Tasman wildlife vs bonorong park

For those had been to both parks, which one is better?

Our ship is scheduled to stop at Hobart (just hope she will make it there). We are trying to come up with a tour to see the best of the area. We asked for Port Arthur and Bonorong (on the same tour), the company stated Bonorong and Port Arthur is very distance to each others to do both therefore we might have to re-consider either one of those below.

1. FULL DAY - Port Arthur with Tasman Wildlife Park

2. Mt. Wellington + Bonorong Wildlife Park

Per this board Bonorong is closer and we can see all Australian animals here.

The tour company said Tasman Wildlife Park is closer to Port Arthur and we can see the same animals there.

Please give me your opinions.

Thank you.

For those had been to both parks, which one is better?

Our ship is scheduled to stop at Hobart (just hope she will make it there). We are trying to come up with a tour to see the best of the area. We asked for Port Arthur and Bonorong (on the same tour), the company stated Bonorong and Port Arthur is very distance to each others to do both therefore we might have to re-consider either one of those below.

 

1. FULL DAY - Port Arthur with Tasman Wildlife Park

2. Mt. Wellington + Bonorong Wildlife Park

 

Per this board Bonorong is closer and we can see all Australian animals here.

 

The tour company said Tasman Wildlife Park is closer to Port Arthur and we can see the same animals there.

Please give me your opinions.

 

Thank you.

Hi ChattTen

We did the Bonorong - MONA wine tasting trip from HAL, the Bonorong part of the trip was great we loved feeding the kangaroos and seeing the Tazmainian Devils.

We then went to Richmond where they have one of the oldest Goals in Tasmania, we would have loved to have looked around it but we didn't have time.

The MONA part of the trip was to include lunch, the guide said that it would be worthwhile while in Richmond to grab something to eat at the Bakery, very good pies! The MONA lunch would be very light, just cheese, meats and pickles so something more substantial would be needed. We did as she advised and were pleased we did.

The art Gallery at MONA was available to visit if you wanted but you would need to pay for entry and then find your own way back to the ship. The wines were not to our liking at all so we were disappointed with that part of the tour.

If we had a chance again we would have preferred to do the Port Arthur visit, being British anyway, to see what our ancestors did there.

We thought the excursions on the ship to be expensive, there might be less expensive options available to you on other web sites etc.

Regards

G

Hi ChattTen

 

We did the Bonorong - MONA wine tasting trip from HAL, the Bonorong part of the trip was great we loved feeding the kangaroos and seeing the Tazmainian Devils.

 

We then went to Richmond where they have one of the oldest Goals in Tasmania, we would have loved to have looked around it but we didn't have time.

 

The MONA part of the trip was to include lunch, the guide said that it would be worthwhile while in Richmond to grab something to eat at the Bakery, very good pies! The MONA lunch would be very light, just cheese, meats and pickles so something more substantial would be needed. We did as she advised and were pleased we did.

 

The art Gallery at MONA was available to visit if you wanted but you would need to pay for entry and then find your own way back to the ship. The wines were not to our liking at all so we were disappointed with that part of the tour.

 

If we had a chance again we would have preferred to do the Port Arthur visit, being British anyway, to see what our ancestors did there.

 

We thought the excursions on the ship to be expensive, there might be less expensive options available to you on other web sites etc.

 

Regards

 

G

Thank G for taking time to give the feed back.

The private tour company stated:

At Bonorong or Tasman Park, they all do the same thing. We also go to the historic town of Richmond and visit other natural attractions around the Port Arthur area ,.

As we are from USA and it is a very special treat to feed the kangaroo and other animals from Australia but do not want it is ONLY to do at this port. We might go with a private company who offers broader itinerary than HAL (we will be with HAL) and a little less expensive too.

We were there in Nov and went with EyeSee Tasmania Tours. They had no problem taking us to Port Arthur and the Bonorong preserve along with a stop in Port Richmond--not really much to see and a few other stops along the way. They also included a wonderful lunch before we left Port Arthur. So, it can be done, it is done all of the time. Judy and her staff were great.

We were there in Nov and went with EyeSee Tasmania Tours. They had no problem taking us to Port Arthur and the Bonorong preserve along with a stop in Port Richmond--not really much to see and a few other stops along the way. They also included a wonderful lunch before we left Port Arthur. So, it can be done, it is done all of the time. Judy and her staff were great.

We also have an excursion booked with EyeSee in March. http://www.eyeseetasmania.com.au/bonorong-wildlife-sanctuary-and-mt-field.html

We chose to do Port Arthur and the wildlife park. Both looked very interesting but we felt that Port Arthur would be something we would not see anywhere else. In our 3 weeks we saw a lot but also missed a lot. Our EyeSee tour was one of the best of our trip.

We chose to do Port Arthur and the wildlife park. Both looked very interesting but we felt that Port Arthur would be something we would not see anywhere else. In our 3 weeks we saw a lot but also missed a lot. Our EyeSee tour was one of the best of our trip.

We have 2 vans booked for our Hobart port day. Not visiting Port Arthur, but are visiting Bonorong. What was your experience there?

We chose to do Port Arthur and the wildlife park. Both looked very interesting but we felt that Port Arthur would be something we would not see anywhere else. In our 3 weeks we saw a lot but also missed a lot. Our EyeSee tour was one of the best of our trip.

What do you think about Port Arthur?. Will it worth to invest the time there?.

Our port time is very long and thought we might want to see more than just Tasmania Devil. The company we are in contacted with is highly recommended by this board also.

thanks

I'd opt Boorong, but both are good.

I am constantly amazed how much they try and cram not a day.

My 2 cents

Port Arthus is a Full Day at least and don't miss the ferry ride to the Isle of the Dead and Point Puer.

The Wikdlife Parks are at least half a day, a full day is better.

Richmond deserves half a day.

Personally if I only had a day I'd skip Mt Wellington, just not worth is.

A walk through Battery Point / Sakamanca is highly recommended, on Saturdays you also have the Salamanca Markets.

What do you think about Port Arthur?. Will it worth to invest the time there?.

 

Our port time is very long and thought we might want to see more than just Tasmania Devil. The company we are in contacted with is highly recommended by this board also.

 

thanks

I think Port Arthus is a must do if you have even the slightest interest in history.

I find the boardwalk cafe (site of the massacre in 96) spooky.

We enjoyed Port Arthur. Yes it was a bit of a drive but we had a great guide and saw a lot along the way. Port Arthur itself was very interesting, again having a great guide helps and we did. Borongo was nice, lots of animals to see up close and personal. Their staff was all around to show you things and help out. The stop in Richmond Town was no big deal but we got to get out and stretch for a few minutes. We saw another wildlife preserve in Sydney and it was pretty similar. I would not load up on these places, kind of if you have seen one, you have seen them all for me.

We chose to do Port Arthur and the wildlife park. Both looked very interesting but we felt that Port Arthur would be something we would not see anywhere else. In our 3 weeks we saw a lot but also missed a lot. Our EyeSee tour was one of the best of our trip.

Lots of good comments/sharing above and by others on this thread. Like Mr. Click, we used Our EyeSee for our private tour and did Port Arthur, plus Richmond and Bonorong. Ideally, it would been better to have had more time, but overall it worked well. Below are a few visual samples as "proof/evidence" that it can be worth making the effort to get a little away from the port to see and do more.

As noted, the history and context of Port Arthur are very important as a part of your overall Australia experience if past background is of personal interest. More pictures and details can be seen on my full live/blog as connected below.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, 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 more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 131,543 views for this posting.

From Port Arthur, the historic Tasmanian penal colony seen during our stop in Hobart, here is just one of the many views for some of the sights there. This gives an overview for a portion of this prison site. This location was nearby to the water area as the prisoners would arrive from England for this “visit”. It took six to nine months to make the journey from England to this distant part of the world.:

How can you not love seeing the Koalas up close and personal? Unlike at Kangaroo Island, we did not see this one in the wild, but here we got closer at Bonorong Wildlife Park. What a face? So, so super cute!!:

Here is one of the Tasmanian Devils with the unique identification stripe showing on its back. That stripe is like their fingerprint, different on each one, according to the park expert. Not a big creature. Didn’t get to see its teeth, but you have to admit that their names are a little scary. Don’t put your fingers too close to their teeth!:

Here is an up-close view of an emu at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. They have a fairly oily look on the tops of their heads. Not all animals are cute and perfect in their appearance!:

Here is a mother Kangaroo with the baby “Joey” in the pouch. We saw two different mothers carrying babies in their pouch.:

Here is Karen from our Central Ohio group finding a cute Kangaroo for feeding at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary with its location nearby to Hobart. And, surprise!!, this mother has an even more lovable baby in the pouch. This is getting really up close and personal.: