Perfect Tasmania

Welcome to Hobart, the capital of Australia’s smallest state and the starting point for your adventure (flights to arrive prior to 3pm). Arriving at your hotel opposite Constitution Dock, you’ll soon see how this is the perfect base for your time in Hobart. Ease into the day with a stroll along the mighty Derwent River before it empties into Storm Bay and the Tasman Sea, or keep it close to the hotel with a walk around the docks, taking in the colourful collection of yachts, boats, and fishing trawlers. Also the finishing line for the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, its friendly, festive atmosphere is your warm ‘Tassie’ welcome. Tonight, set the scene for the rest of your Australia tour package and join your Travel Director and group for a dinner designed to treat you to the delicious flavours of Tasmania.

This morning your Hobart city tour will show you all the key sights. Enjoy a drive up to Mt. Nelson Lookout for panoramic views over the city. Stop for a photo at Cascade Brewery before visiting historical Battery Point - a maritime village built in 1804. Finish the tour with a stroll through the fragrant and beautifully maintained Royal Botanical Gardens, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Later it's a feast for the senses as you graze your way through the sights, sounds, and flavours of Hobart’s Salamanca Market, hearing about its history and discovering the best spots to sample cheeses, pickles, oysters, truffles, cider, and more. You’ll soon see how it’s more than just food as you meander the colourful stalls and potter through the historic sandstone warehouses discovering galleries and innovative Tasmanian arts and crafts. You’ll be ready to celebrate your first day of exploring so ask your Travel Director for some recommendations for somewhere to suit your taste and raise a glass to the end of your day. Cheers!

• Visit the Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Your first taste of the dramatic Tasmanian landscapes you’ve been dreaming of come to life today journeying west to Mt. Field National Park to see the magnificent, tiered cascade of Russell Falls. Then take the winding road to iconic Lake St. Clair, Australia’s deepest natural lake at 160 metres deep. Continuing along the rainforest bordered road of World Heritage protected Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, you’ll pass through the moonscape of the mining town of Queenstown before your final stop today at seaside Strahan. The magnificent Macquarie Harbour, seven times the size of Sydney Harbour, is your backdrop this evening from your hotel perched on the hillside. After a big day you can relax over dinner at Strahan Village’s View 42 Restaurant and Bar.

Heading to areas of untouched wilderness today, you’ll take in the landscapes from a different view cruising Gordon River with a Local Specialist. Gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows, you’ll be awestruck by the dark waters, stained amber by Button-grass tannins. Dive Into Culture on Sarah Island - chosen as a site for a penal colony because of its isolated location - and gain insights into a relic of Tasmania’s convict history. Stroll among the 3,000-year-old pine used in shipbuilding learning about the flora and fauna from your expert guide. You’ll also see Hells Gates, the notoriously treacherous entrance to the harbour. Back on land, and heading to the highlands you'll soon arrive at one of one of Trafalgar's Stays With Stories accommodation nestled in the alpine forest of the sensational national park. End the day of your Tasmania tour with perhaps a tasting of local beer and wine, relax by the fire, stroll the wilderness boardwalk, or explore the hotel’s own gallery featuring Tasmanian artists showcasing the Cradle Mountain wilderness and Tasmanian stories.

• Visit Sarah Island Penal Settlement
• Stay at Cradle Mountain Hotel

You’ll want to rise early and make the most of every minute of this active full day discovering the inspiring beauty of Cradle Mountain National Park - one of Australia’s most famous national parks protecting this glaciated landscape’s flora and fauna. Visit the Waldheim Chalet for insights into the early history of the area, learning how after summiting the peak, Gustav Weindorfer and his wife Kate found the area so magnificent that they built the Waldheim (“home in the forest”) Chalet for tourists to stay and enjoy its beauty. Take a boardwalk stroll with your Travel Director on the shores of Dove Lake beneath the towering, jagged peaks of Cradle Mountain. On a clear day you may spot the dolerite peak, as well as Bennetts wallabies, echidnas, and pademelons grazing along the way. Not done yet? You could choose to end the day learning about some of the wilder residents like the iconic Tasmanian devil. Or, enjoy animal spotting at dusk on Cradle Mountain viewing nocturnal mammals and marsupials including wallabies, wombats, and possums in their native habitat.

Explore the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience lovingly created by volunteers. Set across 11 hectares, this peaceful haven is home to lakes, pavilions and one of the world’s most diverse collections of rhododendrons - and you might even spot a platypus. Stop in the coastal town of Penguin before heading inland to Mount Gnomon Farm, where Guy Robertson invites you to sample orchard-brewed cider and enjoy a paddock-to-plate lunch made with seasonal produce grown on his land. Continue to Sheffield, known as Tasmania’s ‘Town of Murals’, where vibrant street art tells stories of local life. End the day in Launceston, framed by the rolling hills of the Meander Valley.

• Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden

Enjoy a tasty start to your day at the Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company. Sample sauces, jams and chutneys made with ingredients grown on site. Learn how local producers turn Tasmania’s cool climate and fertile soil into bold regional flavours. Taste award-winning wines at Josef Chromy Wines, set among rolling vineyards and lakeside views. Explore Cataract Gorge, where native bushland, towering cliffs and suspension bridges create one of Launceston’s most scenic pockets. Spend the afternoon at leisure in the city, it’s a chance to relax, revisit favourite spots or simply soak up the laid-back rhythm of Tasmanian life.

The floral undertones will linger long after your decadent, sensory experience at Bridestowe Lavender Estate, producer of high-quality lavender since 1922. On your tour of the farm with a Local Specialist, you’ll discover they produce one of the only single flower honeys in the world and watch the oil being extracted in the distillery - a traditional process from the 1920s which pays tribute to the farm’s beginnings starting with a packet of seeds from southern France. When in season, stroll the sprawling purple fields, homemade lavender ice cream in hand, and have a look at the vintage memorabilia in the Old Tractor Shed. Continue your Australia tour package to Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees site and spend lunchtime in St. Helens before following the picturesque East Coast to Bicheno. Tonight, take a short walk down to the water's edge to view Little Penguins in their natural environment.

Make sure your camera is charged for today’s highlight, the best of stunning Freycinet Peninsula on a four-hour boat trip with lunch. Your Local Specialist will share their in-depth knowledge as you cruise along gentle shores of Coles Bay past sea caves, towering pink granite cliffs, and through the inner passage of remote Schouten Island - home to penguins and short tailed shearwaters - to the main event of Wineglass Bay, a crescent of dazzling white sand where you’ll anchor for a ploughman's lunch. Keep your eyes peeled, these pristine waters are home to diverse wildlife including sea eagles, pods of bow-surfing dolphins, fur seals sunbathing on the rocky coast and even migrating humpback and Southern Right whales. Know that your visit, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, will help protect the area's wildlife. Drive through dry eucalypt forests to Cape Tourville for a walk that will reward you with views of brilliant blue water and golden beaches. Later, pass through the seaside towns of Swansea and Triabunna before arriving at your hotel overlooking stunning Maria Island.

• Cruise Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Head south to the banks of the Derwent River, where a local palawa host welcomes you to country and introduces the tastes and stories of native bush tucker. In the village of Richmond, discover the convict-built bridge and gaol, or browse the boutique-lined streets. At Old Hobart Town, take in the intricately crafted model village depicting life in 1820s Hobart. Your Stays with Stories experience tonight is Iron Creek Bay Farm, set on 70 hectares of orchards brimming with apples, cherries and grapes. Pick fruit straight from the trees or join a farm walk to hear the land’s story. Most importantly, tonight, relax, enjoy the sunset and savour some fine Tassie produce at the renowned farm restaurant!

Today you’ll Dive Into Culture exploring the historical side of Tassie at Port Arthur with a Local Specialist. Begin by crossing Eaglehawk Neck to the Tasman Peninsula and enjoying a cruise of the harbour around the Isle of the Dead before a fascinating guided walk through the ruins, including the cathedral and cells of Port Arthur's infamous convict prison. Learn the evolution of this storied place from its beginnings as a small timber station to a penal settlement where some convicts contributed to shipbuilding to the renaming of “Carnarvon” in the 1880s. On the drive back to Hobart and your accommodation, see rugged sea cliffs from Pirate’s Bay Lookout and feast your eyes on the amazing vistas and natural rock formations of Tasman’s Arch, Devils Kitchen, and the Blowhole. Soak in the views surrounded by swirls of water and clouds of spray reminding you of the power of nature to create this wild landscape.

• Port Arthur Historic Site Visit

Today is yours to explore more of Australia’s southern-most capital or go further afield to its wilder surroundings. You could choose an optional experience day trip to Bruny Island and take in Australia’s highest sea cliffs and craggy formations by boat. A proper adventure and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, you’ll listen to the awesome ‘Breathing Rock,’ enter deep sea caves, and pass through the narrow passage feeling the power of nature at the very point where the Tasman Sea meets the mighty Southern Ocean. Don’t forget to join in the search for fur seals, dolphins, migrating whales and sea birds. Or, visit the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, occupying one of Australia's most historically significant sites and home to 800,000 objects ranging from fossils to fine art. As your epic encounter with Tassie comes to an end, join your fellow travellers at dinner in one of Hobart's popular restaurants.

This morning after breakfast, we say farewell to our newfound friends as your Australia tour comes to an end and you are transferred to Hobart Airport (flights anytime). It’s been a big week for adventuring, sightseeing, and tasting the best of Tasmania and we hope to see you again soon!