Private Hobart to Cradle Mountain Day Trip - Flexible Dates
Duration:
Operated By:
** This particular iteration is for flexible dates, and for small groups. Every date is open and possible, but needs to be checked first and confirmed against other tours and available resources **
Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park is a jewel in the crown of Tasmanian natural beauty and wonder.
A slight problem for many however is accessibility, especially from Hobart.
Sure, it is an early start as we depart at 6am but you take only what you need for the day – no extra accommodation or packing required.
We offer you and your group a return trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain National Park with:
- up to five hours inside the National Park – plenty of time to complete one of the challenging hikes up to Marions Lookout or Hansons Peak, or to walk the Dove Lake Circuit, visit Waldheim or the beautiful Enchanted Forest walk.
- Park entry and shuttle bus ticket
- Transport in an executive class bus, 11 passenger capacity, multiple phone charging (byo cord) climate control, reclining seats and plenty of luggage space.
- Morning stop in Deloraine for breakfast at Mamma Buzz café – one the best in Tasmania, and then
- Empire Hotel for dinner on the return leg.
- Trail mix – this should do you for midday sustenance, or bring an apple/banana
- Depart 6am – Sunrise show heading north through rural Tasmania.
- Sunset show on the return trip – arriving back in Hobart approximately 9pm.
Imagine a relaxing drive to the park, headphones on or snoozing, beautiful countryside passing by, and then five hours inside the National Park – enough quality hiking and trail time, exploring and experiencing Cradle Mountain, Dove Lake and the stunning National Park that exists to protect this natural wonder.
This means that the bed you wake up from can be the bed you sleep in that night, and you only have to take what you need for the day. It is a big day out, but no bigger than a regular workday and an evening function or activity.
Why travel and spend the day with us?
Over the past few years, I have taken groups to Cradle Mountain for day trips on behalf of other companies whilst I also focused on my own tours and experiences along the Derwent River and surrounding areas. It is not an easy place to get to from Hobart, often being a day stop on a much larger trip. But here is the thing…
I have lots of energy, I love driving, and I believe a big day ex-Hobart is an efficient way to step into natural beauty and make the most out of a single day.
My goal is to make this a viable weekly day trip that travelers can rely upon.
Safety.
Weather conditions on the day will be absolutely top of mind, and the fact that conditions can change quickly will be discussed. We are not a walking, hiking or guiding service, and while we carry the necessary public liability insurances, we primarily offer this as a transport service for you to access Cradle Mountain National Park from Hobart.
The Driver / Guide will guide you to the head of the Trail at Dove Lake, and make sure that all options are unmistakably clear. You then walk on at your own pace. It is absolutely paramount that individuals who choose their own trails return at the designated time so that group can leave together on time, and we all get back to Hobart at a reasonable hour – no later than 10 pm (earlier if possible)
Share:

Lovely seeing Wombats up front close and personal. Though our tour guide was late in the morning (thus running a bit overtime at the end); he made it up to us with free coffee and the trip still went smoothly and fantastically. Very importantly, glad he's safe.
Waking up early in the morning for this was so worth it!






Good bits:
- Early start and hotel pickup
- Breakfast break
- Overall, first part of the day was pleasant
Now the not so good bits:
- Sam has no care for the passengers, driving 128-132km/h where the speed limit is 100-110km (see picture attached)
- We almost got into an accident 3 times, because of speed and inability to stop in time at the roundabout, or when joining the main roads. Some other drivers even beeped at him.
- Super rushed day, the enchanted walk that is 1km, took a few minutes as he walked at a really fast pace.
- For Dove Lake and Rooney Creek we got 3hrs and 30 mins. When we got to near the end of the walk (we hadn't yet reached the end), he was already approaching us because there were 5 more minutes left and we were not at the meeting point 😑). 3.5hrs for all of that, if you are not someone that goes hiking a lot it is far from enough time to enjoy it. My partner and I are not out of shape and still had to rush, and had no time for stops on the trail
- If you have any sort of health issues and require to have a front view (travel sickness), he will question the seriousness of it and make you feel guilty about it. I know how to manage my travel sickess well with precautions, hence why I can take trips such as this because I usually have companies that are understanding and accomodating. Sadly this was not the experience we had. To explain, we were the last ones picked up in the morning and the only seats left were with him at the front (great, because I can manage my sickness by being in the front seat of a car with a full window view). When we were due to return to our hotels, he said he wants to shuffle the seats around, I then explained about my travel sickness and was questioned, quote "Really!?" in a sarcastic tone. He became confrontational and proceeded to make me feel guilty and like an inconvenience. He said that it's not fair on the others because we had front seats on the way there (which was out of our control even if this wasn't the case, I would have raised my concerns then). After much dispute, he continued to protest that it's unfair on everyone else. I was made to feel so bad in front of others in the group to the point that I had to give in, and I said that if he will move me to the back, then I at least need to know before we eat, so I don't have food on the way back in case it makes me feel unwell or makes me sick. Others in the group approached me following the conversation and expressed their disagreement with how I was being treated and checked to see if I was okay, which I really appreciated.
We then get back on the bus and he left it as it was, and we remained at the front, but it felt extremely awkward following what had just happened. Then after we had the dinner stop off he insisted that everyone moves seats and moved me to the seat right at the back, which I had previously told him is not good for me and my health. When he was informing other passengers that they need to move seats I could clearly see that I wasn't the only one having an issue with the seat shuffling. Unfortunately, Sam couldn't care less and did it anyway making a very uncomfortable 2 1/2 hour journey back to the hotel, alongside erratic driving. It was extremely distressing to be made to feel in such a way that I did. There was a complete lack of compassion for health issues and it's sad that the trip was ruined due to Sam's attitude on the second half of the day.




mountain which is incredible. this is my favorite thing i did in tasmania and so glad there is a tour that allows you to see cradle
mountain as a day trip from hobart

Sam is such a caring and generous tour guide, and his passion for the country is infectious! He made the long drive to and from Hobart feel manageable, including fun stops for good food and seeing cows up close! Also, the weather wasn’t looking great when we reached the mountain, so Sam gave me a waterproof jacket to wear on the walk – so thoughtful!
I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to explore Cradle Mountain, but doesn’t have access to a car to travel there themselves (coordinating the travel with Sam was a breeze and he is very responsive to messages). Thanks again for the amazing time, Sam 😊
Sam has put together a smooth and well executed day trip from Hobart, with breakfast and dinner stopovers in places that easily makes some of the best food in Tassie. His passion for showing Cradle Mountain shines through during the tour and it's hard-pressed to find someone more passionate about Tasmania, and his warm personality makes the drive at both ends of the tour so much better.
Thank you so much for the experience Sam.









Even being far away Sam left us enough time to enjoy that wonderful mountain and its landscapes. I also met wonderful people on this tour with very good vibes. I will never forget this day, thank you Sam for making me and many other people happy, I will be eternally grateful to you.




Great driver, awesome guide, genuine experience. 11 of us all up filled the van. A very comfortable ride to Cradle Mountain, with frequent stops along the way. Loved it, loved it, loved it.


Yana & Mira

Cradle Mountain is fabulous. We took the hike around Dove Lake in 2.5 hours.
There are multiple trails of varying difficulty. We encountered very few people on the trail, it’s peaceful and beautiful.


From my initial contact with Sam to meeting him in person, his genuine passion and knowledge of Tasmania combined with his professional yet personable approach was such a pleasure. Sam guided me through our entire experience in planning, understanding my requirements and general vibe then tailoring an itinerary specific for us - Sam nailed it.
On our tours, Sam became part of our team. He knew my guest's names, engaged with us and all of the attractions that he took us to were outstanding and uniquely Tasmanian. Sam made the experience, seamless and truly enjoyable.
I highly recommend The Derwent Experience for future corporate or social groups visiting Tasmania.


He knew lots of interesting photo spots like great lake and ox farm. He was very friendly and explained everything about the tour(ETA, route, what's good at there) and answered every question we asked.
We were not native English speakers so we're not used to Aussie accents, but Sam spoke to us with clear accent and slowly so that we can understand well. The cradle mountain was so beautiful and wombats were so cute!
Thanks a lot, Sam. It was really lucky to meet you as our tour guide.

He found us two guides willing to commit very long days with us, Cradle Mountain is quite the drive, and our guide for Freycinet showed us spots we didn’t know existed but we’re so happy he took the time to show us. They both also taught us so much about Tasmania and made sure we saw and experienced all that we wanted. The tours were truly incredible! Sam really organized two amazing tours in such a short period of time. Would book again and again, and fell in love with Tasmania.
Even though we had a long drive from Hobart, we were still able to spend enough time at Cradle mountain. We also got even more than advertised. We stopped at the Great Lake lookout for a nice view, a farm area to see an ox, and a secluded area at night to see the milky way galaxy! Great job on the tour Sam!



Great variety showcasing Tasmania’s produce
Gorgeous countryside
Wonderful people
Prompt, casual well managed trip

Recommended, Sue and Rob



We got on our way after picking up the last few guests and made very good time to Cradle Mountain with a couple of rest stops on the way. During our journey to Cradle Mountain and back Sam would enlighten us with information and history of Tasmania as we passed landmarks such as the Derwent Bridge, the sustainable logging areas, etc. So we also had an educational perspective to support the beautiful scenery.
Our first stop was a toilet stop at a beautiful historical forest site where Sam gave us some Tassie apples that were so sweet and refreshing.
We then stopped in at Mamma Bee’s cafe in Deloraine where a morning coffee and an egg and bacon roll with home made tomato relish hit the spot and fuelled us up for the day ahead. It was worth noting that the cafe’s sausage rolls looked amazing and were the size of a baby’s forearm and in hindsight I wish I grabbed one.
Onwards to Cradle Mountain and we did one more quick stop to meet Hercules the highland cow and Junior Hercules who was so cute.
When we reached Cradle Mountain, Sam was well prepared. He had extra raincoats of the tour group needed them, he sorted out our park entry and shuttle passes, parked the shuttle, and took us on the Enchanted Walk trail which was a 20 minute walk. We saw wombats and wallabies and drank the purest water ever straight from the Mountain stream.
Sam then took us up to the Dove Lake shuttle stop, took our group to the Information Centre and explained the various hiking route options that were available, as well as his route recommendations based on the weather conditions and the experience of the group members.
Sam then took our group to the Dove Lake Boat Shed for a group pic and then let us loose for 4 hours of doing our own thing. We hiked to Marion’s Lookout via the Wombat Pool and had a brilliant view over Cradle Mountain despite the wet weather and the hike was totally worth it. We then made our way back to the rendezvous point with time to spare and enjoyed some mulled wine and an open fire.
Once the tour group reassembled we the headed back to Hobart, stopping at the bush Inn Brewhouse in Deloraine for a lovely country pub style meal where our group bonded over our day together. Sam also had additional blankets and towels if anyone was feeling cold.
Sam had us all back at our hotels safe and sound by 9pm and his driving was as safe as houses. Thank you once again Sam and The Derwent Experience for a truly wonderful experience. This was the highlight of our Tassie trip and we will see you again when we return. I highly recommend and rate The Derwent Experience and note that it is the only day trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain and back.



We will definetly book a tour with Sam in the future if we visit Hobart again. Thanks Sam, we had a great weekend!




I can’t believe Sam (owner) made wine tasting tours a FAMILY-FRIENDLY one! He accommodated our request to bring along with us our kids since we also want them to enjoy the sceneries and the vineyards. Of course, they can’t have wines - Sam went above and beyond by making sure kids get busy also by bringing some color pads, crayons and other activities that our kids can enjoy.
Sam has been so helpful eversince I inquired about their services down to the day of our tour. He shared to us further what we can do at Hobart during the rest of our stay. If I had known that he offered other tour services other than the wine tastings, we would’ve had him the entire duration of our stay! ✨
Thank you, Sam!





You can tell that Sam is fiercely proud of Tassie & has genuine enthusiastism in showing off the area. He was present in the moment & invested in getting to know us travellers. His commentary about points of interest was engaging, unlike some guides who (from my experience) sound like they're reciting a shopping list. He struck the perfect balance between quiet time & conversations.
We felt very well taken care of throughout the entire journey. We had comfort stops as well as brekky & dinner at local eateries. Someone in our group even had a sore throat & Sam kept checking on her. The vehicle is new & spacious, which made the long journey seem shorter.
If you're still not convinced, trust me that this will be a highlight of your travels. Dedicating my only full day in Tassie to this tour is the best travel decision I've made so far.








This a great day trip from Hobart.
The drive was great. Sam our tour guide and owner of the business was very friendly Stops on the way there and on return made the trip seem shorter.
Stops for breakfast and Dinner were excellent.
This is the only day trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain and it was so enjoyable.
I highly recommend this day with Derwent Experience.


I also planned a tour to Tasmania and where I really wanted to go was Cradle Mountain. So I was looking the tours up from Hobart, but I couldn't find a tour from and back to Hobart at all. But finally I found the day tour of The Derwent Experience. I had to change my whole schedule for this trip and I upset few people, but I am telling you it was all worth it!!!!!
Sam from The Derwent Experience is great and the experience climbing up this mountain was incredible!
Sam picked us up from our hotel, we were a nice small group and the tour bus is very comfortable.
Everything is well planned and the stops for breakfast and dinner are very nice!
Sam came with us to climb the mountain he pushed us through up to the top!
It was Amazing!!!!!
thank you so much Sam, this day will always be one of my highlights in my life!




I also loved the stops for breakfast and dinner where a table was reserved and we got in touch and exchanged our experiences.
I absolutely recommend this trip with Sam out from Hobart.

Sam is knowledgeable about not only Tassie food and drink, but also the local history. The tour was informative, fun and delicious.
The wonderful Tasmanians you meet along the way really make this tour a wonderful experience.


Wish I could give you more than 5 stars- thank you for an amazing day.







