Sample Tour Tasmania
NATURALLY TASMANIA
14 day / 13 night Circle Island Tour
There is so much to savor in Tasmania! Mother Nature has truly blessed this island state. We take you around her perimeter, sharing the abundance of sea and land, undisturbed nature and the products of man’s industry, dark history and a future of promise. This tour will not only bring you a lifetime of memories, it will surely impel you to return to her shores, reliving your adventure and striking out for those places you have yet to see.
Day 1 – No Meals
Arrive in Launceston. Airport shuttle transfers to our hotel.
Founded in 1806, beautiful Launceston is Australia’s third oldest city. Bucolic and scenic, it wears its history in its architecture, spanning multiple eras from Colonial and convict to Georgian and Victorian. With a population of around 100,000, Greater Launceston has the facilities of a much larger city even as it retains the charm and slower pace of a regional centre.
Our home for the next two nights is the Hotel Grand Chancellor Launceston Dinner on your own. Free time for the remainder of the day.
Day 2 B/AT/D
Breakfast at the hotel followed by a full day tour of the picturesque Tamar Valley.
Our first stop is at the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre on the west bank of the Tamar River. The Centre explores Beaconsfield’s gold mining past through authentic displays and interactive exhibits. You can even hunt for gold! A new montage records the harrowing events of Anzac Day 2006 when a shaft collapse trapped two miners for 14 days in a 1.5 square metre cage stuck almost two kilometres below ground. Of the seventeen people in the mine when the earth moved, sixteen survived.
Travel a short distance to Beauty Point to visit Seahorse World for a 45-minute guided tour of the facility. The enigmatic seahorse has fascinated humans since ancient times, and modern scientific observation has only increased our wonder. The seahorse may be the only species whose males incubate and give birth to young. Not that the male sticks around to raise them, but then again, neither does the female. It’s a cruel world out there for baby seahorses. Seahorse World provides a unique educational experience through its aquarium, dedicated to seahorse breeding, education and conservation.
After the tour there will be an opportunity to purchase lunch at a local bakery.
Thus refreshed, we’ll cross to the east side of the Tamar Valley for a tour and afternoon tea at Bridestowe Lavender Estate Farm. Bridestowe is one of the world’s largest commercial growers of French lavender, producing the finest quality lavender flowers and lavender oil in a stunning and peaceful landscape. Lavender is more than a wonderfully fragrant flower and sachet-filler– it has therapeutic properties and is used for aromatherapy, natural remedies and skin care. Return to our Launceston hotel.
Jailhouse Grill Restaurant for dinner.
Day 3 BL
Breakfast at our hotel. Check out early as we head to the east coast.
We drive to Binalong Bay where we will take a 2-hour scenic cruise with Bay of Fires Eco Tours. Their Gardens Explorer Tour presents the history and natural beauty of the Bay of Fires Conservation Area as seen from the water, offering stunning views of the white sand beaches, hidden bays and verdant headlands of this picturesque coastline.
Once ashore, we’ll stop for a light lunch at the iconic Pub in the Paddock, in operation since 1880. One of Tasmania’s oldest pubs, it is the renowned home of Priscilla, Princess of the Paddock, an oft thirsty pig who might be enticed to join you for a beer.
Afterwards travel to nearby Pyengana Dairy where artisan cheesemakers produce some of Australia’s famous heritage farmhouse cheese. Enjoy a tasting, and perhaps buy some for later, when hunger strikes.
Travel south to Bicheno, arriving late in the afternoon. Just north of the Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania’s east coast, Bicheno is known for its laid-back lifestyle and outdoor activities.
Our home for tonight is the Bicheno Beachfront.
Relax and rest until we depart on a penguin spotting tour. This is a guided walk so be prepared with warm clothing and appropriate shoes.
Day 4 BL
Breakfast at the hotel or a local café.
This morning we drive to Coles Bay, the embarkation point for our Wineglass Bay Cruise on a luxurious catamaran, Vista Lounge level, including Ploughman’s lunch.
The 4.5 hour cruise will take us through the waterways surrounding spectacular Freycinet National Park peninsula. With expert commentary to enliven the trip, we’ll see stunning sea and landscapes, secluded sandy coves, granite cliffs, the pink peaks of the Hazards range, sea caves, blowholes and waterfalls. A highlight is the sheer beauty of Wineglass Bay, looking landward from the bay’s clear turquoise waters. Be on the lookout for sea eagles, seals, dolphin pods, whale sightings and the little penguins and short tailed shearwaters on remote Schouten Island.
Once ashore, we drive into Freycinet National Park to Cape Tourville for an easy amble on their scenic walkway, sometimes right to the cliff’s edge, a great alternative to the steep Wineglass Bay lookout walk. Drive south to Orford with free time for the balance of the day.Our hotel for tonight is the Eastcoaster Hotel in Orford.
Day 5 BL
Breakfast at the hotel.
Drive south this morning to Port Arthur.
Tasmania’s premier tourist attraction, the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site commemorates the harsh conditions endured by Australia’s early convict settlers – many of them transported Britons who had reoffended once in Australia. Amid the park’s incongruous sweeping lawns and gorgeous vistas lie the ruins of a brutal penal settlement where up to 12,000 prisoners endured the hopelessness and misery of lengthy incarceration.
Our journey begins at the Visitor Interpretative Centre, retracing the convict’s voyage after his or her conviction for an often petty crime in England (stealing a spool of thread, perhaps) to transportation to Port Arthur and life in the penal colony. Conditions were so bad that prisoners sometimes intentionally injured themselves to gain marginally better living quarters and food in the infirmary.
At 11.30am we will be taken on a guided walking tour and then at 1pm we’ll board a small ferry for a tour of the Isle of the Dead, final resting place for many Port Arthur inhabitants. You will have time for independent exploration throughout the historic property, including the Infirmary, the shell of the penitentiary and the Separate Prison, an 1850 ‘innovation’ that substituted mental torture (isolation) for flogging.
Dinner at the 1830 Restaurant before joining the famous guided Ghost Tour around the heritage site.
Our home for tonight is the Port Arthur Villas.
Day 6 CB/D
Continental breakfast provisions will be provided for guests to enjoy in their room.
This morning we drive from Port Arthur to Hobart, capital of Tasmania.
There are interesting sights along the way, two of them stemming from collapsed sea caves. The Devil’s Kitchen, a narrow inlet between striated cliffs, and the Blowhole both dramatically expel sea water as the waves surge in. The Tessellated Pavement is a natural, water’s edge stone formation. Six thousand years of wave action have exposed a surface of polygonal shapes that look like tiles inlaid by a supernatural mosaic artist.
Next stop is the Barilla Bay Oyster Farm for their Oyster, Abalone & Ginger Beer tour. We’ll taste and learn all about the oyster from spat to table. After the oysters are shucked, we can wash them down with some Gillespie’s Ginger Beer, brewed at Barilla Bay. Learn about candy abalone, a premium dried abalone processed on site.
Travel the short distance to Darren & Jackie Brown’s family-owned Puddleduck Vineyard to enjoy a wine tasting with the opportunity to purchase lunch – additional expense.
This afternoon enjoy a visit to the historic town of Richmond. See the famous church and the convict-constructed Richmond Bridge over the Coal River, the oldest bridge in Australia. Richmond’s streets are paved with history and many of its fine colonial buildings have been repurposed to art galleries, craft shops and restaurants. We will have some free time to meander before driving to Hobart.
Tasmania’s capital city, Hobart, lies nestled between the peak of Mt Wellington and the banks of the River Derwent. As Australia’s second oldest city, Hobart provides a picturesque setting that combines heritage, charm and cultural diversity in a setting of exceptional beauty.
Our home for two nights is a mountain-view room at the Lenna of Hobart Hotel.
This evening, enjoy a 2-hour harbour dinner cruise
Day 7 BL
Breakfast at the hotel or a local café.
This morning we drive to Coles Bay, embarkation point for our Wineglass Bay Cruise on a luxurious catamaran, Vista Lounge level, including Ploughman’s lunch.
The 4.5 hour cruise will take us through the waterways surrounding spectacular Freycinet National Park peninsula. With expert commentary to enliven the trip, we’ll see stunning sea and landscapes, secluded sandy coves, granite cliffs, the pink peaks of the Hazards range, sea caves, blowholes and waterfalls. A highlight is the sheer beauty of Wineglass Bay, looking landward from the bay’s clear turquoise waters. Be on the lookout for sea eagles, seals, dolphin pods, whale sightings and the little penguins and short tailed shearwaters on remote Schouten Island.
Once ashore, we drive into Freycinet National Park to Cape Tourville for an easy amble on their scenic walkway, sometimes right to the cliff’s edge, a great alternative to the steep Wineglass Bay lookout walk. Drive south to Orford with free time for the balance of the day.Our hotel for tonight is the Eastcoaster Hotel in Orford.
Day 8 CB/L
Continental Breakfast at our hotel – breakfast room opens at 6.30am.
Please check out and settle any incidentals by 7.30am as we have an early departure this morning.
Today we head for Tasmania’s western wilderness region. Just over an hour into our journey, we will stop at Mount Field National Park to visit Tasmania’s picturesque Russell Falls, an elegant three-tier cascade framed by lush vegetation. The falls are reached via a 20-minute self-guided walk through towering swamp gums, tall tree ferns and species typical of wet forests and cool temperate rainforests. Learn more from the informative displays at the Visitors Centre.
We continue west through the heart of Tasmania’s highland wilderness, passing quaint townships, towering forests and serene lakes. At Derwent Bridge we will enjoy a light lunch at the Lake St Clair Lodge Café. Nearby is the Wall in the Wilderness, a 100-metre long work-in-progress wood carving in local Huon pine depicting the history of the Highlands, carved by sculptor Greg Duncan. Please note: The artist insists on a no-camera policy. Please leave all cameras and mobile phones in the vehicle prior to arrival.
The day’s journey ends on Tasmania’s southwest coast, at the quaint fishing and tourist town of Strahan on the northeast end of Long Bay. Settle briefly into our hotel before walking down to the waterfront to watch the local production of “The Ship that Never Was,” a hilarious reenactment of an escape from Sarah Island, part of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station. The rest of the day is free.
Strahan is the gateway to the world famous Gordon River and the Southwest World Heritage Area of temperate myrtle rainforest.
Our home for one night is a village waterfront cottage at Strahan Village.
Day 9 CB/L/D
Breakfast at a local bakery café.
Check out and leave your luggage with reception.
Walk down to the waterfront for our 8:00am Gordon River Cruise. We are reserved for Main Deck window seating, including lunch, aboard a luxurious, purpose-built catamaran.
Enjoy the view as we cross the sheltered waters of Macquarie Harbor, the only protected anchorage on the west coast of Tasmania. Now it is a place for local fishermen but once it was a major landing point for British convict ships. At the mouth of the bay we’ll pass through Hell’s Gates, a narrow rocky gap, into the Southern Ocean. We’ll briefly experience the transition from calm to wave-tossed waters, imagining how it must have been for sailing vessels. Then we cross back into Long Bay, heading to the southeast end where we begin our slow passage up the Gordon River.
Rising from its source in the Central Highlands, the Gordon River descends to the sea through pristine, World Heritage-listed temperate rainforest. Our catamaran has been specially fitted to glide through this environmentally sensitive river with a low wake, barely disturbing the tannin-dark tranquil waters. At Heritage Landing, we disembark to stroll on an elevated walkway, learning about the Tasmanian rainforest from knowledgeable guides. We’ll enjoy a delicious buffet lunch aboard on our return to the bay. Our last stop is at Sarah Island which in the 1820s was Australia’s harshest place of incarceration, in use before the establishment of Port Arthur. We’ll walk the ruins, listening to commentary that makes history comes alive as we help to solve an island mystery. Return to Strahan in mid-afternoon.
Before leaving for Queenstown, our next destination, we’ll take time to watch a local sawmill demonstration with endemic Huon pine, Highly prized, fine grained and imbued with natural oils that resist rotting, the Huon pine was key to the ship building tradition that arose in this area.
Our home for one night is at the Mt Lyell Anchorage B&B in Queenstown.
Tonight, it’s a self-guided tour of the historic and recently restored Paragon Theatre where we’ll enjoy dinner and a classic movie.
Day 10 CB/L
Continental breakfast provisions will be provided for guests to enjoy in their room.
At 9am, join West Coast Wilderness Railway’s half-day ‘Rack and Gorge’ heritage steam rail journey in Wilderness Class, including on-board morning tea and a light lunch.
In 1896, hardy pioneers and entrepreneurs succeeded in building a railway through almost impossible terrain, joining the port of Strahan to the copper-mining town of Queenstown. For many miles along the King River, the rail bed was hewn into the sides of steep gorges by pick and shovel. Forty-two bridges were built over a 22-mile stretch of wilderness. For the ‘Quarter- mile Bridge,’ pylons had to be driven 60 feet into the silt by men standing in cold water up to their waists.
Working through mud, rain and treacherous rainforest landscapes, workmen forged a railway that has been authentically recreated today with timber trestle bridges and the unique Abt rack and pinion system, a 17th century engineering marvel designed for the steepest of grades. The West Coast Wilderness Railway is now the only operating Abt rack and pinion railroad in the Southern Hemisphere.
At the conclusion of our journey, a local guide will join our vehicle to give us a tour around Queenstown. Travel on to Cradle Mountain late this afternoon with the rest of the day at leisure.
The Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park area fulfils more criteria for World Heritage listing than any other place on Earth. Spectacular scenery and serenity…..Our home for two nights is the iconic Cradle Mountain Hotel.
Day 11 BL
Breakfast at our hotel.
On your own, spend some time this morning visiting the eclectic Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery, a modern twelve-room exhibition space full of paintings, photography, sculpture, artifacts and film from local and not so local artists celebrating the wilderness around Cradle Mountain and the stories of Tasmania.
At 10am a local guide will lead us on a 2-hour Explorer Tour through Cradle Mountain Park. Your next several hours are free to relax, enjoy the amenities of the hotel or explore additional hiking trails until a late afternoon visit to the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary where we’ll see the “Devils @ Cradle” feeding – a spectacular sight! The facility uses environmentally sensitive lighting and focuses on social interactions/feeding behaviours to give visitors the opportunity to view this marquee nocturnal animal close up.
Dinner in the Altitude Restaurant at the Cradle Mountain Hotel.
Day 12 BL
Breakfast at our hotel
This morning we drive to Sheffield, a delightful town famous for its
numerous murals depicting the early history of the area. Next is the town of Burnie where we drop in on its Makers’ Workshop, a contemporary facility with great views over the Bass Strait. The Makers’ Workshop is an exciting cultural hub that showcases Burnie’s paper-making past with interactive paper making tours. It also houses studios for all manner of innovators, artists and craftspeople. Before leaving enjoy a lunch of Tasmanian specialties at the Makers’ Workshop Café,
Next up is the quaint township of Stanley on Tasmania’s northern shore. We’ll take a self-guided tour of historic hillside Highfield House, a faithfully restored gentleman’s home and farm from the 1830s. Besides the house, the property contains convict barracks, barns, stables and a chapel surrounded by a large ornamental garden. Enjoy its views over the town, the fishing boats on Bass Strait and the Nut, Stanley’s extinct volcano. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps to visit the small shops in town or ride the chairlift to the top of the Nut for an incredible panoramic view.
Our hotel for one night is at the Stanley Seaview.
Day 13 CB/L/D
Continental breakfast provisions provided for guests to enjoy in their room.
Depart Stanley this morning for the Tarkine Wilderness Lodge for a one-hour guided walking tour of pristine rainforest. We’ll experience ‘Mother Earth’s Great Gums track’ a walk that includes a grove of huge, stringy bark gum trees, some of which are 13 metres wide and hundreds of years old. After the tour, we’ll have lunch at the Wilderness Lodge.
We’ll continue to Spreyton Cider Co for beverage tastings – apple and pear ciders and ginger beer. What better way to end this portion of the tour than a visit to Belgian-owned House of Anvers Chocolates, where the finest chocolates are made using Tasmanian butter and cream. Taste samples and purchase at factory prices.
Drive to Launceston, arriving late this afternoon.
Our hotel for one night is the Grand Chancellor Hotel Launceston. Dinner at the Tram Bar restaurant.
Day 14 B
Breakfast at our hotel.
Morning free until check out at 11.00am.
Choose to walk the short distance to City Park where a Japanese Macaque colony, monkeys gifted to Launceston by its sister city in Japan, is located near the John Hart Conservatory. Or perhaps visit The Design Centre with its exhibition of contemporary wood products, exquisite jewellery, clothing and ceramics.
After check out, we drive to Launceston’s famous Cataract Gorge at the lower section of the South Esk River. We’re free to explore the park on our own, perhaps following trails that wind through the picturesque grounds or riding the famous gorge chairlift, the longest single-span chairlift in the world (extra cost).
This afternoon we cruise the Tamar River aboard the ‘Lady Launceston’, an 1890s steam-boat replica, as it plies the Cataract Gorge. Be entertained by commentary that offers an historical perspective while we view the gorge from the water.
Transfer to the airport to check-in for our late afternoon flight. Thank you for joining us!
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