Tasman Peninsula tour: Port Arthur, devils & cliffs

Watch Tasmanian Devils fight over bone, then walk the edge of Australia's highest cliffs

A full-day guided tour from Hobart to the Tasman Peninsula covers Port Arthur Historic Site (entry and harbour cruise included), the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo with a live feeding, the Waterfall Bay Clifftop Walk, and Richmond Village. The tour runs 10.5 hours with a live English-speaking guide, involves moderate walking on tracks and boardwalks, and suits travelers aged 8 and up with reasonable fitness.

Step-by-step itinerary

Tasman Peninsula history and wildlife tour

• Depart early from Hobart
• View Pirates Bay Lookout panorama
• Pass Eaglehawk Neck and The Dogline
• Walk Waterfall Bay Clifftop track
• Visit Tasmanian Devil Unzoo and feeding
• Explore Port Arthur Historic Site
• Stop at Richmond Village for sightseeing
• Return to Hobart by evening

The Experience

The day starts early from Hobart and heads straight to the Tasman Peninsula, an area dense with convict history, coastal drama and wildlife. Your guide shares stories at Pirates Bay Lookout and Eaglehawk Neck — including the legend of "The Dogline" — before you walk the Waterfall Bay Clifftop track, a 45-minute undulating path that ends at the rock formations of Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen. The walk is graded easy, but the views across Australia's highest sea cliffs frame the whole peninsula.

At the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, you watch a live feeding — snarling, fighting, bone-crushing — and hand-feed wallabies in an open setting. The action is real and the animals are close. From there, Port Arthur Historic Site takes up around 2.5 hours. Your entry includes a harbour cruise around the Isle of the Dead, access to "The Port Arthur Experience" podcast for context, and expert-led talks throughout the day. You walk the penitentiary, see solitary confinement cells, and move through the open-air museum at your own pace, absorbing the isolation and violence of the early Australian penal system.

On the return to Hobart, you stop in Richmond Village late in the afternoon. The streets are quieter then, and you have time to cross Australia's oldest bridge still in use — a convict-built sandstone structure — visit the Lolly Shop or Chocolatier, or stop for coffee. The drive back reaches Hobart around 6pm.

What’s included

• Port Arthur Historic Site entrance and harbour cruise around the Isle of the Dead.
• Tasmanian Devil Unzoo entry and a live devil feeding.
• the Waterfall Bay Clifftop Walk.
• National Park access.
• expert guide in English.
• all transport from Hobart.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Tours Tasmania

Is this one for you?Book this for a first full day in Tasmania when you want to pack the main sights — convict history, wildlife and coastal scenery — into one tour with a guide who knows the stories. The fixed itinerary and included entry fees mean you arrive and the day unfolds without arranging stops or paying at each gate.

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Top questions

What is the Waterfall Bay Clifftop Walk like, and how long does it take?

The Waterfall Bay Clifftop Walk is a 45-minute track graded easy, though it undulates as it runs along the cliff edge. It ends at Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen, two dramatic rock formations, and the views across the peninsula's highest sea cliffs frame the whole walk.

Can I hand-feed animals at the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo?

Yes, you hand-feed wallabies at the Unzoo. You also watch a live Tasmanian Devil feeding, where the animals snarl, fight and crush bone — it is a raw display of their natural behaviour.

What's included in the Port Arthur Historic Site entry?

Port Arthur entry includes a harbour cruise around the Isle of the Dead, access to "The Port Arthur Experience" podcast that introduces the site's history, and complimentary talks led by Port Arthur's expert guides throughout the day.

How much time do I have to explore Port Arthur?

You have around 2.5 hours at Port Arthur Historic Site, enough time to walk the penitentiary, see the solitary confinement cells and other buildings in the open-air museum at your own pace.

Is there time to eat lunch during the tour?

Port Arthur Historic Site has many options for lunch and snacks, and you have 2.5 hours there, so you can eat on site. Bring your own food or purchase it locally.

What is Richmond Village, and how long do we stop there?

Richmond Village is a historic township you pass through on the return to Hobart, arriving late in the afternoon. You have time to walk the streets, cross Australia's oldest bridge still in use (a convict-built sandstone structure), and visit local shops like the Lolly Shop or Chocolatier.