Pennicott Wilderness Journeys · Hobart
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys puts you on a fast yellow boat for three hours under the sea cliffs of Cape Pillar and Tasman Island, then takes you to Port Arthur for about three hours with lunch and entry paid. It costs more than twice the coach trips, and the reason to pay it is the cruise, not the ruins.
This is two experiences in one long day. You check in at 7:15am at the Dock Head Building on Franklin Wharf, ride the coach to the peninsula for morning tea, and board the boat at about 10:00. The 3-hour Tasman Island wilderness cruise runs along Cape Pillar, which the listing calls the highest vertical sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere, past sea caves and fur seal colonies, with dolphins, albatross and, in season, whales.
After the boat, you get about three hours at Port Arthur, and lunch comes out of that time. Entry is included, and so is the site's 20-minute harbour cruise if you have the appetite for more water. Three hours minus lunch is tight. Plan on the Penitentiary, the Separate Prison, the church and one guide talk, and accept that the houses on the hill may wait for another trip.
The boat is open, fast and bumpy. Spray jackets are provided, but bring warm layers, a hat and gloves: the Southern Ocean is cold even in summer. The cruise is not wheelchair accessible, and Pennicott's own shore excursion listings warn against it in pregnancy and for back, neck or hip problems. If you get seasick, take something before you board. You're back in Hobart at about 6:00pm.
The Dock Head Building on the Hobart waterfront. The coach leaves at 7:30.
Coffee and something to eat before the boat.
Three hours along Cape Pillar, Tasman Island and the sea caves, with stops at the seal colonies.
Lunch at the site, then about two hours of walking. Head for the Penitentiary and the Separate Prison first.
Coach back to the city with drop-off.
★★★★★The trip was incredibly amazing! Cruise was so excited and we managed to see lots of seals!
★★★★★Fantastic day, boat trip was exhilarating, would do it again and highly recommend to anyone wanting a well organised tour.
★★★★★It was an awesome experience, especially spending 3 hours at sea to catch the magnificent formations
★★★★★Well organized and on time. We had perfect weather, so that helped as well.
Read next:
Three hours, from about 10:00am to 1:00pm. It runs along Cape Pillar and Tasman Island with stops for seals and sea caves.
About three hours, from roughly 1:30pm to 4:30pm, and lunch is part of that. Expect around two hours of actual walking.
It can be. The boat is open and fast and the ocean off Cape Pillar is exposed. It isn't recommended in pregnancy or for back, neck or hip problems, and it isn't wheelchair accessible.
You pay for the 3-hour cruise, which costs $136 on its own, plus coach transfers, morning tea, lunch and entry. If you only care about the site, a coach day at $108 to $132 is better value.
Ready to book
Three hours at sea under the cliffs of Cape Pillar, then about three hours at Port Arthur, with lunch and entry included.
Tasman Island Wilderness CruiseThree hours under the highest sea cliffs on the peninsula, with seals and dolphins. Cruise only: no site entry.★ 4.9 · 3 hours · from $136
Port Arthur & Isle of the Dead Day TripThe longest stay on site, about 4.3 hours, with the harbour cruise and a guided walk on the Isle of the Dead.★ 4.7 · 1 day · from $132
Port Arthur, Tasman Sights & Harbour CruiseThe cheapest day trip with entry included: Pirates Bay, the Dog Line, then 3 or 4 hours in the ruins and an oyster stop.★ 4.8 · 8 hours · from $108