Maria Island National Park Active Day Tour from Hobart

Overview

Maria Island has no roads, no cars and almost no facilities, but plenty of wildlife: wombats, wallabies, Cape Barren geese, and many of Tasmania's endemic birds. This day tour drives you about an hour east of Hobart, then takes the 30-minute ferry across (look out for dolphins and whales), with a guide for the whole day and a group of up to 20.

You walk to the Painted Cliffs, an easy 4.5km round trip, then visit the World Heritage listed Darlington convict settlement, the best-preserved probation camp of its kind. The day finishes with the Fossil Cliffs walk, another easy 4.5km circuit across windswept hills to cliffs full of 300-million-year-old fossils.

There are no shops on the island and limited drinking water, so bring enough food and a large water bottle; there's a brief stop on the way to the ferry for sandwiches, and coffee and snacks on the ferry. The general meeting point is the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre on Davey Street, Hobart, at 6.40am, and the tour returns there about 5pm. Hotel pick-ups from select locations may be available if arranged in advance.