Tassie's Parks and Nature

Hello Hobart! Settle into your hotel opposite Constitution Dock - minutes from the city centre and the perfect base for adventure (flights to arrive prior to 3pm). Then choose how you’d like to spend your first day in the capital of Australia’s smallest state. Take an easy stroll along the Derwent River or explore Constitution Dock’s many yachts, boats, and fishing trawlers. This lively area, also the finishing line for the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, is an energizing kick off to your Tassie adventures. After getting acquainted with the city, join your Travel Director and group for a Welcome Reception including Tasmanian cuisine paired with local wines and beer. It’s a fresh and delicious start to your adventures in beautiful Tassie.

See what makes Hobart ticket on a sightseeing tour of this capital city. Soak in views of the city from the Mt. Nelson Lookout. Learn a bit of history at Battery Point - a maritime village built in 1804, and see Hobart’s famous Cascade Brewery. Then stroll through the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Now's the perfect time to graze Hobart's food scene at the famous Salamanca Market. In this feast for the senses, smell and taste local cheeses, pickles, crepes, oysters, truffles, cider, and more. Meander through the market - learning the local secrets of the market from your Travel Director - discovering its stalls and sandstone warehouse of galleries and unique arts and crafts shops. Anytime you’re ready for a break, grab a coffee or cool drink in one of the market’s many cafes. After a big day, ask your Travel Director for restaurant recommendations and raise a glass to the end of your day. Cheers!

Head out of Hobart today for your first taste of dramatic landscapes, to the cascading waterfalls of Russell Falls in Mt. Field National Park. Then wind your way to Australia’s deepest lake, Lake St. Clair at 160 metres deep. Pause at the peaceful water of this lake whose aboriginal name means “sleeping water” and snap a few photos to remember the moment. You’ll then continue your scenic journey through the rainforest bordered road of World Heritage protected Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, before arriving in the seaside township of Strahan. After a day in nature, you’ll be dazzled by Strahan’s massive Macquarie Harbour, seven times the size of Sydney Harbour, as you arrive at your hillside hotel. Here we’ll toast to a big day over dinner at Strahan Village’s View 42 Restaurant and Bar.

Jump into the wilderness and take to the river this morning on a guided cruise on the Gordon River with a Local Specialist. Look out the floor-to-ceiling windows to the dark waters, stained amber by Button-grass tannins, reflecting this untouched wilderness. Stop for a bit of history and Dive Into Culture at the isolated Sarah Island, once a site of a penal colony, and gain insights into Tasmania’s convict history. Hear the stories and learn about the natural environment, the flora and fauna as you stroll among the 3,000-year-old pine once used in shipbuilding. Visit the Hells Gates, the notoriously treacherous entrance to the harbour, before docking and going on your way. You’ll travel deep into the alpine forest of Cradle Mountain National Park arriving at your Stays With Stories accommodation. Celebrate the natural beauty you’ve seen today with local beer and wine or continue your exploration on the property’s wilderness boardwalk. Be sure to check out the hotel’s art gallery that showcases the Cradle Mountain wilderness through the works of Tasmanian artists.

Waking in the heart of Cradle Mountain National Park, get ready to explore more of this beautiful, protected landscape. You’ll begin at Waldheim Chalet for a bit of history. Learn how after summiting the peak, Gustav Weindorfer and his wife Kate were compelled to build Waldheim (meaning “home in the forest”) Chalet to give tourists the opportunity to enjoy the natural surroundings. Get better acquainted with the land on a short boardwalk stroll with your Travel Director on the shores of Dove Lake, gazing up at the towering, jagged peaks of Cradle Mountain and perhaps dolerite peak on a clear day. Look around nearby too, as Bennetts wallabies, echidnas, and pademelons also make their home here. Want to see more unique Tasmanian wildlife? Consider joining an Optional Experience learning about and getting close (but not too close!) to the Tasmanian Devil. Or join an evening animal spotting experience viewing nocturnal mammals and marsupials including wallabies, wombats, and possums in their native night-time habitat. A creature is always stirring in fascinating Tasmania.

Tasmania has its fair share of award-winning gin and whisky distilleries, as well as boutique breweries. Among them is a seaside tap house found in the petite town of Penguin. If there’s a place with a cuter name, we’re yet to locate it on a map. Sit back and enjoy a tasting paddle of local brew while taking in the views overlooking glorious Bass Strait. Next up, get acquainted with rural life at Mount Gnomon Farm. Hidden high in the hills, here you’ll meet passionate fifth-generation farmer Guy who’ll share his story and give you a tour of his apple orchard. Then sit down to a paddock-to-plate lunch served in his beautiful barn overlooking his well-stocked veggie garden. After a quick stop in Sheffield, the ‘Town of Murals,’ you’ll head through the Meander Valley to the historic city of Launceston for a good night’s rest.

It’s your last day in Tasmania and there’s still plenty to see. Culture, wildlife, and history combine at Launceston's Cataract Gorge. This rare natural phenomenon unites bushland with neat Victorian gardens, replete with ferns and exotic plants. Take an easy walk around the Basin and across the historic suspension bridge or get a bird's eye view aboard the world's longest single span chairlift. Then it's time for a stop at Josef Chromy Wines. We can't think of a better way to end your time in Tassie than raising a glass sampling a specialty of the region including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Continue to treat your taste buds over a light lunch at Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company, known for its sauces, jams, mustards and relishes. After lunch, take a garden tour unlocking their history as you stroll through the formal and informal gardens overlooking the Eastern Highlands and South Esk River. Feeling full and happy, all good things must come to an end. After experiencing so many beautiful places together, bid your travel companions a warm farewell before your transfer to Launceston Airport (flights to depart after 5pm).