At a Glance
Explore Tasmania’s beautiful East Coast, with this action-packed 11-day cruise aboard the luxurious Coral Discoverer. This package is perfect for those wanting to experience Tasmania’s national parks, convict heritage and historic sites in slow pace – and in style.
Tasmania’s East Coast, with its dramatic cliffs, white sandy beaches, and azure waters, offers a completely different Australian coastal experience. Unlike on mainland Australia, in Tasmania, you will feel like you are the first person to leave a footprint.
Embarking from Hobart’s Princes Wharf, this unforgettable cruise aboard Coral Discoverer showcases the highlights of Tasmania’s East Coast. Learn about Tasmania’s maritime heritage at Port Huon in the heart of the fertile Huon Valley. Journey to the edge of the world at Port Davey, the last point of land before Antarctica. Walk along the ...
Trip Highlights
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What's Included
- 11-day Expedition Voyage aboard Coral Discoverer
- Expert Expedition Team, including a Guest Lecturer and a Tasmanian Specialist
- Daily guided excursions on the Xplorer and Zodiac tender vessels, and kayaks where conditions allow
- Small batch local dining, prepared fresh onboard: buffet breakfasts, buffet lunches and table d’hote dinners
- Showcase wines, selected beers and soft drinks with lunch and dinner service
- 24-hour coffee and selection of teas
- Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Events, and Open Bridge Access with the Captain
- Comprehensive and fully guided sightseeing in each destination
- All entrance fees to National Parks and Ports
Itinerary
All aboard Coral Discoverer for the adventure of a lifetime. Boarding commences at 4:00pm at Hobart’s Princes Wharf where there is time to settle into your stateroom before the 5:00pm departure. Take time to familiarise yourself with all the facilities onboard before meeting your fellow travellers, the Captain and crew for the Captain’s Welcome Drinks. |
Arrive into Port Huon, where the mouth of the Huon River meets the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. Spend time exploring this small community at the heart of the fertile Huon Valley with its Hartz Mountains backdrop. The sheltered waters of the river enable you to visit the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin, where Tasmania’s maritime heritage is kept alive through the production of handcrafted timber boats. Call into Grandvewe Cheeses, an organic sheep dairy farm, to learn about the cheesemaking process as well as taste their ‘ewenique’ sheep’s whey vodka at the Cellar Door overlooking the Channel. |
Arrive into Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour. Located on Tasmania’s extreme southwest corner in the Southwest National Park, the landscape here is about as wild as it gets. Raw craggy-peaked mountains and drowned river valleys. Wild rivers and rivulets carved by 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. Spend two whole days (weather permitting) in Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour and enjoy a rare opportunity to hike, kayak and take in this pristine natural environment. Explore by Xplorer tender and learn about intrepid European explorers and Indigenous Peoples, who once walked this land. Traverse the magnificent Huon Pine Forest on the Old River and the untouched Celery Top Islands. Keep an eye out for the critically endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot! |
Arrive at Bruny Island, home to some of Tasmania’s most beautifully preserved natural environments with abundant wildlife and stunning cliff top views. Spend time in Adventure Bay, one of the main townships on the Island. Stroll along the dramatic coastal cliffs of Fluted Cape or take a dip at one of the Island’s more sheltered beaches. You will learn about how Southern Right Whales were almost hunted to extinction in the bay before the industry’s decline in the mid-1840s. The ruins of the whaling stations can be seen on a walk to Grassy Point. Cruise the base of the cliffs in the Xplorer tender and take a closer look at Penguin Island, which is connected to Fluted Cape at low tide. This small island nature reserve is home to the only penguin colony in western Bass Strait. |
Arrive at Maria Island, a native wildlife sanctuary surrounded by peaceful bays, rugged cliff face, and sheltered by tall Eucalypt. Spend time exploring the World Heritage-Listed Darlington settlement, where you will find the most preserved and intact example of convict life across Australia. Wander through the historic buildings used to process convicts in the early to mid 1800s and get a sense of the hardships endured. At its peak, the number of convicts here totalled 492. While in the area, make sure to check out the Painted and Fossil Cliffs. The Painted Cliffs will impress with patterns and streaks with iron oxide layers, while the Fossil Cliffs feature some of the most prolific and best-preserved fossils you will see in Tasmania, if not the world. As you explore, keep an eye out for wombat, wallabies, endemic birds, and other wildlife. |
Delve into Australia’s fascinating albeit dark convict history with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Port Arthur Historic site. UNESCO World Heritage listed, the site has more than 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes dating from the prison’s establishment in 1830 until its closure in 1877. During this time around 12,500 convicts served sentences. You tour includes access to private collections and historic buildings not otherwise accessible to the public. |
All good things must come to an end! After breakfast, say farewell to the crew and disembark in Hobart at 8:00am to commence your onward journey. A post-cruise transfer from the vessel to Hobart city or airport is included. NOTE: The itinerary is indicative. No two expedition cruises will be the same, with each expedition crafted by the experienced Masters and Expedition Leaders. Throughout the expedition we may make changes to the itinerary as necessary to maximise your expeditionary experience. Allowances may be made for seasonal variations, weather, tidal conditions and any other event that may affect the operation of the vessel. We suggest that you do not arrive on the day of embarkation or depart on the day of disembarkation due to any changes that may occur in scheduling. |
Accommodation
Dates & Prices
Please contact us for the available Cabins & Prices. Limited single cabins are available for solo travellers. Please contact us for more information.
More Info
The start and finish point is Hobart, Tasmania.
Tasmania has four distinct seasons, with the warmest months being December to March. The average maximum daily summer temperatures are between 17 and 23 degrees Celsius and winter daily temperatures sit between 3 and 11 degrees Celsius. Rainfall varies dramatically across the island. The north west has an annual average of 2,400 mm that ensures the rainforest thrives. Regardless of where you travel in Tasmania you should be prepared for sudden, temporary deterioration in the weather, especially if bushwalking. Always carry additional warm clothing, including a waterproof outer layer.
Note on fitness levels: this trip is suitable for passengers of all fitness levels, though reasonable mobility is required to enjoy all it has to offer. The Xplorer tender permits easy boarding without climbing any stairs. Hikes vary in intensity and where possible we split groups to suit easy and moderate walkers. Guests are welcome to opt out of any excursion and relax onboard – our top deck outdoor lounge is great on a sunny day. The ship has no elevator. As the itinerary covers remote regions, it is not suitable for passengers with serious medical conditions.
Onlyluxe Travel acts as travel agency and work with different tour operators.
Payment Detail
All pricing is in Australian dollars and are quoted on a per person twin share basis. A supplementary price is available (see below). Bookings are not confirmed until full payment and the signed Booking Form has been received by Onlyluxe Travel.
A non-refundable 30% deposit is payable within 7 days of your booking, with the final balance due 90 days prior to departure. If a booking is made 90 days or less before departure, the full payment is payable immediately. Last minute bookings are payable before arrival. Failure to pay on time may result in automatic cancellation of a booking with cancellation penalties payable to Onlyluxe Travel. If you pay by credit card or PayPal a surcharge will be added to the total price.
Single Supplement
All accommodation is twin share. Single guests will share with someone of the same gender. If a single room is demanded, a supplementary price of will apply. The supplementary price refers to our quotation and needs to be stipulated at the time of booking.
General Cancellation Policies
- Outside of 90 days monies will be refunded less 30% of full fee
- Within 90 days prior to arrival all monies will be forfeited
- No refunds will be given in the event of non-arrival, any unused services or unused nights due to flight or weather disruption
- We strongly recommend guests protect themselves with travel insurance and medical insurance
Please Note: Cancellations must be advised in email and will take effect from the date they are received.
Liability
The participant agrees to indemnify Onlyluxe Travel, and its servant, tour operator and agents, in relation to any liability, loss and damage which the tour operator, or its servants and/or agents may incur as a result of the participants, negligence or misconduct during the tour.
Smoking is not permitted on the bus, or in tents or in other accommodation being used by tour operator at the time that a trip is being conducted.
Child Policy
Please consult travel consultant on age limit.
Changes to Itineraries
Local conditions may necessitate changes to sightseeing, walking and driving routes, camping and accommodation locations. While every effort will be made to provide the services and experiences as offered in our brochure, on our website, and in our trip letters, we reserve the right to vary your itinerary. In the event that we are forced to change your arrangements, substitute arrangements of a similar standard will be provided. The tour operator will not be liable where interruptions to itineraries are caused by weather conditions, technical problems to transport used by the tour operator, industrial action, political or civil commotion or other circumstances beyond our control. We refer you to the conditions regarding travel insurance.
Changes in Prices
While we will do its utmost to honour its pricing unforeseen circumstances may mean that prices may be subject to change without notice.
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions and Age Limits
You need to advise Onlyluxe travel and the tour operator on any pre-existing medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability that might reasonably be expected to increase the risk of your requiring medical attention, or that might affect the normal conduct of a trip and the enjoyment of other trip members. Onlyluxe Travel and the tour operator may require an assessment of your medical condition from a qualified medical practitioner. If you fail to adequately notify the tour operator of any pre-existing medical conditions and/or disability, the tour operator reserves the right, at its reasonable discretion, to cancel your participation in a trip at any time, including after the commencement of your trip, with no right of refund if your medical condition, mobility impairment and/or disability could be reasonably expected to affect the normal conduct of the trip and the enjoyment of other trip members.
Cancellation by The Tour Operator
The walks take place in very special wilderness settings. The tour operator is at the mercy of nature in all her beauty and all her fury. The tour operator will under no circumstance knowingly place at risk the health and well-being of our guests and guides. In the case of natural threats, acts of God and the like (e.g. bushfires, impassable snow, etc) the tour operator may need to cancel a walk with very little notice. In some cases, this can occur after the walk has commenced. The tour operator reserves the right to cancel any walk up to 60 days prior to departure if a minimum of 4 walkers are unable to meet for a tour. If the tour operator needs to cancel for any reason, the cost of the walk or any other costs associated with travel to the designated pick up point, overnight accommodation, meals, etc will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore we strongly recommend travel insurance be taken out prior to travel.
Force Majeure
'Force Majeure' means (without restriction) any event which Onlyluxe Travel or its third party providers could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events beyond our control. In the case of Force Majeure Onlyluxe Travel will not accept liability, and reserves the right to change and cancel trips.
Evacuations
In rare circumstances, due to injury or unforeseen illness, the tour operator may need to evacuate you from a remote part of the walk. Helicopter evacuations are expensive and in most cases will be at a cost to the customer.
For Australian residents, under the Australian Government Medicare Act, it is prohibited for any domestic travel insurance product to provide any financial reimbursement with regard to ambulance or air ambulance services. We therefore strongly advise our customers to take specific ambulance cover through their health insurance provider. Evacuation cost will not be covered by the Onlyluxe Travel and therefore it is also strongly recommended that our customers take out travel insurance to cover (amongst other things) the costs associated with evacuation.
Travel Insurance
In view of the heavy cancellation penalties applied to cancelled reservations in certain circumstances, we strongly recommends suitable travel insurance be purchased at the time the holding deposit is paid. We recommend insurance cover that covers any loss which may be suffered due to cancellation. We also strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance against loss of baggage and medical expenses.