Tasmanian Highlights: Devils, Wombats and World Heritage

Morning pickup from your Hobart hotel, then drive south to the Tasman Peninsula to visit the Port Arthur Historic Site. The settlement operated from 1833 to 1877 and at its peak held around 1,000 convicts at a time; the ruins include the penitentiary, the model prison, the asylum and the church. Your guide covers the history of the site and the convict system it represents, the physical scale of the place and its position in the broader story of British colonisation in the southern hemisphere. The peninsula also has dramatic coastal geology at Devil’s Kitchen and the Tasman Arch. Return to Hobart in the evening. Overnight: Hobart. Meals: L.

Start at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, north of Hobart, for close encounters with Tasmanian devils, common wombats, spotted-tail quolls and wallabies. Continue through the Derwent Valley, passing orchards and hop fields that have been farmed since the early colonial period and then on to Mount Field National Park. A short walk leads to Russell Falls, which drops around 40m through two tiers of rainforest under swamp gums reaching over 85m. In the afternoon, drive to Curringa Farm in Hamilton for an overnight stay on a working sheep property in the Derwent Valley. Overnight: Curringa Farm, Hamilton. Meals: B/L/D.

Drive north through the Tasmanian Highlands and the Thousand Lakes plateau, which holds over a thousand glacial tarns across open subalpine moorland. Stop in Deloraine for the chance to see platypus along the Meander River, then continue through Sheffield before arriving at Cradle Mountain in the late afternoon. Overnight: Cradle Mountain. Meals: B/L.

The Dove Lake Circuit is a 6km loop taking around 2.5 hours, passing through buttongrass moorland, the Ballroom Forest (a stand of ancient pencil pines) and along the shore of Dove Lake at the base of Cradle Mountain’s dolerite peaks. Your guide covers the alpine flora and fauna throughout, including the endemic plants and the wombats, wallabies and highland birds of the zone. Alternative walks are available at Cradle Mountain depending on weather and fitness. In the afternoon, join a Joey Encounter at Devils@Cradle Sanctuary: a small-group session with Tasmanian devils in a natural bush setting, with a keeper on hand to explain devil biology, the devil facial tumour disease and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Overnight: Cradle Mountain. Meals: B/L.

A final morning at Cradle Mountain, then drive north to Launceston. The Cataract Gorge is a short walk from the city centre, where the South Esk River cuts through a deep dolerite canyon. Your guide leads a short walk before drop-off at Launceston Airport or your city accommodation at approximately 2pm. Meals: B/L.