Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tasmania: Hobart, Freycinet and Cradle Mountain
8 days from Hobart to Launceston: MONA, Bruny Island, Port Arthur, Wineglass Bay at Freycinet and Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain.
8 days · Hobart to Launceston · up to 12 guests
Cradle Mountain over Dove Lake Photo: Steven Penton from Bakers Beach, Tasmania Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cradle_Mountain,_Tasmania_(32409116352).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Hobart to Launceston
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Walks of 1 to 3 hours on most days. The Wineglass Bay Lookout track climbs about a kilometre on rock steps (1 to 1.5 hours return), the Dove Lake Circuit is about 6 km on boardwalk and gravel (2 to 3 hours), and Port Arthur and Cataract Gorge are about 2 hours on foot each. The longer walks to Hazards Beach and Marions Lookout are optional, and every walk has an easier version or a place to wait.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 970 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- MONA by ferry up the Derwent River on the first afternoon
- Cape Bruny Lighthouse over the Southern Ocean, the Truganini Lookout at The Neck and an oyster and cheese lunch on Bruny Island
- Port Arthur Historic Site with a site guide and a harbour cruise, entry included
- The Wineglass Bay walk from about 8 am, ahead of the day coaches, with two nights at Freycinet
- Cataract Gorge on foot from the centre of Launceston
- A keeper's tour of a Tasmanian devil sanctuary, then wombats at dusk at Ronny Creek
- The Dove Lake Circuit under Cradle Mountain on one of the first shuttles, with two nights at the park edge
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 970 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Hobart, MONA by ferry
Hobart Airport to your hotel, then the ferry up the Derwent River to MONA and back
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Hobart
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Hobart Airport (HBA), about 20 minutes east of the city, and plan to land by about 12 noon; flights from Melbourne take a little over an hour. A driver meets you and takes you to the hotel near the waterfront. After a short hello from your See Sight Tours guide, we walk to Brooke Street Pier for the ferry up the Derwent River to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, about 25 minutes upstream at Berriedale. The museum is cut into a sandstone peninsula and most of it lies underground: ancient coins and Egyptian antiquities share the floors with contemporary work that is meant to provoke. Your guide gives you the lay of the land, then you explore at your own pace for about three hours.
Evening
The ferry brings us back to the docks in the late afternoon, and the welcome dinner is a short walk from the hotel, with Tasmanian seafood on the menu.
Included
- Pick-up at Hobart Airport (HBA)
- Return ferry from Brooke Street Pier to MONA
- MONA entry
- Welcome dinner
Easier option: Skip MONA and rest at the hotel or walk Salamanca Place and Battery Point until dinner.
Free time: Time on your own inside MONA
Activity: Land by about 12 noon to reach the MONA ferry. MONA closes on some weekdays, so we set start dates on its open days. If you land later, arrive a day early and see the museum on your own.
Bruny Island
Hobart to Kettering, the ferry to Bruny Island, Cape Bruny Lighthouse and The Neck, then back to Hobart
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hobart
- Drive about 4 h
We leave at 8:30 am and drive about 40 minutes south to Kettering for the 20-minute car ferry across the D'Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island, which is really two islands joined by a thin sandy isthmus called The Neck. This is a full road day, about four hours at the wheel in all, at our cap, because the lighthouse sits at the far southern tip, about 75 minutes from the ferry, partly on gravel. So we go straight there while the light is clear: Cape Bruny Lighthouse, first lit in 1838, stands on the cliffs above the Southern Ocean, and we spend about an hour on the headland. Driving back north, we stop at The Neck, where a wooden staircase climbs to the Truganini Lookout, named for the Nuenonne woman born on the island, with water on both sides of the sand below.
Afternoon
Lunch is a late, unhurried tasting of oysters farmed in the channel and cheese from a local maker on North Bruny.
Evening
We are back in Hobart by about 5 pm, and the evening is free.
Included
- Car ferry from Kettering to Bruny Island and back
- Cape Bruny Lighthouse and South Bruny National Park
- Truganini Lookout at The Neck
- Oyster and cheese tasting lunch on North Bruny
Optional experiences
- A three-hour wilderness cruise along the sea cliffs of South Bruny from Adventure Bay, in place of the lighthouse leg (seasonal; price shown when you book)
Easier option: Wait at the foot of the steps at The Neck, and take the short lighthouse path at your own pace or stay by the vehicle.
Free time: Evening free in Hobart
Activity: About 4 hours on the road, the day at our cap, broken by the two ferry crossings (about 20 minutes each), an hour at the lighthouse, The Neck and a long lunch. Some South Bruny roads are gravel, and the lighthouse path is short but uphill.
Port Arthur, then up the east coast
Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur, then north via Swansea to Coles Bay and Freycinet
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Coles Bay (Freycinet)
- Drive about 4.5 h
This is the longest road day, and there is no way round it: Port Arthur sits at the end of the Tasman Peninsula and Freycinet is about three hours north, so we drive about four and a half hours in all, in three parts.
Morning
We leave at 8 am and stop at Eaglehawk Neck for Tasman Arch and the sea chasm of Devil's Kitchen before reaching Port Arthur Historic Site mid-morning. Once a penal station for convicts who reoffended in the colony, it is now part of the UNESCO-listed Australian Convict Sites. Your entry includes an introductory walk with a site guide and a short harbour cruise past the Isle of the Dead; then we walk the Penitentiary, the Separate Prison and the church ruins with your own guide.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at the site. In the afternoon we drive up the east coast, with a break at Swansea above Great Oyster Bay, and reach Coles Bay, under the pink granite of the Hazards, by about 5 pm.
Evening
Before dinner we drive out to Cape Tourville, where a short boardwalk looks along the coast in the evening light.
Included
- Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen at Eaglehawk Neck
- Port Arthur Historic Site entry with the introductory walk and harbour cruise
- Guided walk of the Penitentiary, the Separate Prison and the church ruins
- Sit-down lunch at Port Arthur
- Cape Tourville boardwalk in Freycinet National Park
- Dinner at Coles Bay
Easier option: Stay with the harbour cruise and the gardens at Port Arthur and skip the longer walk round the ruins.
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, about 4.5 hours in three parts, broken by about four hours at Port Arthur and a stop at Swansea. Day 2 is about 4 hours; every other day is 3 hours or less.
The Wineglass Bay walk
Coles Bay to the Wineglass Bay track in Freycinet National Park, then a free afternoon
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Coles Bay (Freycinet)
- Drive about 18 min
We are on the track from the Freycinet car park by about 8 am, before the day-trip coaches arrive from Hobart and Launceston and before the sun gets onto the climb. The path to the Wineglass Bay Lookout rises about a kilometre between granite boulders and she-oaks, with rock steps on the steeper parts, to the saddle between Mount Amos and Mount Mayson, where the curve of white sand opens up below. Most of the group go on down the steps to the beach itself, about an hour and a half there and back from the lookout, for a paddle in clear and very cold water.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in Coles Bay, and the afternoon is free: sit on Richardsons Beach, take a kayak out on the bay or simply rest.
Evening
Dinner tonight is together, and on most evenings there is the option of a little penguin tour at Bicheno, forty minutes up the coast.
Included
- Wineglass Bay Lookout walk with your guide, from about 8 am
- Walk down to Wineglass Bay beach
- Tasmania national parks pass
- Dinner at Coles Bay
Optional experiences
- Wineglass Bay cruise from Coles Bay (seasonal)
- Sea kayaking on Coles Bay
- Little penguin tour at Bicheno at dusk
- Prices for each are shown when you book
Easier option: Walk to the lookout only (1 to 1.5 hours return) and come back down for coffee by the bay.
More active option: Carry on from Wineglass Bay across the isthmus to Hazards Beach and back round the coast with your guide: about 11 km and 4 to 5 hours in all.
Free time: Afternoon free at Coles Bay
Activity: The lookout climb is steady and steep in places, on rock steps. The beach adds about 1,000 steps down and back up.
Bicheno, Elephant Pass and Cataract Gorge
Coles Bay to Bicheno, over Elephant Pass to St Marys, then the Fingal Valley to Launceston
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Launceston
- Drive about 3 h
A short drive north takes us to Bicheno, a fishing town on the granite coast, where the blowhole throws spray across the rocks when the swell is up and the foreshore path runs past boulders patched with orange lichen.
Afternoon
Then we turn inland and climb over Elephant Pass, a winding road through tall wet forest, to the small town of St Marys for a sit-down lunch. The afternoon drive follows the Fingal Valley and the South Esk River through sheep country to Launceston, Tasmania's second city, which we reach by about 3 pm. From the centre it is a fifteen-minute walk into Cataract Gorge, where the same river cuts through steep cliffs; we walk the path along the gorge to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge and the First Basin, where a free outdoor pool opens in summer.
Evening
The evening is yours. Launceston is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and your guide will point you to a good table.
Included
- Bicheno blowhole and foreshore
- Elephant Pass
- Sit-down lunch in St Marys
- Cataract Gorge walk with your guide, to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge and the First Basin
Optional experiences
- The Cataract Gorge chairlift across the First Basin (price shown when you book)
Easier option: Walk the flat path to the suspension bridge and take the chairlift or a taxi back.
Free time: Evening free in Launceston
Activity: About 1.5 to 2 hours on foot in the gorge, with some steps.
Sheffield murals and on to Cradle Mountain
Launceston to Sheffield, then up to Cradle Mountain
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Cradle Mountain
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Launceston at about 9 am and drive west along the Meander Valley past Deloraine, with the Great Western Tiers rising to the south. Sheffield, under the bulk of Mount Roland, turned to murals in the 1980s to bring visitors back after the local economy faded; dozens of large paintings now tell the district's stories on its walls, and we spend an hour walking among them. From there the road climbs onto the plateau to Cradle Mountain, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, where we arrive around lunchtime and check in at the park edge, our base for two nights.
Afternoon
In the afternoon a keeper takes us round a Tasmanian devil sanctuary near the park entrance and explains the facial tumour disease that has cut wild numbers, and how the sanctuary breeds healthy devils.
Evening
At dusk we go out to Ronny Creek, where wombats graze the buttongrass flats in the open.
Included
- Sheffield murals walk
- Keeper tour at a Tasmanian devil sanctuary
- Ronny Creek at dusk for wombats
- Dinner at Cradle Mountain
Optional experiences
- An evening devil feeding tour at the sanctuary (price shown when you book)
Free time: Lunch and an hour or two free on arrival
Activity: Easy walking only. Dusk at Ronny Creek is cold even in summer; bring a warm layer.
Dove Lake under Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain visitor centre to Dove Lake by park shuttle, the Dove Lake Circuit, then a free afternoon
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cradle Mountain
Morning
We take one of the first park shuttle buses of the morning, which in season start at about 8:15 am, from the visitor centre to Dove Lake, where the jagged dolerite peaks of Cradle Mountain, 1,545 m at the summit, stand over the far shore. The Dove Lake Circuit runs about 6 km around the water, mostly on boardwalk and gravel, and takes two to three hours at an easy pace. It passes the old timber boatshed that appears in so many photographs, then enters the Ballroom Forest, a cool stand of myrtle beech and moss beneath the mountain. Early in the day the lake is often calm and the car park quiet.
Afternoon
We come back for a sit-down lunch together, and the afternoon is free: rest by a fire, walk the short Enchanted Walk beside Pencil Pine Creek, or go back out on the shuttle alone. The weather up here changes fast and snow can fall in any month, so pack layers.
Evening
Tonight is our farewell dinner.
Included
- Cradle Mountain park shuttle
- Dove Lake Circuit with your guide
- Sit-down lunch at Cradle Mountain
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Walk the flat first section to the boatshed and back (about 45 minutes), then take the shuttle back early.
More active option: Climb from Dove Lake past Lake Lilla to Marions Lookout for the view down over the lake to the mountain, with your guide: steep, with a chain-assisted section, about 3 to 4 hours.
Free time: Afternoon free at Cradle Mountain
Activity: About 6 km on mostly level boardwalk and gravel. Rain gear and a warm layer in any season.
Down to Launceston and home
Cradle Mountain to Launceston Airport (LST), or to Devonport for the ferry
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast there is time for a last walk on the boardwalks around the park edge, then we drive back down off the plateau through the farmland and small towns of the north to Launceston Airport (LST), about two and a quarter hours, with a coffee stop in Deloraine on the way. We reach the airport at about 12:30 pm, so book a flight leaving after about 1:30 pm; Launceston has direct flights to Melbourne and Sydney, where most international connections start. If you are travelling on by the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Victoria, we can drop you at Devonport instead, about an hour and a quarter from Cradle Mountain. If you would like more time on the island, ask us to add nights in Launceston or on the Tamar Valley wine route before you fly. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye.
Included
- Drop-off at Launceston Airport (LST), or at Devonport for the Spirit of Tasmania ferry
Activity: Book a flight leaving Launceston after about 1:30 pm.
- Hobart2 nights
- Coles Bay (Freycinet)2 nights
- Launceston1 night
- Cradle Mountain2 nights
- Launcestonend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: We run from November to April, Tasmania's warm half. Hobart and Launceston are mild, around 20 to 24 C by day in midsummer, and evenings are long, with sunset after 8:30 pm around the new year. The east coast is the sunniest part of the island; Cradle Mountain is cooler and wetter, and it can snow there even in summer. Summer bushfires can close a road or a track; if one does, we reroute and tell you why. Wombats are very likely at Ronny Creek at dusk, and pademelons and wallabies are common everywhere we stay. Echidnas and white-bellied sea eagles are possible, and Bruny Island has white wallabies. Wild Tasmanian devils are rare and nocturnal, so we see them at a sanctuary.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first trip to Tasmania that takes in Hobart, the east coast and Cradle Mountain in one week
- Walkers who enjoy 2 to 3 hour walks, with longer options on offer
- Travellers coming on from Melbourne or Sydney who want the island handled end to end
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single supplement
Not for you if you want
- Multi-day hikers: this is not the Overland Track or the Three Capes Track
- Travellers set on the west coast, Strahan and the Tarkine, which this route leaves out
- Step-free access: the Wineglass Bay track and The Neck have long flights of steps
- Anyone who minds two long road days (days 2 and 3, about 4 and 4.5 hours)
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Hobart2 nights
- Coles Bay (Freycinet)2 nights
- Launceston1 night
- Cradle Mountain2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights in hotels and lodges of at least 3-star-plus standard, twin share: 2 in central Hobart, 2 at Coles Bay by Freycinet National Park, 1 in central Launceston and 2 at Cradle Mountain at the park edge
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Hobart Airport (HBA) and drop-off at Launceston Airport (LST), or at Devonport for the Spirit of Tasmania ferry
- A small coach or minibus with a licensed local driver for the whole trip
- Return ferry from Hobart to MONA
- Car ferry from Kettering to Bruny Island and back
- Cradle Mountain park shuttle buses
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from Hobart to Launceston
- A site guide on the Port Arthur introductory walk
- A keeper on the Tasmanian devil sanctuary tour
Activities
- MONA, Hobart
- Bruny Island: Cape Bruny Lighthouse and the Truganini Lookout at The Neck
- Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen, Tasman Peninsula
- Port Arthur Historic Site, with the introductory walk and harbour cruise
- Cape Tourville and the Wineglass Bay walk, Freycinet National Park
- Bicheno blowhole
- Cataract Gorge walk, Launceston
- Sheffield murals
- Tasmanian devil sanctuary keeper tour, Cradle Mountain
- Ronny Creek at dusk and the Dove Lake Circuit, Cradle Mountain
- Tasmania national parks pass
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 4 lunches: an oyster and cheese tasting on Bruny Island, at Port Arthur, in St Marys and at Cradle Mountain
- 5 dinners: a welcome dinner in Hobart, two at Coles Bay and two at Cradle Mountain, including a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights, and flights to Hobart and from Launceston
- Australian ETA or eVisitor
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 1, 4, 6 and 8, and dinners in Hobart on day 2 and Launceston on day 5
- Drinks
- Optional activities: the Bruny Island cruise, a Wineglass Bay cruise, kayaking, the Bicheno penguin tour, the Cataract Gorge chairlift and the evening devil feeding tour
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 970 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 4,840 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 5,240. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 5,695.
What does the Tasmania trip price include?
Seven nights in hotels and lodges, 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners, airport transfers, a minibus with a licensed driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan: MONA and its ferry, the Bruny Island ferry and tasting lunch, Port Arthur with the harbour cruise, the devil sanctuary tour, the parks pass and the Cradle Mountain shuttle.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one vehicle, so everyone hears the guide on the Wineglass Bay track and fits round one table at dinner. We state the exact group size when we confirm your departure.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Hobart to Launceston and leads every walk. Site guides join at Port Arthur and a keeper at the devil sanctuary. A licensed local driver drives, so your guide can talk, not steer. We name your guide when we confirm your trip.
How fit do I need to be for Wineglass Bay and Dove Lake?
Moderate. The Wineglass Bay Lookout is about a kilometre uphill on rock steps, 1 to 1.5 hours return, and the Dove Lake Circuit is about 6 km on mostly level boardwalk. Each day has an easier choice, such as the lookout without the beach, and longer options for keen walkers.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 970 more, about 17 percent of the price, and it is shown before you book, not added at the end. Solo travellers sit at the same table, ride the same vehicle and get the same room standard as everyone else.
When is the best time to visit Tasmania?
November to April. Days are mild, evenings are long and every walk is open. January and February are the warmest and busiest months, and March and April bring calm, golden autumn days. Cradle Mountain stays cool and can see snow in any month, so we pack layers on every departure.
How does booking work?
Pick a departure and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included, from CAD 5,695 for the small group.
Can I do this trip on my own dates?
Yes. The private version is your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle, from CAD 10,250 per person. If you would rather travel independently, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, ferries and entries for you.
Do I need a visa for Australia?
Yes. Canadians and Americans need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) from the official AustralianETA app, and many European passport holders use the free eVisitor. Apply before you book flights, and bring the same passport you applied with.
Will we see Tasmanian devils and wombats?
Devils, yes, at a sanctuary near Cradle Mountain on a keeper's tour; wild devils are rare and come out at night. Wombats are very likely at Ronny Creek at dusk, and pademelons and wallabies are common at Freycinet and Cradle Mountain.
How do I get to Hobart and home from Launceston?
Fly into Hobart, usually via Melbourne or Sydney, landing by about 12 noon on day 1. Fly home from Launceston after about 1:30 pm on day 8; it has direct flights to Melbourne and Sydney. If you are taking the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, we drop you at Devonport instead.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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