MELBOURNE TO GEELONG—SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

Welcome to our tour around spectacular Tasmania. With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew. We drive to Geelong where we enjoy dinner and get to meet our fellow travellers before we transfer to the Spirit of Tasmania dock. Here we board the ferry for our overnight cruise to Devonport. Settle into our own ensuite twin berth porthole cabin and enjoy dinner in the Tas Market Kitchen as we cross the Bass Strait.

OVERNIGHT:  SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

DEVONPORT TO LAUNCESTON

Arriving at Devonport, the gateway to Tasmania, disembark to be greeted and escorted to your coach. After breakfast, tour through picturesque countryside to the village of Evandale which is a hidden gem of beautifully preserved historic buildings. Its streets are lined with late-Georgian and early-Victorian architecture and we will pause here before visiting the Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company. Enjoy the garden before sampling their gourmet BBQ lunch. We then head to the northern city of Launceston where highlights include the city centre and beautiful Cataract Gorge with its cliff-side gardens, peacocks, pools, suspension foot-bridge and one of the world's longest single-span chairlifts (ride is optional – own expense). We have time to settle into our overnight accommodation and freshen up for dinner.

OVERNIGHT:  Hotel Grand Chancellor, LAUNCESTON

LAUNCESTON TO ST HELENS

This morning, we tour the picturesque Tamar Valley to visit the Mine & Heritage Centre in the gold mining town of Beaconsfield, site of the 2006 mine disaster and miraculous rescue. We stop for lunch at the small riverside town of Beauty Point before crossing the unique A-frame Batman Bridge. Tour the north east through agricultural Scottsdale, Branxholm and former tin-mining centre of Derby, now a mountain biking mecca. We visit Legerwood and view the War Memorial Tree Carvings, honouring the fallen soldiers of the region. We then travel through the myrtle rainforest of Weldborough Pass before descending to the east coast for our overnight stay at Panorama St Helens which overlooks the beautiful Georges Bay.

OVERNIGHT:  Panorama Hotel, ST HELENS

FREYCINET TO HOBART

Today we travel south beside the blue waters of the Tasman Sea, through the fishing and holiday villages of Scamander and Bicheno. We visit East Coast Natureworld which sits amongst 150 acres of natural parkland and lagoons and a perfect place to experience Tasmania's unique animals. Learn about their contribution to saving the threatened Tasmanian devils on a guided tour of the sanctuary. View the Gulch (boat ramp) and the ocean blowhole at Bicheno. We now continue to picturesque Coles Bay and Freycinet National Park with its jagged pink granite peaks, crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. After lunch, we rejoin the Tasman Highway, passing through Swansea with its enigmatic, convict built Spiky Bridge. Follow the Prosser River Valley through Buckland and Cambridge to cross the picturesque Derwent River into the city of Hobart nestled at the foot of majestic Kunanyi / Mount Wellington. We have time to unpack as we’re in Hobart for the next four nights.

OVERNIGHT:  The Old Woolstore, HOBART

PORT ARTHUR ON THE TASMAN PENINSULA

Travel via Sorell Causeway and Midway Point for our full day tour on the Tasman Peninsula. Take in the magnificent views from the look-out above picturesque Eaglehawk Neck and Pirates Bay before continuing to the Port Arthur Historic Site. Within the 40 hectares of landscaped grounds lies a rich history of Australia’s convict past. Included in the entry is a guided walking tour, a short harbour cruise, access to the Visitor Centre and Interpretation Gallery as well as more than 30 buildings, ruins and restored gardens and houses; explore as you wish before departing the historic site to tour beside Norfolk and Frederick Henry Bays back to Hobart.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: The Old Woolstore, HOBART

HOBART AND RICHMOND

As it is Saturday morning, take the opportunity to explore the famous Salamanca open-air market with its bustle and buskers, colour and excitement. After a city sights tour, we cross the Derwent River to the historic village of Richmond. Here we have some free time to explore—walk across Australia’s oldest bridge, built by convict labour between 1823 and 1825; visit the cemetery of Australia’s oldest existing Catholic Church, St John the Evangelist, built in 1836 or browse through the many delightful craft shops, galleries and food stores. We complete our day back in Hobart with a visit to the sheltered, landscaped grounds of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens which hold historic plant collections and a large number of significant trees, many dating from the nineteenth century. We return to our accommodation where the remainder of the afternoon is yours to relax or explore as you wish.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT:  The Old Woolstore, HOBART

BRUNY ISLAND

This morning we travel south to Kettering where we board the ferry and cross the beautiful D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island. Not only can Bruny Island boast some of Tasmania’s most superb scenery of sweeping beaches, mountains and spectacular capes and bays, but it also has a fascinating history. Notable early visitors include Captain Furneaux (1773), Captain Cook (1777), and Bligh (1788 & 1792) on the ‘Bounty’ who planted Tasmania's first apple tree. We arrive at Roberts Point on North Bruny and tour south past The Neck, which is a game reserve of penguin and mutton bird rookeries and the site of the memorial to famous Tasmanian aboriginal Truganini. Visit Inala Jurassic Garden, which specialises in plants whose ancient ancestors thrived in the Jurassic period when the Gondwanan Supercontinent started splitting apart (about 185 million years ago). Stop for lunch at Hotel Bruny which prides itself in offering the freshest local produce. Continue to scenic Adventure Bay and explore the foreshore or the famous Bligh Museum.  As we make our way back to the ferry, we visit the Bruny Island Cheese Company which offers a superb range of cheese, beer and condiments.   Reboard the ferry at Kettering then return to Hobart, travelling beside the Derwent River.

OVERNIGHT: The Old Woolstore, HOBART

DERWENT VALLEY TO QUEENSTOWN AND STRAHAN

Departing Hobart, follow the Derwent Valley through hop fields and hills to historic New Norfolk. Climb the Central Plateau through highland trout-lakes country to Tarraleah, an early hydro-electric scheme town. Visit “The Wall in The Wilderness”, an extraordinary work of art being carved out of Huon pine telling the story of Tasmania’s Central Highlands. Experience the wonders of Gondwanaland during a short rainforest walk to Nelson Falls in the Wild Rivers National Park. Travel down the spectacular drive into Queenstown, the largest west coast town; surrounded by dramatic hills and mountains and once was the world's richest mining town. We continue to Strahan, a harbour-side village with a dark and fascinating convict past set on the edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Accommodation for the next two nights is overlooking the beautiful Macquarie Harbour at the Strahan Village.

OVERNIGHT:  Strahan Village, STRAHAN

GORDON RIVER CRUISE AND STRAHAN

Cruise the incomparable Gordon River this morning into the heart of Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area. Cross vast Macquarie Harbour to Hell's Gates, the aptly named harbour entrance where many early ships were destroyed by ferocious ocean swells. On dry land, we have a guided tour of Sarah Island, the worst convict settlement of all. Follow the Gordon through stands of ancient Huon pine, sassafras and myrtle rainforest to step ashore for a wilderness board-walk at Heritage Landing. After our cruise there will be opportunity to explore the village including the Visitor Centre and Huon pine saw mill before returning to our accommodation for a well earned rest.

OVERNIGHT: Strahan Village, STRAHAN

CRADLE MOUNTAIN, DOVE LAKE AND SMITHTON

Departing Strahan this morning, our journey takes us through the rugged west coast, steeped in mining history. We travel past the historic mining town of Zeehan and on to Tullah Lakeside Lodge, nestled by the serene Lake Rosebery for morning tea. The route then leads us through lush rainforests, mineral-rich mountains and the picturesque Vale of Belvoir. Crossing alpine cattle country, we arrive at the iconic Cradle Mountain National Park. Board the shuttle bus to Dove Lake at the foot of the crags of Cradle Mountain and visit Waldheim, the forest home of pioneer Gustav Weindorfer. Enjoy lunch at Cradle Mountain Hotel and have an opportunity to visit the Wilderness Gallery before following the highway through mountains and button grass plains to the north west coast and our overnight accommodation in Smithton.

OVERNIGHT:  Tall Timbers Hotel, SMITHTON

STANLEY, BURNIE, SHEFFIELD, SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

This morning we visit the historical village of Stanley, nestled at the foot of an ancient volcanic core known as 'The Nut'. Marvel at the breathtaking views from the rich agricultural Table Cape with it’s amazing diversity of crops and farms. We tour through the relaxed seaside town of Wynyard then the industrial city of Burnie. After following the Bass Highway and scenic coastal route through Penguin and Ulverstone, we venture into the hinterland to the mural town of Sheffield where the local community has recorded the history of the area in life-size paintings on the town walls. On our return to Devonport we stop to visit the delicious House of Anvers for a taste of Belgian chocolate. We now board the Spirit of Tasmania for our journey across Bass Strait back to mainland Australia.

Lunch at own expense and arrangement

OVERNIGHT: SPIRIT OF TASMANIA

ARRIVE MELBOURNE

Early risers may watch the Spirit of Tasmania dock before we disembark in Geelong. After a delicious breakfast, we’ll meet up with our chauffeurs who will take us straight to our door – all part of the O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours superior service.