Our Tours of Southern Tasmania

Save yourself the concern of pre – booking a hired car and the dilemma of where to go and what to see in your available time or simply leave your vehicle at the Lodge and let us relieve you of the stress of driving.
We can also collect you from Hobart airport.

Most of our tours consist of small groups of 2 to 6 persons which is ideal for family groups and friends. Groups of up to 10 persons are also provided for. All tours start and end at Explorers Lodge. A continental breakfast is enjoyed before departure and a gourmet lunch is provided on tour. Numerous other opportunities occur to sample more of Tasmania’s famous produce, seafoods and fine wines.   On return to New Norfolk, the evening meal can be purchased at any one of the local establishments; a short taxi ride away.

Tours are conducted by an experienced and accredited Tasmanian-born guide who has been operating on the island for many years. The vehicle used is a luxury 4x4. Tours for groups of up to 10 persons are conducted in a comfortable mini bus.

Tour emphasis is on Tasmania’s magnificent wilderness areas, the pristine forests, waterfalls, beaches and mountains;  also providing the opportunity of viewing Tasmanian wildlife such as the platypus, wombat, Tasmanian devil, wallabies and echidna. The tours also encompass the historical English heritage and culture of the island.

Tour 1 The Country-side Explorer:

Tariff: 1-2 persons A$220 pp 3-4 persons A$200 pp 5-6 persons A$160 pp.

Starting in historical New Norfolk the tour departs for Mount Field National Park. The 30km drive takes guests through hop fields and through small villages where fascinating old Oast Houses (former kilns for drying the hops) can be seen. Near to the village of Plenty are the Salmon Ponds, the oldest trout hatchery in the southern Hemisphere. Operating as a working hatchery since 1864, it was designed very much in the style of an English park and originally received salmon eggs and some trout eggs from England. Guests are fascinated by the huge trout and salmon that rise up from these ponds to be fed. Wild platypus can sometimes be viewed here, or else in the nearby Tyenna River, where we visit the Something Wild Wildlife Sanctuary. The tour carries onto the exhilarating Mount Field National Park. The first walk is through the forested valley of large myrtles, sassafras, huge tree ferns, lichens and fungi and the stunning Russell Falls. The next step is to the Tall Tree Walk where one can see huge specimens of the giant Swamp Gum trees (Eucalypus Regans) which is the world’s largest flowering plant and the tallest hardwood tree. From here we drive to Lake Dobson where guests enjoy Tasmania’s high country consisting of snow gums, alpine moorlands and the beautiful tarns (glacial lakes).
The tour then returns to Explorers Lodge.

Tour 2 The Peninsular Explorer:

Tariff: 1-2 persons A$244 pp 3-4 persons A$224 pp 5-6 persons A$184 pp
Includes entry fee to Port Arthur. Add: A$100 pp for optional boat trip.

After an early breakfast start, the tour sets out for Port Arthur, the famous historical site, symbol of Tasmania’s days as a British penal colony; a testament to the incredible hardships and human tragedy of early convict life 160 years ago. The area is also steeped in natural beauty; a place of breathtaking seascapes, some of the tallest seacliffs in the world and wild ocean views. The tour passes through rolling farm lands, little villages, and passed vineyards, artists’ studios and sweeping bays. Most people take up the additional option of a boat trip from the Tasmanian Peninsular which allows guests to view sea birds and sea mammals, such as seals, dolphins and possibly whales. Return to Explorers Lodge in the evening.

Tour 3 The East Coast Explorer

Tariff: 2-3 persons A$305 pp 4-6 persons A$220 pp

A day tour is to the Freycinet National Park. Jutting out from the sea on Tasmania’s wild east coast is the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Penininsula with knuckles of granite mountains surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. We visit picturesque Wineglass Bay, one of the world’s most acclaimed beaches and the dramatic peaks of the Hazards. The area is famous for its sea food of oysters and crayfish (in season).

Tour 4 The Hobart Early Settler Explorer

Tariff: 1-2 persons A$235 pp 3-4 persons A$215 pp 5-6 persons A$175 pp

After breakfast at Explorers Lodge this tour follows the lovely Derwent River to the historic cultural city of Hobart, gateway to the Antarctic, which unfolds amongst the rolling hills beneath Mount Wellington. Hobart is Australia’s second oldest city and one of the most stress free and engaging smaller cities in the world. It embraces a rich cultural heritage and has an enchanting mix of clean air, natural surroundings, space and wilderness but remains a cosmopolitan and sophisticated city. The tour takes a trip up Mount Wellington which towers above the city, sun bathed or snow capped, and provides guests with a breathtaking view of the panoramic splendour of the city. The historic Waterfront gives guests the chance to sample some of Tasmania’s produce, finest seafoods and wines. The tour also visits the picturesque docks, Battery Point, and the famous open Salamanca Market, (Saturdays only) which is reputed to be one of the best in the world.

Part of the afternoon is spent at a well-known wildlife park where unique Tasmanian animals such as the Tasmanian devil, the wombat and the Eastern quoll can be viewed.
This tour provides the opportunity to visit Richmond, one of the most important historic towns in Tasmania and home to the much photographed Richmond Bridge, the oldest surviving freestone bridge in Australia.

An additional option from Hobart city is a spectacular scenic flight over the remote South West Wilderness heritage area which can include a boat trip to the Marine reserve of Bathurst harbour. This flight is strictly weather dependant.

Tours to Northern parts of Tasmania can be arranged on request.