Exploring Tasmania Escorted Tour

A chance to meet your fellow group travellers and enjoy dinner together at Thirteen50 Kitchen & Bar at Novotel Auckland Airport Hotel before our early morning airport check-in the next day.

Your direct flight from Auckland arrives in Hobart late morning, where you are collected from the Airport and depart on an orientation tour of the city, stopping at Richmond for lunch. Later in the afternoon check into your home for the next 4 nights, the centrally situated and exciting new Crowne Plaza Hotel with stunning views of the city and harbour.

Spend today at historic Port Arthur Convict Settlement, site of one of Australia’s most notorious penal colonies. A guided tour and short harbour cruise provide different perspectives on the convict past. You also visit Eaglehawk Neck and Pirates Bay.

No early morning starts today as you have the whole day free to explore and do as much or as little as you like. You may want to join your hosts at Salamanca Markets in the morning. Meet up in the evening for a group dinner.

After breakfast you’re collected and head south of Hobart, following the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, through the beautiful Huon Valley to visit the seaside town of Margate, which offers shopping with a difference. Then it’s on to Crawleighwood Garden, a private garden renowned for its maple woodlands and ancient Gondwanaland plantings. The last visit today is the Hobart’s historic Shot Tower.

Say “farewell” to Hobart, for now, and head northwest, climbing onto the Central Plateau. Amaze at ‘The Wall In The Wilderness’, an astonishing work of art depicting the history of Tasmania’s Central Highlands. Notice the changing landscape as you descend the Chamouni Valley to the copper mining town of Queenstown. Finally, arrive at Strahan Village on the west coast, your home for the next two nights where the views are spectacular.

Board the giant ‘Spirit Of The Wild’ catamaran to cruise across Macquarie Harbour and up the Gordon River into the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness. Ancient sassafras and myrtle rainforest lead you to Heritage Landing where you can go ashore amidst this incredible environment. After lunch onboard we voyage to Hell’s Gates past Sarah Island – the worst convict settlement of them all. A full day’s cruising concludes back at Strahan where there’s time to explore the village before dinner. In the evening, enjoy an open-air performance of ‘The Ship That Never Was’, the longest running play in Australia.

Continuing north, enjoy morning tea with stunning views before travelling to Cradle Mountain National Park. Enjoy a guided 4WD tour including Dove Lake and Waldheim Chalet before resuming your journey northwards to the outskirts of Tasmania’s second largest city, Launceston, where you settle into your accommodation at the elegant Country Club of Tasmania. Be prepared to see wallabies up close and personal here.

It’s an early start this morning as you head west to the historic village of Stanley, nestled at the foot of an ancient volcano. Time to explore this pretty town & perhaps take the chairlift to the summit. A stop off at Burnie for lunch, then return eastward through the region known as The Great Western Tiers and visit the unique ‘Yarns Artwork In Silk’ exhibition in the town of Deloraine.

This morning begins by visiting the dramatic Cataract Gorge in the middle of Launceston, before continuing your journey eastward through the former tin-mining towns of Scottsdale and Derby. Stop to admire the famous War Memorial Tree Carvings at Legerwood and St Columba Falls before arriving on the east coast and your overnight accommodation at pretty St Helens.

After breakfast, turn south, following the white-sand beaches of the east coast before visiting East Coast Natureworld Wildlife Sanctuary. Here you will encounter the famous Tasmanian Devil, Wombats, Echidnas, Kangaroos & Wallabies as well as native birds and reptiles. After a seafood lunch at Bicheno, visit ocean blowholes and indulge in some locally made ice cream, finally crossing the Derwent River back into Hobart from the east and checking back into our wonderful Crowne Plaza Hotel.

No visit to Hobart would be complete without a ferry trip up the Derwent River to Berriedale and the amazing MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). Created by the unconventional businessman and art collector, David Walsh, this complex of breathtaking architecture combines museum, art gallery, restaurants, music venues and open spaces that will captivate and engage you.

A last FREE DAY in Hobart lets you revisit favourite spots or discover new ones at your own pace. Or simply relax and re-charge after your travels of the previous days. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner together at a local waterfront restaurant.

This morning you are collected from your hotel and transfer to Hobart Airport in preparation for your flight home. Say your final farewells to Hobart and Tasmania and fly back to Auckland and any onwards domestic flights.