Port Arthur Visit

[swdke]

Hi, I have a question regarding the Port Arthur Gold Pass option. I see that the Gold Pass covers "everything." I only have 1 day, but I am interested in doing everything that the Gold Pass covers.

 

Here's what the Gold Pass offers per the Port Arthure website:

 

Access to more than thirty historic buildings, ruins and gardens

Introduction to Port Arthur walking tou

Isle of the Dead tour (incorporating a Harbour Cruise)

Point Puer tour

Audio tour

Lunch on-site at the Museum Coffee Shop or Port Café

Morning and afternoon tea

 

In order to do all these activities, how many hours do I need to allocate for my one day? Or, what time do I need to arrive, or what is a good time to arrive, to begin seeing/doing all the Gold Pass options, and about what time in the afternoon can I expect to complete my day?

 

The reason I request this information is because I only have the one day, I like the Gold Pass options, I'll be driving from Hobart, and I need to figure what time I need to depart Hobart, and about what time can I expect to be back at hobart.

 

Thank you.

[mochuck]

I would keep your options open and not buy the Gold Pass. There is the Tasmanian Devil Nature Park on the way or way back that you might want to visit. I really don't think Port Arthur is worth a whole day.

 

Certainly go there and book a tour but forget about the islands. The food there is very ordinary and overpriced. I would plan to go to the Tasmanian Devil Park on the way and also have some lunch somewhere on the way and then go to Port Arthur for a short tour in the afternoon.

 

Or go straight there and have lunch on the way back and visit the Tasmanian Devil Park. There are also some remarkable natural feautres to look at in the area http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/TASEaglehawkNeck.shtml

[swdke]

I would keep your options open and not buy the Gold Pass. There is the Tasmanian Devil Nature Park on the way or way back that you might want to visit. I really don't think Port Arthur is worth a whole day.

 

Certainly go there and book a tour but forget about the islands. The food there is very ordinary and overpriced. I would plan to go to the Tasmanian Devil Park on the way and also have some lunch somewhere on the way and then go to Port Arthur for a short tour in the afternoon.

 

Or go straight there and have lunch on the way back and visit the Tasmanian Devil Park. There are also some remarkable natural feautres to look at in the area http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/TASEaglehawkNeck.shtml

 

mochuck, thank you for your information. I think I will not go with the Gold Pass and try something with more flexibilty.

 

Thanks for the information on teh Tasmanian Devil park, and link and information on Eaglehawk area, I plan to visit these sights and park too.

 

Regarding the islands, why do you say to skip? Thanks.

[Janevo]

swdke - Steve, are you doing this one day trip from a cruise? I have looked at bookings on the day our cruise goes to Tasmania, and except for the 9am tours (when I guess its too early for all the tour buses to have arrived from the port) all others seem totally boked up for that day. Just wondering if you had looked at that, and if a cruise is there, if that means all places are usually booked out by them (I'd guess Port Arthur is a pretty popular tour from the cruise).

 

Can I ask others, is a tour necessary, or is DIY with a book /audio also good?

[swdke]

swdke - Steve, are you doing this one day trip from a cruise? I have looked at bookings on the day our cruise goes to Tasmania, and except for the 9am tours (when I guess its too early for all the tour buses to have arrived from the port) all others seem totally boked up for that day. Just wondering if you had looked at that, and if a cruise is there, if that means all places are usually booked out by them (I'd guess Port Arthur is a pretty popular tour from the cruise).

 

Can I ask others, is a tour necessary, or is DIY with a book /audio also good?

 

Janevo, no, actually I am not on a cruise. But, this forum is always a great and wondeful source of information, I thought I'd go ahead and post here anyhow, and hopefully any replies might help others too. From what I've read, Port Arthur does seem to be a highly popular place to visit, so I figured I'd like to check it out too. However, I only have a day, and so I am trying to learn all I can in order to work out the logistics of the day. Thanks for replying. Steve

[talyanka]

Port Arthur is an interesting place and if you time is not limited you can spend a day there. We had limited time so we had to cut our visit to 2.5 hours. That was enough to visit most of the ruins of old buildings and go for the cruise around the islands. During this cruise we were introduced into Port Arthur history. We didn’t have time for land tour as it moved with a very slow pace. You don’t need special tickets to visit most of the buildings on the site and you can buy only entrance ticket or add a half an hour cruise. It didn’t look that you can see a lot on the islands but you can actually get on and off from the boat if you wish.

We didn’t go to Port Arthur with a ship tour as it was cancelled. We met our friends in Hobart and they took us there and to Tasmanian Devil Park and showed some other interesting places along the coast.

[mochuck]

Mainly, I just thought the islands were a bit boring