This tour is conducted at a medium-fast pace. Some long travel days may be required to complete this itinerary and you will typically spend two nights at each destination, with some one night stays required. This trip includes a mix of sightseeing and free time to explore at your own pace. You will be required to move about unassisted, including getting on and off vehicles, walking up and down stairs and some activities will be conducted on uneven or steep terrain. You will be required to handle your own luggage.
A portion of this tour runs as a group tour where you will be escorted by an expert tour leader. Another portion is self-guided, whether conducted by rail, cruise or land, and you will travel between destinations on your own, with free time to explore at your own pace.
These tours are our proudest creations. They have been crafted for Inspiring Vacations travellers exclusively, with personal and unique experiences in mind. Please see the Important Information on your selected tour for exact group size. Enjoy features such as hand-picked accommodation, a sampling of the region’s best culinary delights, and a range of optional activities to choose from to best suit your travel style.
✓ Incredible sightseeing, delve into Hobart’s historic centre, discover Port Arthur by land and sea, take your time to explore Cradle Mountain’s natural wonders, taste Tasmania’s finest wines in Freycinet and Tamar Valley, explore Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay
✓ Small group experience with a maximum of 12 guests
✓ 9 nights accommodation in centrally located 3 and 4-star hotels
✓ 14 meals throughout, including 9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch & 4 Dinners
✓ Escorted by a driver-guide from Day 4 to 8
✓ All National Park Admissions
✓ Full day guided tour of the Tasman Peninsula including a Port Arthur Historic Sights Tour and Cruise
✓ Morning coach tram city tour of Hobart
✓ Guided visit to Cradle Mountain including a scenic hike at Dove Lake
✓ Taste Tasmania’s best wines at Devil’s Corner Winery and throughout the Tamar Valley
✓ Discover Tasmania’s most spectacular natural wonders including Freycinet National Park, Bay of Fires, Cataract Gorge and the Tasman Peninsula
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
Welcome to Hobart! On arrival, make your way to your hotel and enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.
Check in & arrival information.
Hotel check in is at 2pm. Should you arrive earlier than this, hotel staff will do all possible to check you in as soon as possible. If your room is not available before check-in time, you are welcome to leave your luggage in storage and explore the surrounding area.
After breakfast, make your way to the Brook Street Pier Tourism Centre. At 09:30am, your sightseeing tour of Hobart begins as you explore this historic city on a coach tram, with commentary by your local expert guide.
Your driver will keep you entertained with live commentary sharing local knowledge and experiences of life in Hobart and is on hand to answer any of your questions. Drive along Sullivans Cove - Hobart's birthplace, pass by Parliament House, the Georgian style warehouses of Salamanca Place and through charming and historic Battery Point. Travel to the suburb of South Hobart and stop at the Cascade Gardens with an option to walk and view the exterior of the historic Cascade Brewery building. Visit the remains of the Female Factory - a one time female prison - featured in Bryce Courtenay's novel The Potato Factory.
Experience the city and parks, historic churches and buildings including the Hobart Town Hall, Penitentiary Chapel. Pass by Government House before crossing the Tasman Bridge to stop at Rosny Hill lookout for stunning views of Hobart, Sandy Bay and Mt Wellington. Enjoy some free time strolling through the exquisite Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.
Note: Whilst the maximum group size of your tour from Hobart to Launceston is 12 guests, the Hobart City Tour may include up to 20 guests.
This is a full day at leisure to further discover the beauty of Hobart, or join an optional tour to Bruny Island.
Untouched wilderness and ocean coast wildlife. The spectacle of massive stark cliffs shaped by the forces of nature. Embrace the power of the ocean at Bruny Island, Tasmanian wilderness at its best!
Join the eco-cruise that has won Tasmania's best tourist attraction for the last five years. Starting from the charming seaside village of Kettering take the ferry across to Bruny Island. Enjoy a delicious morning tea and lunch at the Bruny Island Cruises hub at Adventure Bay. Waterproof jackets (provided) on, hop on-board the custom-designed yellow boat and let it take you on an exhilarating journey around sea cliffs, sea stacks, seals, bird nesting colonies and other amazing scenery. You may even be lucky to spot a dolphin or whale!
Tour Departs at approx 7.45am
Tour Concludes at approx 5.30pm
Includes: Ferry Crossings, Morning Tea, Lunch and a Bruny Island 3 hour Eco Cruise
After breakfast at 8.00 am your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel Travelodge Hobart and we will head south east to visit the famed, UNESCO World heritage listed Port Arthur Historic Site, located at the very tip of the Tasman Peninsula.
Port Arthur is the best preserved and one of the most evocative heritage sites in Australia, a special place with a vivid history. You will have a chance to step back in time and delve into the lives of those who lived in one of the harshest facilities. It’s a place of global significance and one of Australia’s most popular tourist destinations. After an easy walk around the grounds on a guided tour you will enjoy a 30 minute cruise out on the harbour followed by a well-deserved lunch in a café (at your own expense).
There are a number of natural attractions and stunning views along the coastline of Tasman Peninsula, including Eaglehawk Neck, The Tasman Arch & the Devil’s Kitchen. We will take our time to visit a number of these attractions over the day.
Once we have had our fill of the Tasman, it is just over an hour’s ride to the accommodation for the dinner and night in Orford, a holiday township that offers riverside and bayside beauty with amazing views to Maria Island.
Today every turn unveils a new view to take your breath away. After breakfast, we will continue up the coast to Freycinet National Park and take in the postcard views of the peninsula from the Wineglass Bay lookout. It is about a 2hr return walk with a bit of steep uphill, but it is well worth the effort, as the lookout from up top has one of the most spectacular views in Australia.
After our visit to Freycinet National Park, it’s time to relax and enjoy a glass of wine in one of the famous wineries in the area.
Before reaching St Helen’s, the resting point for the evening, we will have our last stop in Bicheno, known for its laid-back lifestyle, idyllic beaches & fishing industry.
The highlights keep coming today with a morning visit to the Bay of Fires. Enjoy a stroll around the aptly named Gardens close to Binalong Bay, checking out some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in Australia. Deep red rocks and aquamarine waters, this is a stunning place which we can leisurely explore for a few hours.
After lunch, it is a few hours drive through to Cradle Mountain, arriving in the late afternoon.
Today, we will pack ourselves some lunch, and then head off for a full day exploring one of the most impressive National Parks in Australia. With it's jagged peaks, lush greenery and abundant wildlife, Cradle Mountain has attracted tourists for all of Tasmnia's history.
The walk around Dove lake is fairly flat and quite easy, and wonderfully combined with some wildlife spotting. For those looking to challenge themselves, you might consider conquering Marion's lookout where you will earn yourself one of the most spectacular photos in all of Australia (only in good weather conditions and not possible in winter). After exploring as much of the park as we can, there will be the opportunity to visit Devils@Cradle (entrance fee not included) - A world class wildlife conservation facility, where you can see Tasmanian Devils and the closely related Spotted-tail and Eastern Quolls. These critters are almost impossible to spot in the wild so it is a great opportunity to see them up close. Return to Sheffield in the evening.
For those not interested in seeing the Tassie Devils up close, the alternative is to grab yourself a wine and sit by the fire at the iconic Cradle Mountain Lodge or take a stroll through the Enchanted Forest.
**Please note, the itinerary may vary considerably depending on driving and weather conditions around Cradle Mountain**
In the morning we will depart Cradle Mountain to check out Sheffield. In the 1980s Sheffield was a typical small Tasmanian country town in the doldrums of rural decline. But then some astute townsfolk came up with an idea that had been applied to the small town of Chemainus in Canada, with some surprising and wonderful results. The plan was to paint large murals on walls around town, depicting scenes from the district's pioneer days. Sheffield is now a veritable outdoor art gallery, with more than 80 large-scale murals, a number that grows each year through the town's annual mural-painting festival.
We will make our way to Launceston through the Tamar Valley to check out the region's famous wineries (1 tasting included) and local producers along with some general sightseeing along the way. Roll into Launceston in the afternoon and check in for our two night stay in Launceston.
Today is at your leisure to explore Launceston. If you enjoy shopping for fresh produce, meeting the farmers or just connecting with locals you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to explore the Harvest Launceston Community Market at leisure, which is walking distance from your hotel.
Each Saturday the Harvest Launceston Community Farmers bring the farm gate to the city and transforms the city car park into a vibrant award winning farmers’ market with Tasmanian’s freshest seasonal produce, organic dairy, artisan bread and pastries, local roasted coffee, artisan ciders, home-made preserves and other outstanding products. Harvest Launceston is also often featured on the “must do” list for visitors to the State.
Otherwise we recommend you to embark on a 50-minute Cataract Gorge Cruise. You will glide along Launceston’s riverfront and cruise beneath the spectacular sheer cliffs of the Cataract Gorge.
After breakfast today your incredible journey through Tasmania will come to an end.
Check out & departure information.
A taxi or Uber to Launceston airport from your accommodation costs approximately $15 to $25 per car. Hotel check out is at 10am and any later check out may be discussed with the hotel reception directly.
Inspiring Vacations has been globally recognised and awarded for its handling of COVID-19 during the pandemic. The safety and wellbeing of our guests is our highest concern during this time of uncertainty, and we are continuously monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation.
We have adopted the advice of the WHO to ensure all customers can travel with the knowledge of how to travel safely and with confidence.
Australian owned and operated with 100% Australian Customer Service support
We are proudly 100% Australian owned and operated, with our head office located in Melbourne, Victoria. When you make your booking, you will receive dedicated and ongoing support from our team of travel professionals throughout your booking, up until you are due to depart.
Cooling off period
If you change your mind within 7 days of making your booking online, you can request a refund of your initial deposit payment as part of our cooling off period. Once your purchase date falls outside of the 7 day period, our standard terms and conditions will apply.
Please ensure that any request to cancel your booking is received via email to support@inspiringvacations.com, including the reason for cancellation.
Deposit & Payments
Booking Process
Booking On Request:
You can enhance your holiday by arriving early or staying longer upon conclusion of the tour. On this tour you can choose from the following options:
Pre and post tour accommodation
Pre and Post accommodation is subject to availability and pricing may differ based on your season of travel.
COVID-19
Due to COVID there maybe disruptions to standard operating schedules of particular components of this itinerary. Should a component be effected a substitute will be confirmed prior to departure.
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Inspiring Vacations customers.
As a general rule, porterage is not included, therefore at all times you are expected to handle your own luggage where help may not be available.
This particular tour is categorised as a “3”.
3 – Moderate Tour: A good level of fitness and mobility is required, as this tour includes a moderate level of physical activity and is considered a medium-fast paced tour. You should be able to walk up and down stairs, get on and off the coach and able to walk reasonable distances of approximately 2 kilometres per day or more with ease. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability. If you have any form of walking aids, other than a walking stick or hiking poles, then this tour is not suitable.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard.
Single Supplement
Single supplement is $918 per person in addition to the twin-share price.
Triple Share
Not Available
Children
Children must be 5 years old or over and share a room with parents at all times. Children are the same price as adults.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is required to protect yourself against the unexpected.
Tour Documentation
Final documentation including e-tickets and hotel details will be provided approximately 30 days prior to travel.
Group Size
2-12 guests, with the exception of the Hobart city tour on Day 2 which takes a maximum of 20 guests.
When travelling with a group, no matter the size, we ask you to be understanding of the various needs and preferences of your group - patience with your fellow travellers is sometimes required for the benefit of everyone's travel experience.
Bedding requests
We do our best to meet your bedding preference, however, bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only and cannot be guaranteed. All efforts will be made to meet your preference, however, any changes are beyond our control and limited by the hotel facilities and availability.
Tour Styles - This package is a Partially Escorted style.
To meet the needs of various types of travellers, we choose to operate various types of tours and depending on your selected package will mean different services are provided throughout your trip. The following descriptions of each tour style we hope will ensure that each traveller has appropriate expectations before they start their travels:
Who is operating this package
We have partnered with a wide range of third party operators who assist in fulfilling your booking and delivering an enjoyable on-tour experience. Each package will consist of multiple operators meaning both guides and fellow travellers may change day to day. But don't worry, regardless of the operator, you'll be in good hands to experience the most out of each destination.
To enhance your journey, we are offering guests a choice of the following optional activities (prices are per person):
Optional tours can be selected once you have finalised your tour purchase and paid your deposit. When completing your Passenger Booking Form, you will be asked if you would like to add Optional Tours, where any applicable cost will be added to your final balance. If you choose not to select them at this time, you can choose to add them later by logging in to your Account online or speaking with your Dedicated Support Agent for assistance.
Please note that you must select your Optional Tours no later than 65 days before departure, after which you will be required to purchase them on tour. Please keep in mind that anything purchased on-tour is subject to availability. We appreciate your understanding.
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