Hobart is not only a lovely city with a world-famous museum, but it is also the perfect base for exploring the broader region. Once you’ve covered all the things to do in Hobart, it’s time to hit the road. Day trips from Hobart will take you from the sparkling blue waters of Wineglass Bay to the misty forests of the remote southern tip of the island.
Most of these day trips are offered as organized tours, which is a great option if you are travelling alone as I do. In the last two years, I escaped to Hobart twice and spent most of my time exploring the region on organized day trips from Hobart.
I like to use either GetYourGuide or Viator platform to research the best tour destinations and then book the tours with the highest review scores or particularly interesting reviews. I’ve taken tours via GYG & Viator in Europe, South America, and Australia, and I’m yet to experience a tour I didn’t enjoy.
So here are my top picks for day trips from Hobart. All of these trips can be done as independent road trips, but if you don’t want to drive and want to maximize your time by benefiting from local knowledge, a small group organized tours is the way to go.
Wineglass Bay & Freycinet National Park
If you haven’t visited Freycinet National Park and don’t have 2 or 3 days to explore it properly, you must visit it on a day trip from Hobart. Famous primarily for one of Tasmania’s most celebrated views— the curvaceous white beach and crystal-clear waters of Wineglass Bay, Freycinet is much more than the famous view.
The day trip from Hobart fits in the 1.5-hr hike to see the Wineglass Bay from above, Cape Tourville walk, a stroll on Friendly Beaches, a visit to the absolutely gorgeous Honeymoon Bay, lunch in the picturesque Coles Bay and even a stop in the charming historic town of Richmond and check out the famous Richmond Bridge.
The coastline in Freycinet is incredibly picturesque, you get a full day of exploring it. I took this trip in winter when the days are shorter, and we drove out of Hobart into a fiery sunrise and watched an equally fiery sunset on the way back. And it was light jumper weather for the hike to Wineglass Bay lookout.
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Bruny Island
As an island off an island state off an island continent, Bruny Island is as ‘down under’ as it gets. It’s a gem for nature lovers like myself and foodies alike. The island is mostly famous for its fresh produce – cheese, honey, and arguably the world’s freshest oysters. You can even taste salt water with Bruny oysters.
I went to Bruny in hopes of spotting one of the unique white wallabies, and I wasn’t disappointed. We found one browsing in a paddock in the company of its brown cousins in Adventure Bay.
Bruny’s other claim to fame is the Neck – the narrow strip of land that connects the north and the south Bruny islands. The view of the Neck from Truganini Lookout will be one of your most memorable Tassie experiences.
On top of food and wildlife, Bruny has a stunning coastline, and a trip to Cape Bruny lighthouse in South Bruny National Park is the perfect opportunity to enjoy it.
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Maria Island
This one is for nature adventurers. Maria Island (pronounced ma-rye-ah) is wombat heaven and one of the few places in Tasmania where you can spot Forrester kangaroo.
The tour to Maria island includes a cruise around the island with its rugged cliffs, sea caves, and seal colonies, a lunch at a secluded beach that only a handful of people visit, and a guided tour of the convict settlement at Darlington. This walk is your chance to spot the wombats and kangaroos. Or you can skip this part and relax on a white sandy beach and even go for a snorkel.
It takes a little more effort to get to Mariah Island than to other day trip destinations. The organized tour departs from Triabunna. To get to Triabunna, you’ll need to take Maria Island Shuttle Bus from Hobart at 6.50 am. The bus brings you to Triabunna marina in time for the 8.30 am cruise start.
The cruise ends in Triabunna in time for the return shuttle, and you may be lucky to spot dolphins and whales on the way back.
Or if you’d rather skip the cruise and be picked up for the tour in Hobart, Maria Island Active Day Tour is a good option.
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Hastings Caves & Tahune AirWalk
If you feel like going off the beaten path and getting away from it all, a day trip to remote Far South Tasmania to explore Hastings Caves and the ancient Southern Forest is the perfect escape.
On top of Tolkienesque misty mossy forests, this day trip takes in the charming Huong Valley with a coffee stop in town and another in Franklin to check out the gorgeous wooden boats.
The southern forest is home to some of Tasmania’s oldest trees. It’s a magical place at the end of the world with impossibly tall trees, a lush understory of ferns, and tendrils of moss hanging down the tree branches. The walk among the tree crown on Tahune AirWalk, 30 meters above the forest floor, is downright enchanting, as is the 3 km loop trail along the banks of the Picton and Huon Rivers with swinging bridges spanning across both rivers.
If you enjoy exploring caves, Newdegate Caveextending 3 kilometres into the hillside, is a must-see. It is the largest dolomite cave in the country and one of the largest caves of this type in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Tasman Peninsula
The cruise along the coastline of the rugged Tasman Peninsula is probably my favourite of all day trips from Hobart. Offered by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, this tour keeps winning all the awards imaginable, and they are all well deserved.
Home to the famous Three Capes walk, the Tasman Peninsula coastline is all about the impossibly tall hexagonal dolerite columns and mysterious sea caves. The turbulent waters of the Southern Ocean are battered by the roaring 40s – the strong westerly winds that ravage the latitudes 40 degrees south of the Earth’s equatorial plane, which makes for an exhilarating boat ride.
This inhospitable wind-blasted world is home to colonies of seal and water birds, and if you are lucky, a curious whale might accompany you for some of the cruises. If you are looking for a sense of real adventure, this is the trip! Plus, you get to visit Tasmania’s most famous convict site at Port Arthur.
And if you have good sea legs, consider a kayaking adventure on the Tasman Peninsula. If this doesn’t make your heart race, nothing will.
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Cradle Mountain
Yes! It is possible to visit Cradle Mountain on a guided day trip from Hobart. It is a long day, departing Hobart at 6am, but that means you get a sunrise and a sunset thrown in for free.
The first stop is breakfast in Deloraine, followed by 5 hours of hikes and viewpoints at Cradle Mountain, including the park’s most famous walk around Dove Lake and an optional visit the Interpretation Centre set in a patch of magical mossy rainforest. Or if you are feeling weary after the day’s adventure, you can opt to chill out by the fire at Cradle Mountain Lodge. In the afternoon the grassy lawns around the lodge are teaming with wombats, Pademelons and Bennett’s wallabies.
Dinner is in Sheffield, about half way back to Hobart. Keep an eye out for Sheffield’s iconic street art when you are in town.
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Port Arthur Historic Site
If battling swells and high winds is not your type of adventure, you can visit Port Arthur on its own on a relaxed day trip from Hobart. Although ‘relaxed’ is not quite the right word for immersing yourself in the horrors of convict life over two centuries ago.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Port Arthur is huge. A peaceful and carefree site today, during its operation, the prison was an isolated, self-sustaining complex where convicts were put to excruciating manual labour and psychological torture. Not surprisingly, some tried to escape. Unsuccessfully.
You can spend hours exploring dozens of restored buildings, including the penitentiary, a jail, a commandant’s house, a church, and an asylum. To match the mood of the convict site, the nature of the Tasman Peninsula is striking and dramatic, as you can see at Tasman Arch and Devil’s kitchen.
Mount Wellington
Towering over Hobart, Mount Wellington is one of the most iconic views in town. It stands to reason that the view from the summit of the mountain should be spectacular. And it is. But there is more to Mount Wellington than the view from the summit. There is an entire tourist drive with a number of stops at trailheads.
It is possible to catch a Hop-on-Hop-Off shuttle to the summit, but if you would like to spend half a day and explore some of the most scenic stops, then a day tour from downtown Hobart is a good option.
The tour fits in a self-guided walk through the montane forest at The Springs and a walk to a striking formation known as The Organ Pipes before heading up to the summit. At the top, you join a guided tour of the Observatory while you take in the jaw-dropping 360-degree views of Hobart and the ocean.
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Mount Field
My Field is Tasmania’s first National Park and one of its lushest. With its giant trees, prehistoric-looking ferns and fairytale waterfalls, it feels like it remained unchanged from the Jurassic period.
The walk along the 1-km loop – Tall trees Walk takes you past some of the tallest trees in the world. If you haven’t visited the Southern Forest, this is your chance to experience the magic of Tasmania’s famous old-growth forest.
Another easy 15-20 minute hike from the Mount Field National Park Visitors’ Centre takes you to the beautiful three-tiered Russel Falls. As you walk through the park, keep an eye out for Tasmanian pademelons – the island’s bouncy small wallaby.
If you prefer a more active experience that fits in a few more hikes, then consider Mt Field Wilderness Walk tour from Hobart.
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Richmond
Richmond is a charming little town brimming with history. It is home to Australia’s oldest bridge that’s still in use and Australia’s oldest intact jail, both built in 1925, as well as Australia’s oldest remaining Catholic church, St. John’s, built in 1836. Dozens of historical buildings from that era are dotted around town. It’s an atmospheric place to explore.
Plus, it’s also the centre of Tassie’s up-and-coming wine-growing region, so it’s got a vibrant food and wine scene.
You can visit Richmond on a guided half-day tour, but a better option is to book a shuttle from Hobart and explore the town at your own pace, lingering in your favourite spots.
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And there you have it – the best 10-day trips from Hobart to choose from. Whether you are a foody, a hiker, or a history buff, there is something for everyone in this part of Tasmania.
More Nature Adventures in Tasmania
- Sea caves and wildlife of the inhospitable Tasman Peninsula
- Hastings Caves and Southern Forest – a journey to Far South Tasmania
- 4 Great Short Walks in Freycinet National Park
- 15 Things to Do in Stanley – Tasmania’s Prettiest Small Town
- The Absolute Best Place to See Platypus in Tasmania
- Leven Canyon – Tasmania’s Hidden Gem
- Tarkine Drive: 2-Day Itinerary, Attractions & Accommodation (2022)
- Gorgeous Beaches in Tasmania: North-West Coast
- Visiting Gunns Plains Caves in North West Tasmania
- Travel Guide to Edge of the World, Tasmania
