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Tasmania
8 Hours
Port Arthur Tasman Sights with Harbour Cruise
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Port Arthur entry with 20-minute harbour cruise
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Day Tours from Hobart: Bruny Island & Port Arthur
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Day tours from Hobart boil down to two headline acts: Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula, where Australia's convict story gets real, and Bruny Island's southern coast, where sea cliffs among Australia's highest drop into Southern Ocean swell. One is history with a harbour cruise, the other is a wild three hours in a wave-piercing boat. Here's how the three tours compare.
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Tasmania
8 Hours
Bruny Island Cruise with Kettering Bus Pickup
4.7 (1,858 · Google)
Free parking at Oyster Cove Marina
RRP $215 Save $6 From
$209 AUD
Top rated
Tasmania
3 Hours
What the Port Arthur and Bruny Island days are actually like
Port Arthur Tasman Sights with Harbour Cruise is a full eight-hour day out of Hobart. The route earns its keep before you arrive: Eaglehawk Neck's coastal formations and the sea-carved Remarkable Cave both make the itinerary. Then it's full entry to Port Arthur, Tasmania's most visited historic site, a sandstone settlement of ruins and restored buildings on a cold, beautiful harbour, with the harbour cruise included. The indulgent end of the peninsula is covered too: hand-forged chocolates at the Tasmanian Chocolate Foundry and the Port Arthur Lavender Farm.
The Bruny Island cruise is the same three hours on the water whichever version you pick. A purpose-built wave-piercing vessel leaves Adventure Bay and works the southern coastline: towering sea cliffs, seastacks like The Monument, deep sea caves, and the Breathing Rock, a slot that genuinely breathes as the swell moves through it. Keep watch for seals, dolphins, sea eagles, albatross and migrating whales in season.
The difference is how you get to Adventure Bay. The Afternoon Cruise is self-drive. The Kettering Bus Pickup version lets you park free at Oyster Cove Marina in Kettering, south of Hobart, and the bus and SeaLink ferry handle the rest, with guided island sightseeing on the way.
Which Hobart day tour is right for you
Port Arthur Tasman Sights with Harbour Cruise, from $159. The pick if you want history, scenery and chocolate in one go, and the only one here that departs from Hobart itself. It runs with an 18 to 39 crowd of up to 24.
Bruny Island Cruise with Kettering Bus Pickup, from $209. The car-free way to do Bruny. The bus leaves Kettering at 8:30am, you're back by late afternoon, and morning tea and lunch are available to buy on the day. Best for anyone without a hire car.
Bruny Island Afternoon Cruise, from $189. Just the cruise, departing Adventure Bay at 1:30pm. Best if you have a car and want the morning to explore Bruny on your own.
Know before you go
Season: whales are a bonus, not a given, and Tasmania's weather can turn in an afternoon, so pack a warm layer even in summer. The Bruny cruise provides wet-weather jackets and keeps ginger tablets onboard in case the Southern Ocean gets lively.
What to bring: cash or card for food, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat that won't fly off the boat. Port Arthur involves walking between ruins, so wear comfortable shoes.
Getting there: the Port Arthur tour runs from Hobart. For Bruny, Kettering is a drive south of Hobart, and the bus pickup version is the easiest option without a car. The Afternoon Cruise needs you at Adventure Bay by 1:30pm, so catch the ferry from Kettering with time to spare.
Hobart day tours: your questions
Can I do Bruny Island as a day trip from Hobart without a car?
Yes. Bruny Island Cruise with Kettering Bus Pickup collects you at Oyster Cove Marina in Kettering and covers the bus, ferry, island sightseeing and the three-hour cruise. You still need to get yourself to Kettering.
Is Port Arthur entry included in the day tour?
Yes. Port Arthur Tasman Sights with Harbour Cruise includes full site entry and the harbour cruise, plus Eaglehawk Neck, Remarkable Cave, the chocolate foundry and the lavender farm.
How long is the Bruny Island cruise?
Three hours on the water, departing Adventure Bay at 1:30pm on the Afternoon Cruise. The Kettering Bus Pickup version wraps the same cruise inside an eight-hour day.
Will I see whales on the Bruny Island cruise?
Possibly. Migrating whales pass this coast in season, and seals, dolphins, sea eagles and albatross are regulars. Wildlife is never guaranteed; the cliffs and caves are.