The Tasman Peninsula presents activities for every kind of outdoor explorer. Marvel at dramatic landscapes over coffee and quick out-and-ins of your car. Or embark on some of Australia’s most epic hikes.
Note: To help with the planning, we have included estimates for how long you’ll need at every stop. Each thing to do can be ticked off quicker or slower, though.
1. Get high on views and caffeine at Tasman National Park Lookout
Duration: 10 minutes
The ultimate beginning of your adventure, Tasman National Park Lookout perches high above Eaglehawk Neck, the tiny land strip linking the Tasman Peninsula with the rest of Tasmania. Stop to absorb the quintessential overview of what is to come, including the undulating sea, forested capes and unusual rock features. Handily located by the overlook, a silvery caravan named Cubed Espresso Bar contributes to the scene with caffeine and sweets.
2. Wonder at the pattern of the Tessellated Pavement
Duration: 20 minutes
This inter-tidal siltstone platform is nature at its most unexpected. Its mind-boggling surface, resulting from ancient stresses in the Earth’s crust and powerful erosion, looks tiled or, perhaps, like a giant chessboard.
Survey the pattern from above from the track right below the car park. Typically, the formation shifts from pan-like, furthest from the sea, to loaf-like, at the water’s edge.
Strolling along the cliff edge for five minutes takes you to a wooden staircase. It leads down to sea level, where close-ups of the rock and the local marine wildlife await — crabs frequent the cracks between the blocks.
Tip: Visit around low tide to see the pavement in its full glory.
3. Imagine being trapped behind the Dog Line at the Officers’ Quarters Museum
Duration: 30 minutes
From the 1830s to the 1870s, the narrow isthmus of Eaglehawk Neck was occupied by a military settlement making sure no convicts could leave the Tasman Peninsula, home to the Port Arthur settlement. Park your car and enter the small Officers Quarters Museum, in the namesake 1832 building, to learn the essential facts. Then, go for a short walk to find a chained bronze dog marking the spot of the famed Dog Line, which used to consist of up to 18 ferocious animals on the watch for escapees. Would you have made it through?
4. Be hypnotized by water pushing through the Blowhole
Duration: 20 minutes
Seeing and hearing the ocean thump its way through the Blowhole is a mesmerizing experience culminating with a forceful spray. The higher the tide and bigger the swell, the more overwhelming the show. Top it off with the adjacent Fossil Bay Lookout, offering equally appreciated coastal vistas regardless of conditions.
5. Inspect the Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen
Duration: 20 minutes
These two geological highlights shaped by heavy wave action are conveniently situated within a five-minute walk of each other. Peek at the surging sea between the sides of the Tasman Arch before looking down the hair-raisingly sheer drops of Devil’s Kitchen (not a restaurant but a gulch).
For a rewarding extension, consider the 1.5-h out-and-back hike or bumpy 10-minute drive to Waterfall Bay Lookout, named after its after-rain cascades.
6. Go down the stairs for a truly Remarkable Cave
Duration: 20 minutes
Soak up the scenery as you leisurely navigate the boardwalk and 115 steps leading down to Remarkable Cave, occasionally stopping to snap pictures. At the bottom, a viewing platform allows visitors to gaze through the tunnel-like sandstone cave, still getting sculptured by the pounding sea. Focus your eyes at the end of the cave for a truly remarkable twist — a near-perfect silhouette of Tasmania.
Not everyone excited about the stairs? Maingon Bay Lookout, within metres of the car park, is an excellent place to hang out.
7. Drop into quirky Doo Town
Duration: 5 minutes
There’s absolutely nothing to do in snoozy Doo Town — apart from embracing the local’s quirky humour. As you drive through, look for signs playfully alluding to the town’s name. Our favorites include the “dooghouse” and “Dr Doolittle”.
8. Tick off a rarity at Tasmanian Devil Unzoo
Duration: 2 hours
You won’t get a better opportunity to see the beloved Tasmanian devil, characterized by its intimidating gape and growls. On an unfenced property, Tasmanian Devil Unzoo hosts educational wildlife presentations, including a live feeding, with the star attraction, plus other animals like kangaroos and birds of the bush. The devil, relative to size, has one of the planet’s strongest bites — you better keep those dainty fingers away.
9. Refuel at colourful Port Arthur Lavender
Duration: 1 hour
When it’s time to power up, treat yourself to a meal with unique flavours at Port Arthur Lavender. Options range from lavender pancakes, lavender ice cream and scones with lavender cream to lavender hot chocolate and lavender latte, on top of more traditional restaurant items, ensuring no one goes hungry. Relish the feast outside or inside at a table facing the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the (in summer) enchantingly purple lavender gardens gorgeously backdropped by Long Bay.
Crown your visit by checking out the well-stocked gift shop, showcasing the many different products you can make with lavender.
10. Contemplate the earliest colonial days at Port Arthur
Duration: 5 hours
Step into the gripping lives of the convicts at Port Arthur, a World Heritage-listed penal site comprising over 30 buildings and ruins. Although the lapping bay, vivid gardens, and flanking forest put a smile on your face, visitors quickly understand why it was called ‘Hell on Earth’ during its operation from 1833 to 1877.
The entry ticket includes a self-guided experience delving into stirring chapters, like the eerie 136-cell Penitentiary and even more disturbing Separate Prison, used for psychological punishment. Free guide-led talks focusing on different points of interest and a short harbour cruise closing in on the offshore Isle of the Death add further depth.
There are also a few complementing tours available at an extra cost.
11. Don your hiking shoes for Cape Hauy
Duration: 4 hours
Among the Tasman Peninsula’s three famous capes, Cape Hauy requires the least of your time. Start the 9.4 km, 4-hour (return) hike on the soft shoreline of Fortescue Bay and ascend inland through dry sclerophyll forest and heathland before tackling a series of steps leading down and up as the track opens up for the cape. At the turning point, breathtaking cliffs crashing into the ocean make up for every drop of sweat. Except for fellow hikers, you might spot daredevil climbers taking on the iconic Totem Pole and The Candlestick stacks.
12. Behold magnificent Cape Raoul
Duration: 5 hours
Be spellbound by Cape Raoul’s unparalleled collection of dolerite columns protruding 300 metres from the seafloor. You reach them via a 14-km, 5-h out-and-back track, which first leads higher through an idyllic stretch of eucalyptus forest, then, after the teasing Cape Raoul Lookout, descends along the coast towards the escarpment’s tip.
You’ll be pulled to the edge by the end-of-the-world-like formations and local population of seals that can be spotted at sea level. However, keep in mind that the winds are treacherous, warranting an extra safety margin.
Some hikers detour to see Shipstern Bluff, an infamous surfing spot with huge waves and great white sharks.
13. Become one with the peninsula on a multi-day Three Capes expedition
Duration: 4 days
To immerse yourself in the Tasman Peninsula, the official Three Capes Track (which, ironically, only includes two of the three capes) is the big-ticket item. Sign up to experience 48 km of hiking, conquering Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy and spending three nights in isolated cabins en route. You’ll have the time to fully appreciate the southern hemisphere’s tallest sea cliffs and get close to the local wildlife, from wallabies, pademelons and echidnas on the ground to sea eagles overhead.
Choosing the best activities on the Tasman Peninsula
The Tasman Peninsula boasts a unique mix of dramatic coastal scenery, convict history and outdoor adventures. Some highlights are quick roadside viewpoints, while others reward visitors willing to spend hours exploring. Use this guide to decide which attractions deserve a place on your itinerary.
Best for quick coastal viewpoints
- Tasman National Park Lookout offers panoramic views over the peninsula’s rugged cliffs and the wild Tasman Sea — the ideal starting point to appreciate the coastline.
- The Tessellated Pavement is one of Tasmania’s most unusual natural features — a flat rock platform fractured into striking tile-like patterns, best viewed at low tide.
- The Blowhole delivers dramatic ocean sprays when the tide is high, and the surrounding cliffs make a stop extra memorable.
- Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen reveal the raw power of the sea, with a natural stone arch and a deep chasm carved by relentless waves.
- Remarkable Cave can be reached via a short, steep walk, rewarding visitors with a huge sea cave that frames the ocean beyond.
Best for history buffs
- Port Arthur Historic Site is the peninsula’s standout attraction, offering an atmospheric insight into Tasmania’s convict past.
- The Dog Line at the Officers’ Quarters Museum tells a fascinating story of how chained dogs were used to stop convicts escaping the peninsula.
Best for local experiences
- Doo Town adds a touch of whimsy to the peninsula, with its seaside shacks named in playful “doo”-themed fashion.
- The Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is one of the most engaging ways to see the island’s iconic carnivorous marsupials up close.
- Port Arthur Lavender offers a relaxed break with its fragrant gardens, local products and a café perfect for a leisurely pause.
Best for adventurers
- Cape Hauy rewards hikers with dramatic cliff-top views and towering dolerite sea stacks.
- Cape Raoul is slightly less crowded than Cape Hauy but equally spectacular, offering sweeping coastal vistas.
- The Three Capes Track is Tasmania’s premier multi-day hike, tracing some of the highest sea cliffs in Australia for unforgettable scenery.
In case you wonder…
The Three Capes Track is a premier walk ideally enjoyed over multiple days. If you’re after something shorter, consider the spectacular half-day hikes to Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul.
Many of our favourite things to do on the Tasman Peninsula are right on the way from Hobart to Port Arthur. Tasman National Park Lookout, Tessellated Pavement, the Dog Line at the Officers Quarters Museum, Tasmanian Devil Unzoo and Porth Arthur Lavender add next to no extra travel time.
We suggest getting your morning coffee at Cubes Espresso Bar on the slopes above Eaglehawk Neck, then stopping for lunch (and browsing the loaded shop) at Port Arthur Lavender.
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