7. From Hobart: Mount Wellington, Bonorong, and Richmond Tour
After you are picked up from Hobart, your guide and tour bus will travel past the historic buildings of Salamanca Place and Battery Point. You will learn about the reclamation of land to form Salamanca Wharf, the history of the area’s defenses and the importance of convicts in Hobart’s construction.
You will then take the journey to the summit of Mt Wellington, where you can enjoy the breathtaking views of Hobart, the Derwent River, Tasman Bridge, Bruny Island, the D’Entrecasteaux and the Huon Valley. If the weather doesn’t permit views from the summit the group has the option to visit a lower viewing point at Mt Nelson Signal Station which offers equally stunning views of Hobart, the Derwent River and Channel.
After departing Hobart, you will journey out to Brighton to visit the iconic Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Here you can get up close and personal with some of Tasmania’s native wildlife, including its unique Tasmanian Devil, Wombats, Koalas, Quolls, Possums, Echidnas and a large range of bird species. You will also get the opportunity to hand feed their mob Kangaroos and Wallabies and we recommend a conversation with Fred, the sulphur crested cockatoo, who is over 103 years old!
Next, you will travel to the historic town of Richmond where you will gain more insight into the early convict days that preceded Port Arthur at the oldest goal in Tasmania and see the oldest convict constructed sandstone bridge still in use in Australia. Just nearby there is also the stunning sandstone St. John’s Catholic Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Australia. You will get the opportunity to wander around and explore the quaint little hamlet of Richmond with its numerous old and heritage-listed buildings, galleries, antique shops and visit Old Hobart Town, a garden model display of Hobart as it was in the 1820s.
You will have 60 minutes in Richmond, enough time to grab a quick snack at the bakery, hotel or café, We DO NOT recommend having a sit-down meal in one of the restaurants as you will miss out on exploring all that this beautiful town has to offer.
If time permits, before returning to Hobart, the tour will travel south along the eastern shore of the River Derwent, to Kangaroo Bluff Battery, built in 1884 in response to the threat of a possible foreign warship attack on Hobart. Here you can explore the subterranean passages and armories and learn more about the history of this site. For a spectacular panoramic view of the Derwent River and Hobart City, you will visit the Rosny Point Lookout with views that stretch north to Lutana and south to Opossum Bay. It’s also a great spot to photograph Hobart, including Mt Wellington, and talk about the Tasman bridge disaster that occurred 45 years ago.