Where the Tasman Island Cruise Leaves From
The Tasman Island cruise starts at the Tasman Island Cruises Booking Centre, 6961 Arthur Highway, Port Arthur, then a bus takes you to the boat. Check-in times.
The Tasman Island cruise starts and finishes at the Tasman Island Cruises Booking Centre, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ office at 6961 Arthur Highway, Port Arthur TAS 7182: on the left of the road as you drive south, 100 m before the Port Arthur Historic Site entrance. You check in there, by 9:15 am for the morning cruise, and a bus takes you to the boat. The cruise is From Port Arthur: Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise, from US$134 a person (checked November 2026).
The calendar above is the cruise from Port Arthur, with 792 reviews (checked November 2026).
The short answer
Go to the booking centre, not to a jetty. The boat does not leave from one fixed pier: the crew choose the jetty each day for the sea conditions, and the bus from the booking centre takes you there after the briefing and brings you back at the end. Arrive in time to check in, by 9:15 am for the morning cruise or by 1:15 pm for the afternoon cruise, which runs from 1 December to 28 April. If you are coming on Pennicott’s full day from Hobart, your start is different: its booking centre on Franklin Wharf in Hobart, by 7:15 am.
Where it is
The booking centre is on the Arthur Highway at the northern edge of Port Arthur, 94 km by road from Hobart; allow 90 minutes from the city. From the booking centre the Port Arthur Historic Site’s visitor centre is about 800 m on foot, around 10 minutes. Stewarts Bay, just north of the village, is one of the jetties the boat uses, less than 1 km by road from the booking centre; you do not need to find it yourself, the bus does.
Do not confuse the two Pennicott departures at Port Arthur. The 90-minute Cape Raoul cruise leaves from the Port Arthur Jetty inside the Historic Site, and its passengers check in at the Historic Site’s Visitor Centre, with a site entry ticket for everyone in the booking. The 3-hour Tasman Island cruise checks in at the booking centre on the highway.
Check dates for the morning cruise
Check-in, times and the bus
| Cruise | Check in at the booking centre | On the water |
|---|---|---|
| Morning, all year | By 9:15 am | About 10 am to 1 pm |
| Afternoon, 1 December to 28 April | By 1:15 pm | About 2 pm to 5 pm |
| Full day from Hobart | By 7:15 am at Franklin Wharf, Hobart | About 10 am to 1 pm |
Times from Tasman Island Cruises, November 2026. Check in on time: the briefing and the bus to the boat follow straight after. The cruise runs daily except Christmas Day, and bookings are essential. The boat has a small toilet below deck, down four steps, which the skipper can close in rough weather, so use the facilities before the bus leaves.
The Full Day Tour from Hobart leaves from the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys Booking Centre in the Dock Head Building on Franklin Wharf, next to the Constitution Dock lifting bridge, at 7:30 am. There is no parking there. From Hobart or from Port Arthur compares the day with driving down.
From Port Arthur: Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise
Check in at the booking centre at 6961 Arthur Highway; the bus to the jetty of the day, the 3-hour cruise and the bus back are included.
Check dates →Tasman Peninsula Tour, Cruise & Port Arthur Historic Site
Check in by 7:15 am at Franklin Wharf; Pennicott's coach takes you to the cruise, then to the Port Arthur Historic Site for the afternoon.
See the Hobart day →Tasman Peninsula Wilderness Cruise from Port Arthur
Pennicott's 3-hour cruise from Port Arthur on Viator, with the same check-in by 9:15 am and the short bus ride to the boat.
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.
Accessibility
The Tasman Island boats have 32 forward seats, where seatbelts are worn while the boat travels at speed, and 11 seats behind the skipper’s console. Pennicott publishes an accessibility guide for each cruise and offers a discount to recognised carers such as Companion Card holders. Its list of wheelchair-accessible vessels names the Cape Raoul and Wineglass Bay cruises, not Tasman Island, so a wheelchair user is better served by the Cape Raoul cruise from the Historic Site jetty; call Tasman Island Cruises on (03) 6250 2200 before booking either.
More 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.
Check In on the Arthur Highway
The cruise starts and finishes at the booking centre at Port Arthur, 100 m before the Historic Site entrance. Check in by 9:15 am.
Check dates