Port Arthur Discovery Tour

Experience the Historic Ruins of Australia’s Brutal Convict Penal Settlement at Port Arthur with a Private Tour and Cruise in Tasmania.

Tour Information

Experience a breathtaking journey to the captivating Port Arthur and explore its extensive array of historic sites. This Australian tour will allow you to immerse yourself in Australia’s convict history during an exquisite cruise around Carnarvon Bay on board a sophisticated catamaran, visiting extraordinary places such as The Isle of the Dead and Point Puer! Once ashore, reward yourself with scrumptious Tasmanian wines at Port Arthur Lavender Farm.

  • Enjoy a scenic drive to the beautiful Port Arthur and explore over 30 historic buildings
  • Take a cruise around Carnarvon Bay on a modern catamaran and visit sites including the Isle of the Dead, Point Puer and Dockyards
  • Get an insight into Australia’s convict heritage with stories from your guide about hardships suffered by convicts
  • Sample Tasmanian wines at lunch in a local restaurant
  • Indulge in handmade sweets from The Federation Chocolate Factory Heritage Museum

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  • Scenic drive to Port Arthur
  • Cruise around Carnavon Bay
  • Convict heritage stories
  • Tasmanian wine sampling 
  • Delicious handmade sweets

Itinerary

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Hotel Pick-Up

Departing your city hotel, we travel around the historic birthplace of this fascinating city – Salamanca Place, Constitution Dock and Battery Point before making our way east across the Tasman Bridge and then south to Dunalley, the gateway to the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas.

Tasman Peninsula

Abel Tasman’s 1642 expedition first set foot here on this land, the first known Europeans to do so.

Port Arthur

We soon make our way to Port Arthur visiting the Tessellated Pavement which is a unique rock formation disappearing into the sea. You will marvel at the numerous natural attractions the peninsula’s rugged coast has to offer such as Tasman’s Arch and Lookout. The quirky Doo Town is another sight to see on the way to the Port Arthur Settlement.

Carnavon Bay Cruise on a modern catamaran featuring sites such as the Isle of the Dead, Point Puer and the Dockyards 

Once at Port Arthur hop on  a cruise around ‘Arthur’s’ Carnavon Bay on a modern catamaran introducing you to sites such as the Isle of the Dead, Point Puer and the Dockyards. The Port Arthur Settlement was first a timber gathering camp worked by convicts that over 47 years grew to be the most successful industrial prison and reform institution known to date.  The settlement of Port Arthur was created to put fear and hatred into the minds of those unfortunate enough to be sent there. Your guide will personally escort you around the ruins of the settlement telling you tales of the hardships suffered by the convicts.

Port Arthur Lavender Farm

Next we visit the picturesque Lavender Farm for lunch. Using local Tasmanian produce their extensive menu includes a delicious range of lavender-inspired cuisine ranging from fresh seafood, jams, muffins, chutneys and spices to delicious desserts and ice creams.

Richmond Township

We travel via the historic township of Richmond, one of Tasmania’s many examples of convict heritage and Georgian architecture. Renowned for it’s food and wine, this town is as elegant today as it was in the 1820’s, when it was an important military staging post before returning to your accommodation.

FAQ

The Port Arthur Discovery Tour runs for around 8 hours, departing from your hotel at 9am and returning at 5pm. The tour includes a scenic drive, a cruise on the majestic waters, lunch at a local restaurant, and time to explore over 30 historic buildings in the area. Enjoy the unique scenery of Tasman Peninsula before stopping by the Federation Chocolate Factory and Heritage Museum. You will return to your accommodation through Richmond, one of Tasmania’s many examples of Georgian architecture.

Yes, this Australian tour includes lunch and refreshments at a local waterfront restaurant. You’ll also have the opportunity to sample handmade sweets (seasonal) from the Federation Chocolate Factory and Heritage Museum. Additionally, you’ll be able to stop for refreshments throughout your journey.

The Port Arthur Discovery Tour provides a private transport and guide for the duration of the tour. The transportation includes an 8-hour round trip drive to explore over 30 historic buildings, enjoy lunch and take a cruise on the majestic waters, with refreshment stops available throughout the journey.

No, the cost of this tour includes all transportation and entrance fees, your private guide, lunch and refreshments at a local restaurant as well as the opportunity to sample handmade sweets (seasonal) from the Federation Chocolate Factory and Heritage Museum. All you need to do is bring your camera along to capture all of the unique sites throughout your journey.

Yes, children are welcome to join this Australia vacation Tour. The tour is suitable for all ages and there will be plenty of activities and  sights to keep them entertained throughout the journey.

Port Arthur Discovery Tour | Port Arthur Tours
Port Arthur Discovery Tour | Australian Luxury Escapes
Port Arthur Discovery Tour | Australian Luxury Escapes

Testimonials

Kimberly K
Kimberly K
2023-01-07
Verified
A highlight of our trip! Our private tour to Featherdale and the Blue Mountains was an absolute highlight of our trip. First of all, I was skeptical that Featherdale would be of interest to our group of 9 with 5 teens/young adults. The website makes it seem like a petting zoo. I was pleasantly surprised- we loved seeing all of the kangaroos, koalas, wombats, birds, croc etc! The kids said that they could have stayed at Featherdale all day ;-)Our guide, Scott, was fantastic! He modified the schedule due to a later arrival in Sydney- making recommendations on what would be best for the group while ensuring we were back on time. He provided such amazing service - going above and beyond to help us move our luggage to the right hotel. Scott also showed us the best spots for photos at various stops in the beautiful Blue Mountains! I highly recommend Scott and Australian Luxury Escapes!
Trav3ll3rsm8
Trav3ll3rsm8
2022-10-01
Verified
Superb day out!! Superb day out, Matt our guide was incredible, by far the best guide we have had during our time in Australia!! His knowledge, friendliness and professionalism makes the day. The vehicle was clean and modern and the lunch was excellent. The timings and locations are superb as you miss the crowds.Thanks for a great day ourt Matt.
Belinda M
Belinda M
2022-09-30
Verified
An exploration of The Daintree This was a day our family won't forget! We had a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide who was brilliant with our girls.
Louise F
Louise F
2022-07-15
Verified
Amazing customer service I enquired about new flights the other day and Fraser really helped me with looking at different options for Bali and Thailand. He was very friendly and made my phone call very easy!
Steve H
Steve H
2022-07-07
Verified
Blue mountain and Sydney touring. We hired grant and his team to provide private transportation and touring From the time that arrived in Sydney, grant and his team provided top notch service. Given the age difference or our children, this was no easy task….particularly considering the weather on our Sydney tour date. If you desire a knowledgeable guide, who flex’s with your interests, grant and his team are the perfect choice. After learning our interests, he gave us advice for our own walking tour. His advice was perfect, and we had a great time.
Erin Galvin
Erin Galvin
2022-03-20
Verified
Highly recommend this tour company for anyone traveling to Australia for highly curated experiences! I just returned from traveling to Australia from the US for the first time. Australia has just recently re-opened its borders to international travelers after almost 2 years. Australian Luxury Escapes was able to arrange (2) tours for me with very short notice and I had a great experience on both days! I spoke with one of the owners, Elise, on the phone prior to traveling and she was tremendously helpful in explaining their offerings and what the tours would entail as well as answering other questions about traveling to Australia which was so helpful! I wanted to maximize my time in Sydney when I first arrived which I was able to do in the "Private Essential Sydney Tour". The tour guide was tremendously knowledgable about Sydney having grown up there and was able to accomplish all of the main sights in a half day tour. Doing the tour by vehicle + walking for certain parts allowed us to cover the whole city but also get a closer look at areas of interest. Both vehicles I traveled in felt brand new and were completely clean and comfortable. They offered bottled water and hand sanitizer for use during the tour and a great lunch was included in both tour prices. At the end of the tour, the guide gave me some tips on how I could spend the rest of my day which was great. The second tour I did was the "Private Blue Mountains High Country Day Trip from Sydney" which was also amazing. After a few days in Sydney, it felt great to get out of the city and see more of the beautiful landscape and nature of the national parks region. The area is expansive and would be difficult to cover on your own, especially if you haven't been to the region before. I was able to do this tour with one of the owners, Grant, who has a great knowledge of the region, its history and which locations offer the best views and photo ops! Part of this tour included a trip to a wildlife center which was nice to be able to see animals unique to Australia that you're not going to find just being in Sydney. The center was really well maintained and the staff we encountered were all very friendly. This tour also included a great lunch at the "Boiler House Restaurant" which had great food and amazing views. We did a quick tour of the Hydro Majestic hotel right after lunch which is a true step back in time. I highly recommend this company to anyone traveling to Australia. They have a wide range of unique and curated offerings and both tours made my time in Sydney very well spent! I will definitely use them again in the future and refer family and friends their way.
Judy
Judy
2021-08-28
Verified
Amazing Tour to the Tip of Australia. We traveled from Cairns to Cape York on an 8 Day 4WD small group tour operated by Australian Luxury Escapes!!What a ride. Fantastic from go to whoa. A very comfortable 5.6lt V8 Nissan Patrol which certainly helped going over the corrugations!! The tour was for 6 pax, thankfully we were 5 which meant only 1 pax had to sit in the “Dickie” seat. It would’ve been tough for 2 to share. We traveled to Cooktown after visiting the Daintree River and cruise, (unfortunately the Bloomfield Track was closed), then to Coen, Lockhart River, Weipa, Punsand Bay, and The Tip. We left our Tour Guide, Alan, at Seisia where we ferried to Thursday Island and Horn Island to fly back to Cairns. Alan was extremely knowledgeable which meant we learned a lot about the areas we visited. A good driver and a lot of fun. Would definitely recommend.
Helen Clarke
Helen Clarke
2021-01-10
Verified
Amazing tour Our tour with Rick was amazing into the Daintree. His knowledge us second to none, the tour was fantastic with some much information. Lunch was out of this world and we got to see a casawarri up close. Thankyou so much!
Kristen B
Kristen B
2020-12-16
Verified
Daintree Wanderer Tour A great day trip out to the beautiful Daintree. Ricky was our guide and he was very knowledgeable, entertaining and a great tour guide! I can highly recommend this tour.
Caitlin G
Caitlin G
2020-10-21
Verified
What a fantastic experience! We did the Daintree Wanderer Tour, with Australian Luxury Escapes and it was just fantastic. Our guide Rick was just what you hope for- friendly, knowledgeable, took off beaten track, engaged our children and ensured our day was full and varied. We were lucky enough to see 3 crocs swimming in the river, as well as a Cassowary casually strolling by as we ate our home made morning tea Rick brought along with him.Rick was filled with facts and titbits of info which we loved. The beaches are fabulous and the Rainforest felt rich and thriving which is great to see. We got brilliant service and I couldn’t recommend Rick and this tour more to anyone wanting a personalised and unique tour experience.