Depart US

You will cross the International Date Line today as you continue your travels.

Upon arrival at the international airport in Melbourne, transfer to the domestic terminal for the short flight to Hobart, where your tour officially begins! There you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (Early check-in is available upon request.) Hobart is a very attractive city set against a backdrop of the imposing Mount Wellington and straddling the clear aquamarine waters of the Derwent River. In the afternoon, take a drive up Mount Wellington for panoramic views over the city and become familiarized with such Tasmanian endemic birds as the Black-headed Honeyeater and the Green Rosella. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, transfer to Kettering for a short ferry ride to Bruny Island, one of Tasmania's most amazing wilderness experiences. We have the opportunity for spectacular bushwalks, coastal bushwalks, and beach strolls. Bruny Island is home to fur seals, Fairy Penguins, albatross, Wedge-tailed Eagles, and many of Tasmania's 12 endemic birds, among them - most notably - the Forty-spotted Pardalote. After a picnic lunch amid the tranquil landscapes, settle in to shared cottages (with shared facilities) on the island, taking an early dinner before setting out again, this time to a nearby beach where we hope to enjoy the spectacle of Little Penguins and Short-tailed Shearwaters as they come in from the ocean at dusk. Look for native mammals like quolls, possums and wallabies to conclude an eventful day!

After breakfast, head to Adventure Bay for a morning boat trip, the Bruny Island Cruise, exploring the coastline with its towering dolerite sea-cliffs and islands. Australian fur seals can be seen at close range, as can other marine mammals including dolphins and whales, and seabirds such as Shy Albatross, Short-tailed Shearwater, and Australasian Gannet. Return in the early afternoon to Adventure Bay, where we have a warming lunch. We then have the rest of the day to resume our exploration of the island in search of its birds and land mammals. With a chance of Tasmanian Nativehen and/or the rare Hooded Plover along the way, keep a watchful eye open on the return to our cottages this evening.

After breakfast, leave Bruny Island to Hobart, then follow the Derwent River upstream through farmland. Have a packed lunch en route and, prior to an afternoon visit to Mount Field National Park, stop briefly at our accommodation at New Norfolk to leave our luggage. Mount Field is Tasmania's oldest national park, having been established in 1917. It is best known for the magnificent Russell Falls and Eucalyptus regnans, the world's tallest flowering plant. Beneath these forest giants grow species typical of cool temperate rainforests, such as myrtle beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum), and soft tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), where Pink Robins, Scrubtits, and Tasmanian pademelons (a type of marsupial) are often seen. If lucky, we may spot a platypus in the creek near Russell Falls. Many bird species are found within the diverse habitats of the park and its surrounding reserves, including 11 of the 12 Tasmanian endemic species. We complete our day in the high alpine meadows of Mount Field National Park, searching for Striated Fieldwren and Flame Robin.

Depart New Norfolk for Strahan, with several interesting places to stop and explore en route. These include the Lake St. Clair section of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park and several stops in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The scenery is composed of dramatic mountain peaks and has been shaped by past glacial activity. This area became globally famous in the 1980s when a successful campaign was launched to protect it from being flooded to form the proposed Gordon River Dam.

On arrival in Strahan, take a short walk in some local reserves and visit the rugged and "Wild West Coast" of Tasmania for breathtaking views of the Southern Ocean. With a population of just 700, this township lies at the edge of Macquarie Harbor, the second largest natural harbor in the Southern Hemisphere after Sydney. Strahan exemplifies some of the most sordid aspects of Tasmania's history. Its penal colonies on Sarah Island and Grummet Island were perhaps the most brutal in the state. Many of the western Tasmanian Aboriginal Australians were imprisoned here during the ethnic cleansing by the British. Today, the harbor provides an anchorage for lobster, abalone, and shark fishing fleets and is a gateway to the surrounding wilderness regions.

After an early breakfast, check out from our rooms and board the vessel Spirit of the Wind for the award-winning Gordon River Cruise. Navigate the calm waters of one of the last great untouched wilderness areas on earth. Our expert naturalist guides talk us through the points of interest as we cruise across Tasmania's majestic Macquarie Harbor, the only safe harbor early settlers found on the west coast of Tasmania. On our return to Strahan, drive up the Zeehan Highway to Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park. This national park encompasses mountains, glacial lakes, deep gorges, rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, scrub, heathland, sedgeland, bog communities, and high moorland, all of which combine to provide one of the most dramatic and untouched landscapes in Australia. The park holds rich flora, including some endemic species and others with a restricted range, such as Huon pine, King Billy pine, pandani, whitey wood, myrtle beech, sassafras, celery top, and pencil pine. Our accommodations this evening are spectacularly placed in the wilderness and are considered one of the finest eco-lodge experiences on the island.

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park is an outstanding place to encounter Australian mammals. Of the 18 indigenous mammal species recorded in the park, we hope to see short-beaked echidna, eastern quoll, common wombat, common brushtail possum and common ringtail possum, long-nosed potoroo, Bennett's wallaby, and rufous-bellied pademelon. Also enjoy the birdlife, which may include such species as Yellow Wattlebird (the world's largest honeyeater), Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Black Currawong, Scrubtit, Tasmanian Scrubwren, and Tasmanian Thornbill. Spend as much of the day as we can in the field, in order to enjoy the varied habitats and associated wildlife of this stunning national park. After dinner, venture back into the field to spend the late evening looking for such nocturnal species as Tasmanian devil and spotted-tailed and eastern quolls.

After breakfast, leave Cradle Mountain and drive along country roads and through small towns to Deloraine. Visit Narawntapu National Park, a peaceful coastal refuge with inlets, small islands, wetlands, sand dunes, lagoons, and a variety of plants and animals. Located on Tasmania's central north coast, Narawntapu stretches from Greens Beach on the mouth of the Tamar River to Bakers Beach in the west, and is known for its easily viewed free-ranging wildlife. The park boasts a rich array of animals that come out in the evening to graze on the grasslands, including forester (eastern grey) kangaroo, Bennett's wallaby, and common wombat. Water birds flourish on the shores and lagoons at Springlawn. The park is also the feeding ground for the endangered Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle, and White-bellied Sea-Eagles are often seen gliding overhead. Continue to Launceston, the second largest city in Tasmania, where we settle into our overnight hotel accommodation.

Today drive to Freycinet Peninsula, one of the state's most scenic coastal areas and known worldwide for its stunning Wineglass Bay. The imposing Devonian granite peaks - known as the Hazards - and the many white sandy beaches that fringe the peninsula are among the highlights of the park. The combination of the mild, maritime climate, the scenic beauty of the area, and the abundance of birds and mammals make it a fascinating place to explore.

Many species of birds live in, or stop over at, Freycinet and the surrounding area. We may be lucky enough to see a White-bellied Sea-Eagle gliding overhead, or an Australasian Gannet diving for fish in the ocean. In the bushy and forested areas we should see and hear such small, nectar-feeding birds as Eastern Spinebill and Yellow-throated, Crescent and New Holland Honeyeaters. The raucous sound of the large Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos can often be heard as they drift by in their groups. Mammals known to occur in the park include short-beaked echidna, Tasmanian devil, eastern quoll, common wombat, common brushtail possum and common ringtail possum, long-nosed potoroo, Bennett's wallaby, and rufous-bellied pademelon. Stay in the delightful Freycinet Lodge, the only accommodation within Freycinet National Park. The view from the lodge's balcony is spectacular.

Spend time birding in the local area this morning before boarding Schouten Passage II for an unforgettable 4-hour Wineglass Bay Cruise. The experienced and friendly crew guide us through the sights and history of the Freycinet Peninsula, from the gentle shores of Coles Bay, to one of the world's most beautiful beaches. Stop for lunch at Wineglass Bay and enjoy some of Tasmania's finest fresh produce, selected by the head chef at Freycinet Lodge. We hope to see humpback and southern right whales and their calves as they migrate southward (seasonal, with August-October being the main migration period). Birding highlights of the day may include Short-tailed Shearwaters and Little Penguin chicks. White-bellied Sea-Eagles pair and make repairs to their nest, and we will have the opportunity to visit a nesting site. Following the cruise, we explore more of this spectacular area with our guide.

We depart early this morning from Freycinet Lodge to travel to the small village of Triabunna. Taking our picnic lunch packs and water bottles with us (there are no shops on Maria Island), we take a ferry ride to Maria Island, rich in indigenous and European history, abundant in wildlife, and boasting spectacular views and remarkable geological features. From Darlington, we take the Reservoir Circuit. This easy walk is sheltered from the coastal winds and provides a glimpse of Maria Island's wildlife and history. The walk takes us through open woodlands into tall eucalypt forest, and returns via ruins of the old cement works. Continue on to the open forest to look for Strong-billed and Black-headed Honeyeaters, and arrive at the Reservoir, constructed by convicts in the first convict period (1825-32), to look for Fairy Martin. Look for the endangered Forty-spotted Pardalote, as well Spotted and Striated Pardalotes. After taking some time to view other parts around Darlington, board the ferry for the return trip to Triabunna and travel south through Orford and on to Hobart for the night.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant before being transferred to the Hobart Airport for your flight(s) back to the US*.

*Please note, an overnight in Melbourne or Sydney may be necessary on the return, depending on the airline chosen.