Tasmania's flora, fauna and geology: Australia

20 February 2024 - 12 days for £4,595

Tasmania is a nature lover’s wonderland, offering a bounty of natural wonders, like Bruny Island and boasting some of Australia’s finest beaches, mistiest mountaintops, loneliest patches of wilderness and most elusive animals.

Join our highly immersive expedition around the reserves, coasts, wetlands, rain forests, national parks and alpine landscapes of Tasmania in search of its diverse wildlife, amazing flora and ancient geological features. Discover the islands rich Aboriginal culture dating back more than 35,000 years.

You can expect to see everything from Tasmanian devils, platypus, little penguins and the eastern quoll along with numerous birds and endemic species. You will have a deeply personal experience, in an intimate atmosphere designed to be low impact on the places visited.

You will be accompanied by biologist and passionate conservationist, Dr Martin Cohen who will engage and educate you on the beauty and ecological wonder of Australia's hidden gem. You will travel throughout by expedition vehicle, on foot and by boat staying in a range of accommodation from 4-star luxury to farm stays and log-built cottages within the rainforest. Visiting the capital Hobart, Mount Field National Park, Cradle Mountain, Maria Island, Eaglehawk Neck and Bruny Island.

The tour is ideal for those with all levels of expertise, as it acts as a fantastic introduction to Tasmania’s amazing flora, fauna and geology and how it is being protected whilst allowing those with a deeper understanding to observe a great many species on land, in the skies and at sea.

In partnership with Intrepid Travel. 

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN TO HOBART AND VISIT BONORONG AND HOBART RESERVES

On your arrival at Hobart airport, you will be met by a local representative and transferred to The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel where you will meet your Dr Martin Cohen and the group for an introductory meeting.

In the afternoon, visit the Bonorong and Hobart reserves close by to look for some of Tasmania’s nocturnal creatures. It is likely you will see a whole range of animals including the pademelon, Bennett's wallaby, possum, sugar glider, bandicoots, long-nosed potoroo, eastern bettong, tawny frogmouth, and southern boobook. There is also a chance of finding the endangered Tasmanian subspecies of the masked owl and the eastern quoll. 

In the evening there will be a welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Hobart.

DAY 2: LAGOONS AND WETLANDS

This morning you will visit the Tasmanian Museum, the islands leading nature, cultural and heritage museum. Then you will travel from Hobart to Hamilton. On the way you will stop at lagoons to see freckled duck, Australian shoveller, purple swamp hen, black-fronted dotterel, great egret and maybe also Lewin’s rail and musk lorikeets.

In the evening check into Curringa Farm Stay Cottages for two nights where you will meet 6th generation Tasmanian farmers and learn about their farm conservation project.

DAY 3: MOUNT FIELD NATIONAL PARK

You will spend the day exploring this beautiful area and walk-through wet forest with giant eucalyptus trees in search of pink robins, black currawongs, green rosellas and other Tasmanian endemic birds. Plus witness the spectacular waterfalls that flow down the sides of Mount Field. Higher in the park, you will visit the alpine area where you will experience a previously glaciated landscape rich in lakes and tarns, bizarre alpine flora, and have good chances of seeing Tasmanian thornbill, scrubwren, scrubtit and various honeyeaters. After dinner you will have the chance to enjoy a further night tour.

DAY 4: TRAVEL TO THE CRADLE MOUNTAIN AREA

Today is mainly a day of travel while you work your way northwards towards Cradle Mountain, visiting a wildlife sanctuary on the way with a chance to see platypus, one of Australia’s unique animals. You will stop en-route at regular intervals throughout the day to stretch the legs and photograph the scenery. Late afternoon, you will check into the Lemonthyme Wilderness Lodge hidden deep in the rainforest.

DAY 5: EXPLORING CRADLE MOUNTAIN

You will spend the day exploring the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park which forms part of the South-West UNESCO World Heritage area. One of Australia’s most famous national parks protecting a grand glacial landscape. This also provides the chance to see the common wombat and some ancient Gondwanan flora which is only found in Tasmania. 

After checking into and enjoying dinner at the Cradle Mountain Hotel, you will take a night drive for the chance of seeing the endangered Tasmanian devil. 

DAY 6: HEAD TOWARDS THE EAST COAST AND FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK

Today you leave the central highlands area of Tasmania and head to the east coast, exploring en-route. You will visit a wetlands reserve which will provide our best chance of seeing a platypus, hopefully at relatively close range as well. If time allows, you will visit Freycinet National Park, another iconic Tasmanian destination which is famous for its beaches with white sand and azure water. 

You will check into the Beachfront Bicheno motel for two nights and after an early dinner, venture out on a private “Devils in the Dark” wildlife experience which aims to maximise the opportunity of photographing the elusive Tasmanian devil under close to natural conditions (the animals free-range within a fenced peninsula of land). 

DAY 7: MARIA ISLAND

Today you travel to the seaside township of Triabunna to board a ferry to Maria Island. This pedestrian (and bicycle) only island was declared a national park in 1972. It is now a refuge for a variety of Tasmanian birds and mammals including the forester kangaroo and Cape Barren goose. Over the last few years, it has also provided additional sanctuary to an insurance population of Tasmanian devils which is thriving on the island. 

After returning to Triabunna on a late afternoon ferry, travel back to Bicheno and after dinner, there may be a chance of a night walk to see little penguins. 

DAY 8: TRAVEL TO EAGLEHAWK NECK

Today you will continue south to the Tasman Peninsula visiting reserves and wetlands along the way. When you arrive at Eaglehawk Neck there will be the chance to visit some nearby geological tessellated rock formations and view the spectacular coastline, and if time permits explore Tasman National Park before checking in to the Lufra Hotel in Pirate’s Bay.

DAY 9: EAGLEHAWK NECK

This morning you will board a privately chartered vessel (weather dependant), making your way into the vastness of the Southern Ocean in a quest to site pelagic birds and ocean mammals. High species diversity and the nearness of the continental shelf have earned Tasmania an international reputation as an excellent place to see pelagic species. 

Not long after you depart Pirate’s Bay, you will encounter short-tailed shearwater in considerable numbers. This is also one of the finest places on the planet to see a diversity of albatross. As you approach the continental shelf you will likely see a range of petrels and there are often surprises in store with over 30 mammals species possible in these waters including Australian fur-seals, hump-backed whale and bottlenose dolphin. 

Upon your land return, you will make your way to Bruny Island, which is situated 40km south of Hobart and is separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. When on the ferry trip across the channel watch out for little penguins and dolphins alongside. We will arrive in time for dinner. 

For the next two nights you will be staying Inala Cottage or Explorer’s Cottages. 

DAY 10: BRUNY ISLAND

Bruny Island is an untouched wilderness that is classified as an Important Bird Area due to its abundance of endangered and endemic bird species.

Today you will focus on photography within 1,500- acre private wildlife property “Inala”. A range of platforms and bird-hides have been erected around the property at strategic wildlife spots to maximise your chances of seeing and photographing a range of mammals and birdlife. This will include a visit to the raptor photography hide, where a range of species including the endangered grey goshawk (white morph), swamp harrier, brown goshawk, white-bellied sea-eagle (also a threatened species in Tasmania) and brown falcon regularly visit. If you are really lucky, the endangered Tasmanian form of Wedge-tailed eagle will also call in. 

You will also visit a purpose-built 4m platform where you can view and photograph one of Australia’s smallest and rarest birds, the endangered forty-spotted pardalote. 

This evening after dinner you have the option of visiting some sites for some nocturnal mammal photography, including eastern quoll which is a relative of the Tasmanian devil. You may also be lucky to see the near-albino forms of Bennett’s wallaby and brush-tailed possum which rarely occur among the normal dark-coloured animals on Bruny Island. 

DAY 11: RETURN TO HOBART

This morning we will visit the hides at Inala again before departing on a relaxed trip to the ferry. After the ferry-crossing you will visit some reserves which have excellent habitats for birdlife on the way to Hobart, a last chance to photograph the islands special birds. This completes your circular trip of Tasmania and tonight you will return to the The Old Woolstore Apartment where there will be a farewell dinner and a farewell to your guide Nick.

DAY 12: DEPART TASMANIA

This morning after breakfast transfer to Hobart airport where you can say goodbye to the island state of Tasmania.