The Best Day Trips from Hobart, and How Far Each One Is

The usual day trips from Hobart run from 20 km to 193 km by road, one way. kunanyi / Mount Wellington is 20 km up the hill; the ferry to Bruny at Kettering is 33 km; Mount Field 74 km; Triabunna, for the Maria Island ferry, 85 km; Port Arthur 95 km; and Coles Bay, for Freycinet, 193 km. The two islands take the most arranging, and the calendar below is the Maria Island day: coach, ferry and park fees in one price, from US$164 a person, checked November 2026.

The calendar is Tours Tasmania’s Maria Island day from 20 Davey Street, with 243 reviews (checked November 2026). The rest of this page takes each trip in order of distance.

The distances, routed

All figures are driving distances from the Hobart CBD, one way, routed without traffic. Real days run longer: tours stop on the way, and the ferries keep their own timetables.

kunanyi / Mount Wellington: 20 km

The mountain behind the city is the shortest trip, and with Richmond the one that fits easily into half a day. Pinnacle Road climbs from Fern Tree to the 1,271 m summit; it is the only public road into Wellington Park, sealed but narrow and winding, by the Wellington Park Management Trust’s description, and entry to the park is free. The Trust has the road closed for maintenance from 16 to 19 November 2026, and snow and ice close it on other days. Without a car, the kunanyi / Mt Wellington Explorer Bus from Brooke Street Pier runs a 2.5-hour return trip with about 40 minutes at the top, from US$38 a person (checked November 2026). Is Mount Wellington open? has the closure record and the other ways up.

Bruny Island: 33 km to the ferry

From the Kettering terminal, Island Connections’ car ferry takes 20 minutes to Roberts Point and runs every day of the year. The island has no public transport, so you need a car or a tour once you land. Tassie Tours Tasmania’s guided Bruny Island day collects you in the Hobart CBD and includes the ferry and a National Parks Pass, from US$125 a person (checked November 2026); lunch at the Bruny Hotel and any tastings are at your own cost. To see the sea cliffs from the water instead, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ day adds a 3-hour wilderness cruise with morning tea and lunch, from US$202 a person (checked November 2026), meeting at Franklin Wharf. Bruny Island or Maria Island sets the two islands side by side.

Mount Field: 74 km

Mount Field National Park is just over an hour’s drive by the Parks and Wildlife Service’s reckoning, through New Norfolk and Westerway. From the visitor centre a sealed walk of about 15 minutes reaches Russell Falls, and the Tall Trees circuit adds 1 km. A parks pass is required. iWander Tasmania’s day pairs the park with Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Richmond and a stop on kunanyi, with selected hotel pickup and both entries included, from US$132 a person (checked November 2026). The Mount Field day trip compares three ways to do it.

Maria Island: 85 km, then the ferry

Triabunna is the ferry town, and the island can only be reached by ferry: the Parks and Wildlife Service says bookings are essential. There are no shops or cafes on the island and the water supply is limited, so bring food and a full bottle. The day tour in the calendar above handles the coach, the ferry tickets and the national park fees, and walks you through Darlington, to the Painted Cliffs and around the Fossil Cliffs, about 10 km in all. It suits walkers aged 8 and over with good mobility.

Port Arthur: 95 km

Port Arthur Historic Site gives the drive as about 90 minutes. The site is open daily from 9am to 5pm, and general admission is A$55 an adult at the site’s own prices (checked November 2026), with a 20-minute harbour cruise included. Tassie Tours Tasmania’s Port Arthur day leaves Hobart at 9:30 AM, includes entry and the harbour cruise, and gives you 3 or 4 hours on site, from US$108 a person (checked November 2026); the Remarkable Cave parks fee is paid on the bus on the day. For more of the Tasman Peninsula, Tours Tasmania’s day adds the Waterfall Bay walk, Tasmans Arch, Devils Kitchen and the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, with the national park, Unzoo and Historic Site entry fees included, from US$143 a person (checked November 2026); meals and drinks are at your own cost, and the minimum age is 8. Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen were closed for works from 15 April to 17 October 2026; a Parks and Wildlife Service news item of 19 October 2026 reported the works complete and the site open, with a new viewing platform. portarthurtour.com covers the Historic Site and its day tours in depth.

Freycinet and Wineglass Bay: 193 km

The longest of the usual day trips: 193 km by road to Coles Bay, about 2 hours 39 minutes each way, routed. The Wineglass Bay Lookout walk is 2.6 km return and takes 1 to 1.5 hours by the Parks and Wildlife Service’s figures. Wineglass Bay Discovery Tours’ small-group day (up to 13) includes pickup at selected Hobart hotels, a National Parks Pass and the lookout walk, from US$110 a person on promotion, usually US$122 (checked November 2026), over 10.5 hours. The Freycinet day trip works out whether the distance is worth it.

The Huon Valley: 87 km, further south

South of Hobart, the Tahune Airwalk is 87 km by road and Hastings Caves 107 km. Tassie Tours Tasmania’s day covers both, with selected Hobart CBD hotel pickup, the Tahune Airwalk entrance fee and a guided tour of Hastings Caves included, from US$139 a person (checked November 2026), over 10 hours. Meals and drinks are at your own cost.

Cradle Mountain: 320 km, the outlier

Cradle Mountain is 320 km by road from Hobart to the visitor centre, one way, so a day trip means a very long day. Derwent Experience’s Cradle Mountain day runs 15 hours, in a small group of up to 11, with hotel pickup, the national park entry ticket and the shuttle bus to Dove Lake included, from US$188 a person (checked November 2026). Breakfast is a stop to buy your own at Deloraine at 8:45 AM, and dinner at 5:30 PM is at your own cost too; there is no lunch stop, so bring snacks. Food and drinks are not included. The day is not suitable for children under 8 or people with motion sickness. If you drive yourself, Cradle Mountain needs its own daily pass, A$30.70 an adult with the shuttle included, by the Parks and Wildlife Service’s fees page.

Self-drive, or a tour?

Most of these trips are drives you can do yourself, and with a car you set your own pace; kunanyi and Mount Field are the easiest. A tour earns its place where the arranging is the hard part: Maria Island, with a ferry booking and nothing to buy on the island; Bruny, with no transport once you land; and Freycinet, where 386 km of driving in a day leaves little energy for the walk. If you drive, the national parks need a parks pass: A$49.15 a vehicle for a day at the Parks and Wildlife Service’s prices (checked November 2026), with Cradle Mountain on its own separate pass. Wellington Park, on kunanyi, is free.