Tasmania's flora, fauna and geology: Australia
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1 April 2025 - 12 days for £5,795
April 2027 - Register at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact when confirmed details including dates and prices are available.
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, rainforests, national parks and alpine landscapes of Tasmania in search of its diverse wildlife, amazing flora and ancient geological features. Discover the island's rich Aboriginal culture dating back more than 35,000 years.
You can expect to see everything from Tasmanian devils, platypuses, 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 hotels to farm stays and log-built cottages within the rainforest. Locations include the capital city of Hobart, Mount Field National Park, Cradle Mountain, Maria Island 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, while 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 HOBART AND VISIT TASMANIAN MUSEUM ART GALLERY
Welcome to Tasmania! Your adventure begins in Hobart, where you will check into The Grand Chancellor Hotel. At 2.30pm, you will meet your tour leader Dr Martin Cohen and the rest of the group for an introductory meeting.
In the afternoon, you will visit the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Established in 1843 and the second oldest museum in Australia, it boasts a diverse collection that highlights Tasmania's natural and cultural heritage. The museum features exhibits on the island's history, geology and biodiversity, while the art gallery showcases a mix of historical and contemporary Tasmanian artworks. It will give a great base before we begin the Tasmanian expedition.
In the evening, you will head out at 6.30pm for the group welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Hobart.
DAY 2: BONORONG SANCTUARY AND CURRINGA FARM
This morning you will visit Bonorong Sanctuary. The Sanctuary isn't a zoo; their aim is to rehabilitate injured and sick animals and release healthy ones back to the wild. Some of the species who reside at the sanctuary include forester kangaroos, pademelons, Tasmanian devils, wombats, sugar gliders, eastern quolls, cockatoos, tawny frogmouths, echidnas, Tasmanian bettongs and many more. All of the residents undergo meticulous assessment to ensure they are happy and healthy in the sanctuary's care, and they are only kept at Bonorong if they are considered unable to survive in the wild.
Enjoy lunch in the town of Brighton before driving to Curringa Farm, located near Hamilton.
Check into Curringa Farm for two nights. The farm is over 300 hectares in size with around 3000 sheep. While here, you will meet a family of sixth 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 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, mountain pools and alpine flora, with good chances of seeing birds such as Tasmanian thornbills, scrubwrens, scrubtits and various kinds of honeyeater.
You will walk the Russell Falls Track, the Tall Trees Walk and explore Lake Dobson.
Dinner tonight will be back at Curringa Farm, where you have the option of a nighttime walk.
DAY 4: QUEENSTOWN AND THE DEVILS @ CRADLE CONSERVATION SANCTUARY
This morning you will leave Curringa and travel up the western side of the mountains to Queenstown. Located on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, Queenstown is renowned for its unique and dramatic geological features. The town sits within the West Coast Range, an area characterised by its distinctive bare and barren hills, a result of past mining activities that stripped the vegetation and left the landscape with a surreal, moon-like appearance. The colourful stained hillsides and rock formations in the region tell a tale of the area's mining history and the environmental impact it has had on the land.
In the afternoon you will reach Cradle Mountain. Nestled within this region is Devils @ Cradle, a breeding and wildlife conservation and educational facility. The sanctuary primarily concentrates on the Tasmanian devil, the sanctuary is also home to the closely related spotted-tailed and eastern quolls. Tasmania’s three largest carnivorous marsupials are all now threatened in one way or another in the wild. Here you will join a tour of the facility and witness the effort required to increase the Tasmanian devil population in Tasmania.
DAY 5: EXPLORING CRADLE MOUNTAIN
You will spend the day exploring the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. This forms part of the UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness 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 walk thorugh some ancient Gondwanan flora that is only found in Tasmania.
After enjoying dinner at the Cradle Mountain Hotel, you will take a night drive into the park for a chance to view some nocturnal animals.
DAY 6: HEAD TOWARDS THE EAST COAST VIA TAMAR ISLAND AND LAUNCESTON
Today you leave the central highlands area of Tasmania and head to the east coast, exploring en-route. You will go for a short walk on Tamar Island, which takes you inside the Tamar Conservation Area. Paperbark trees and tall reeds line the path, leading us over an intricate network of mudflats and vegetation. It is home to numerous waterbird and reptile species that can be viewed from the observation deck. The area is fully boardwalked to reduce the impact on this fragile environment.
Enjoy lunch in Launceston, one of Australia's oldest cities, before making your way out to the small seaside town of Bicheno. You will arrive in the late afternoon so you can settle in for the next two nights.
DAY 7: FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK
Today you'll head to Freycinet National Park to explore the rich geological and floral wonders of one of Tasmania's oldest national parks. Around the world, national parks have been created to preserve truly magical places and there's no doubt Freycinet National Park has a magic all of its own. The park is best known for the stunning beauty of Wineglass Bay – its crystal-clear waters and white, crescent-shaped beach is one of Tasmania's most celebrated views.
Beyond Wineglass Bay, there's plenty more to uncover at Freycinet. The diversity in the coastal landscape is dramatic, with rocky coves and surging surf around one corner, and sheltered bays and sandy beaches around the next. As you explore the park, the Hazards, a spectacular granite mountain range that rises dramatically from the sheltered turquoise bays, provide a breathtaking backdrop that is never far from view.
After an early dinner, venture out on a “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 8: 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 past few years, it has also provided additional sanctuary to an insurance population of Tasmanian devils that is thriving on the island.
After returning to Triabunna on a late afternoon ferry, continue south to the Tasman Peninsula and our accommodation for the night, Lufra Hotel in Pirate's Bay.
DAY 9: TASMAN NATIONAL PARK AND TRAVEL TO BRUNY ISLAND
This morning there will be time to thoroughly explore some nearby geological features and view the spectacular coastline, and the dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands of Tasman National Park.
After lunch, you will make your way to Bruny Island, which is situated 40 kilometres 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 at 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 the more than 600-hectare 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: CRUISE ALONG THE COAST BEFORE RETURNING TO HOBART
This morning you will board a privately chartered vessel (weather dependent), from Adventure Bay, cruising alongside some of Australia's tallest sea cliffs, passing beneath towering crags and approaching the mesmerising Breathing Rock. Explore Bruny Island's deep sea caves, navigate the narrow passage between the coast and The Monument, and feel the force of nature at the convergence of the Tasman Sea and the mighty Southern Ocean. Participate in the quest for coastal wildlife, encountering seals, dolphins, migrating whales and sea birds.
Back on land you will head north to the ferry and return to Hobart. This completes your circular trip of Tasmania, and tonight you will return to the Grand Chancellor Hotel where there will be a farewell dinner and a farewell to your guides.
DAY 12: DEPART TASMANIA
After breakfast, there will be a group transfer to the airport or we can arrange for you to stay on for a few more nights to enjoy Tasmania.
Please note this itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions and opportunities. While we will do our best to offer the best wildlife opportunities throughout, we cannot guarantee any specific animal sightings as nature is in charge here.
