Flew into Tasmania just to go to MONA so I took a taxi from the Hobart airport to the MONA ferry…read moreand took that to the museum! I was on one of the earliest ferries of the day so I appreciated there being some breakfast snack and beverage options (I got convinced to get a morning beer anyway though LOL). The ferry was very nicely decorated and was a great refreshing ride over to MONA!

We walked to the Brook Pier & purchased round trip ferry tickets & museum tickets as well. We went…read moredownstairs to cue for the :25 ride. We sat in the back & enjoyed the scenic ride. Our round trip rides were quick & comfortable with clean bathrooms & a bar. For an extra &25 we could have gone posh class with more luxurious seating, snacks & drinks. But, really it's such a quick & comfortable ride in sheep class. We learned these attractive ferries are made in Tasmania & shipped around the world.

Great tour company. Took their tour to Bonorong, Mt Wellington, Richmond and Mt Field National…read morePark. Really a great day spent exploring. Our guide Simon was really friendly, talkative and very knowledgeable. We throughly enjoyed this tour and felt the cost was well worth it.

I was hosting some friends from New Zealand and they wanted to visit Tasmania, I used iWander as my…read moretour guides because they were affordable and I found them super easy to communicate with. The tour itself was amazing, visited some beautiful scenery, and then an hour later was sitting in a nice family owned restaurant tasting some beautiful local seafood. My favourite place was Mt. Field and Russell Falls. The Tasmanian devils were really interesting as well. The guides were lovely. Jarrod was incredibly knowledgable and proud to show of his home town, and knew all the interesting off-the-track local spots. Our plans changed a little bit and the guides went out of their way to accomodate the changes. Overall, what you see is what you get. Amazing scenery, beautiful wine and food, interesting wildlife, friendly guides, at an affordable cost. Thank you Jarrod.

Visited Tasmania last year and one of the attractions that I wanted to see was Mount Wellington…read more Public transportation wasn't an option since the buses won't take you to the top. They will drop you off at a lower level and you need to trek up.the mountain. My only options were to rent a car or book a tour. I decided on the latter since it was easier and saved me the trouble of driving in Australia. I looked through tours available on Viator and decided to book a package consisted of a tour of Mount Wellington and admission to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. The Viator site doesn't specify the tour operator until you make your purchase and the tour is confirmed. After a couple days, I received a tour confirmation e-mail and learned the tour operator was Adventure Island Tours. I was given the start time of the tour and was picked up outside of my hotel. Adventure Island is a Tasmanian owned and operated tour business. They use 13 passenger tour vans so the number of people on the tour is smaller than if you book with a large company like Gray Line. They have a number of Hobart tours, but their most popular tours are the ones to Port Arthur. On my tour, it was just me and an Indonesian family so I learned plenty of tidbits about Tasmania. My tour guide was very knowledgeable about world affairs (ex. US election) which was impressive and even talked about his travels to Seattle. Mount Wellington was definitely worth the visit. My guide made stops at the summit as well as down the mountain, so I could get views of the area at different altitudes. After the visit to Mount Wellington, we headed over to Bonorong. The tour guide checked us in to the sanctuary and then picked us up to drive back to Hobart to conclude the tour. I would recommend this itinerary if you are interested. Though make sure to bring a jacket or windbreaker as it is cold on Mount Wellington, particularly during the winter. Also I would pack a lunch and bring some water since the tour is all day. My tour guide did make a pit stop so I could pick up a couple meat pies at a bakery for lunch on our way to Bonorong. For the price, I was very satisfied with the tour. Primarily attribute this to my tour guide who was very knowledgeable about the area. This is something that you wouldn't get if you decide to do the journey on your own.

Unless you're a really great swimmer, you don't have much choice other than to get the ferry when…read moreyou want to visit Bruny Island. Luckily, it's reasonably priced, efficient and actually pretty fun! A return trip in a small car will cost $30. Drive to the Kettering dock, where you will line up in lanes waiting for the ferry to arrive. Once cars are offloaded, you drive on up and shortly thereafter you are on your way, 15 minutes by water, to one of the most serene and beautiful places you may ever visit. We drank Moo Brew on the upper deck and stood in the sunshine, pretending we were characters from The Titanic (you know, the "I'm on top of the world!" bit, not the sinking dying bit). It was a really great way to mark the next part of our holiday. A word of warning: if you're trying to arrive or leave Bruny Island on a particularly busy day (say, the last day of a long weekend) then you need to arrive at the ferry well in advance to ensure you get a spot. When leaving the island, we arrived only 5 minutes beforehand to realise we wouldn't be able to make the next departure. Not to worry, we sat in the sun and enjoyed he surroundings for an hour while we waited for the ferry to go back and forth to Hobart, but had our flights back to Melbourne been any earlier we would have missed them.

Bruny Island Ferry: one way in, one way out…read more But seriously, for most of us, if we're wanting to get to Bruny Island... this is our only way. The Mirambeena's the double-decker and the Bowen's the single-level ferry, drive your car on board and park it where the high-vis types are pointing. Turn the engine off and then you can either sit inside your car like a party pooper or crawl out onto the deck to carouse around for the fifteen minutes it takes to get to the other side. The best way to head to Bruny is with a car full of friends, so not only can you have a grand time together on the island, but you can split the cost of the ferry, as it's a per-car charge and not a headcount charge. Bonus: put your smallest friend in the boot for even cheaper splitting. (Don't really do that; that's illegal.) Note: the address and the map pin are both ridiculously off the mark for stupid reasons, Yelp. The Bruny Island ferry goes back and forth between the marina in Kettering and the tip of Bruny island every day, whether their administration office is in Glenorchy or not (I think this has been the reasoning I've been given when attempting to amend the listing in the past) it's a bit silly to have that listed as the location.

This hotel is located on the harbor and is within walking distance of lots of shops and restaurants…read morein the harbor area, as well as the Saturday morning market. I highly recommend requesting a harbor view room, the sights and sounds are lovely. This hotel offers history tours and every room has a tribute to a historical person of Tasmania. The lighting and decor create a modern and darkly elegant atmosphere. The room was very spacious, with a large bathroom that had heated floors in front of the mirror. There was a bathtub and separate shower and a very large closet area. They offered all amenities you would need and had a nice selection of snacks and drinks, and the bed was very comfortable. This hotel has a downstairs restaurant as well as a tapas restaurant located right next door. They offer a exercise room as well as a self serve laundry or hotel dry cleaning service. But the star service at this hotel are the people. Everyone we met was amazingly kind, attentive and helpful. That service made this a 5 star hotel!

We arrived in Hobart in the middle of summer and stayed at the MACq 01 Hotel. I was stunned by the…read morebeautiful layout and architecture that really blends characteristics of the wharf but also that of the natural environment of Tasmania. Walk into the lobby and you'll instantly understand what I'm talking about! There's a beautiful lounge area that allows for guests to grab an afternoon drink. Order from their bar menu and you can get some incredibly savory treats. The charcuterie board was my favorite. Their wine lists feature a lot of local wines and Tasmanian wine is among the best. After checking in, you can take the elevator upstairs to your rooms. Unfortunately they don't air condition the public space but they keep the windows open on both sides. That allows a breeze to come through on either side. However once you step into the room, you can control the thermostat yourself. Each room features a Tasmanian individual. Read about their biography on your door and familiarize yourself with some Tasmanian history! Inside, the rooms are modern, spacious and comfortable eliciting the same response you probably had when you first walked into the lobby. Love the wood they use to decorate and really makes you feel at peace as you stay there. The tap water is safe to drink and much better tasting than anything you can get in the US! The hotel itself is just a 10 min walk to the Salamanca market and about a 15 min walk to anything else downtown in Hobart. There are many restaurants and art galleries around for those looking to take home some local souvenirs. The hotel is also fund raising for the bush fires so you can purchase a plush koala, wombat or tassie devil and all the money goes to charities helping with the ramifications of the wild fires. Internet is available here but really slow and difficult to connect to (encourages you to get out of your room and actually explore Tasmania). I really enjoyed my stay here in Hobart and I look forward to any future opportunities to travel here again!

We did the Bruny Island Traveller tour which was wonderful!! Our guide Alan was knowledgeable,…read morepersonal and could drive the bus like no one else!! Got to see and experience things we wouldn't have on a lone exploration of the island. We are not big bus tour folks at all, but this one was wonderful!! They even took care of dietary needs for lunch! My dairy free fish and chips was amazing! Highly recommend! Even if you're not usually keen on tours this one is great!

The overall sense I had was that this was the sort of place where you pay your money and everything…read moreis taken care of. The particular trip I did involved taking a bus down from this location in Hobart to nearby Bruny Island, and a boat to see the rugged south side of the island. Getting to the island was a hassle, as there is a ferry with limited capacity. I rather wish there had just been a boat from the city down to the island, which I imagine would take some doing but would be great. The waits were a pain. Once there, however, the tour had a lot to offer. They did morning tea beforehand and lunch after, both of which were simple but pretty good. I've seen tours skimp on food before but at least they put some effort in. Their pumpkin soup was pretty tasty, and the vegetarian sandwich included feta and a nice variety of things. The tour boat was a pretty prime watercraft, speedy and able to handle the rough waters. The tour was pretty well run, including some advance ginger tablets to ward off seasickness (which worked for me but not for everyone) and they included gloves, hats, and waterproof smocks for those of us who don't pack for the arctic breeze, and the climate did change markedly over the trip. The rock features on the island were well worth seeing, and the seal colony at the end fairly entertaining. Other wildlife included albatross and some fellow traveler dolphins on the way back; of course sightings will vary. The company's slickly produced video advertisements don't oversell the thing by a whole lot; the whole area is really quite spectacular. This trip didn't allow one to see the island itself except in passing, but the company offers plenty of different trips to this island and elsewhere. The guides were very much salt-of-the-earth locals, retired from other jobs, and the business overall struck me as being professionally and responsibly run. You'll pay a lot of money, but you'll get an experience.

Amazing tour with great prices! Paul was so knowledgeable and made us feel like a local. Not only…read moredid he take us to some really unique and fun destinations but he provided tips to maximize our experience and would follow up to make sure we had a great time. I highly recommend that you leverage a full 7 hour tour with him and provide some conceptual ideas of what you want to see. Paul will take care of the rest. At one point Paul walked us into the animal reserve, checked the pricing to make sure we got a group deal, and then gave us the lay of the land before we started our walking tour. He was so kind and helpful. Also, make sure you don't miss the mountain. It's worth the trip up and the pictures are fantastic! We bonded with Paul by the end of our time together and from both his perspective and ours, it was the best experience of our trip and of his season. He was such a pleasure! FYI the prices were more than fair, especially compared to the other vendors. We came in on a cruise and this was 1/3 the price for half the tour.

One of the most relaxing and engaging tours I've been on! The price was great. The experience was…read moreamazing. The tour guide, Paul M...I can't say enough about. The banter, information, and kindness Paul shared sets him apart. An all around delightful and truly amazing person. The story...if you're so inclined: A group of us (about 17) were embarking on a 12 day cruise. Hobart was port three of five and about eight days into our journey. We had just spent three days at sea due to Cyclone Gita interrupting our final port call (Christchurch) in New Zealand. In case you haven't been on a cruise, three days in mild to rough seas will leave you irritable and exhausted. I got off the ship early, breezed through customs, and began searching for a tour guide. I noticed a sole gentleman, Paul, setting up for the morning and approached him. He was kind, inviting, and extremely knowledgeable. We quickly worked out a deal that would include a private guide (Paul) and van accommodating up to ten to anywhere we would like to go. We could leave immediately (8:30/9am) and would be back by 3:30pm...just in time to be back on board by 4:30pm. The van was clean, well maintained, comfortable, and spacious. Bless. Eight of us joined the excursion with promise to also cover the remaining two slots (so worth it). Paul waited patiently with me while our crew gathered themselves and made it off the ship. At this point, other tour guides were setting up as well. I realized how fortunate I was to have met Paul as I overheard insane price gouging and confusing tour schedules being offered to my fellow cruise members...almost double the price for half the excursion! Booking through the cruise was near triple the cost! The tour began. First stop, breakfast. Paul took us to a lovely bakery in town. Gorgeous food and friendly staff...most welcome after three days of the buffet line. Second stop, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. A five star experience and the chance to feed/pet numerous kangaroos! Third stop, a quick pint and nosh at a local pub. Fourth stop, Festa Italia in North Hobart. An Italian food and wine street festival set in quaint part of town. Fifth stop, breathtaking views of the bay and surrounding area atop Mount Wellington. We made it back on time, without issue, and feeling very relaxed. We are a boisterous but prompt and compliant group. =) Thank you again to Paul and the Let's Show You Tasmania tour company. You guys were awesome! Cheers!

Hobart Airport (HBA) is the primary gateway to Tasmania, located approximately 17 kilometers east…read moreof Hobart's city centre in the suburb of Cambridge. It is Australia's southernmost airport and serves as a critical base for scientific expeditions to Antarctica. Gayle and I landed here on a Jet Star flight from Sydney. We arrived mid-day and in pretty good shape with maybe 19 hours of jet lag (from Nevada) under our belt. As with other small airports in Australia, we deplaned using stairs and then walking into the terminal. We also were questioned and checked about any food we might be bringing into Tasmania. This was on top of similar questions we were asked when we landed in Sydney from LAX. HBA is small, and it was a little tricky to get to baggage claim as parts of the airport was being significantly renovated. After getting our bags, fining a cab was pretty straightforward for the ride into town.

Flew in on Virgin Atlantic and out on Qantas…read more It was a very compact airport with just five gates in this airport so it was quick out and then back in. Looked like an extensive renovation was underway with lots of activity outside and Gate 6. Deplaning and boarding was via stairs only. Tasmania was quite strict on what food you bring in and even deployed a food sniffing dog right as you enter the terminal. His nose was so sensitive to the orange I ate on the plane that I had to explain what happened to it as they looked in my bag. No worries about what you take out though. There was one baggage carousel but unloading took longer than expected. Once in hand, it was a quick walk to the Uber pick up point (~A$40 for ~20minutes to Hobart CBD) or the rental cars. Security screening at departures was very efficient at less than 10 minute. there was a large restaurant/bar, quick eats spot along with a Tasmania, Relay store and 2 other gift shops. Wooden seats were a bit uncomfortable and not all tables had charging outlets. Lots of bathrooms but only one water refill station that was out of order. Bathrooms were quite clean and spacious. At least an easy airport to use on Tasmanian travels.