Tasmania coastal cruise
Description of Tasmania coastal cruise
Just because you’re on a cruise, doesn’t mean you can’t be active. Get out and bushwalk in Tasmania’s national parks with a park ranger on this eight day expedition along the coast. This far south you get really long days; get out and make the most of the daylight.
Think of this trip as an expedition cruise, where there are plenty of opportunities to walk and explore Tasmania’s well-protected wild places, including the start of the South Coast Track. Travelling by small ship means you can reach the UNESCO-protected Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area – a privilege normally only afforded by those with a light aircraft – or willing to hike for a week.
You’ll visit Bruny Island with its fairy penguins and its white quartz sand peninsulas. You’ll be able to reach Maria Island, where bird species flourish and there are no cars, and you’ll rise early to walk to a lookout over Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Thanks to Tasmania’s cool-climate wines, it won’t be the only wineglass you’ll see on the trip, and your small ship provides local specialities for you to eat, too, from Bruny Island oysters to sheep cheese.
Highlights
• Spend two full days exploring Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour, with kayaking, bird-watching, and hiking revealing the secrets of this stunning wilderness
• Explore the beautiful Freycinet National Park: stroll the sweeping white sand of Wineglass Bay and hike to the lookout for a spectacular view
• Visit the Noah’s Ark of Tasmania, Maria Island, and spot wombat, wallabies, endemic birds, and other wildlife
• Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour at World Heritage-listed Port Arthur to gain a deep insight into the convict history
• From the sea, have a breath-taking view of the 300 metre high dolerite columns of the Tasman Peninsula, the highest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere
• Taste Tasmania’s remarkable fresh produce, cool-climate wines, and artisanal spirits throughout your expedition and at special wine-tastings and events
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Responsible Travel
Planet
The smaller size of our ship and the smaller passenger numbers ensures that any detrimental social and environmental impacts are minimised. Few tourists to Tasmania get to view the island from the sea, and few get to visit some of the more remote areas we have access to on our small ship. By enabling our passengers to visit some different areas without putting any strain on local amenities, we are spreading the financial benefits and the load of our visit.When visiting or walking in National Parks and World Heritage Areas, we take a park ranger with us, who can tell us all about the park, its history, flora and fauna, and also the challenges it faces. The rangers will also brief on on what to do, and not to do, while visiting the parks and indeed the whole island.
The ship’s owners take their responsibilities to the environment very seriously and are proud to be acknowledged as an ecotourism certified operator through the world-leading Ecotourism Australia organisation.
We will visit Maria Island, a national park with something for everyone; historic ruins, sweeping bays, rugged cliffs and mountains, and remarkable wildlife. Since the late 1960's Maria Island has become a kind of Noah's Ark, as a number of threatened species have been introduced here in a bid to protect their kind. The very features that made the island a convict settlement now make it an ideal refuge for plant and animal species such as native pademelons Forester Kangaroos, Bennett's Wallabies and Tasmanian Devils. By visiting we will be able to spread the word about the plight of some of these species and we will also put a little cash towards their conservation.
Grey and brown water waste are both held in on board tanks until the vessel returns to port, where they are emptied and the waste is treated. Any rubbish generated during the cruise is similarly held on board until the vessel returns to port where it is recycled if possible.
People
This cruise is, in part, a showcase for local produce, especially locally produced cheese and wine. The captain invites all the guests to try and to enjoy the local produce, and you will also get the chance, when ashore, to sample and even pick some local produce.The food on board is bought locally; Tasmania is blessed with being, in parts, very fertile and ideal for growing local produce. Seafood and wine are locally abundant, and cheese is a major local industry, so all the food is very locally sourced.
Tasmania is renowned for its gourmet produce and we visit family-run Grandvewe Cheeses. Set on 40 acres overlooking Bruny Island, Grandvewe farm produces fine sheep cheeses using milk from their herd of over 100 Awassi and Grandvewe dairy sheep. We will meet the mother and daughter cheesemaking team, tour the milking shed and learn how the cheeses are produced. Sample some of the farms award-winning produce, including the unique Vanilla Whey Liqueur.
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