Plan Book Travel Australia

Your visit to Tasmania isn’t complete without spending time on the magnificent Tasman Peninsula, where past and present mingle.

The peninsula is almost an island apart - when you turn right at the historic town of Sorell, you’re heading south for scenery, wildlife, heritage and adventure.

Along the Peninsula, you can discover fine heritage buildings and admire the bold swirls of glaze on contemporary pottery. You’ll sample the region’s superb cool-climate wines, and savour some of the local specialties - octopus, oysters, quail and venison. You may also encounter some of the local inhabitants - playful dolphins; our unique Tasmanian devil; or a majestic sea eagle, soaring from cliffs in the Tasman National Park.

You’ll walk gleaming beaches and stand on the rim of tall sea cliffs, carved into weird natural sculptures over millions of years by crashing waves and endless winds. South again, and follow the road to the past. Overlooking the waters of a quiet bay is Australia ’s most significant historic site at Port Arthur, every piece of hand-hewn stone and every thumb-marked brick has a story that echoes days long gone.

Here, you’ll step back one and a half centuries - exploring the dramatic buildings, strolling or picnicking beneath graceful old English trees and cruising the dark waters to the Isle of the Dead, every moment at Port Arthur is a piece of living history. Your feet tread the same paths the convicts walked - in the silence, you might catch an echo of clinking chains and the tap of hammer on stone.

Returning northwards, turn off through the magnificent Wielangta Forest Drive, where rare parrots flash through the blue gums. Beyond the trees are the gentle landscapes of the East Coast.