Hobart and Southern Tasmania Explorer

Welcome to Hobart! Your tour starts at 10:30 am with a hike up Mount Wellington for spectacular, sprawling views of the city and southern Tasmania. Grab lunch at one of the many restaurant options along the Hobart waterfront, where local fishermen, sailors and travellers have gathered for more than 200 years. In the afternoon, catch the ferry to the quirky Museum of Old and New Art, home to an eclectic collection of pieces – such as a man named Tim, whose tattooed back has been on display since 2011 as living art. You’ll take the ferry back to check into your hotel, where you are free to relax for the evening or head out and explore local Hobart nightlife.

Today, the Salamanca Markets await, ready to tempt you with local delights – everything from fresh produce to handmade crafts. We’ll spend 2 hours exploring the market, then head to the historic town of Richmond. With over 40 heritage buildings, Richmond gives you the impression that you’ve landed back in the colonial 1800s. From there, head down the peninsula to the southern tip at Port Arthur. Driving down the beautiful Forestier and Tasman peninsulas, we’ll pass through the narrow sliver of land that is Eaglehawk Neck and stop at Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen, where the surging sea meets stunning rock formations. Once we reach Port Arthur, you can opt to hike from the aptly named Remarkable Cave, a picturesque sea cave shaped by ancient earthquakes, out to the breathtaking Crescent Bay, surrounded by steep sand dunes and offering awesome views along the coastline and sea cliffs. Or, you may want to explore the Port Arthur Historic Site, a former convict settlement with a horrific past (extra cost). We’ll return to Hobart for the night.

Feast on local delights at the Hobart farmers’ market, where you can meet local producers and browse for seasonal Tassie produce like gooseberries, pine mushrooms or fresh oysters, depending on the time of year. You’ll then hop the ferry over to Bruny Island and climb 279 steps to reach The Neck lookout for sweeping views of the area. Explore the striking coastal beauty of South Bruny National Park, where the Cape Bruny Lighthouse perches high above the wild waves of the Southern Ocean. Visit Cloudy Bay, at the southernmost tip of the island, where whaling stations operated in the mid-1800s. You’ll visit a few local Bruny Island shops for tastings of locally sourced products such as cheese, oysters, honey, beer and/or wine. In the evening, enjoy an included group dinner at an atmospheric pub on Bruny Island.

Today you have two options. The group could head to Adventure Bay on the island’s east coast for a walk along the beautiful Fluted Cape trail and an optional boat cruise (extra cost) for those who’d like to get right out onto the water. Or, we could depart Bruny after breakfast and head to Cygnet, a small township known for its forestry heritage. Visit the Wooden Boat Centre, to learn the fine art of hand-crafted timber boats, then head to Hartz Mountains National Park, a remote and rugged place shaped by ancient glaciers. On the way back to Hobart, stop to learn about the history of local apple farming, maybe with a few cider samples, at a fourth-generation orchard and cidery. Your tour concludes upon return to Hobart and you are free to depart at your leisure.