ITINERARY:

Day 1: ARRIVE HOBART:
Arrive Hobart today and check in to your centrally located hotel for 2 nights. Hobart is the capital of Australia's island state of Tasmania and sits on the River Derwent. At its fashionable Salamanca Place, old sandstone warehouses host galleries and cafes. Nearby is Battery Point, a historic district with narrow lanes and colonial-era cottages. The city's backdrop is 1,270m-high Mount Wellington, with sweeping views, plus hiking and cycling trails. Overnight St Ives Apartments Hobart.

Day 2: HOBART TOUR:
Visit some of the best attractions in Hobart, including Sullivan's Cove, Salamanca Place, and the Female Factory. Take in the stunning view of the city and Mt. Wellington from Rosny Hill Lookout on this half-day coach tram tour. Your half-day trip starts at Sullivan's Cove, the birthplace of Hobart city, still used as a ferry terminal today. As you pass the Parliament House, explore Salamanca Place and gaze in wonderment at the Georgian-style houses and boutique shops at Battery Point. Later, enjoy the breathtaking view of Derwent River from Sandy Bay and visit the adjacent casino of Wrest Point. Next, travel to St. David's Park, the first burial site in Tasmania, and visit the Cascade Valley, the oldest brewery in Australia. Afterwards, see the remains of the Female Factory, a former workhouse for female convicts, before passing St. David's Cathedral, the Treasury Building, and the Queen's Domain and Government House. Escape the city buzz and cross over the Tasman Bridge for spectacular views of Hobart and Mt. Wellington from the Rosny Hill Lookout. Before your return to the city centre, enjoy the panoramic vistas of the Derwent River from the Victoria and Constitution Docks. Overnight St Ives Apartments Hobart.

Day 3: HOBART> CENTRAL PLATEAU WILDERNESS
Departing Hobart, we travel north along the Heritage Highway to the magnificent Shene Estate which dates to the early 1800’s. Taste fine single malt whisky or gin, and wander around the impressive convict built and heritage-listed Georgian sandstone buildings. Continuing through Tasmania’s heartlands, we will stop in the colonial town of Bothwell, gateway to the Central Highlands. Eventually we climb up into the alpine plateau, part of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area; welcome to the land of a thousand lakes, with its sub-alpine tarns and wild rivers, brimming with trout. Arriving at Thousand Lakes Lodge nearby Lake Augusta, settle into a place of divine comfort, with time for a short nature walk should you desire, or simply relax and enjoy the log-fire and complementary mulled wine. Delight in a three-course dinner with local wines and allow your guide to lay out the many options for your stay, with consideration for your personal preferences and ideally suited to the local conditions. Tonight, take a stroll by torchlight looking for wildlife, or on a clear night, turn out the lights and enjoy stargazing at the Milky Way above.
Overnight: Thousand Lakes Lodge, Central Highlands

Day 4: CENTRAL PLATEAU WILDERNESS
After a hearty breakfast, a day of exploring the vast alpine landscape awaits you. The World Heritage Area is a designated ‘free walking’ zone, so you may wish to wander among the lakes and tarns on foot. Weather permitting, your guide will offer various options, such as exploring Carter Lakes, hiking up to Split Rock Lookout or to nearby Allison Hut which is a restored shepherds hut. Here you can imagine the rugged life of a high- country grazier in the early 1900’s. Look out for wildlife which abounds in this wilderness, including Tasmanian devils, wedge-tailed eagles, wombats, wallabies, echidnas and more. At a tranquil spot by a lake, lookout, or in the shelter of an alpine fishing hut, your guide can prepare for you a picnic lunch or hearty soup and warming drinks, to be waiting for you when you arrive from your hike. If you prefer to relax in the comfort of the lodge, you may wish to try an array of the finest Tasmanian cheese, wine, and spirits on offer (own cost), or simply take advantage of what is perhaps, the best fireplace in any wilderness lodge in Tasmania.
Overnight: Thousand Lakes Lodge, Central Highlands

Day 5: CENTRAL PLATEAU WILDERNESS
Enjoy another full day of adventure or relaxation, whichever is your preference, or a perhaps touch of both. By now our guide will have told you stories on the history of the area, including the Big River aboriginal tribe, the first European settlers including graziers and fur trappers, and later Hydroelectricity pioneers. With these insights, you will look upon what is now World Heritage protected landscapes with a new appreciation for the people who came before, and the harshness and conservation-value of the environment. Conditions depending, you may wish to explore by E-bike and cycle to Lake Ada on well-formed gravel tracks. Your guide will help you to venture out to the lagoon and nearby tarns, or take you to relax at Ibbott Hutt, an alpine fishing hut on the very edge of tranquil Lake Ada, with views to peaks of The Walls of Jerusalem National Park in the distance. Back at the lodge, rest and indulge to your heart’s content in the luxurious lounge area which boasts an outstanding range of literature on the fascinating history and natural landscape of this wilderness area.
Overnight: Thousand Lakes Lodge, Central Highlands

Day 6: CENTRAL PLATEAU WILDERNESS > HOBART
After breakfast, it’s time to leave the land of a thousand lakes, and we’ll depart the Central Plateau to make our journey south. Our final stop is in historic Kempton at an 1840’s country manor for Devonshire tea, and optional gin or whisky tasting, before returning to Hobart late morning. The remainder of the day is free to explore Hobart at leisure. Overnight St Ives Apartments Hobart.

Day 7: DEPART HOBART:
The tour concludes today as you make your own way to the airport for flights home.

Please note: The day by day descriptions published are intended as an indicative guide only. Travel by nature is unpredictable. Weather patterns, road and water conditions, public holidays, travel restrictions and a multitude of other factors may necessitate itinerary changes that ultimately are for the client’s benefit. It is essential that clients are flexible and open minded in this regard.