• All excursions with our Expedition Team
• Use of Xplorer, Zodiacs and Kayaks
• Daily lectures and briefings with Guest Lecturers
• All meals, chef-prepared on board
• Captain’s welcome and farewell events, and open bridge access
• Selected wines, selected beers and house spirits, juices, and soft drinks served with lunch and dinner
• 24-hour coffee and selection of teas
• All entrance fees to National Parks, ports, traditional owner fees and charges imposed by governing authorities
• Tips and gratuities
• Use of all onboard facilities, incl. a reference library
• Your expedition photos captured during the voyage
• Post-cruise transfers (in most destinations)
• 3 nights Club Wyndham Seven Mile Beach* – Hobart Optional extra

Itinerary

DAY 1: DEPART HOBART

Board Coral Discoverer at 4:00pm for a 5:00pm departure

DAYS 2-10:
No two Coral Expeditions Tasmania voyages are the same. Throughout the expedition, allowances may be made for seasonal variations, weather, tidal conditions and any other event that may affect the operation of the vessel. Below are the key destinations we visit.

D’ENTRECASTEAUX CHANNEL & HUON RIVER  The sheltered waters of the Huon River allow us to visit the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin where Tasmania’s maritime heritage is kept alive through the production of hand-crafted timber boats. Grandvewe Cheeses is an organic sheep dairy farm there will be time to learn about the cheesemaking process as well as taste their ‘ewenique’ sheep’s whey vodka at the Cellar Door overlooking D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

PORT DAVEY & BATHURST HARBOUR  On the edge of the world in southwest Tasmania, the landscape here is about as wild as it gets. Raw, craggy-peaked mountains and drowned river valleys. Wild rivers and rivulets carved by an eternity. Where tannin-rich freshwater sits atop saltwater, tinting the ocean the colour of tea. With no road access, the logical way to explore this wilderness is by small expedition ship. Sheltered from Roaring Forties winds that buffet this coast is the protected haven of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour. A marine reserve and part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, we spend two whole days (weather permitting) enjoying this rare opportunity to hike, kayak and take in this pristine natural environment. We explore by Xplorer tender vessels and learn about intrepid European explorers and Indigenous Australians, who once walked this land and keep a lookout for the rare and endangered Orange Bellied Parrot amongst other wildlife.

BRUNY ISLAND & ADVENTURE BAY  At Adventure Bay on the east coast of Bruny Island, hike along the dramatic coastal cliffs of Fluted Cape and spot the endemic Bennett’s Wallaby. Cruising the base of the near-vertical dolerite cliffs in Xplorer, take a closer look at Penguin Island, which is connected to Fluted Cape at low tide. Learn about how southern right whales were almost hunted to extinction when Adventure Bay housed four whaling stations before the industry’s decline in the mid-1840s. The ruins can be seen on a walk to Grass Point.

MARIA ISLAND NATIONAL PARK  Maria Island can be referred to as a Noah’s Ark for native Tasmanian species. The Maria Island National Park provides an ideal sanctuary, and is one of the best places in Australia to observe endemic birdlife as well as wombats, Cape Barren geese, Forester Kangaroos, Bennett’s Wallabies and pademelons. Stroll amongst the ruins and restored buildings of the Darlington convict settlement and take a walk to the striking formations of the Painted Cliffs, where rich iron deposits have stained the sandstone cliffs with coloured streaks of red, purple and orange. With ample time at Maria Island, we also have the opportunity to do the Fossil Cliffs walk and the Reservoir circuit.

FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK & SCHOUTEN ISLAND The Freycinet Peninsula is a dramatic headland dominated by a pink-hued granite mountain range called the Hazards. Blessed with picturesque sweeping bays and white sand beaches like Wineglass Bay, much of the peninsula is part of the Freycinet National Park. Join a guided hike along the Isthmus Track and be rewarded with magnificent views from the lookout, or swim and kayak the azure waters of Wineglass Bay. Cruising close to Schouten Island, keep an eye out for large colonies of fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks.

TASMAN NATIONAL PARK & FORTESCUE BAY The Tasman Peninsula is known for its geological formations like the Tessellated Pavement, Tasman Arch, and the soaring 300 metre high dolerite sea cliffs of Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy – the tallest in the southern hemisphere. Watch fur seals hauling out on the rocks, as well as playful dolphins and soaring albatross. Visit Fortescue Bay and hike sections of the Three Capes Treck to Cape Itauy, or take a scenic Xplorer cruise of the rugged coastline and kayak in Canoe Bay.

PORT ARTHUR HISTORIC SITE  One of Australia’s most significant historic places, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Port Arthur ruins stand sentinel on the Tasman Peninsula south of the narrow isthmus of Eaglehawk Neck. For more than 40 years, the Port Arthur penal colony housed convicts sentenced to hard labour before its heavy iron doors clanked shut permanently in 1877. Port Arthur has over 30 ruins and restored homes set in 100 acres of landscaped grounds. In the company of Port Arthur’s knowledgeable guides, join a tour of this site.

DAY 11: ARRIVE HOBART

Disembark in Hobart at 8:00am Post cruise transfers to CBD hotels or the airport are included

3 nights at Club Wyndham Seven Mile Beach*