Embark on a tour full of contrasts — compelling tales of the harsh lives of convicts combined with the breathtaking scenery of the Tasman Peninsula. Your passionate Tasmanian driver guides will entertain you with personal insights and information about wildlife and other points of interest during the bus tour and are on hand to assist you throughout the day. From Hobart, cross the Tasman Bridge and head into the Coal River Valley, an award-winning wine region, through the historic town of Richmond with a short photo stop at the famous convict-built Richmond Bridge. Visit Tasman National Park, where you’ll marvel at the spectacle of Tasman Arch and enjoy superb views of the rugged coastline. Be in awe of the wonderful views from Pirates Bay Lookout. Arriving at Port Arthur, join the guided walking tour of the historic convict site, with access to over 30 restored buildings and ruins. See the penitentiary, the separate prison, the commandant's house, the church, and more. Visit the interpretation center with its interactive exhibits and displays, and follow the harrowing life of a convict. Enjoy a cruise on Carnarvon Bay around the Isle of the Dead. Purchase lunch with plenty of time for quiet contemplation in the beautifully maintained gardens and to explore the many restored historic buildings of Port Arthur. Ask your driver about the optional, included remarkable cave tour. On Saturdays, the tour includes a visit to Hobart’s Salamanca Market. Delight in a shopping experience at this popular, colorful outdoor marketplace. You'll have time to explore the market at leisure for approximately 2 hours. Then, you will need to meet your bus at 11:00 to continue on with the Port Arthur tour and get a sense of Australia’s convict era and the early settlement of Tasmania. The Saturday tour does not include the cave tour or a visit to Richmond.

Depart Hobart on a full-day tour exploring Tasmania’s ruthless convict past and experience the rugged landscapes of the Tasman Peninsula. Start with a visit to the well-preserved colonial village of Richmond. Admire sights like Australia's oldest bridge that is still in use. Head south to the Tasman Peninsula and enter the Tasman National Park for some amazing views of the coastline and sea. Upon arrival at the Port Arthur Historic Site, learn the story of the convict settlement. Listen to stories about the chilling realities of life as a prisoner amid the preserved jail ruins on a guided tour. Hear more about the penal colony's terrible past. Take a cruise of the harbor to see the site from a different perspective, and get a look at the Isle of the Dead where those who died at the prison were laid to rest in mass graves. Return to Hobart and benefit from the opportunity to stop by the remarkable geological formations of the Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen and Blow Hole. Get dropped off in Hobart in the early evening.

Cross the Tasman Bridge, and head out on the Tasman Highway over the Pittwater Causeway onto Forestier Peninsula. Admire the pristine beauty of Pirates Bay, Eaglehawk Neck, and Norfolk Bay. Visit Abel Tasman National Park, where you’ll marvel at the spectacle of the Tasman Arch and enjoy superb views of the rugged coastline. You’ll be amazed at the magnitude of the Devil's Kitchen. Explore Port Arthur, where you’ll take a guided walking tour of the historic convict site, with access to over 30 restored buildings and ruins. See the penitentiary, the separate prison, the commandant's house, and the church.

Day one: Port Arthur Historic Site Begin your trip with a pick up around 7:00 AM. After a quick look at Australia’s best preserved colonial village, Richmond, head south to explore Tasmania’s ruthless convict past at the World Heritage listed Port Arthur Historic Site. A guided walk and harbor cruise are included. Rich in visual history, learn of the chilling life of a convict in the restored sandstone prison buildings and preserved ruins. Visit selected geological wonders within Tasman National Park, to top-off a full day on the Tasman Peninsula before returning to Hobart. Day two: Hobart to Strahan Drive through the Derwent Valley. Travel east to west across the island. See the beautiful Russell Falls, walk among the Mt Field National Park tall trees, and visit Australia’s deepest freshwater lake, Lake St Clair. Explore the pristine Franklin-Gordon Wild River National Park and end the day in Strahan, where you will stay overnight. Day three: Wild West Coast  In the untouched wilderness of Tasmania’s West Coast, explore the shifting sands of Henty Dunes. Then continue into the Tarkine Rainforest and walk to Tasmania’s highest waterfall, Montezuma Falls. Stay overnight again in Strahan.  Day four: Cradle Mountain to Launceston  Around 950 meters above sea level is the World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park. Here, choose a walk to take. With an extensive range of tracks, you can stroll around Dove Lake or challenge yourself with a hike to Marion’s Lookout. After, take a short drive through Sheffield, the town of murals, to Launceston for your overnight stay.  Day five: Launceston to Bicheno Start the day with a journey to the East Coast and the beautiful Bay of Fires, where the beaches are gleaming and the is water inviting. If the conditions are right, this is the perfect place for a swim and to explore the orange lichen-clad boulders, white sands and turquoise waters of the stunning East Coast. Tasmania’s most scenic coastal drive takes you from St Helens to Bicheno. You will stay overnight at accommodation in Bicheno. Day six: Freycinet National Park to Hobart After breakfast, get ready for an early start to be the first to the Wineglass Bay lookout at the Freycinet National Park. Beat the crowds and the heat for that picture postcard photograph. Relax on a secluded beach or choose the more challenging Mount Amos or Hazards Beach walk. Continue further along the scenic east coast via the seaside towns of Swansea and Orford. Return to Hobart for 5:30 PM.