Illustration.
From Port Arthur · 3 Hours · Daily except Christmas Day
Tasman Island Cruise
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' wilderness cruise along the Tasman National Park coast: under the dolerite cliffs of Cape Pillar, out to Tasman Island, into sea caves, with seals and seabirds to look for. Check in at Port Arthur by 9:15 am.
- 4.8 / 5 792+ Reviews
- 3 hours Duration
- 3 hours On the water from Port Arthur, every day except Christmas Day, with jackets and ginger tablets handed out on board
- 94 km By road from Hobart to the booking centre at Port Arthur; allow 90 minutes, or take a day tour that drives it
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Cruise Includes
Three hours on the water, the bus from the Port Arthur booking centre to the boat, waterproof jackets and ginger tablets. Getting to Port Arthur is up to you.
Highlights
- See the highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere
- Enter deep sea caves, archways, waterfalls and blowholes
- Watch wildlife including hundreds of seals, thousands of seabirds, dolphins and migrating whales
What's Included
- Wilderness cruise
Good to know: There is no minimum age for this tour · Cruises depart daily
The Cruise, Step by Step
From check-in on the Arthur Highway to the bus back from the jetty, about 3 hours 45 minutes.
Check In at Port Arthur
At the Tasman Island Cruises Booking Centre, 6961 Arthur Highway: by 9:15 am for the morning cruise, or by 1:15 pm for the afternoon cruise from 1 December to 28 April.
The Bus to the Boat
After a short briefing, a bus takes you to the jetty of the day, which the crew pick for the sea conditions. Jackets and ginger tablets are handed out as you board.
Three Hours Along the Cliffs
The boat works the Tasman National Park coast between Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck: the cliffs of Cape Pillar, Tasman Island, sea caves and archways, with seals and seabirds to look for.
Back to the Booking Centre
The bus returns you to the booking centre at about 1 pm (about 5 pm after the afternoon cruise), about 800 m on foot from the Port Arthur Historic Site's visitor centre.
Photo Gallery
Cliffs, Sea Caves and Seals
The Tasman National Park coast from the water: Cape Pillar, Tasman Island, the sea stacks and the seal haul-outs.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Pick a date on the calendar. This listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Plan the Cruise
The Tasman Island Cruise, One Question per Page
From Hobart or Port Arthur, where it leaves from, the route, seasickness and weather, Port Arthur the same day, and the Bruny Island cruise.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Listing prices are per person, in US dollars; the operator's own prices and the Historic Site's fees are in Australian dollars.
The Cruise Alone, or a Day from Hobart
The 3-hour cruise from Port Arthur, Pennicott's two full days from Hobart that include it, and the shorter Cape Raoul cruise. Time out, what is included and who each suits. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE The cruise from Port Arthur | Day from Hobart with Port Arthur | Day from Hobart with the devils | Cape Raoul cruise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$134 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$243 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$243 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$98 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Time Out | About 3 hours on the water; check in by 9:15 am | About 10 hours 30 minutes, Hobart to Hobart | A full day, Hobart to Hobart | 90 minutes on the water |
| Getting There | You drive to the booking centre at Port Arthur, about 90 minutes from Hobart | Pennicott's coach from Franklin Wharf, Hobart, at 7:30 am | Pennicott's coach from Franklin Wharf, Hobart, at 7:30 am | You drive to the Port Arthur Historic Site and walk to its jetty |
| Also Included | The bus to the boat, waterproof jackets, ginger tablets | Morning tea, lunch and about 3 hours at the Port Arthur Historic Site with entry | Morning tea, lunch and the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo | The cruise only; a Historic Site ticket is needed |
| Who It Suits | Drivers who want the cliffs and Tasman Island, then their own afternoon | No car, and a day of cliffs and convict history | No car, and families keen on the devils | Anyone who wants a shorter, enclosed boat, or a wheelchair-accessible one |
| Check dates | See the Hobart day | See the devils day | See Cape Raoul |
More Ways to Do It
Other Cruises and Days
The same cruise on Viator, the cruise day from Hobart, the shorter Cape Raoul cruise, the Bruny Island cruise, and the 5- and 7-day Tasmania circuits, neither of which includes this cruise. One card per listing.
THE CRUISE, ON VIATORTasman Peninsula Wilderness Cruise from Port Arthur
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' 3-hour Tasman Island cruise from Port Arthur, along the Tasman National Park coast between Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck: the sea cliffs, deep sea caves, and seals, dolphins, sea eagles and albatross to look for. It runs daily except Christmas Day, all year. Full-length waterproof and windproof jackets are supplied; check in at the departure point next to the General Store by 9:15 am for a briefing and a short bus ride to the boat. Transport to Port Arthur is not included.
CRUISE DAY FROM HOBARTTasman Island Cruises Day Tour from Hobart
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' full day from Hobart around the 3-hour wilderness cruise from Eaglehawk Neck to Port Arthur, about 10 hours 30 minutes, with the guided coach, coffee or tea and lunch. The Port Arthur Historic Site or the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is added only if you choose that option when booking. Check in at 7:15 am at Pennicott's office next to the lifting bridge at Franklin Wharf, Hobart.
THE SHORTER CRUISEPort Arthur: Cape Raoul Wilderness Cruise
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' shorter cruise from the jetty inside the Port Arthur Historic Site: 90 minutes past Point Puer, the Isle of the Dead, Safety Cove and Crescent Bay to the dolerite columns of Cape Raoul, where fur seals rest at the base of the cliffs, with views across to Cape Pillar and Tasman Island. It is a different and shorter route from the Tasman Island cruise, and it is wheelchair accessible.
THE BRUNY ISLAND CRUISEFrom Hobart/Adventure Bay: Bruny Island Wilderness Cruise
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' 3-hour wilderness cruise on Bruny Island, south of Hobart, from Adventure Bay: along the sea cliffs of South Bruny, through the gap at the Monument and on to the Friars, where fur seals haul out. Begin on Bruny Island, or add the guided bus and the ferry from Hobart as an option on the same listing. It is a different coast from the Tasman Island cruise.
TASMANIA IN 5 DAYSFrom Hobart: 5-Day Tasmania West & East Coast Tour
Under Down Under Tours' 5-day circuit of Tasmania from Hobart, with 4 nights in motels and cabins, in groups of up to 24: Mount Field, Lake St Clair, Strahan and the west coast, Cradle Mountain, the Bay of Fires and Freycinet. National park fees are included; meals are self-catered. It does not go to the Tasman Peninsula, and it does not include the Tasman Island cruise.
TASMANIA IN 7 DAYSTasmania: 7-Day West to East Tour
Under Down Under Tours' 7-day circuit of Tasmania from Hobart, with 6 nights in cabins and motels: Mount Field, Lake St Clair, Strahan and the west coast, Cradle Mountain, Launceston, the Bay of Fires and Freycinet, then Richmond, the Tasman Peninsula and the Port Arthur Historic Site, with the site entry and its harbour cruise included. It does not include the Tasman Island cruise.
Port Arthur, the Cliffs, and Three Hours at Sea
How the Tasman Island Cruise Works
Where you check in, what the three hours cover, what it costs from Port Arthur and from Hobart, who it suits, and what was disrupted on the peninsula when this page was checked.
The Tasman Island cruise is Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ 3-hour wilderness cruise along the Tasman National Park coast from Port Arthur, a 90-minute drive from Hobart: under the dolerite cliffs of Cape Pillar, out to Tasman Island, and in and out of sea caves. The cruise on its own is From Port Arthur: Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise, from US$134 a person (checked November 2026), with 792 reviews; you check in at the Tasman Island Cruises Booking Centre on the Arthur Highway by 9:15 am.
The short answer
Drive to Port Arthur and book the cruise alone if you have a car: it is the cheapest way onto the boat, and the Port Arthur Historic Site’s visitor centre is about 800 m on foot, around 10 minutes, from the booking centre for the afternoon. Book a full day from Hobart if you do not: Pennicott’s coach leaves Franklin Wharf at 7:30 am, the cruise is the same 3 hours in the same boats, and the day adds morning tea, lunch and either the Historic Site or the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo. Either way the boat is open, the water is the open ocean, and the cruise runs in most weather, so dress for cold even in summer.
The cruise alone, or a day from Hobart: pick yours
From Port Arthur: Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise
The 3-hour cruise from the booking centre at Port Arthur, with the bus to the boat, jackets and ginger tablets. Check in by 9:15 am; from 1 December to 28 April there is an afternoon cruise as well.
Check dates →Tasman Peninsula Tour, Cruise & Port Arthur Historic Site
Pennicott's coach from Hobart, morning tea, the same 3-hour cruise, then about 3 hours at the Port Arthur Historic Site with lunch and the site entry. Back in Hobart about 6 pm.
See the Hobart day →Tasman Peninsula Day Trip with Cruise & Devils from Hobart
The same coach and cruise from Hobart, with morning tea and lunch, and part of the afternoon at the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo instead of the Historic Site.
See the cruise and devils day →Tasman Island Cruises and Port Arthur Historic Site Day Tour from Hobart
Pennicott's cruise and Port Arthur Historic Site day on Viator, checking in at 7:15 am at its office by the Constitution Dock lifting bridge in Hobart.
See it on Viator →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Where everything is
The Tasman Peninsula hangs off south-east Tasmania by a narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck. The Tasman National Park takes in its eastern and southern coasts, and the Parks and Wildlife Service calls their sea cliffs Australia’s highest: dolerite spires rising from the Tasman Sea and ending in three capes, Hauy, Pillar and Raoul. Tasman Island sits off Cape Pillar, a plateau about 280 m high with a lighthouse first lit in 1906 (Australian Maritime Safety Authority). The booking centre is at 6961 Arthur Highway in Port Arthur, on the left as you drive south, 100 m before the Historic Site entrance and 94 km by road from Hobart. The drive takes about 90 minutes.
The cruise, step by step
Check in at the booking centre by 9:15 am for the morning cruise, which runs all year from about 10 am to 1 pm. From 1 December to 28 April an afternoon cruise runs as well, with check-in by 1:15 pm and the boat out from about 2 pm to 5 pm. After a short briefing a bus takes you to the boat: the jetty changes from day to day with the weather, and Stewarts Bay, just north of Port Arthur, is one of them. The crew tailor the route to the sea conditions between Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck, and whichever way the boat goes, you start and finish at the booking centre.
The boats are custom-built, take at most 43 passengers, and have tiered open-air seats facing forward under a canopy, with a small toilet below deck. Wet-weather jackets go over your own clothes, and ginger tablets are offered to everyone as they board. On the water the boat runs below the cliffs of Cape Pillar, out to Tasman Island and in among sea caves, archways and waterfalls; seals haul out on the rocks and seabirds wheel along the cliffs. Sightings are not guaranteed, and which animals you see changes from day to day. The route page names the capes and sea stacks along the way.
What it costs, and what the price buys
The cruise alone is from US$134 a person on GetYourGuide (checked November 2026), and the same cruise is on Viator from US$136 (checked November 2026), with 4.9 from 307 reviews reviews there: see the cruise on Viator. On its own site Pennicott prices the cruise in Australian dollars at A$190 an adult, A$115 a child aged 3 to 16 and A$590 for a family of two adults and three children, and the full days from Hobart at A$290 an adult, or A$345 with the Port Arthur Historic Site or the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo (November 2026). The day listings from Hobart start at US$243 (checked November 2026).
The gap between the two is the coach, the food and the afternoon. If you drive yourself, the Historic Site is A$55 for an adult and A$27.50 for a child, a ticket that runs for two consecutive days and includes a 20-minute harbour cruise (Port Arthur Historic Site, November 2026). From Hobart or from Port Arthur sets the two side by side.
Seasickness, weather and who it suits
This is the open ocean, and seasickness affects a small number of passengers; Pennicott hands out ginger tablets, and the best seat is in the back third of the boat, where there is less movement. The cruise runs in most weather, the skipper can change the route for safety, and it is cold on the water even in summer, so bring warm layers, a beanie and gloves. There is no minimum age: children of all ages are welcome, and parents judge whether three hours on the water suits theirs. Seasickness and weather has the detail, including what happens to a booking when the forecast is bad.
What was disrupted, and when to go
When this page was checked on 3 November 2026, the Parks and Wildlife Service listed no closure in the Tasman National Park beyond the seasonal campfire ban, in force since 26 October 2026. Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen at Eaglehawk Neck, closed from 15 April 2026 for new viewing areas and tracks, have reopened: the Parks and Wildlife Service announced it on 19 October 2026. Targa Tasmania closes public roads around the state from 18 to 22 November 2026; check the route before driving down that week. H5 bird flu has been detected in Tasmania since August 2026 (first in a wild brown skua near Rocky Cape), and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment asks everyone not to touch sick or dead birds or animals and to report them on 1800 675 888.
The cruise runs every day of the year except Christmas Day. Summer adds the afternoon sailing from 1 December to 28 April, and the peninsula is busiest then, so book ahead; bookings are essential.
Longer trips from Hobart
The two Tasmania circuits carded below are good trips, but neither one includes this cruise. The 5-day circuit from Hobart goes west to Strahan and Cradle Mountain and east to the Bay of Fires and Freycinet, and does not go to the Tasman Peninsula. The 7-day circuit ends with a day on the peninsula and the Port Arthur Historic Site, whose entry includes the short harbour cruise around the Isle of the Dead, not the 3-hour Tasman Island cruise. Add the cruise as a day from Hobart before or after either circuit.
Pennicott runs two other wilderness cruises in the south: the 90-minute Cape Raoul cruise from the jetty inside the Historic Site, and the 3-hour Bruny Island cruise from Adventure Bay. Tasman Island or Bruny Island? compares all three.
Under the Cliffs of Cape Pillar
Three hours along the Tasman National Park coast from Port Arthur, in open boats with jackets supplied. There is no minimum age, and the morning cruise runs all year. Starting from US$134 per person.
See datesMore on the Tasman Peninsula
Cruises and Port Arthur Days with Open Dates
Cruises from Port Arthur, days from Hobart and Historic Site tours with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Tasman Island Cruise: Questions
Where it leaves from, how long it is, what it costs, the day from Hobart, seasickness and weather, children, Port Arthur and the wildlife.
At 6961 Arthur Highway, Port Arthur TAS 7182, on the left as you drive south, 100 m before the Port Arthur Historic Site entrance. It is Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' check-in point for the cruise, 94 km by road from Hobart (allow 90 minutes). The cruise starts and finishes there, and a bus takes you to the jetty of the day. See where the cruise leaves from.
About 3 hours on the water. The morning cruise runs from about 10 am to 1 pm, with check-in by 9:15 am, and from 1 December to 28 April an afternoon cruise runs from about 2 pm to 5 pm, with check-in by 1:15 pm. Pennicott's full day from Hobart takes about 10 hours, from a 7:30 am coach to about 6 pm.
From US$134 a person for the cruise alone (checked November 2026). Pennicott prices it at A$190 an adult, A$115 a child aged 3 to 16 and A$590 for a family of two adults and three children (November 2026). The full day from Hobart with the Port Arthur Historic Site is from US$243 on the listing, A$345 an adult on Pennicott's own site.
Yes, on Pennicott's full day by coach. Check in by 7:15 am at Franklin Wharf, next to the Constitution Dock lifting bridge; the day adds morning tea, lunch, and either local sightseeing, the Port Arthur Historic Site or the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo. See from Hobart or from Port Arthur.
A small number do: it is the open ocean. Pennicott offers ginger tablets to everyone as they board, and the best seat is in the back third of the boat, where there is much less movement. Look at the horizon, avoid orange juice and coffee beforehand, and tell the crew early if you feel unwell. See seasickness and weather.
It runs in most weather, and the skipper sets the route for the sea on the day. Pennicott can cancel or change a trip, and bookings are fully flexible: if the weather on your day is not for you, call and move it to another day. This GetYourGuide listing also allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Dress warmly: it is cold on the water even in summer.
No. Children of all ages are welcome, and parents judge how theirs will cope with three hours on the water. The child fare covers ages 3 to 16.
Yes: the Historic Site's visitor centre is about 800 m on foot from the booking centre. Take the morning cruise, back at about 1 pm, and spend the afternoon at the site, open until 5 pm; a ticket is A$55 for an adult and runs for two consecutive days (Port Arthur Historic Site, November 2026). Without a car, the day from Hobart with the Historic Site does both, from US$243 (checked November 2026). See the cruise and Port Arthur.
Seals and seabirds on most trips, dolphins and whales sometimes; nothing is guaranteed. Australian fur seals haul out and seabirds nest on the offshore islands and around the capes, and gannets, albatross, sea eagles, cormorants, peregrine falcons and dolphins are all seen along the coast. Sightings are not guaranteed. See the route.
Same operator, same boats, different coast. Both are Pennicott's 3-hour wilderness cruises at A$190 an adult; the Tasman Island cruise leaves Port Arthur for Cape Pillar and Tasman Island, the Bruny Island cruise leaves Adventure Bay for South Bruny and the Friars. See Tasman Island or Bruny Island.
Not the two circuits carded on this site. The 5-day west and east coast circuit from Hobart skips the peninsula altogether, and the 7-day circuit stops at the convict site at Port Arthur, whose entry ticket includes only a 20-minute harbour cruise. Add the cruise as a day from Hobart: see from Hobart or from Port Arthur.
Still have questions? Email us at info@tasmanislandcruise.com