marsupials and wilderness wildlife
Iconic Australian wildlife amidst the spectacular scenery of this wilderness island.
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Wildlife Travel leaflet Tasmania 2027
Dates
8th – 26th January 2027
Optional pre-trip Victoria extension: 6th – 8th January
Leader
Philip Precey with Mark Hangar
Price
£6,385
Single Room Supplement – £1,100
Optional pre-trip Victoria extension: 6th – 8th January
£765
Single Room Supplement – £170
Included
Local transport as specified in the itinerary. All excursions as described in the itinerary. Admission fees and National Park fees.
Not included
Travel to Tasmania. Lunch and dinner Day 10. Refreshments. Gratuities. Travel insurance. Visa costs. Covid tests and associated costs.
Group size
Minimum 4, maximum 14.
Isolated from the mainland since the last glaciation, Tasmania is an island of stunning landscapes, beautiful untouched wilderness areas and a unique flora and fauna. Our tour will explore the key habitats to give a thorough introduction to the island’s special wildlife.
The native mammal life of the island is still plentiful and we will be making a particular effort to catch up with some of these special beasts: our trip should give us a good chance of sighting such iconic animals as the Tasmanian Devil and Platypus, as well as Short-beaked Echidna, Eastern Quoll and various possums and wallabies.
The is much more to Tasmania than ‘just’ marsupials and monotremes, of course: the island is home to over 600 endemic plants and more than 200 birds, with 14 endemics including the delightfully named Forty-spotted Pardalote: our leaders will do their best to ensure we don’t leave the island without finding as many as possible!
We start in the island’s capital Hobart, from where we will enjoy the alpine flora of Mount Wellington and the endemic birdlife of Bruny Island. Our circuit of the island takes in Gordon River World Heritage Site, Cradle Mountain National Park, the remote Tarkine wilderness and the beautiful Freycinet peninsula, via a dusk encounter with 13,000 Short-tailed Shearwaters at their nesting colony on ‘the Nut’.
Download trip report
Please note that holidays change, although sometimes only slightly, from year to year and previous trip reports may not reflect the planned itinerary, or other holiday details, for the current trip. Please ask us if you would like to know of any significant differences.
Day 1 The holiday starts in Hobart, where we meet up at our central hotel in time for dinner.
Day 2 West of Hobart is Mount Field National Park, with alpine moorlands, spectacular scenery and an excellent diversity of alpines. We spend the day at varying altitudes, walking to Russell Falls and wandering amidst the sub-alpine flora. Short-beaked Echidna and Bennett’s Wallaby are likely, and birds could include our first Tasmanian endemics: Black Currawong, Scrubtit and Yellow Wattlebird.
Day 3 We leave the ’big city’ of Hobart behind us, as we take the 20 minute ferry across to the renowned island of Bruny. After dinner, we have our first evening excursion: various marsupials including Rufous-bellied Pademelon, ‘golden’ Brush-tailed Possum and the wonderful Eastern Quoll are possible, as well as lovely Little Penguins at their nest sites at ‘The Neck’.
Day 4 We explore Inala on South Bruny, home to 90 bird species, including all but one of the Tasmanian endemic species: we hope to track down the tiny Forty-spotted Pardalote and Swift Parrot, amongst others. The property is also home to almost 40 species of native terrestrial orchids, an amazing diversity of plants and several species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians. South Bruny National Park encompasses the wild and spectacular southern coast of the island: our afternoon walk here takes us out to Cape Bruny, where we will look for the renowned Christmas Bells.
Day 5 An early morning departure sees us catching the ferry back to the mainland, where we travel south to the Huon Valley and the nearby Hartz Mountains. The canopy walkway at Tahune will give us greater insight into the myrtle and sassafras forests.
Day 6 We leave Hobart for western Tasmania. In Lake St Clair National Park, on the central highlands, we take a walk through Black Peppermint forest on the shores of the lake. We will explore montane Banksia woodland and lakeshore turf flora.
Day 7 We drive over the pass between the Cradle Mountain region and the Franklin-Gordon River National Park. On King William Saddle, we will look for Billardiera, Callistemon (Tasmanian Bottlebrush) and Diplarraena. Our journey brings us to the mining regions in the west, centred on Queenstown, and we continue to Strahan on the shores of the MacQuarrie Harbour.
Day 8 We have the chance to take an optional cruise in the beautiful harbour and into the Gordon River. As well as being scenically spectacular, the cruise gives good opportunities for Black-faced Shag and Osprey as well as the Huon Pine which can reach in excess of 2,000 years. Alternatively you may opt to visit Strahan airstrip, home to the endangered Eastern Ground Parrot; or just relax around town. Mid afternoon we will drive up to Stanley, on the north coast.
Day 9 Situated in Tasmania’s north-west, the Tarkine Forest Reserve is a huge area of wilderness with strong links to Tasmania’s aboriginal people. The Tarkine contains a wildly diverse landscape, including Australia’s largest area of temperate rainforest, as well as wild rivers, buttongrass moorlands and a rugged coastline with long sandy beaches and coastal heathland. This evening we visit The Nut, an ancient volcanic plug, as Short-tailed Shearwaters return to their nest burrows.
Day 10 After some time to relax in Stanley village, we drive inland, to Cradle Valley and Cradle Mountain National Park. This afternoon, there will be time for a walk along the Cradle Valley boardwalk, through forests dominated by Pencil Pine and King Billy Pine.
Day 11 We travel into the heart of the National Park, to the vicinity of Lake Dove. We explore the area, with great hikes departing from here to Crater Lake and Cradle Mountain. There is also the possibility for an optional visit to the Tasmanian Devil breeding centre. Today’s evening excursion will be looking for Common Wombat, Bennett’s Wallaby and, with luck, Spotted-tailed Quoll.
Day 12 We head along the coast and then inland to the Mountain Valley Resort. In an idyllic setting, an evening here offers us the best chances anywhere on the island of watching Tasmanian Devils in the wild, now a very rare opportunity.
Day 13 Our target this morning will be the graceful Platypus, which we look for in the creeks adjacent to the resort and in ponds at the Tasmanian Arboretum. Then it is off to the northern coast and the Narawntapu National Park with its abundant marsupial wildlife, including Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Southern Bettong and Common Wombat.
Day 14 A free day in Launceston, time to relax around town, visit the nearby Tasmania Zoo, with its breeding programme for Tasmanian Devils or maybe walk the spectacular Cataract Gorge.
Day 15 We spend the day exploring Ben Lomond National Park, making the most of the magnificent scenery and unsurpassed alpine flora. We then travel south through the Midlands, visiting the historic settlement of Ross en route to Bicheno, in the scenic Freycinet National Park.
Day 16 We relax amidst the delightful surroundings of our oceanside lodge by Coles Bay, then walk to the famous Wineglass Bay, with its almost circular sweep of white sandy beach. Granite outcrops, rugged peaks, crystal clear water, stunning orchids, wonderfully barked local eucalypt trees and Oyster Bay Pines, combine to make this a superb locality.
Day 17 We travel to the Tasman Peninsula, from where we take a two hour boat trip along the impressive coastline between Eaglehawk Neck and Cape Hauy. With our small vessel, we can nose deep into colourful caves and get within a whisker’s-length of fur seals. Along the way we look out for dolphins and albatrosses, along with various other seabirds.
Day 18 A morning drive takes us back down to Hobart. Mount Wellington provides a dramatic backdrop to the city, and we head up to the summit, for our final walk through the montane sclerophyll forests below the peak.
Day 19 Our time on ‘Tassie’ comes to an end, as we return to Hobart airport for onward flights.
Optional pre-trip Victoria extension: 6th – 8th January
Day 01 After arriving at Melbourne Airport, transfer to central Melbourne hotel.
Day 02 We begin a two day excursion west of Melbourne in the You Yang Ranges, where we look for Koala amongst the eucalypt forest, and learn about the conservation research being carried out here. We can expect to find White-winged Chough, which lives in social groups roaming the forest floor, along with noisy Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galah. In the nearby Serendip Sanctuary we look for more iconic Australian species, including Emu and Eastern Grey Kangaroo, while the ‘billabong’ wetland is home to Magpie Goose.
Day 03 We travel to the Dandenong Ranges, where we visit the cool temperate rainforest and tall mountain ash forest to look for Superb Lyrebird, King Parrot and various other eastern species we won’t have the chance to see on Tasmania. We also visit a large ‘camp’ of Grey-headed Flying Fox at their daytime roost on the banks of the Yarra River. In the afternoon, we travel back to Melbourne Airport, for our onward flight across to Hobart.
Please note that the itinerary may be changed to suit the weather or other practicalities at the discretion of the leaders
All accommodation is of a very comfortable standard and all rooms have en-suite accommodation. Meals provided during the stay will be a mixture of local and international dishes. Requests for special diets can be accommodated.
We will be using an air-conditioned coach throughout the trip with microphone, ample luggage storage in the trailer, and tea and coffee provisions. On the longer journeys we will make plenty of comfort stops and have time to stretch our legs a little and explore some of the places en route.
Travel to Hobart
International flights and travel to/from Hobart are not included in the holiday to allow you maximum flexibility in making your personal travel arrangements.
Time zone
Tasmania is nine hours ahead of the UK at this time of year.
Entry requirements
If you are a British passport holder, your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. If you are transiting another country on your way to or from Australia, check the entry requirements for that country.
British passport holders must apply for an eVisitor visa before arranging their travel to Australia.
Tasmania’s summer months are December to February, bringing high temperatures and sunshine. Days are long and sunny, nights are mild. Summer is an excellent time for walking in the bush and a variety of other outdoor activities. Tasmania has a relaxed lifestyle, so dress will be informal at all times. Bring comfortable clothing and anticipate a similar range of temperatures to Britain – it should be pleasantly warm/hot in the east of the island but, as in all mountainous areas, expect some cold and windy weather in the West. Rain is possible at all times. Comfortable footwear is essential -as it must be strong enough to withstand rough ground underfoot; walking boots or stout shoes are recommended. Likely temperature range is 10 C to 25 C.
This is an 19-day tour, stopping at several locations, and you therefore need to be generally fit and able to cope with ‘living out of a suitcase’ and frequent journeys between areas, with some long travel days.
On some days we will not be walking very far, but on others we will take longer walks. We do not do any strenuous hikes but we may be out for a few hours at a time on some days. Most walking will be at a slow pace to give us the time to enjoy the plants, scenery and wildlife. If you are a slow walker however, please ring us to discuss whether any of the walks will be a problem. All walks are, optional, with less energetic options available.
To see the best of the flowers, it is necessary to walk on rougher ground and up small slopes. Comfortable footwear is essential, and it must be strong enough to withstand rough or rocky ground underfoot: walking boots or stout walking shoes are recommended.
The sun can be very strong and sun protection is essential. Personal travel insurance providing good medical cover is essential for this trip. Safety advice given by the leaders must be heeded at all times particularly when walking in the countryside. We will send you advice on health and safety issues before the tour.