Tassie Getaway

Ride the scenic chairlift across Cataract Gorge in Launceston for an elevated view of the river, cliffs and gardens. The crossing gives a different perspective on a natural reserve remarkably close to the city centre.

Below, bushland meets cultivated Victorian-era gardens beside the South Esk River. The gorge also holds cultural significance for Tasmania’s palawa people. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Visit the Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees, an avenue of sculpted tree trunks in northeast Tasmania commemorating local soldiers who died in the First World War. Look closely at the figures and scenes carved into each trunk.

The original trees were planted as a living memorial before being transformed into sculptures when they became unsafe. Their second life preserves a small community’s act of remembrance and gives the roadside avenue a quiet, personal poignancy.

Meet your Travel Director over a welcome drink in Launceston and get to know the travellers sharing your Tasmanian journey. It is a hosted introduction to the people and places at the heart of the tour.

Set beside the Tamar River, Launceston blends historic streetscapes with easy access to the island’s countryside. The gathering offers a relaxed chance to ask questions and settle into the pace of the trip.

Wander the rows of Bridestowe Lavender Estate in northeast Tasmania, where the landscape turns purple during the late-spring-to-early-summer flowering season. Breathe in the herbal fragrance and discover products made from the estate’s lavender.

The estate is one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest lavender farms. Its neatly planted fields make a striking contrast with the surrounding Tasmanian countryside; seasonal treats such as lavender ice cream or honey may be available to try.

Explore Freycinet National Park, where the pink granite peaks of the Hazards rise above clear water and pale beaches. Take in the coastal scenery around Cape Tourville, with views across eucalypt-covered headlands and the Tasman Sea.

This peninsula is known for its vivid meeting of granite, forest and sheltered bays. The Cape Tourville lighthouse circuit is a short, largely flat boardwalk, offering an accessible way to appreciate the scale of the coastline.

Cruise the waters around Freycinet for a seaward view of the peninsula and Wineglass Bay. Enjoy lunch on board while granite cliffs, forested slopes and sandy coves frame the coastline.

Seeing the bay from the water reveals details that a land-based lookout cannot: the sweep of its beach and the changing colours of the surrounding sea. This included cruise is identified by the operator as a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

Join a local palawa host near the Derwent River for a Welcome to Country and an introduction to bush tucker. Through the hosted walk, learn about local plants and their significance from an Indigenous perspective.

A smoking ceremony forms part of the welcome, offering a meaningful encounter with living culture rather than a conventional sightseeing stop. The experience centres the knowledge and connection to Country of Tasmania’s Aboriginal people.

Explore Port Arthur Historic Site with a guide and hear the stories behind its surviving buildings, landscaped grounds and former penal settlement. The tour places the site’s striking harbour setting alongside the difficult lives of the people held here.

Part of the UNESCO-listed Australian Convict Sites, Port Arthur is central to understanding Britain’s nineteenth-century transportation system. A knowledgeable historian adds context to its ruins and restored buildings. The operator identifies this visit as a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

Explore Hobart with a guide, taking in its historic city centre, gallery-lined streets and Georgian architecture. A hosted tour offers context for the buildings and neighbourhoods of Tasmania’s waterfront capital.

Hobart grew around the Derwent River as an early colonial port, and traces of that past remain visible beside its contemporary cultural spaces. This guided city tour is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour; independent sightseeing is not included as a separate excursion.

Look for little penguins along the Bicheno coast as evening settles over this east-coast fishing town. Watching for the birds near their coastal habitat offers a different perspective on Tasmania’s wildlife.

Little penguins spend much of their lives at sea and return to shore around dusk. Sightings depend on wildlife activity and conditions, but the experience brings travellers close to the rhythms of a species native to Australia’s southern coastline.

Explore the historic village of Richmond and visit Old Hobart Town, a detailed model village portraying Hobart in the 1820s. Richmond’s convict-built bridge and historic gaol speak to the settlement’s colonial past.

The award-winning miniature village gives those early streets and buildings a different scale, making the young town’s layout easier to picture. Together, the village and Richmond offer two complementary views of Tasmania’s nineteenth-century history; entry to Richmond Gaol is not specified.

Stay at Iron Creek Bay Farm near Sorell, surrounded by orchards, vineyards and farm animals. Enjoy the rural setting, with opportunities to see the fruit-growing landscape and views towards Iron Creek Bay.

Dine at the farm’s restaurant on dishes shaped by seasonal Tasmanian ingredients. The working-farm surroundings make this more than a hotel stop: it is a chance to experience the island’s agricultural character and local food in the place where you are staying.

Cruise around the Isle of the Dead in Port Arthur’s harbour, viewing the small island that served as the penal settlement’s burial ground. The water offers a clear sense of its separation from the historic site.

People from different walks of life were buried here during the settlement’s operation, making the island a sobering part of Port Arthur’s story. This is a cruise around the island; a landing or guided island walk is not specified.

Take in the Tasman Peninsula’s coastal formations, including views from Pirate’s Bay Lookout and visits to Tasman’s Arch, Devils Kitchen and the Blowhole. These stops reveal cliffs, chasms and wave-shaped rock along Tasmania’s southeast coast.

Wind and surf have worked on the peninsula’s dolerite and other coastal rock over immense spans of time. Each viewpoint shows a different result, from broad sea-cliff panoramas to the force of water moving through narrow openings.

Visit the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart to explore collections spanning natural history, art and the island’s human stories. Fossils, historical objects and artworks provide different ways into Tasmania’s past and present.

The museum occupies one of Australia’s historically significant cultural sites and holds a collection of around 800,000 objects. A visit is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour; the tour information does not specify a guided museum visit or particular exhibition.

Explore Mount Wellington, known as kunanyi, above Hobart for alpine scenery and sweeping views across the city and River Derwent. Its elevation offers a sharp contrast to the waterfront streets below.

Wooded slopes give way to a more exposed mountain environment, where conditions can change quickly and views depend on the weather. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour; the itinerary does not specify a particular walking route or summit activity.

Cruise the waters around Bruny Island to look for fur seals and view the island’s dramatic sea cliffs from below. A boat trip brings the scale of this exposed southern coastline into focus.

Bruny lies off Tasmania’s southeast coast, where the Southern Ocean shapes steep rock faces and wildlife-rich waters. Animal sightings depend on conditions and wild behaviour. This cruise is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour, subject to availability.

AAT Kings

• 6 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Dinner (D)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Day 1 – Flights to arrive prior to 4.30pm into Launceston AirportDay 7 – Flights to depart anytime from Hobart Airport Airport to Hotel transfers are available to purchase on request. Flights to and from your tour are not included in the tour price.

• Comfortable walking shoes Warm layers in cooler months Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat Water bottle Camera

• Low level of fitness required. Cape Tourville Lighthouse circuit is an easy 10-minute flat loop on a raised boardwalk Port Arthur has steps up to some of the buildings and uneven surfaces however the majority is on a sealed path.