Coastal Wilds Of Tasmania (Coral Discoverer)

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11 days from

£4039.2

* Current p/p indicative rate.

Overview
Highlights
Dates & Prices
Itinerary
Map
Ships

Highlights

  • Spend two full days exploring wilderness areas of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour
  • Hike to Wineglass Bay and The Hazards in Freycinet National Park
  • Learn about Maria Island’s history as a penal colony
  • Visit Port Arthur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Admire dramatic 300m tall coastal cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula
  • Taste Tasmania’s fresh farm-gate produce and world-class cool-climate wines at an onboard event
  • Spot fur seals, wombats and wallabies in Tasmania’s national parks
  • Visit the Wooden Boat Centre and learn about Tasmania’s proud maritime heritage

Highlights

  • Spend two full days exploring wilderness areas of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour
  • Hike to Wineglass Bay and The Hazards in Freycinet National Park
  • Learn about Maria Island’s history as a penal colony
  • Visit Port Arthur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Admire dramatic 300m tall coastal cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula
  • Taste Tasmania’s fresh farm-gate produce and world-class cool-climate wines at an onboard event
  • Spot fur seals, wombats and wallabies in Tasmania’s national parks
  • Visit the Wooden Boat Centre and learn about Tasmania’s proud maritime heritage
Capacity: 72

Coral Expeditions’ Tasmania cruises explore Australia’s island state poised at the edge of the world where the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans collide. Tasmania’s pristine World Heritage wilderness and national parks teem with native wildlife, where rugged mountain ranges meet the sea with soaring coastal cliffs and crescent-shaped beaches carved by the elements.

Amidst this pristine, natural backdrop, Tasmania’s intriguing colonial history is underpinned by a compelling convict heritage and historic sites. Follow in the pioneering footsteps of intrepid colonial explorers to far-flung reaches of the island where tales of maritime adventures abound, preserved streetscapes are virtual living museums and world-class artists find inspiration at every turn.

Shaped by a climate straddling the Roaring Forties latitudes, the Apple Isle’s verdant valleys and rolling hills are clad in fertile pastures, vineyards and orchards bathed in crisp clean air and warm summer sunshine. Emerging from centuries-old cellar doors and farm gates are award-winning cheeses, premium wines, craft beers and artisanal spirits inspired by Tasmania’s ample natural assets.

Cruise to the edge of the world on a Tasmanian expedition cruise that teams wombats with wine, beaches with brie and convict ruins with craft beer in a palate-pleasing adventure cruise into Tasmania’s wild heart.

  • Spend two full days exploring wilderness areas of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour
  • Hike to Wineglass Bay and The Hazards in Freycinet National Park
  • Learn about Maria Island’s history as a penal colony
  • Visit Port Arthur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Admire dramatic 300m tall coastal cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula
  • Taste Tasmania’s fresh farm-gate produce and world-class cool-climate wines at an onboard event
  • Spot fur seals, wombats and wallabies in Tasmania’s national parks
  • Visit the Wooden Boat Centre and learn about Tasmania’s proud maritime heritage
28 January, 2025 to 07 February, 2025 on Coral Discoverer
Prices

Prices quoted here are often dependent on currency fluctuations. Please check with (01432 507450 or info@small-cruise-ships.com) for the very latest price, which may well be cheaper than the one advertised here.

Promenade B
£ 4855 GBP pp
Promenade B
Located in the bow of the ship and encircled by a full-ship promenade, our two Promenade Deck (Category B) staterooms are 15sqm (160 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
Bridge Deck Balcony
£ 5599 GBP pp
Bridge Deck Balcony
Located on the exclusive Bridge Deck close to the Lounge and Bridge, our five spacious Bridge Deck Balcony staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature private balconies opening out from french windows providing comfortable indoor outdoor living, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Main Deck A
£ 4447 GBP pp
Main Deck A
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature large, twin porthole windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Main Deck B
£ 4039 GBP pp
Main Deck B
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category B) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature twin portholes for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Promenade A
£ 5263 GBP pp
Promenade A
Encircled by a full-ship promenade, our twenty spacious Promenade Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
07 February, 2025 to 17 February, 2025 on Coral Discoverer
Prices

Prices quoted here are often dependent on currency fluctuations. Please check with (01432 507450 or info@small-cruise-ships.com) for the very latest price, which may well be cheaper than the one advertised here.

Promenade A
£ 5263 GBP pp
Promenade A
Encircled by a full-ship promenade, our twenty spacious Promenade Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Bridge Deck Balcony
£ 5599 GBP pp
Bridge Deck Balcony
Located on the exclusive Bridge Deck close to the Lounge and Bridge, our five spacious Bridge Deck Balcony staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature private balconies opening out from french windows providing comfortable indoor outdoor living, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Main Deck A
£ 4447 GBP pp
Main Deck A
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature large, twin porthole windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Promenade B
£ 4855 GBP pp
Promenade B
Located in the bow of the ship and encircled by a full-ship promenade, our two Promenade Deck (Category B) staterooms are 15sqm (160 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
Main Deck B
£ 4039 GBP pp
Main Deck B
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category B) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature twin portholes for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
17 February, 2025 to 27 February, 2025 on Coral Discoverer
Prices

Prices quoted here are often dependent on currency fluctuations. Please check with (01432 507450 or info@small-cruise-ships.com) for the very latest price, which may well be cheaper than the one advertised here.

Bridge Deck Balcony
£ 5599 GBP pp
Bridge Deck Balcony
Located on the exclusive Bridge Deck close to the Lounge and Bridge, our five spacious Bridge Deck Balcony staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature private balconies opening out from french windows providing comfortable indoor outdoor living, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Promenade B
£ 4855 GBP pp
Promenade B
Located in the bow of the ship and encircled by a full-ship promenade, our two Promenade Deck (Category B) staterooms are 15sqm (160 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, telephone and Junior King bedding.
Main Deck A
£ 4447 GBP pp
Main Deck A
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature large, twin porthole windows for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Promenade A
£ 5263 GBP pp
Promenade A
Encircled by a full-ship promenade, our twenty spacious Promenade Deck (Category A) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature picture windows for expansive ocean views, along with a sofa, desk, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
Main Deck B
£ 4039 GBP pp
Main Deck B
Located close to the Dining Room, our six spacious Main Deck (Category B) staterooms are 18sqm (195 square feet) in size and feature twin portholes for expansive ocean views, along with a desk, sofa, telephone and your choice of Junior King or twin bedding.
show reverse itinerary
Please note:
The Captain and Expedition Team will make daily itinerary decisions to maximise the guest experience and take advantage of opportunities opened up by weather. There will be a daily briefing onboard to advise guests on the upcoming day’s activities. The expedition will visit Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour conditions permitting. We always aim to visit these beautiful destinations, but if we are not able to enter, an alternative destination more appropriate to the weather conditions will be chosen by the Captain. Note the summer temperature can still be very cool especially with the wind chill so warm layered clothing is essential.
DAY 1: DEPART HOBART
Board your Coral Expeditions small ship at Hobart’s Princes Wharf at 4:00pm where there is time to settle into your cabin before our 5:00pm departure. Take the time to become acquainted with all the facilities onboard before meeting your fellow travellers, the Captain and crew for the Captain’s Welcome Drinks.
WOODBRIDGE & HUON RIVER
Where the mouth of the Huon River meets D’Entrecasteaux Channel lays Port Huon, a small community at the heart of the fertile Huon Valley with its Hartz Mountains backdrop. The sheltered waters of the Huon River allow us to visit the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin where Tasmania’s maritime heritage is kept alive through the production of hand-crafted timber boats. Grandvewe Cheeses is an organic sheep dairy farm there will be time to learn about the cheesemaking process as well as taste their ‘ewenique’ sheep’s whey vodka at the Cellar Door overlooking D’Entrecasteaux Channel.
PORT DAVEY & BATHURST HARBOUR
On the edge of the world in southwest Tasmania, the landscape here is about as wild as it gets. Raw, craggy-peaked mountains and drowned river valleys. Wild rivers and rivulets carved by an eternity. Where tannin-rich freshwater sits atop saltwater, tinting the ocean the colour of tea. With no road access, the logical way to explore this wilderness is by small expedition ship. Sheltered from Roaring Forties winds that buffet this coast is the protected haven of Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour. A marine reserve and part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, we spend two whole days (weather permitting) enjoying this rare opportunity to hike, kayak and take in this pristine natural environment. We explore by Xplorer tender vessels and learn about intrepid European explorers and Indigenous Australians, who once walked this land and keep a lookout for the rare and endangered Orange Bellied Parrot amongst other wildlife.
BRUNY ISLAND & ADVENTURE BAY
At Adventure Bay on the east coast of Bruny Island, we walk along the dramatic coastal cliffs of Fluted Cape and hope to see Bennett’s Wallabies which are endemic to Bruny Island. Cruising the base of these near-vertical dolerite cliffs in our Xplorer tender vessels, we take a close look at Penguin Island, which is connected to Fluted Cape at low tide. Learn about how southern right whales were almost hunted to extinction and Adventure Bay housed four whaling stations before the industry’s decline in the mid-1840s. The ruins can be seen on a walk to Grassy Point.
MARIA ISLAND NATIONAL PARK
Walk amongst the ruins and beautifully restored buildings of the convict penal settlement of Darlington. Much of Maria Island is protected as the Maria Island National Park, and you can expect to see endemic wildlife such as Forester Kangaroos, Bennett’s Wallabies and wombats. There is time to take a walk to the ruins of the former Probation Station, which are set against a dramatic coastal backdrop whose grasslands attract wombats to feed, as well as the striking formations of the Painted Cliffs. Rich iron deposits have leeched through the soil staining the sandstone cliffs on the waters’ edge with coloured streaks of red, purple and orange, creating surreal art which is revealed at low tide.
FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK AND SCHOUTEN ISLAND
The Freycinet Peninsula is a dramatic headland dominated by a pink-hued granite mountain range called The Hazards. Blessed with picturesque sweeping bays with white sand beaches like famed Wineglass Bay, much of the peninsula is designated as Freycinet National Park. Take a guided hike along the Isthmus Track and be rewarded with magnificent views from the lookout or swim in the azure waters of Wineglass Bay. Cruising close to Ile des Phoques and Schouten Island, keep an eye out for large colonies of fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks.
PORT ARTHUR HISTORIC SITE
One of Australia’s most significant historic places, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Port Arthur ruins stand sentinel on the Tasman Peninsula south of the narrow isthmus of Eaglehawk Neck. For more than 40 years the Port Arthur penal colony housed British and Australian convicts sentenced to hard labour before its heavy iron doors clanked shut for the last time in 1877. Today, the Historic Site has over 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes set in 100 acres of landscaped grounds. In the company of Port Arthur’s knowledgeable guides, we join an exclusive ‘behind the scenes tour’ which includes access to private collections and historic buildings not otherwise accessible to the public.
DAY 11: ARRIVE HOBART
Disembark in Hobart at 8:00am. A post-cruise transfer from the ship to Hobart city or airport is included. Note on fitness levels: this trip is suitable for passengers of all fitness levels, though reasonable mobility is required to enjoy all it has to offer. Our Xplorer tender vessels permit easy boarding without climbing any stairs. Hikes vary in intensity and wherever possible we split into groups to suit easy and moderate walkers. Guests are welcome to opt-out of any excursions and relax onboard. Summer temperatures and wind chill in Tasmania can be very cool so warm layered clothing is essential. As our Tasmanian cruises visit remote regions like Bathurst Harbour, this voyage is not suitable for passengers with serious medical conditions.
Please Note:
Note on fitness levels: this trip is suitable for passengers of all fitness levels, though reasonable mobility is required to enjoy all it has to offer. Our Xplorer tender permits easy boarding without climbing any stairs. Hikes vary in intensity and where possible we split groups to suit easy and moderate walkers. Guests are welcome to opt out of any excursion and relax onboard – our top deck outdoor lounge is great on a sunny day. The ship has no elevator. As the itinerary covers remote regions, it is not suitable for passengers with serious medical conditions. Note that each itinerary will include a mix of the above attractions, depending on prevailing conditions. The Captain and Expedition Team will make daily itinerary changes to maximise the guest experience and take advantage of opportunities opened up by weather. There will be a daily briefing onboard to advise guests on the upcoming day’s activities. Time of departure and return are guaranteed – the rest is an adventure! The expedition will visit Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour conditions permitting. We always aim to visit these beautiful destinations, but if we are not able to enter, an alternative destination more appropriate to the inclement weather conditions will be chosen by the Captain. Note the summer temperature can still be very cool especially with the wind chill so warm layered clothing is essential.
Coral Discoverer
Yacht-like Coral Discoverer set a new benchmark standard of sophistication in expedition cruising when she was constructed by us in 2005. Coral Discoverer sailed on pioneering expeditions through Pap…

Coral Discoverer

Length 63 metres
Launched/refurbished 2005/2018
Max capacity 72 Passengers

Yacht-like Coral Discoverer set a new benchmark standard of sophistication in expedition cruising when she was constructed by us in 2005. Coral Discoverer sailed on pioneering expeditions through Papua New Guinea, the islands of the South Pacific, Vanuatu, New Zealand, West Papua, and the Spice Islands. She led explorations into remote areas, focusing on destinations that were largely inaccessible to larger cruise ships.

Coral Discoverer is exceptionally nimble and maneuverable, with a shallow draught to get up close to destinations, ocean views from all public spaces, an expansive open-air sun deck, all outside-facing staterooms, and state-of-the-art tools for exploration including the Xplorer, zodiacs, a glass-bottom boat, and kayaks. A full refurbishment in 2018 saw the addition of private balconies, the much-loved Xplorer sundeck bar, and all new furnishings throughout the ship.

Comfortable, reliable, and intimately scaled, Coral Discoverer now conducts expeditions across Australia’s coast – Tasmania, Cape York and Arnhem Land and the Kimberley. Australian flagged and staffed by an Australian and New Zealand crew, your experience aboard Coral Discoverer will be memorable.

Onboard Accommodation

Onboard accommodation comprises 36 spacious modern staterooms. You can select from Bridge, Promenade or Main Deck staterooms offering a choice of twin through to junior king-size doubles. All staterooms have an ocean view, en-suite facilities, settee, large wardrobe, desk, luggage storage, individual air-conditioning control, and are serviced daily.

Onboard Facilities

What you would expect of a much larger cruise ship:

  • Large sundeck
  • Spa Pool
  • Guest computer
  • Comprehensive reference library
  • Phone and fax facilities
  • Lecture lounge with large plasma screen
  • Limited laundry facilities
  • Two fully stocked cocktail bars
  • Boutique and dive shop
  • Air-conditioned public areas

 Coral Discoverer is equipped with the latest technology active stabilizers and is fitted with state-of-the-art safety and navigational equipment and is the only Australian passenger ship registered with full SOLAS compliance allowing opportunities to explore a multitude of international voyages.

Dining

All meals during the cruise are included. Breakfast and lunch are served in the Dining Room located on the Main Deck and are buffet-style while dinner is table d’hote. Coffee and tea is available 24 hours. Standard hours are breakfast from 7:00-8:30am, lunch at 12:30pm and dinner at 7:30pm however meal times may vary according to the day's activities. Meal times will be advised in the onboard daily bulletins.

Excursion Boats And Zodiacs

The "Xplorer" is a specially designed aluminium excursion vessel used for the majority of our excursions. This vessel has high horsepower engines and will accommodate all passengers at one time. The "Xplorer" will be used for landings and for extensive exploration of rivers and tributaries. For your added convenience and comfort, the "Xplorer" is equipped with an awning and toilet.

We also carry two inflatable landing craft (Zodiacs). Designed for expedition work, these large and heavy-duty inflatables are extremely safe. Separate air compartments retain a large reserve of buoyancy even if the boats damaged. The flat bottom design permits these crafts to land directly onto the beaches. Expect nonetheless to wade through shallow water to reach the shore. See photo below (right)

Cabin layout for Coral Discoverer
Overview
Highlights
Dates & Prices
Itinerary
Map
Ship

11 days from £4039.2

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