Tasmania Adventure with Intrepid

Welcome to Tasmania! Your adventure begins in Hobart, or Nipaluna in the language of the Muwinina and Palawa peoples, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Hobart is now located. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 9:30 am to meet your fellow travellers, followed by a short walk to ningina tunapri – TMAG's Tasmanian Aboriginal culture gallery. Depart Hobart for a stopover in the historic town of Richmond – home to some of Australia’s oldest institutions. Enjoy some time to wander its streets, then head to a family-owned and operated winery for a tasting session. Finish your tasting experience and continue to the coastal town of Bicheno, where you will stay for the next two nights.

From your base in Bicheno, drive south to the beautiful Freycinet National Park, home to a wild domain of sublime beaches, whose powder-white sands are lapped by translucent waters. Join your leader for the walk to Wineglass Bay Lookout, or continue to the beach itself for a swim. It was voted one of the world’s top 10 beaches. Then after lunch follow the path up to Cape Tourville Lighthouse. Pose for a picture (or two) in front of the panoramic views, and then head back to Bicheno. This evening, there’s the option for you to join a guided tour for a closer look at the life of the area’s Little Penguins as they return nightly to their rookeries to feed their young.

This morning, you’ll depart Bicheno and follow the Great Eastern Drive until you arrive in the northeast corner of Tasmania, home to the Bay of Fires. This popular conservation area features Tasmania’s signature white sand beaches, coastal heaths and woodlands filled with protected wildlife, as well as its unique orange-coloured granite rocks. Set off on a leader-led beach walk along one of the many bays before continuing today’s journey towards your accommodation in Sheffield. The former hydroelectric hub has reinvented itself as an arts community with more than 140 murals on its streets that depict local stories and characters. You’ll have a free evening tonight to explore the town and spot some of its street art.

This morning, drive over to the magnificent wilderness of Cradle Mountain National Park. The mountain, at 1545 m high, is one of the park’s iconic features and is surrounded by stands of native deciduous beech, rainforest, alpine heath lands and button grass. Icy streams cascade down the mountainsides and ancient pines are reflected in the still glacial lakes. You’ll have the chance to explore the park along a number of different walking tracks, including Dove Lake Circuit. Your leader will be at hand to explain the options depending on your or the group's ability. End the day by driving to your accommodation in Strahan.

From Strahan, enjoy a full day exploring Tasmania’s West Coast, including the Tarkine, which is not only Australia’s largest temperate rainforest, but the second largest in the world. This cool-temperate rainforest has largely been left untouched and still homes wildlife not found anywhere else on earth, including the endangered Tasmanian Devils. It even retains a biological history from when this area was still connected to Patagonia and New Zealand, known collectively as Gondwanaland. Return to Strahan in the late afternoon.

Start the final day on the Apple Isle by passing through Queenstown’s eroded landscape of treeless hills, then stretch your legs on some great and moderately easy short walks along the Franklin River trail and along to the Nelson Falls boardwalk. Your next stop is Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest freshwater lake, then continue over the Central Plateau and through the Derwent Valley. Finish your trip traversing Tasmania as you head back to Hobart, where your adventure will come to an end.