Port Arthur & Tassie Devils Day Trip from Hobart

4.75

(140 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what it feels like to stand where escape was never an option? That’s how my day started on the Port Arthur & Tassie Devils day trip from Hobart. We left early—too early for my usual coffee—but the drive down the Tasman Peninsula was worth it. Our guide, Mark (he’s got that dry Tasmanian humor), pulled over at Pirates Bay Lookout. The wind up there actually tastes salty, and I could hear gulls squabbling somewhere below. He pointed out Eaglehawk Neck and “The Dogline”—I’d read about it but hearing those stories standing right there made it hit different.

The Waterfall Bay clifftop walk was only about 2km, but I kept stopping to stare at the sea smashing against those black cliffs. There’s this spot where you can see Devil’s Kitchen and Tasman Arch in one sweep—felt like something out of a moody painting. My boots picked up red dirt; I still find bits of it in my bag. At the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, we watched a devil feeding—louder than I expected, all snarls and crunching bones. Some wallabies hopped around us like we weren’t even there. I tried to hand-feed one but it just sniffed me and bounced off (can’t blame it).

Port Arthur itself… honestly, it’s heavy. You get a couple hours to wander through the old penitentiary and solitary cells—cold stone walls, creaky floorboards, echoes everywhere. The harbor cruise around the Isle of the Dead was both peaceful and unsettling; fog rolled in while our guide told us about prisoners who never left. After that, Richmond village felt almost too quaint—old sandstone bridge (supposedly haunted), little lolly shop with that sugary smell drifting out onto the street. I grabbed a coffee and sat by the river for a bit before we headed back to Hobart around six.