Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, and the private, small-group, or expert-led way to make it yours — your own pace, real access, none of the crowd.
In port at Hobart, the bucket-list move is Pennicott Wilderness Journeys: Bruny Island Cruises. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys runs it — a private, expert-led experience at your own pace, not a 40-person coach. Below: all 6 bucket-list things to do on a Hobart port day, each with the independent way to make it yours.
1wildlife
Skim past towering sea cliffs, sea caves, and colonies of seabirds and seals aboard a high-speed Zodiac on one of the world's great wildlife cruises. Bruny Island's wild southern coastline is as raw and remote as anywhere on Earth.
Book it withPennicott Wilderness JourneysAUD 195 per adult
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2culture
Descend into David Walsh's subterranean masterpiece — the southern hemisphere's most provocative private art museum, carved into a Triassic sandstone cliff above the Derwent River. A world-class cultural encounter unlike any other museum on Earth.
Book it withMuseum of Old and New Art (MONA)AUD 40 per adult (general admission); AUD 0 for Tasmania residents; private guided experiences from AUD 150 per person
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3history
Step inside the most intact convict settlement in the world — a UNESCO World Heritage site of breathtaking beauty and haunting history set on the wild Tasman Peninsula. One of the world's great heritage experiences.
Book it withTasmanian Private ToursFrom AUD 350 per person (private full-day tour for up to 8 guests, including Port Arthur site entry of AUD 45 per adult)
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4scenic
Ride to the summit of the 1,270-metre peak that watches over Hobart like a guardian — the panorama from the top spans the Derwent estuary, the patchwork of the city, and on a clear day, the distant peaks of the Tasmanian wilderness. Utterly unforgettable.
Book it withTours Around TasmaniaFrom AUD 195 per person (private luxury half-day tour including summit, commentary, and city highlights)
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5culture
Explore Hobart's Georgian sandstone waterfront, the vibrant Salamanca arts precinct, and the intimate laneways of Battery Point with a private expert guide who has lived and breathed this city for decades. Stylish, unhurried, and deeply local.
Book it withThe Hobart LocalFrom AUD 195 per adult (private luxury half-day)
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6wildlife
Come face-to-face with the Tasmanian Devil — the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial — at the island's leading wildlife rescue sanctuary, just 25 minutes from the pier. A genuine conservation encounter that no zoo in the world can replicate.
Book it withBonorong Wildlife SanctuaryAUD 42 per adult (general guided tour); Tasmanian Devil private keeper experience from AUD 150 per person
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