Grand Historical Port Arthur Walking Tour from Hobart

Hobart, Australia

Set off on a full day trip from Hobart and discover Port Arthur Convict Site, Tasman National Park and the Isle of the Dead! Suitable for the whole family, you'll enjoy a guided walking tour of Port Arthur and a scenic cruise to the Isle of the Dead where you'll be amazed at the magnitude of the Devils Kitchen.

Rich in visual history, the Port Arthur Historic Site evokes a powerful sense of Australia's past convict era and of early Australian settlement heritage. Sitting tranquilly amidst English oaks and gardens, Port Arthur is a harsh contrast to the beauty of the Tasman Peninsula.

Highlights:

• Aquatic Centre and Royal Botanic Gardens (drive past only)
• Government House (drive past only)
• Cross the Tasman Bridge
• Head out on the Tasman Highway over the Pitwater Causeway onto Forestier Peninsular
• Pristine Pirates Bay
• Eaglehawk Neck
• Skirt Norfolk Bay on the Tasman Peninsula
• Find out what's unique about Doo Town
• Take a guided walking tour of the historic convict site - Port Arthur, with access to over 30 restored buildings and ruins
• See the Penitentiary - a one time granary and flour mill, the separate prison, the Commandant's House, the church and much more...
• Take a cruise on Carnarvon Bay to the Isle of the Dead for a 45 minute guided tour
• Visit Highlights of the Tasman National Park
• Wonder at the spectacle of the Tasman Arch
• Superb views of the rugged coastline
• Be amazed at the magnitude of the Devils Kitchen

Lunch (not included) is available at the Port Cafe at the entrance to the Port Arthur Visitor Center. There is also a sit down restaurant called Felons. Both have a large selection of sandwiches, hot food and drinks.

Click on "View Additional Info" for the hotel pickup list

USD $128.03

Traveler Reviews

Review by: DougC	April 2012
Weather was great, Tour was great!_br/_ Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen were worthwhile extras. Isle of the Dead tour and tales most interesting.

Review by: Cali	January 2012
Well worth the trip! Loved the Isle of the Dead tour though a little rushed. The only negative in the day was the bus driver's inappropriate commentary on the way down, asking us to imagine the horrible stretch marks and breasts of his ancestor after having 22 children. He also gave the wrong tickets to a couple who got off the bus. When he realised he said "Oh well, they don't speak English anyway".

Review by: julianne k	July 2011
A fascinating place, informative and scenic bus tour en route and the on site guided tour was informative and entertaining despite the macabre nature of the place. Just enough time provided to explore,perhaps a little rushed.

Review by: anthony c	May 2011
Well organise tour; friendly staff

Review by: Cherilyn M	February 2011
Fantastic tour. really loved it. The Isle of the dead was disapointing, but the rest of the settlement was very impressive.

Review by: Andrew E	February 2011
Port Arthur was excellent..

Review by: Ruth H	January 2011
Great tour with a few scenic detours on the way! Some commentary on the bus, followed by a walking tour of Port Arthur with an enthusiastic and engaging guide. After a spot of lunch we caught the ferry to the isle of the dead which was also fascinating. All in all a very excellent tour to a beautiful place with a tragic history!

Review by: Chris H	January 2011
Definitely worth it. The trip down was made enjoyable by the bus driver’s commentary. One down side was that there needed to be another hour allocated to have enough time to fully take in the area. Otherwise highly recommended.

Review by: Triveni N	January 2011
Port Arthur is absolutely beautiful, and this tour includes a cruise to the Isle of the Dead. Definitely must do, recommended by locals.

Review by: Evelyn D	December 2010
This tour is definitely recommended. I must complement the driver of the tour, he was punctual and provided excellent commentary during the bus journey to Port Arthur. The commentary given on the Isle of the Dead was also superb.

Review by: Harry M	October 2010
Even better than when I did a similar tour 25 years ago. Because of a slight walking disability over longer walks, took the buggy and went through three of the most important buildings - something that was not included in the tour on foot. Could not fault the helpfulness afforded by the buggy driver. Well done!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	December 2009
The drive to Port Arthur was beautiful and the site itself quite spectacular. Also recommend visiting the Isle of Dead a few min boat ride from the Port Arthur site.

Review by: Denis M, Australia	August 2009
We enjoyed our day at Port Arthur. The bus trip down was very informative, with great views. Everything went to plan as advertised.

Review by: Janelle T, Australia	August 2009
Definitely worth doing.

Review by: Nigel T	August 2009
Definitely worth doing.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	May 2009
It was an excellent tour. The tour guides were fantastic.

Review by: Anton W, United States of America	March 2009
We had lots of problems getting off our ship, but with one call to the office, they hooked us up with a driver to meet us at our ship, drive us to our coach on the highway and secured our very wonderful day of touring. Everyone was top notch, and our guides at Port Arthur Historical site were excellent. The tour to Isle of the Dead was really worthwhile. We had someone with us that was somewhat incapacitated, and the little golf cart trolleys were extremely helpful. Really worthwhile day of touring!

Review by: Sally C, Australia	February 2009
Everything was great apart from the driver. He was a bit impatient and rude to other passengers, not to me. He didn't really explain to us what we have to do, like the time of the cruise. I know it's written on the ticket, but he should have told us the difference between different tickets and what we can do there, etc. Devils Kitchen and Port Arthur are very good!!

Review by: Andrew P, Australia	September 2008
Had a great time plenty to see and do.

Review by: Patricia L, Australia	March 2008
This is a tour that no one should miss. I felt a connection with the surroundings.

Review by: Anonymous	March 2008
Good trip with lively tour guide who's interested and enthusiastic about his job, and fairly thorough.

Review by: Nancy W	March 2008
I struggle with the option it could have been better to I do not recommend it. The bus broke down before we started. I understand this was unavoidable but the bus driver did not have to make a joke about it. hen we were at Port Arthur he did the walking tour because we missed the 1130. I felt he was rude in pushing everyone along, 'don't read the signs, you don't have time!' Not very well appreciated especially since we had very elderly people on the tour and they were struggling to keep up. He could have gotten the shuttle for us to make the tour quicker. Also where we were to have lunch. They ran out of sandwiches.

Review by: Mark C, United Kingdom	April 2007
The tour was good, but was a bit brief to reach its full potential. Although the day was well organised, the early leaving time from the venue in the afternoon meant that we couldn't enjoy the venue to the full.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	March 2007
Very good tour to Port Arthur. The tour guide was very well informed. Port Arthur is a great place to go for an idea of how Australia started as a penal colony. Would recommend.

Review by: Gregory B, Australia	March 2007
Our tour guide was very friendly and it was very informative, would recommend.

Review by: Ying C, Australia	March 2007
Can't believe Port Arthur has a such sad history. Definitely worth visiting.

Review by: Steven G, United States of America	January 2007
We enjoyed the Port Arthur tour.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	November 2006
We had a nice view and a friendly tour guide.

Review by: Andrew W, Australia	August 2006
What a great way to explore Tasmania. Thanks for that.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2006
What a great way to explore Tasmania. Thanks for that.