Port Arthur and Burnie?

We are cruising Tasmania in December. We have one full day in Hobart, during which we have will take a private tour to Mt Field Ntl Park and Bonorong. Then we have a full day at Port Arthur and another full day at Burnie.

Would you recommend a tour at Port Arthur (AUD$165 pp) or doing it ourselves? Of course we'd like to save money, but I'd rather spend a little more and have a great day than be disappointed in our one and only day at Port Arthur. The tour description is:

~A fully guided tour of Port Arthur giving lots of information and explaining how the penal system operated. Lunch is included, then after lunch we leave the site and travel to Eaglehawk Neck to see some fantastic scenery at Pirate’s Bay Lookout, Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen, the Blowhole and if time Remarkable Cave.

For Burnie, I have no idea. Suggestions?

Thank you!

Firstly, have you joined the rollcall for your cruise (if there is one).

Secondly, there are several things to do around Burnie, details below.

The makers workshop and the distillery are very good (word of a friend). Also there is the possibility of a day trip to National park near Cradle Mountain.:D

Burnie Art Deco Trail (Self Guided Tour)

Excellent informative self guided tour of Burnie’s twenty-five striking art deco industrial and commercial buildings including Apartments Downtown, the Fire Station, St George’s Church Hall, The Advocate and Portside buildings, Burnie art deco train and more. Maps and podcasts can be downloaded from the website.

www.artdecotasmania.com.au

Burnie Regional Art Gallery

Three galleries exhibiting a permanent collection and local, state and national exhibitions.

Open 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, 1.30pm to 4.30pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and Easter Good Friday.

Civic Centre Precinct, Wilmot Street, Burnie.

Tel: (03) 6430 587

www.burniearts.net

Emu Valley Rhododendron Gardens

Beautiful gardens featuring more than 20,000 rhododendrons, lovely walks and landscaped areas which show plants from different regions of the world. Open daily 9am - 5pm (Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday).

55 Breffney Road, Burnie.

Tel: (03) 6433 1805

Mob: 0400 963 493

Guide Falls Alpaca Park (Farm & Tearoom)

Join a hands-on tour and become acquainted with alpaca’s and other farm animals or try your hand at spinning alpaca fleece in the craft rooms. The showroom offers locally made alpaca products and other crafts. There is also a tearoom for light refreshments.

Open daily 9.30am - 5pm. Closed Christmas Day and Easter Good Friday.

309 West Ridgley Road, West Ridgley.

Tel: (03) 6435 7535

Hellyers Road Distillery (Whisky Distillery & Cafe)

Australia's largest distiller of single malt whisky and proudly Tasmanian. The warmth of their welcome is the beginning of an experience that will captivate whisky drinkers and perhaps even convert those who, to date; have resisted the temptation of a smooth, crisp single malt indulgence. The range is complimented with one of Australia's best boutique vodkas and a superb Whisky Cream liqueur. Their distilling process uses only the finest Tasmanian produce, including some of the world's purest drinking water, delivered on the winds of the roaring 40's. Demand for their product range is increasing with national and international orders now being regularly placed.

Over looking the Emu Valley and hinterland, Hellyers Road is much more than just a whisky distillery. The dedicated Visitor Centre offers a full interpretation of the working distillery ‘Whisky Walk’, product tasting and a superb restaurant with a retail centre.

Open daily 10.00am - 4.30pm. Closed Public Holidays

153 Old Surrey Road, Burnie.

Tel: (03) 6433 0439

Email: sales@hellyersroaddistillery.com.au This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.hellyersroaddistillery.com.au

Makers' Workshop

The Makers' Workshop is a place that honours Burnie's history, makers, innovators and artists.

You are invited to try your hand at making paper under the guidance of experienced and informative paper makers. Depending on the day, there may be one or several makers working on site, producing any number of interesting things. You are encouraged to meet the makers and have a chat about what they're making or see their objects for sale in the gift shop.

Volunteers at the information counter will help you find your way around Burnie and beyond. You can shop for some interesting locally made gifts and mementoes in the gift shop or check out the latest Tasmanian exhibition in the gallery.

Grab a coffee, a plate of fresh local fare and reflect while enjoying the view.

Open: 9am - 5pm 7 days a week (Closed New Years Day, Anzac Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day)

2 Bass Highway, Parklands, Burnie

Tel: (03) 6430 5831

www.discoverburnie.net

Burnie Regional Museum

In this breathtakingly evocative presentation of Burnie's past you will see and understand how ordinary people lived 100 years ago. Discover the aspirations and lifestyle of our forebears through rooms that are alive with personal treasures and memorabilia, tools of trade and professions and goods that were sold in the shops at the time - all complemented by changing thematic exhibitions.

Open 10am - 4:30pm Mon-Fri

Civic Centre Precinct, Little Alexander Street, Burnie

Tel: (03) 6430 5746

www.discoverburnie.net

Natione Hills Fly Fishery (Trout Farm)

Privately owned fishery with a lake stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout. Suitable for beginners or experienced anglers. Facilities include BBQ and picnic area. Tuition and equipment hire is available.

Open daily (September - April).

Greta Road, Natone.

Tel: (03) 6436 2181

www.natonelodge.com.au

The Little Penguin Observation Centre

Friends of Burnie Penguins, offer free guided Penguin Tours. Tours begin at Little Penguin Observation Centre about one hour after dusk.

Tours operate October to February only.

Parsonage Point, West Beach, Burnie.

Tel: 0437 436 803

cheers mic:D

We are cruising Tasmania in December. We have one full day in Hobart, during which we have will take a private tour to Mt Field Ntl Park and Bonorong. Then we have a full day at Port Arthur and another full day at Burnie.

 

Would you recommend a tour at Port Arthur (AUD$165 pp) or doing it ourselves? Of course we'd like to save money, but I'd rather spend a little more and have a great day than be disappointed in our one and only day at Port Arthur. The tour description is:

~A fully guided tour of Port Arthur giving lots of information and explaining how the penal system operated. Lunch is included, then after lunch we leave the site and travel to Eaglehawk Neck to see some fantastic scenery at Pirate’s Bay Lookout, Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen, the Blowhole and if time Remarkable Cave.

 

For Burnie, I have no idea. Suggestions?

 

Thank you!

Sometimes if I don't think I'll ever visit a particular place again, I'm prepared to take a full-day tour and pay the appropriate price then later all you remember is the great day you had rather than the price you had to pay.

I guess it does help that I'm a single traveller so just one person to pay for each time though! ;)

Gae

"Fully Guided Tour" is really designed for crazy people who cant fend for themselves. Trust me I have done that people and it was pure torture to od the organised tour. I got so fed up with that tour that I ended up realising I would not see the place if I did not leave the group.

I ended up leaving the tour group and touring Port Arthur in my own time and had a much better time. I managed to see the entire penal colony with time to spare. The organised tour did not get to see it all as they stayed in the group listening to useless commentary in a single spot for lengthy periods of time that are better utilised touring.

Also regarding lunch on that tour it is in the asylum for organised ships tour and is just soup or stew. I did return to the group at the designated time for lunch and realised lunch could be worst with too long a queue to get fed and poor quality food. It was then that I made my way to the main café and had a much better serving of lunch by paying for it myself at the serving line and eating in the café at the front.

I could recommend only doing the organised tour if you want to break from the group to tour Port Arthur on your own. There are other stops along the way worth doing the group tour for. It is only money and Port Arthur is a small place so you will not get lost.

If you can do it cheaper on your own and can find transport to and from the site then go for it. Do it on your own. The group tour will only waste your valuable touring time if you stick with the large cattle herds.

Karateman has some good, while maybe a bit harsh :) points.

I am a slow walker, but it annoys the heck out of me listening to long boring history lessons, and waiting for stragglers.

Sometimes you can get a good group however. We had a tour in Adelaide and the bus driver was so surprised every stop when we all were back on at the time he asked. He actually added a bit more to the tour as we had been so timely. That old saying that there is always "ONE". Well apparently that one missed our bus! :) There was another bus that did a similar tour and they had heaps of complainers and many asked for their money back. Not sure what happened, but at least if you take a ship tour you do have them to go to with issues. I would rather have a good time in the first place though.

Just a humble opinion. I have been to Port Arthur three times. Once before 'that day' and twice since. There is little doubt in my mind that you can spend a full day at Port Arthur and I would question how quickly the tour is going to go if they are going to see all those other places as well. As I have said in my opinion you can spend a full day at Port Arthur.

You don't need to organise a guide - you can join a group when you get there. If you can arrange transport yourself from and to the ship do it on your own. You will not regret it - it will be an inspirational and moving day:)

We did a " behind the scenes " tour of Port Arthur, offered by Princess as a shore excursion. It was about $50 pp. It was a guided tour by the senior science nerd , Dr Jodi , who did the usual tour as well as in the Labs , historians' offices and viewing of artefacts not on public display. That took about 90 minutes and then we were free to roam around at our leisure. I agree it is easy to spend a few hours just at the Port Arthur site let alone travel to other locations in the same day. We have not been to Burnie , so I can not offer any help there . Cheers, Buzz :)

We did a " behind the scenes " tour of Port Arthur, offered by Princess as a shore excursion. It was about $50 pp. It was a guided tour by the senior science nerd , Dr Jodi , who did the usual tour as well as in the Labs , historians' offices and viewing of artefacts not on public display. That took about 90 minutes and then we were free to roam around at our leisure. I agree it is easy to spend a few hours just at the Port Arthur site let alone travel to other locations in the same day. We have not been to Burnie , so I can not offer any help there . Cheers, Buzz :)

I would like to do that tour, it sounds very interesting.:D

Jarand - Sorry, I should not have presumed that you would understand what I meant by 'that day'. I forgot that you were from USA and therefore may not be familiar about that piece of our history. Very few, if any, Australians who were alive at the time would forget 'that day'. I do not intend to go into it further here but could I suggest you go onto Wikipedia for Port Arthur Massacre.

Please keep in mind however that the Port Arthur site is very much more than just being the site where this tradgedy occurred. It really is a great place to visit.:)

Joybook, thank you for clarifying "that day". I did as you suggested and researched. You are right, I had no idea. What an awful event. :(

Joybook, thank you for clarifying "that day". I did as you suggested and researched. You are right, I had no idea. What an awful event. :(

Yes, it will be remembered for a long time in Australia. Hopefully it remains a relatively stand alone situation.:D

Karateman has some good, while maybe a bit harsh :) points.

 

I am a slow walker, but it annoys the heck out of me listening to long boring history lessons, and waiting for stragglers.

 

Sometimes you can get a good group however. We had a tour in Adelaide and the bus driver was so surprised every stop when we all were back on at the time he asked. He actually added a bit more to the tour as we had been so timely. That old saying that there is always "ONE". Well apparently that one missed our bus! :) There was another bus that did a similar tour and they had heaps of complainers and many asked for their money back. Not sure what happened, but at least if you take a ship tour you do have them to go to with issues. I would rather have a good time in the first place though.

I see your point. On my day the long commentary was the problem and not the passengers.

I see it annoys a lot of people listening to too much long and boring commentary as you said as well.

What I recon is that Port Arthur is such a small site it is easy to do a self guided tour and not get lost. Having a guide there is not necessary at all. The maps and guide pamphlets provide enough information and there are signs with information all around the site.

To enjoy the best of Port Arthur I suggest doing it on your own. Even if it involves purchasing a ships excursion just tell the guide, deviate from the group, do your own thing and meet back up at the end of the day.

My wife and I did a day tour to Port Arthur a couple of years back and I would recommend organising your own transport if possible. It takes a couple of hours to reach Port Arthur by bus from Hobart and including the return trip, this does not leave you much time to take in all that is Port Arthur. We only ended up with less than two hours there and virtually ran around taking lots of photos so that we could see them later.I would not recommend trying to go somewhere else on the same day as you will not get enough time at Port Arthur. I believe you could easily spend a couple of days there and not take it all in, including the Island of the Dead. The site may be small but there is so much to see and digest, and for a place of so much misery it is absolutely beautiful. Try to maximise your day there. There is not a lot in Bernie although there is a quaint little museum that is worth a look and there is a little town near by called Penguin that is also worth seeing

You could easily do the Port Arthur tour yourself. It is very easy to negotiate the settlement and with maps from the tourist centre, you will know exactly where you are.

The other places you mentioned on the tour are definitely worth going. I think if you are happy with a Cook's tour of P.A. Then do the ship tour n get in the other places. If you really want to see P.A., and this is your desired destination. Do it yourself and have the full day there.

I live that entire region of Tassie, (grew up in N.W. Tassie) so would re come do the spots.

As for Burnie. Great fish n chip cafe on the water front. Worth a self drive on the foodies tour that they have. (Will dig up the link!) roads are very quiet and safe.

The raspberry farm on the way to launny & An ars choccie a are worth the drive! Penguin us a pretty little town too! :)

*Anvars chocolates

http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/what-to-do/food-and-drink

http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/what-to-do/self-drive

http://www.raspberryfarmcafe.com

http://mapoftassietours.com.au/tour-tasmania/food-and-wine-tours/north-west-tasmania-gourmet-delights/

https://australianwildharvest.com.au/

Hope some of these help.

I appreciate the destination is important, but with Tassie, the view and countryside from the bus / car is equally worth doing :)

If Port Arthur is a port stop... it means you will be tendering at Port Arthur. Honestly, save your money. You will be getting on the tender and getting dropped off right at the settlement. The cost of entry will be in your cruise fare and you just get off the tender and you are there. Wander around and soak up the history. They will be providing tour guides to wander around too, so just tag along. It is a fascinating place. As for those other places in the tour that you mentioned..... really they are not that wonderful. To pay those sort of prices for a few scenic shots..... outrageous.

If you want to do a tour do the "Behind the Scenes" one that was mentioned. Much better.

Enjoy your trip to beautiful Tasmania.

I agree with the recommendation to do the behind the scenes tour at Port Arthur if it is offered. Try for the first tour of the day to get an early tender ashore. After that DIY and wander around the site. My barbecue lunch was on the lawn with sensibly priced wine or beer and cooked as you ordered hamburgers or steak sandwiches - not gourmet but fresh and an unbeatable setting. The Princess BTS. Tour included interaction with on site curators and the early start was a bonus.

As noted in the live/blog below, we got off of the Celebrity Solstice in February, doing lots including one day in Hobart where we did a private tour for our Central Ohio group of 14 that included Port Arthur, a short stop in Richmond and the Wildlife Park. Lots in one day, but it worked very well. Great experience and scenic area. Interesting history at Port Arthur. See more below on the full live/blog report, including lots of pictures from these various stops in Tasmania, etc.

The Wall Street Journal this week had a nice story on Tasmania. The headline was: "Tasmania, the Next Foodie Destination". The sub-head included: "Australian island produces flavorful fruits and heritage. And now it has chefs who make local ingredients shine".

Among the WSJ story highlights were: "Australia's only island state is often overlooked in favor of splashy sights like Sydney or the outback. Tasmania is countrified and slow-paced; accepted wisdom likens it to Britain in the 1950s. Certainly, it has a throwbackish charm, with low buildings and wide-open spaces. One facet of life here, though, is a distinct departure from ration-strapped postwar England: the food. Imagine slabs of perfectly marbled steak from traditional cattle breeds, stone fruits picked from local orchards, sweet wild scallops plucked out of clean, ice-cold waters. Tony Scherer, who raises heirloom vegetables in Tasmania, sees stronger parallels between the island today and California in the 1970s. The focus is generally on quality rather than quantity."

WINE?: "The island's 200 vineyards produced less than 1% of Australia's total wine output by volume in 2013; Tasmanian vintages, however, comprised at least a quarter of the country's 'A' grade wines. In the seafood industry adheres to the Japanese practice of ike jime. The point is to catch and kill fish as quickly and painlessly as possible, thereby preventing stress hormones from tainting the flesh. It was challenging to lure even the most die-hard foodies to this garden of eating. 'Tasmania was widely known for having the best produce in the nation, but the worst chefs,' explained local food writer Matthew Evans. That changed with the establishment of new farm-to-table restaurants and cooking schools around the state."

Our time during our cruise stop in Hobart was limited, but we got a small sample of food there. Very good. Need to go back. Not sure all can check this article as the Journal has a pay wall on some stories. I'm a regular subscriber. Let me know if you need more details on this story from the WSJ.

Full story at:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304441304579480040563522048?mg=reno64-wsj

Continue to enjoy the Duke and Duchess touring in Australia. Plus, the cute young prince. HAPPY EASTER!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 53,374 views for this fun posting.

Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback and links! We are torn between doing a 1 week cruise with the Hobart, PA, and Burnie stops OR simply going to Tasmania for a week and renting a car.

Terry---you are also are solely "responsible" for peaking our interest in Kangaroo Island! Our down-under trip is getting bigger all the time. :)

Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback and links! We are torn between doing a 1 week cruise with the Hobart, PA, and Burnie stops OR simply going to Tasmania for a week and renting a car. Terry---you are also are solely "responsible" for peaking our interest in Kangaroo Island! Our down-under trip is getting bigger all the time. :)

Hi, Jody and Judy!! Glad to be such a "guilty party". I willingly accept such "blame"! YES, Kangaroo Island is totally awesome. Really special. One of the most unique parts of the world. Don't miss it. We also had super experiences with what we did in and around Cairns, including the rainforest and our day's air charter out to Lizard Island in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. Hobart, Port Arthur, the Wildlife Park were very, very nice. BUT, K.I. and the Reef areas are in a special category. Let me know any added questions or needs. Just post on my live/blog site and I will catch it sooner, be able to respond more quickly.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 140,856 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

As it's shaping up, the general plan is

About 1 week Cairns/Port Douglas, GBR (early November)

Nov 12: 13 night Sun Princess, Sydney-NZ

2 weeks dedicated to Sydney, KI, Adelaide, Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

1 week Tasmania (Princess, Dec 9 out of Sydney or DIY land... not sure now!)

Thanks everyone for your help!

We went to Tasmania on a Princess ship two years ago. First of all, I was amazed at the many free shuttle busses and volunteers that helped us in the ports around Australia and in NZ. We were very impressed.

First day in Hobart, we just walked around on our own to get a feel of the place and took a night tour to the Bonorong nature center.

The second day, we took the ship sponsored bus with narration to Port Arthur. The tour guides on situ were provided by Port Arthur. I did not know much about this penal colony, so the information was welcome. A boat tour was included. We spent a perfectly sunny afternoon walking around on our own, checking out some of the houses, and sitting on a bench with a beautiful view of the valley.

We prefer ship tours whenever a destination is far from port and Port Arthur was a 2 (?) bus bus ride.

Burnie provided free shuttle busses to the artist's center where they offered a lot of private tours. We opted out of that, walked back to town along the sea shore, meandered around the small town and took the downtown shuttle bus back to the ship. All the Burnie excursion and the ship's excursion busses came back very late.

As it's shaping up, the general plan is

 

About 1 week Cairns/Port Douglas, GBR (early November)

Nov 12: 13 night Sun Princess, Sydney-NZ

2 weeks dedicated to Sydney, KI, Adelaide, Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

1 week Tasmania (Princess, Dec 9 out of Sydney or DIY land... not sure now!)

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

Have fun :)

Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback and links! We are torn between doing a 1 week cruise with the Hobart, PA, and Burnie stops OR simply going to Tasmania for a week and renting a car.

 

Terry---you are also are solely "responsible" for peaking our interest in Kangaroo Island! Our down-under trip is getting bigger all the time. :)

KI is worth it, almost a must do for international tourists. Up there with Sydney, Great Barrier reef and Uluru.:D