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Set between the towering peak of Mount Wellington and the Derwent River, Hobart is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Founded in 1804, Hobart is Australia’s second oldest capital and everywhere you go the past steps out to meet you. Sullivans Cove is lined with sandstone warehouses reflecting the area’s rich maritime history and at Battery Point tiny cottages vie for space with grand mansions and Victorian terraces.  We have time to settle into our hotel and relax before our Welcome dinner.

*Please arrive before 13:30pm to meet the scheduled airport transfer to the starting hotel

OR add our group flights to your reservation: 08 November / VA0702 / Departing Brisbane at 09:40am – Arriving Hobart 13:30pm

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Wrest Point Hotel & Casino Hobart or similar

We’re lucky enough to be in Hobart on a Saturday, so following some local sightseeing we head to the famous Salamanca Markets where hundreds of stallholders set up their stalls along the elm tree lined street every Saturday, drawing large crowds. We spend the morning here, have free time for lunch then pay a visit to The Cascades Female Factory which was a self-contained, purpose-built institution intended to reform female convicts. The inmates did laundry and needlework services, offsetting some of the colony’s penal costs. Today, we have a heritage tour that gives an emotional depiction of the harsh life within the Cascades Female Factory in 1833.

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Wrest Point Hotel & Casino Hobart or similar

We farewell Hobart this morning and begin our journey to the West Coast. We pass the huge South West National Park, which combined with the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park makes up almost a full, one third, of the land mass of Tasmania. Late morning, we arrive in Derwent Bridge, the geographical centre of Tasmania to see the Wall in the Wilderness. The “wall” is a work in progress which when finished will have an array of panels measuring 100 metres in length. We then enjoy a late lunch at the Wilderness Hotel. This afternoon, we drive through the pristine wilderness of the Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park through some of the state’s most spectacular lakes and mountain areas before the steep drive into Queenstown, a town which was established as a result of the discovery of gold and other minerals at Mount Lyell last century.

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West Coaster Motel, Queenstown or similar

We have an early start this morning, as we head to Strahan and join a cruise on the Gordon River into Macquarie Harbour—a vast body of water that measures six times the size of Sydney Harbour. First navigated by Captain James Kelly and four companions in 1815, these wild and remote waters offer the only safe harbour on Tasmania’s west coast.  We’ll visit Sarah Island, once known as “hell on earth” as Tasmania’s first and most brutal penal settlement. We’ll hear about the points of interest including the Huon Pines found in this area, commonly known to live for 2000 years. We return to Strahan for some free time before travelling by coach back to Queenstown

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West Coaster Motel, Queenstown or similar

Departing Queenstown, we make our way through Tullah and arrive at the Cradle Mountain National Park. We take a special tour into the National Park including Waldheim and Dove Lake.  Our last stop in this area is a visit to Devils @ Cradle, a Tasmanian Devil interpretation centre.  Our guide will introduce us to the lifestyle of the alpine Tasmanian devil. We then enter a special viewing area for our encounter with the real thing.  We’ll realise that devils@cradle is committed to the conservation and protection of this now vulnerable species.  The centre operates a successful captive breeding program, ensuring the ongoing survival of Tasmanian Devils in healthy numbers in the wild.  Leaving the park, we head north to Burnie for our overnight stay.

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Beachfront Voyager Motor Inn, Burnie or similar

After breakfast we follow the north coast via Penguin and Ulverstone to Devonport and arrive at the Don River Railway. Here we take a relaxing rail trip on the historic Melrose line to Coles Beach and on our return, we can look through the museum. For lunch we call into the Anvers Chocolate Factory just outside Devonport. The “House of Anvers” is a real chocolate sensation. It is located in the property formerly known as “Wyndarra Lodge” – a stylish 1931 Californian Bungalow which is set on 1.12 hectares of gardens with mature trees and plants from all over the world. This afternoon our touring takes us via the small town of Sheffield before arriving in Deloraine for a visit to Yarns: Artwork in Silk -a large art work piece depicting the story of the valley. Finally we arrive in Launceston and take a brief sightseeing drive around town before settling into our hotel.

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Hotel Grand Chancellor Launceston or similar

This morning we make our way east towards Nabowla, for a visit to the Bridestowe Estate Lavender Farm. We take a tour of the farm, one of the world’s largest single commercial lavender farms, producing the finest quality lavender flowers and lavender oil. We have a tour and morning tea before returning to Launceston and arriving at Cataract Gorge Reserve. Surrounded by cliffs, bushland and beautiful gardens explore at your leisure, perhaps taking a ride on the world’s longest single span chairlift followed by lunch in the cafe. This afternoon we have planned to join Tamar River Cruises for a cruise into Cataract Gorge for a different perspective. Our 50-minute cruise will explore the old and new facets of Launceston’s Seaport precinct, Kings Wharf, heritage properties and of course the spectacular Cataract Gorge.

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Hotel Grand Chancellor Launceston or similar

Departing Launceston, we journey down what was the finest highway in Australia in its day. It was first known as the Main Road linking Launceston and Hobart, then for some 55 years became the Midland Highway & now Highway One or the Heritage Highway. This morning we are heading to Swansea where we have morning tea at the Bark Mill Tavern and Bakery, as well as some time to look through the small museum.  This afternoon we start making our way along the East Coast and see Maria Island off to the East, as we pass through Triabunna and Orford. On our way to Hobart, we pass through Richmond which is famous for having one of the oldest convict-built bridges in Tasmania.

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Wrest Point Hotel & Casino Hobart or similar

Today we will be spending the day discovering the Port Arthur Historic Site.  The penal settlement is a stark reminder of the harsh conditions endured by the earliest European inhabitants of this one time island jail. The ruins are the greatest single tourist attraction in Tasmania and the place where up to 12,000 prisoners were kept in an atmosphere of hopelessness and misery. At the Visitor Interpretative Centre where we take a fascinating journey, retracing the life of a convict from the time of his petty crime in England, to his transportation to Port Arthur and finally his life in the penal colony.  We also take a cruise on the harbor around Isle of the Dead. It was here that around 1000 convicts and ex-convict paupers were buried, mostly in unmarked graves. After a great day, we now return to Hobart and our final night of the tour. 

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Wrest Point Hotel & Casino Hobart or similar

We enjoy our final breakfast together before departing for the airport and our respective return flights home.

*Depart anytime

OR Depart on our group flight: 17 November / VA0705 / Departing Hobart at 14:10pm – Arriving Brisbane at 15:50pm

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