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Day 1 – Calstock Country House, 2 nights

Collect your rental car from the Launceston Airport and it is about an hours drive west to Deloraine, where you will be staying at Calstock Country House for 2 nights.

Deloraine is set against the backdrop of the spectacular Great Western Tiers, a protected World Heritage Area featuring a chain of mountains that holds more than 3,000 lakes. The towns charming buildings from the 1830s and 1840s now house galleries, restaurants and studios.

Calstock, set in a private park overlooking Deloraine, is a grand, National Trust listed mansion in Georgian style and was built by a prosperous gentleman farmer. While still part of a working farm, the house has been beautifully restored in gracious period style. Your French born hosts - Ginette and Remi Bancal serve breakfast and by arrangement imaginative dinners based on organic local produce. A former sommelier Remi prides himself on his wine cellar.

Day 2 – A day of pleasure to suit your tastes            

Explore The Great Western Tiers - an ancient landscape of limestone caves and timeless valleys of farming villages first settled in the early 1800s. The area is popular for its walks, waterfalls, historic homes, gardens, artists and crafts people.

Spend the day visiting Cradle Mountain or Mole Creek Karst National Park that contains more than 200 caves that began to form 30 million years ago. With a guide you can tour some of the caves and see animals that dwell in the dark, lofty stalagmites, streams that disappear into the ground and glow-worms that twinkle like the stars.

Or spend the day touring the Tamar Valley’s wine route. As well as the many picturesque vineyards that produce Tasmania’s famous cool-climate wines, you’ll discover enchanting seahorses at Beauty Point, and the historic pilot station at Low Head that offers tall ship cruises around the Tamar River mouth.

Day 3 – Cradle Mountain Lodge, 2 nights          

As the drive today is not a long one you may like to take a northern route through scenic agricultural hinterland, visit the town of murals at Sheffield, wonder at the dominance of Mt Roland and enjoy the heritage streetscape in Latrobe. Enjoy two nights at Cradle Mountain Lodge, a warm, rustic retreat nestled high in the Tasmanian wilderness - a superb escape featuring cosy cabins, fine food and wine and the awesome beauty of this region.

Inside your cabin you'll immediately feel at home. The layout is generous, comfortable and more than a touch romantic. Large sofa chairs face the open fire and the bathroom features a spa bath. Your private timber cabin is set discreetly in the wilderness offering privacy and peace.

Day 4 - Cradle Mountain                                                           

Enjoy a hearty mountain buffet breakfast before setting off to explore the area. The park covers 125,000 ha which is characterised by a rugged, glaciated landscape with over 25 major peaks and a wide range of glacial formations. Icy streams cascade down the mountainsides and ancient pines are reflected in the still glacial lakes. There are over 20 guided walking tracks around the lodge ranging from 20 minutes to 9 hours. Besides bushwalking, guests can hire a mountain bike, go horse riding or go tobogganing in winter.

Wallabies, wombats and possums are frequently seen as they criss-cross the timber boardwalks and walking trails through out the resort. There are also pademelons and Bennett's wallabies in the area. At night the nocturnal animals that inhabit the park - the Tasmanian devil and possums - come to the Lodge to be fed.

Day 5 – Strahan, Franklin Manor, 2 nights

A leisurely 2 ˝ to 3 hours drive will bring you to the lovely village of Strahan situated near the mouth of the Gordon River on Tasmania’s West Coast. Strahan is the gateway to another of Australia’s great wilderness areas. With the background of Mt. Sorell and the expanse of Macquarie Harbour, the area was first put on the map with the notorious penal settlement of Sarah Island. The treacherous and narrow waters of Macquarie Heads at the entrance to the harbour were the scene of a number of shipwrecks.

Your accommodation will be at Franklin Manor, a boutique hotel originally built for the Harbour Master in 1896 and now lovingly restored. The Manor has fourteen bedrooms in the main house and four cottages (ideal for families) in the “Stables”. All rooms have queen or king beds, en suite facilities and some have open fireplaces. The highly regarded restaurant serves a country-style breakfast in the morning while the dinner menu has an emphasis on Tasmanian produce and fresh local seafood.

Day 6 – The South West Wilderness

The magnificent scenery of the West Coast can be enjoyed in many ways: from a cruise boat, by seaplane, by helicopter, quad bike, kayak or jet boat. Just a few ideas for your West-Coast day include:

Enjoy a crayfish or Macquarie Harbour salmon, fresh from the sea; put on a miner’s helmet and light, and go deep underground in Queenstown’s Mt Lyell mine; ride the newly restored Abt railway, now called the West Coast Wilderness Railway; follow the tannin-dark Gordon River into the rainforest; climb to the Teepookana Plateau; cross the restless waters of Macquarie Harbour and step ashore on Sarah Island.

Day 7 – Bruny Island, 2 nights

After breakfast, drive to Hobart, about 5 hours away and then a little further south to Kettering where you’ll board the car ferry to Bruny Island. You will be greeted at the Bruny landing by (Dr.) Tonia Cochran who will be your host and guide for the next two days. Tonia, the owner of Inala Nature Tours, has wide-ranging academic and teaching credentials (including a PhD in Zoology), but it is her passion for conservation that makes her a specialist guide in this corner of Australia.

Accommodation is in a 3 bedroom farm cottage called “Inala”, beside a tree lined stream, combining modern facilities with old fashioned comfort. Dinner will be prepared and delivered to your cottage.

Day 8 – Bruny Island Nature Focus                                            

There will be breakfast provisions for you at the cabin including cereals, fruit, eggs, home made bread, jams and a selection of teas and coffee. After breakfast, Tonia will pick you up for a full day private tour of the island.

Both Abel Tasman and James Cook, Tasmania’s earliest European visitors sheltered at Bruny Island and made contact with the local people. The island harbours all Tasmania’s endemic bird species as well as a variety of wildlife both on land and on the spectacular coastline, with seal colonies and a large Fairy Penguin rookery and the occasional lost traveller from further south – the next stop is Antarctica.

You’ll have plenty of opportunity to see Bruny’s spectacular scenery, rugged coastline and the Southern Ocean. You might also see echidnas, seals, wallabies, albatross, penguins or parrots. After a stop for lunch, you’ll spend time at ‘Inala’, Tonia’s private 500-acre wildlife property where you can get out and do a bit of bush walking.

Day 9 – Hobart, Moorilla Estate, 2 nights

Tonia will call by after breakfast this morning for another half day of touring before you leave in the early afternoon for Hobart. Your 2 night stay is at Moorilla Estate.

Moorilla’s luxury chalets have glorious panoramic views across the Derwent River, they are fully self-contained and have been built with privacy, indulgence, relaxation and comfort in mind. Each has king sized beds & glass bathrooms with luxurious spa baths for two.

Be sure to allow time to enjoy the Estate, Hobart’s vineyard in the city and established by wine pioneer Claudio Alcorso in 1958. This was the first vineyard to make major plantings of pinot noir grapes, now Tasmania’s most successful red-wine grape. The cellar door and wonderfully sited restaurant are open every day. Sales, tastings, cheese platters and winery tours are available. Moorilla also boasts a world-class Museum of Antiquities.

Day 10 - Discover Hobart & the south east

A day to enjoy Hobart, a city that blends heritage, scenery and vibrant culture around its location on the Derwent River. Take a harbour cruise, or drive to the summit of Mt Nelson or Mt Wellington, and immediately understand the maritime focus - Hobart’s suburbs hug the Derwent River, city buildings cluster around the docks and the estuary broadens into Storm Bay and the distant sea.

From the historic town of Richmond cross the narrow isthmus to Port Arthur’s Historic Site and travel a route that is steeped in convict history and rich in natural beauty. The Tasman Peninsula is a place of breathtaking seascapes, some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world, and wild ocean views. The road passes through rolling farmlands and little villages, past vineyards, artists’ studios and sweeping bays.

Day 11 – Departure

Return your hire car to Hobart Airport in time for your departure flight.

• Complete your Tasmanian experience with a 3 night Freycinet walk on the East Coast
   
• Up-grade to a luxury hire car.
   
• Allow us to pre-book scenic flights of the West Coast Wilderness
   
• Private specialist guides can be arranged in all regions and touring is planned to suit your interests.

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The price is inclusive of

• 2 nights Calstock Blue Room, breakfast daily
• 2 nights Cradle Mountain Pencil Pine Cabin, breakfast
• 2 nights Franklin Manor Standard Room, breakfast daily
• 2 nights Inala Cottage with all meals, privately escorted touring, park fees, ferry transfer from mainland and return
• 2 nights Moorilla Estate or Henry Jones Art Hotel with breakfast included
• 11 days car hire (Group C-intermediate size) with unlimited km
• 10% G.S.T is included for all arrangements and services
  

• Flights to / from Tasmania
• Meals other than those specified
• Comprehensive Travel Insurance
• Unless specified – laundry, bar, gratuities and items of a personal nature