The overall sense I had was that this was the sort of place where you pay your money and everything is 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. read more