Tasmania was well known in Australia’s history as a convict penal settlement. One of the most brutal, but ironically one of the most beautiful was Port Arthur. Situated on the Tasman Peninsula just to the south of Hobart, the site is strikingly stunning. Enjoy a scenic drive to Port Arthur before exploring over 30 historic buildings. Later enjoy lunch and take a cruise on the majestic waters.
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. Here Abel Tasman’s 1642 expedition first set foot on this land, the first known Europeans to do so. 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. 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. Next we enjoy lunch at a local waterfront restaurant, with fresh local seafood complemented by a specially selected Tasmanian wines. We return to Hobart but not before stopping by the Federation Chocolate Factory and Heritage Museum to experience this unique building and sample some local handmade sweets (seasonal.) 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.