Unfortunately, we were unable to change the date of our boat tour, so we were forced to basically skip breakfast in order to make the check-in time at Port Arthur of 9:15. When we left Hobart, it was sunny and predicted to reach the mid 70s. When we got to Port Arthur, a drive of a bit under two hours with the route deviation, we put on our jackets, as it was cool and cloudy. 

From the tour company’s office in Port Arthur, we were driven on a bus to Eaglehawk Neck, where we boarded an open speed boat. Passengers were provided with a red, waterproof poncho to help stay dry and warm. 

On the two and a half hour cruise, our first stop was Tasman’s Arch (photo below), an area of sea cliffs towering 130 meters above the water, with many arches and sea caves.

We then cruised through Waterfall Bay, which was waterfall-less at this time of year but still pretty. We then continued south to Cape Hauy, where we saw many fur seals on the rocks. The cliffs kept getting taller and taller as we cruised south. 

Eventually, we reached Cape Pillar, with its two impressive stone spires. We spotted some rock climbers there. The cliffs were much taller here than those at the beginning of the trip. As we came around the Cape, we reached Tasman Island, with a bigger group of seals. Thus far on the cruise, we had seen more seals, sea eagles, albatross and cormorants. As we were going around the island, we saw dolphins near our boat. 

As we cruised to back Port Arthur, the sea got rougher and rougher and the clouds got thicker and thicker, creating a dramatic scene of the beautiful cliffs. In this area, the cliffs are over 300 meters high, the tallest in Australia. And even higher than the cliffs we saw last year in Ireland.

Before docking back at the cruise office, we got a view of the Port Arthur historic site from the sea. We were told about the “Island of the Dead” across the way which was a prison for children. Seriously. Here is the site seen from the cruise before we docked.

We disembarked nearby and walked five minutes or so back to our car, and drove to the historic site, located next door. Port Arthur is another of Australia’s convict sites that have a UNESCO designation.

This one was started later than others we have seen, having peaked in the 1850s to 1870s. The site was closed in 1877 and many of the structures were destroyed in bush fires (or by other causes). The site is several acres in size, with some of the buildings partly ruined, some partly reconstructed and others fairly well preserved. 

 Some of the homes were in especially good condition. After walking through the grounds and visiting the guard tower (shown upper right and lower left), Smith O’Brien’s cottage (lower right), the asylum, the Separate Prison, and the Accountant’s House and Parsonage, we came upon the ruined Convict’s Church.

Convict’s church on the left and the Port Arthur orchard on the right.

We then drove 35 or 40 minutes up a winding, narrow road to Mt Wellington, which overlooks Hobart from an elevation of 1,271 meters/4,170 feet. The very top is a sub-alpine environment and apparently above the local tree line. It was windier and quite a bit colder than down in Hobart. We walked around to several different viewpoints, given there is almost a 360 degree view from the mountain top. 

Clockwise from top left: view to the west; the radio tower (which signs advised could interfere with car keys/locks!); the viewing shelter; and view of Hobart and the Tasman Bridge (which was closed yesterday).

We could clearly see the South Arm Peninsula to the east of Hobart, and less clearly beyond that to the Tasman Peninsula, where we were yesterday. It appears to be cloudy out there again today. Views from the top were quite beautiful, but it was quite cool. 

South Arm Peninsula above, and below a distant view to Tasman Peninsula in clouds.

After about a half hour or so, we drove back down to Hobart and parked our car.

We then strolled around in the main shopping district again and found a place for lunch. We then walked over to the Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum, a few blocks from our hotel. The museum has very interesting exhibits about the men who travelled from Hobart to Macquarie Island, as a staging ground for a scientific expedition to Antarctica in the early 20th century. The information learned by Mawson and his crew is still used widely today. 

After viewing the exhibits which contain many photographs and short films of the harrowing adventures of Mawson and his contemporaries, we then entered a full size replica of the hut, first built in 1912. We thought it looked nice and comfortable, compared to sleeping in tents in Antarctica. However, we learned the interior temperature averaged about 4°C, so it was not warm and cozy. Many of the team members stayed two years, through two winters. This museum was uncrowded and interesting. But for some reason we failed to take any photos! Take a look at the museum’s link, provided above, to see what it looks like.

Here again is the map of the places we visited in and around Hobart.

We enjoyed the attractive city of Hobart, the smallest state capital in Australia, with a population of 56,000 (250,000 including its suburbs). 

February 17, 2026

We got up at 3 am planning to be at the airport when it opened at 4 am. Our airline said to check in 3 hours before the flight. What they didn’t say was that at Hobart, the counter only opens 90 minutes before the flight. And the rental car company that told us they opened at 4:30 am was shut tight. So we dropped the keys in the box (having driven 1,983 km or about 1,200 miles), hoped for the best and waited 50 minutes for the counter to open. We could have slept later.

We had an on time fight from Hobart to Melbourne, where we had a lengthy lay-over and then flew home to SFO, a flight of about 14 hours. It was still the morning of February 17th when we arrived home, despite the 21 hours of time that elapsed since we boarded our plane in Hobart.

This shows our routing home, a total distance of 8,238 miles (MEL to SFO alone was 7,855). A bit before Fiji, the captain ordered the flight attendants to their jump seats “immediately” due to volatile weather, and they sat there for an hour….it was bumpy but never dangerous. A very careful captain.

We had a great trip to Australia, this our fourth visit. Seeing the unique Tasmanian animals was a highlight, and the coasts and mountains were quite beautiful. The food and wine were also very good, so it was a very nice trip. Just because, two more photos: a wallaby and a Tasmania Devil.