SIGHTSEEING HIGHLIGHTS:
- Port Arthur Historic Sites tour
- Visit the quaint town of Richmond
- A visit with a cheese & wine tasting at Puddleduck Winery
- A visit to the impressive ‘The Wall in the Wilderness’.
- Theatre performance of 'The Ship that Never Was', Strahan
- Gordon River Cruise, Gold Class seats including lunch and morning tea
- Waldheim Chalet & Dove Lake, Cradle Lake
- Stay in Tasmania's high country wilderness at Cradle Mountain
- Visit Devils @ Cradle, the conservation sanctuary for the endangered Tasmanian Devil
- A stop in Sheffield at the foothills of majestic Mount Roland
- An easy going walk and visit, Cataract Gorge, Launceston
- An historic walking tour, Launceston
Pre Tour Stay
Consider arriving a day before the tour starting date. If you want to spend the day visiting the MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) we recommend travelling a day early. The cost of the additional night/s of stay applies. Ask our travel team about this option, and the additional costs.
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 continuing on the for the group dinner at your hotel
Meals: Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Group pre dinner meet up arrangement and dinner
FREE TIME EXTRAS:
To make the most of this charming city, why not make plans to arrive in the morning? You can leave your luggage with the hotel concierge until check in and enjoy some time at leisure in Hobart.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Pre dinner drinks and dinner are not hosted unless the group is 15 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
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. We will take a guided walking tour through the Penal Settlement, a cruise around the harbour, and tour the Isle of the Dead. It was on the Isle of the Dead that around 1000 convicts and paupers were buried, mostly in unmarked graves.
Port Arthur Tour Inclusions:
On this tour you will have access to more than thirty historic buildings, ruins, and gardens, as well as a 40 minute “Introduction to Port Arthur” guided walking tour, a harbour cruise aboard, and a visit to the Isle of the Dead. After the Port Arthur visit, the group is transferred back to Hobart.
Tonight, meet the group for dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Port Arthur Historic Site visit including a guided tour, harbour cruise and Isle of the Dead.
- Return transfers Hobart to Port Arthur
- A highlight group dinner
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 03
A visit to Richmond
In the morning you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Your coach captain will drive up to Mount Wellington for the opportunity to admire the superb views across Hobart and the Derwent River.
Today, we visit 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. After, enjoy a visit to the delightful Puddleduck Winery, where you will taste a variety of wine accompanied by some cheese. We then transfer back to Hobart, and via MONA for any group members that want to make a visit by their own arrangement. Tonight you will have free time to explore further or relax at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Drive up Mt Wellington
- Visit the quint town of Richmond
- Enjoy wine tasting with cheese, at Puddleduck Winery
FREE TIME EXTRAS:
On the way back to Hobart, your coach captain will drop off any group members who would like to visit MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) on the outskirts of Hobart. Travelling back to Hobart is easy with a ferry ride from the museum to the city. Entry to MONA and travel back to Hobart is by your own arrangement
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 04
Drive to Strahan on the West Coast
In the morning you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Today we travel from Hobart to Strahan, 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.
Located 298 km west of Hobart and 41km from Queenstown, Strahan is a Tasmanian waterfront town 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, Boxed 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. Lunch is a simple packed lunch provided by our Hobart hotel.
The west coast can have more harsh weather than other parts of Tasmania; come prepared with appropriate clothing, and an umbrella.
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
Day 05
Strahan to Cradle Mountain
In the morning you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel.
We will then take a Gordon River cruise with World Heritage Cruises 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. Created to put the 'fear of God' into the convicts of Van Diemen’s Land, this tiny outpost of 18th century British penal history hides a fascinating tale of human triumph over adversity, brought vividly to life by expert guides.
- Hear the intriguing story of Macquarie Harbour and its settlement.
- 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.
- Spend two hours 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.
- Enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch freshly prepared on board which includes smoked salmon, cold meats, a selection of salads, fresh fruit, Tasmanian cheeses, and local bakery bread.
Our gold class seating includes a buffet lunch and morning tea, with beverages available for purchase. After the cruise, you will travel from Strahan to Cradle Mountain for a two night stay. Tonight you will enjoy a fine dining experience at Altitude restaurant, at your lodge.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Highlight Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Gordon River Cruise Gold Class seats including morning tea and lunch
- Transfer from Strahan to Cradle Mountain
- Fine dining group dinner, Altitude restaurant
SPECIAL NOTES:
Take warm clothes and umbrella for the Gordon River cruise and credit card or cash for drinks purchases.
DAY 06
Cradle Mountain
In the morning enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Travel to nearby Cradle Mountain National Park for a guided tour that includes the areas of Waldheim and Dove Lake. The afternoon will be at your leisure. You may like to take the option to return to Dove Lake and enjoy some of the walking options or relax at the hotel. This evening our group visits Devils @ Cradle, the conservation sanctuary for the Tasmanian Devil (bring some warm clothes). Following our evening adventure, we return to the hotel for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Visit Cradle Mountain National Park with a guided walking tour
- Visit Devils @ Cradle conservation sanctuary for the Tasmanian Devil
- Hotel dinner
FREE TIME EXTRAS:
- Return to Dove Lake; your driver will arrange a time to drop you off and pick you up.
- Visit the Wilderness Gallery, one of the largest privately owned photographic galleries in Australia, showcasing ten rooms of works from internationally renowned nature photographers.
- See the fascinating Tasmanian Tiger Exhibition, part of the Wilderness Gallery which brings together a remarkable collection of artefacts, photographs, and film about the extinct Tasmanian tiger.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Bring suitable walking shoes for your visit to Dove Lake and surrounds at Cradle Mountain and be prepared with wet weather gear such as a rain jacket. The weather at Cradle Mountain can change quite rapidly from sun to cloud, to rain.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 07
Cradle Mountain
In the morning enjoy breakfast at your hotel. We depart Cradle Mountain for our final night in Launceston. Not far from Cradle Mountain is 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. There is a stop in Sheffield for time to take in some of the murals around town.
Lunch is enjoyed today with the group in Launceston with a visit of Launceston’s Cataract Gorge and a ride up the cable car to enjoy the sweeping view across the gorge. In the afternoon we check into our hotel followed by the option to enjoy an easy paced walking tour of the city.
Tonight, enjoy a highlight farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Highlight Dinner
Note: where travel falls on a public holiday, excursions may not be available as described by the itinerary above and lunch and dinner may be changed for a hotel venue. Some excursions not available may take place the next morning (subject to availability).
SNAPSHOT – WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Transfer from Cradle Mountain to Launceston
- Visit the town of murals, Sheffield
- Group lunch
- Visit Cataract Gorge, Launceston
- Walking tour of Launceston
An farewell dinner at a local restaurant
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Highlight Dinner
Day 08
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.
Itineraries are 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.
