Highlights
- Book this 2-day combo and save 20% on two of Hobart’s most popular tours
- Enjoy a comprehensive historical full-day walking tour of Port Arthur
- Relax on a 30-minute Carnarvon Bay cruise
- Board a historic coach tram as you explore the best of Hobart
- See over 30 attractions including Penitentiary Chapel, Queens Domain and Government House, Battery Point and Salamanca Place
Useful Information
Port Arthur Historic Site
Step aboard a historic coach tram to see the best of Hobart, a city of yachts and spinnakers; gardens and galleries; sandstone cottages and stately Georgian homes. This three-hour tour is the perfect introduction to Hobart's best attractions.
The tour takes in Hobart’s heart and soul, the waterfront docks at Sullivan's Cove. You’ll also see the Georgian warehouses of Salamanca Place, now restored as restaurants, galleries and pubs and home to the famous weekend market.
See the charming historic houses, pubs, boutique shops and restaurants of Battery Point, and tour south Hobart at the foot of Mt Wellington. You’ll also see the historic Cascade Gardens and Brewery and visit the remains of the Cascade Female Factory, part of 11 sites that comprise the Australian Convict Sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and a one-time female prison.
Lastly, your tour crosses the Tasman Bridge over the Derwent River and stops at Rosny Hill lookout for stunning views of Hobart, Sandy Bay, Mt Wellington, the Tasman Bridge and Glenorchy.
Please note: The tram does not operate on Saturdays
Day 2: Port Arthur Tour (8 hours: must be taken within seven days)
After enjoying a scenic trip down the Tasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck, take a walk into the past at Port Arthur Historic Site, a compelling and dramatic reminder of Australia’s convict history and Tasmania’s early settlement. The site’s interpretive and interactive presentations bring the harrowing reality of the convict experience to life.
Your guided walking tour provides access to more than 30 restored buildings and ruins, including the Penitentiary, granary and flour mill, the separate prison, the Commandant's House and the church. Then take a cruise on Carnarvon Bay to see where escapee prisoners were incarcerated on the Isle of the Dead.
After lunch at Port Arthur (own expense), you’ll see the spectacular, rugged coastline of this part of Tasmania, including Tasman National Park, the Tasman Arch, the Devils Kitchen and blowhole, before returning to Hobart in the late afternoon.
Reviewed by Richard F, April 2013
The Port Arthur Tour was my second visit and one highly recommended. It's a place that's very special and you feel the history and presence of 'convicts past' as you walk around the very large site. There's too much to do in one day (hence my return visit after many years). The drive from Hobart showed the effects of the Summer's bushfires and the devastation caused but nature was already re-establishing itself and many houses were in the process of being re-built. The tour was very good value and if you're interested in Social History (like myself), a 'must' to have an insight into Tasmania's past.
The Coach Tram Tour of Hobart was an extra and, although a novel experience, a bit disappointing. The tram was 'off-road' which meant having a minibus alternative, but the advantage of this is, we had access to the narrow streets of Battery Point, a significant historical part of the city. A visit to the Botanical Gardens was wonderful. Overall the tour was fine as an introduction to the sights and sounds of Hobart!
Reviewed by Resi J, February 2013
Good trip and informative. Well done!
