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The biggest single day on the itinerary that is not a driving day. The best short walk in Tasmania in the morning, the convict site in the afternoon. A 7:00 start is what makes it possible.
Nothing is open. The Islington may do early room service, or use what you bought the night before
Find itNothing at Fortescue Bay. Carry it
1830 Restaurant & Cafe at the historic site
Find itBack about 19:00. Franklin, Templo and Aloft all run late; the Islington is the easy answer
Find itMonday. Port Arthur runs daily and the cruise operators do too, so nothing works against you here.
Unsealed today. Fortescue Bay Rd, 12 km each way. Graded, 2WD-rated, tour buses use it.
Weather needs signal. Everything else works offline.
800 steps up, 1000 down, finishing on a knife-edge of dolerite above the Totem Pole. Start by 8:45 if Port Arthur is also on the list.
Trailhead in MapsThe site itself is 40 hectares. Penitentiary, separate prison, church, Government Gardens and the harbour cruise.
Trailhead in MapsSwap for Cape Hauy if Fortescue Bay Rd has been rained on. It starts near Remarkable Cave, so it pairs with Port Arthur even better.
Trailhead in MapsThe relaxed version. Do this instead of Cape Hauy and Port Arthur becomes an unhurried afternoon.
Trailhead in MapsConvict burial island, extra guided tour on top of the standard ticket. Only if you skipped Cape Hauy.
Trailhead in MapsBOOK AHEAD. Standard ticket includes the harbour cruise and Isle of the Dead entry, and is valid two consecutive days. Buy online for the timed entry you want.
Open in MapsUnder 300 m sea cliffs, through the archways, seals and albatross. The best boat trip in the state - but it will not fit alongside Cape Hauy and the historic site. Pick two of the three.
Open in MapsLantern-lit, after dark, genuinely unsettling. It puts you on the A9 at night with the wildlife, which is the trade.
Open in MapsThe southernmost distillery in Australia, on the flank of Mt Arthur. Buy, do not taste.
Open in MapsOpen-range sanctuary with feeding sessions, on the road between Fortescue and Port Arthur. The rain plan.
Open in MapsLow tide, early or late light. Free, roadside.
Open in MapsCollapsed sea caves in 300 m cliffs, sealed road right up to them.
Open in MapsOver 30 buildings and ruins across 40 hectares. The penitentiary and the separate prison are the two that stay with you.
Open in Maps1,646 convict and free graves on a small island in the harbour. Entry included with the standard ticket.
Open in MapsFor the 35 people killed in 1996. Quiet, dignified, and the staff ask that it is treated that way.
Open in MapsSea cave staircase framing a surf-filled slot at the end of Safety Cove Rd.
Open in MapsWhite sand arc under blue gums, and the Cape Hauy trailhead.
Open in MapsFractured siltstone that looks laid by a bricklayer.
Open in MapsCollapsed sea caves in 300 m dolerite cliffs.
Open in MapsFree, unstaffed convict coal mine ruins on a short gravel spur. The counterpoint to Port Arthur - same system, no visitor centre.
Open in MapsAt the historic site. Convenient rather than remarkable, but you will have earned it after Cape Hauy.
Open in MapsBy the Blowhole. Exactly right on the way home.
Open in MapsWorking sheep farm turned wine and oyster shed. Opens 11:00 - too late for the drive out, so save it for the way back.
Open in MapsFresh off the boats beside the canal.
Open in MapsOn the A9 near Port Arthur if the site cafe has shut.
Open in MapsYou will be back around 19:00. Franklin, Templo and Aloft all run late - book before you leave in the morning.
Open in MapsNothing here is scheduled. This is what else is on today's road, roughly in the order you pass it - for when a walk gets cut short or the weather turns.
Farm restaurant near the airport, and abalone appears on the menu - rare in Australia. Slight detour on the way out.
Open in MapsPick-your-own berries and cherries. Early November is early - ring first.
Open in MapsWorking sheep farm turned wine and oyster shed, with oysters from the bay in front of you. Opens 11:00, so it is a stop for the way home rather than the way out.
Open in MapsThe southernmost distillery in Australia, on the flank of Mt Arthur. Buy, do not taste.
Open in MapsOldest bridge still in use in Australia, 1825, convict-built. A 15 min detour off the A3, and the village is worth the walk.
Open in MapsA privately assembled hoard of colonial oddments in a shed by the highway. Eccentric, and the opposite of Port Arthur's polish.
Open in MapsHand-dug 1905 canal with a swing bridge, and you cross it anyway. Australia's only purpose-built sea canal.
Open in Maps1832, and the oldest wooden military building in Australia. Beside it, the memorial to the dog line that once chained across the isthmus.
Open in MapsLooks straight down the isthmus. First thing you reach, and thirty seconds off the road.
Open in MapsCollapsed sea caves in 300 m dolerite cliffs, with sealed road right up to them.
Open in MapsA working blowhole, plus a shack village where every house is named Doo-something. Doo-lishus van does scallops and berry ice cream.
Open in MapsThe best free cliff view on the peninsula, and far quieter than the arch.
Open in MapsOpen-range sanctuary with feeding sessions, on the road between Fortescue and Port Arthur. The rain plan for today.
Open in MapsWhite sand arc under blue gums, and the Cape Hauy trailhead. Swim if you have the nerve.
Open in MapsAbove the historic site, with the whole settlement and the harbour below. Free, sealed, and almost nobody goes.
Open in MapsSheltered white sand five minutes from the site. The place to sit down after 1,800 steps.
Open in MapsSea cave staircase framing a surf-filled slot, at the end of Safety Cove Road.
Open in MapsFree, unstaffed convict coal mine ruins on a 3 km gravel spur. The same system as Port Arthur with no visitor centre, and more atmospheric for it.
Open in MapsFortescue Bay Rd, 12 km each way. Graded, 2WD-rated, tour buses use it.
230 km · 4 hrs driving · Hobart - Islington Hotel