harbour named by the convicts on their way to Sarah Island.
- See high-tech aquaculture where hundreds of thousands of Tasmania’s famous Atlantic Salmon and Ocean Trout are farmed.
- Cruise past the majesty of the rugged mountain ranges in Tasmania’s World Heritage listed South West Wilderness National Park.
- Houn Pine sawmill
- Take in the serenity of the imposing Gordon River, complete with a stroll into the rainforest, which reclaimed the land after the last Great Ice Age.
- Onboard morning tea and buffet lunch
This afternoon depart Strahan for Cradle Mountain.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
SNAPSHOT - WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Gordon River Cruise Gold Class seats including morning tea and lunch
- Transfer Strahan to Cradle Mountain
SPECIAL NOTES
Drinks available for purchase on the cruise
Day 06
Cradle Mountain
This morning set off on the The Park Explorer Tour. A fully guided tour, discovering the unique flora, fauna and geographical features of the World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain National Park. It is a 2‑hour guided tour amongst the wilderness and offers awesome views across Dove Lake to the jagged dolerite peaks of Cradle Mountain and enjoy the wander through the ancient King Billy Pine Forest at Waldheim Chalet.
Walking Enthusiasts-Dove Lake Walk
This afternoon, there’s time to set off on the Dove Lake Circuit Walk. This 6km track is surely one of the premier walks in Tasmania. Starting from Dove Lake, a glacially carved lake directly beneath Cradle Mountain, the walk offers both intimate and epic views of the famous mountain. The track undulates around Dove Lake, traverses beneath the mountain, then returns through magnificent rainforest to the starting point. The walk takes you through some of Tasmania's special vegetation, from button grass to myrtle, sassafras, fagus and King Billy pine. Walk in a clockwise direction.
Length: 6 kilometre loop trail
Duration: 2 - 3 hours
Grade: 3 (suitable for most. On a flat, compact surface with one short moderate hill)
Gear: Walking shoe/boot (sneakers not suitable), walking pants (not jeans), warm jacket, and rain resistant jacket.
More: visit Tasmania website for more walk information
This evening we drive to the nearby sanctuary for the Tasmanian Devils.
Meals: Breakfast
SNAPSHOT - WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Cradle Mountain National Park Explorer Tour
- Visit Devils @ Cradle conservation sanctuary for the Tasmanian Devil
- Dinner
FREE TIME EXTRAS
Optional time to explore, relax, or join additional activities
DAY 07
Cradle Mountain to Launceston
This morning we farewell Cradle Mountain to make our way to Lauceston. Along the way we stop at the township of Sheffield which sits in the shadows of Mount Roland. The town is unique as there are many murals depicting the history of the area.
Before reaching Launceston we make a visit at The Ashgrove Dairy Door, proudly Australian owned and dairy herds have grazed here for generations, among Tasmanian bluffs and clear rivers on natural ryegrass pastures.
We arrive to Launceston with time for a lunch break.
In the afternoon we embark on a 50 minute round trip and explore the old and new facets of Launceston’s Seaport precinct today. Departing from Home Point, learn about the history of Launceston’s Seaport, Kings Wharf, heritage properties and of course the spectacular Cataract Gorge. See the gorge from the perspective of the water and enjoy a unique experience on-board the 1890’s replica Lady Launceston. A popular option for those who would like a quick taste of what the Tamar River and the Cataract Gorge have to offer.
DAY 8
Launceston - A Relaxed End with Local Flavours
Towards the morning end we set off for a lunch experience at Josef Chromy Wines, one of Tasmania’s most highly regarded wine estates. Set just outside Launceston, the cellar door is housed within a beautifully restored 1880s homestead, rich in character and history. Surrounded by established gardens, a tranquil lake, and vineyards that stretch across the landscape, it’s a setting that invites you to slow down and settle in.
Here, we begin with a tasting experience, with a focus on Tasmania’s celebrated cool-climate wines. Following this, we take our seats in the estate’s award-winning restaurant, where the emphasis is on seasonal, locally sourced produce, thoughtfully prepared and paired to complement the wines. The experience is unhurried and social, offering a memorable dining highlight in a truly picturesque setting.
Later this afternoon, we continue to one of Tasmania’s emerging stars, its whisky. Over the past few decades, Tasmania has built a strong international reputation for premium whisky production. We visit Launceston Distillery for a tasting experience, offering an insight into the distilling process along with the opportunity to sample a range of locally produced whiskies.
After our visit, we return to the hotel where there is time at leisure to relax before the evening.
This evening, we come together for a casual farewell dinner, a chance to reflect on the journey, share stories, and celebrate our time exploring Tasmania, from Hobart through the west coast and into the north.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
SNAPSHOT - WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Visit to Josef Chromy estate with wine tastings
- Long lunch at Josef Chromy restaurant
- Visit to Launceston Distillery with tastings
- Farewell group dinner
FREE TIME EXTRAS
Saturday, the nearby Harvest Market Launceston offers a relaxed and authentic local experience. Enjoy a coffee, browse the stalls, and sample some of Tasmania’s fresh local produce, from seasonal berries and baked goods to artisan cheeses. It’s a simple, easy-paced way to start the day at your own rhythm.
DAY 9
Launceston
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the group hotel. Transfer to the airport today is by your own arrangement.
Meals: Breakfast
Itineraries may be subject to change, due to circumstances outside of our control. If there is any itinerary change prior to departure of significance, we aim to inform you prior to travel. Itinerary changes while on tour will be informed by your tour leader/guide while on tour.
