Wild West Tasmania (Walk & Cruise) 7D6N, Self-Drive

Driving information: total driving time approx. 2hrs
Walking information: Dove Lake: 5.7km/3.5mi | 2hr | Grade 2: Easy. Small group guided walk. - Private guided or longer distance walk can be arranged at additional cost.

Arrive into the airport of your choice – Launceston or Devonport – and pick up your hire car.

The first leg of your journey takes you from the airport to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, one of Australia’s most famous national parks. With a local guide, you’ll traverse the Dove Lake Circuit, one of Tasmania’s 60 best walks. This two-hour circuit takes you around Dove Lake, beneath the craggy spires of the indomitable Cradle Mountain. Along the way, admire the incredible power of glaciers at the colossal Glacier Rock, wander the stunning natural cathedral that is The Ballroom Forest, and step back in time at the Boatshed to imagine the majestic Huon Pine boats that used to ferry passengers around the lake in the 1930s.

You’ll stay the night at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, where you’ll enjoy a well-earned 3-course meal.

Driving information: total driving time approx. 2.5hrs
Walking information: Crater Lake Circuit: 8km/5mi | 3-3.5hrs | Grade 3: Moderate
The Nut: 3km/1.9mi circuit | 1hr circuit | Grade 3: Moderate

Start your day with a guided hike: the beautiful Crater Lake Circuit. This is a small tour guided walk. Private guided or longer distance walk can be arranged at additional cost.

Starting from Ronny Creek, follow your local guide along the boardwalk and over the bridge into dense, wet rainforest. The track climbs up the side of Crater Creek to Crater Falls, the first waterfall on the famous Overland Track. After admiring the cascades and moss-covered rockpools, continue onto Crater Lake, with its dark waters and steep walls carved by glacial ice. There is an old boathouse at the northern end of the lake that makes for a great photo op.

With the best of Cradle Mountain’s hikes now complete, self-drive to Table Cape, the impressive remains of a 12-million-year-old volcano. As you drive to the top, rising over 180-metres, you’ll reach a viewing platform where, on a clear day, you can see Bass Strait, George Town’s Low Head and mountain ranges almost 200-kilometres (124mi) away. Take a short stroll along the clifftop walking track to the Table Cape Lighthouse, the only functioning lighthouse open (seasonally) for tours in mainland Tasmania.

Continue onto the iconic fishing village of Stanley. Here, you’ll scale The Nut, the remains of an ancient volcanic plug with a large, mostly flat surface that can be circumnavigated on foot (hence its original name, Circular Head). The walking track rises 152-metres (499ft) and takes about 10-20 minutes. Alternatively, you may opt for the chairlift, which rises up 95-metres (312ft) in just 5-minutes, with plenty of fantastic photo ops along the way. Once at the top, you’ll be greeted with 360-degree views of Stanley, the neighbouring farmland, Bass Strait, and the Rocky Cape National Park.

At sunset, head over to Godfrey’s Beach and watch as the Little Penguins (also known as Fairy Penguins) come ashore after dark.

You’ll stay the night at Horizon Deluxe Apartments, Stanley. Be sure to enjoy a relaxing bath overlooking the Nut.

Driving information: total driving time 3.5hrs
Walking information: Couta Rocks to Sarah Anne Rocks: 4km/2.4mi return | 1hr | Grade 2: Easy. Self guided optional walk.

Hit the road for one of Australia’s most scenic drives: The Tarkine Drive. Named for the Tarkiner people who inhabited the region between 175,000 and 30,000 years ago, the drive takes you through ancient rainforest, offering a glimpse into a world beyond human memory and a living link with the ancient super continent Gondwanaland.

Head west to the Arthur River township, where you will embark on a river cruise aboard a beautiful old steel hulled vessel fitted out with Tasmanian timber and brass. Affectionately known as ‘The Red Boat’, it has been traversing the Arthur River for more than 30 years.

Enjoy the serenity of the river aboard The Red Boat and be spellbound by the magical reflections of the lush vegetation in the tannin-coloured river. Drink in the pristine forested riverbanks of myrtles, blackwoods and towering stringy barks (Tassie Oak) and marvel at the ancient giant ferns. Morning tea and lunch included.

In the afternoon, travel to Gardiner Point also known as ‘The Edge of the World’. This is the starting point of the longest uninterrupted stretch of ocean in the world – if you somehow managed to survive the wild and treacherous sea journey sailing west, you would encounter nothing but roaring winds and rolling waves until you hit the distant shores of Argentina on the opposite side of the globe.

The best way to take in this rugged stretch of coastline is with a walk from Couta Rocks to Sarah Anne Rocks in the north. As you traverse the 2km trail, you will find a lunar-like landscape of sand dunes and lichen painted rocks. It is not uncommon to see local fishermen winching their boats out of the water on slips rather than risk them getting pounded on the moorings.

Head south to Corinna via the Western Explorer Highway. A well-kept secret, this road is a wonderful experience in its own right through landscapes ranging from coastal tea tree and button grass plains to ancient rainforests and rivers.

You’ll stay the next 2 nights at Tarkine Hotel, Corinna.

Walking information: Huon Pine & Savage River: 6km/4mi return | 3hrs | Grade 2: Easy. Self guided optional walk.

Start your day with another cruise, this time along the Pieman River. This cruise is the perfect combination of river and rainforest and you will see many interesting sites including Lover’s Falls and the wreck of the SS Croydon. On the journey it is not uncommon to see platypus and sea eagles, and always possible to see the rare and endangered slender tree fern.

In the afternoon, get out and stretch your legs on the Huon Pine and Savage River walks. One walk leads into another, showcasing an incredible section of primary rainforest as well as magnificent views of the Pieman River. The walk ends at the site where the SS Croydon sunk. It is possible to kayak back along the river, if you so desire.

Driving information: total driving distance approx. 2hrs.

Enjoy a leisurely morning in Corinna before heading south to Strahan.

Nestled on the shores of the massive Macquarie Harbour, on the edge of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Strahan is a vibrant harborside village with a fascinating convict past just waiting to be discovered.

At 3:00pm, embark on a dinner cruise along the Gordon River. First stop is nearby Sarah Island to visit one of Australia’s most secure – and brutal – penal settlements. From 1821 to 1833, convicts imprisoned here were laboured under the harshest conditions in the rainforest, felling Huon pines for boat building. Any convict trying to escape had not only to get across the harbour but to hack their way through the impenetrable wilderness.

The highlight of your cruise is the beautiful Gordon River Heritage Landing. Disembark for a leisurely boardwalk stroll through ancient rainforests, where you will find trees that have stood for thousands of years – and will likely stand for thousands more!

As part of your cruise, enjoy a chef-prepared buffet dinner with complimentary Tasmanian red, white and sparkling wines, beers and non-alcoholic beverages.

You’ll stay the night at Franklin Manor, Strahan.

Driving information: total driving distance approx. 4.5hrs

Hit the road for another of Australia’s most scenic drives from Strahan to Hobart via the Lyell Highway. Part of the Great Circle Route, this journey will take you through the heart of Tasmania.

Departing from Strahan, climb through the State Forests to Queenstown, where woodcutting and smelter fumes causing acid rains have resulted in a landscape not unlike the Moon. They are tough in Queenstown – the local football ground is not grass, it’s gravel!

Follow the highway out of Queenstown over mountains and through valleys before coming out onto the Alpine Plateau near Derwent Bridge. A must-see at the bridge is ‘The Wall in the Wilderness’, a collection of wooden panels telling the story of Tasmanian history in the region starting with the Indigenous people, then the pioneering timber harvesters, pastoralists, miners and Hydro workers. There is also a café at the wall.

For the next hour or so, the highway runs across the plateau, past lakes and lagoons, many manmade parts of the Hydro Electric Scheme, before coming to the spectacular valley at Tarraleah. From here, the land turns pastoral until the turn off to Mt Field National Park and Russel Falls. The short walk to Russel Falls is well-worth a stop!

On the tail end of the trip, highlights include the Oast Houses (used for drying the fine hops grown in the area), Salmon Ponds (home to Tasmania’s salmon and trout fisheries) and New Norfolk, one of the oldest towns in Australia, having been established in 1807 by farming families resettled from Norfolk Island.

Upon arrival in Hobart, head up Mt Wellington to watch the sunset over the city – a perfect end to the day!

You’ll spend the night at Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart.

All good things must come to an end. Check out at your leisure and head to Hobart International Airport (HBA) to commence your onward journey.

NOTE: This itinerary is provided as an example only – prevailing conditions and local arrangements may cause variation.