Spend four days meandering down Tasmania’s east coast, visiting picture-postcard beaches, national parks and the state’s top attraction, Port Arthur Historic Site. Your accommodation is a cabin on Coles Bay and two nights in a private lodge in Port Arthur, where only guests of this tour are able to stay with some meals included.

Day 1: Launceston -- Coles Bay (L, D)
Your four-day east coast Tasmania excursion begins with a stroll around the landscaped gardens and rugged river valley of Cataract Gorge in Launceston. Then take a scenic drive to the east-coast beaches of the Bay of Fires, celebrated for their white sand and orange granite rocks. Feel the sand between your toes before visiting a local winery to taste some of Tasmania’s celebrated wines. After a visit to see waves bubble up from underwater caves at the Bicheno blowhole, you’ll be taken to your cabin accommodation in Coles Bay. After dark, you might see little penguins returning to their burrows, as your accommodation overlooks the beach.

Accommodation: Iluka Holiday Centre in Coles Bay

Day 2: Coles Bay -- Port Arthur (B, L, D)
After breakfast, it’s a short journey to Freycinet National Park, where a scenic landscape of rugged hills meets white-sand beaches and the sea. From here, you can take an easy-paced walk through the coastal bushland to Wineglass Bay to take your own photo of this much-photographed beach. If you’d like to try a more strenuous walk, join your guide for a three-hour hike to Mt Amos. At the end of your day in Freycinet, take a drive down the east coast to your purpose-built private lodge in Port Arthur.

Accommodation: Private lodge in Port Arthur

Day 3: Port Arthur (B, D)
Breakfast is followed by a day exploring the coastal walks of the Tasman Peninsula. Spot dolphins and seals from paths meandering along dramatic cliff tops lashed by waves, and keep a look out for penguins and whales. In the afternoon, take a drive to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site, a former penal colony set in landscaped grounds overlooking the water. Take a guided tour of the evocative ruins, which include the guard tower, church and main penitentiary, and hear tales from the site’s convict days. If you’re feeling brave, you can return in the evening (extra cost) to take a spooky Ghost Tour.

Accommodation: Private lodge in Port Arthur

Day 4: Port Arthur (B)
After breakfast, take a drive to Taranna Wildlife Park to meet the island’s native mascots, Tasmanian devils, along with kangaroos and wallabies. Then go for a drive through central Tasmania to visit the convict towns of Ross, famous for its bakery, where you can buy lunch (own expense), and Richmond, with its historic convict-built bridge. Your four-day tour ends in Hobart, where you can have a drink with the group to celebrate your east-coast trip.