TASMANIA: 7 Day Southwest Wilderness Voyage
Australia
Tasmania
7 Day Southwest Wilderness Voyage
Port Davey is Tasmania’s most expedition-focused yacht destination. Protected within Southwest National Park, the Port Davey Marine Reserve and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, it is a vast landscape of rocky coast, deep harbours, mountain ranges and sheltered waterways with very limited access from the outside world.
This seven-day itinerary is fundamentally different from the shorter routes. Established yacht operators typically allocate seven days and six nights to Hobart–Port Davey expeditions, stopping first at Recherche Bay and then sailing around Tasmania’s southern tip past the Maatsuyker Islands into Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour.
- Where | Tasmania
- When | December–March
- Duration | 7 Days - 6 Nights
- Departs | Hobart to Recherche Bay
- Concludes | Hobart
Day 1: Hobart to Recherche Bay
SOUTHERN PASSAGE | RECHERCHE BAY | WILDERNESS ARRIVAL
Depart Hobart and cruise south toward Recherche Bay for the first night. Established Port Davey charters use the bay as their initial stop before making the longer passage around Tasmania’s southern coastline.
Spend the afternoon settling into expedition life with a beach visit, kayaking or a quiet evening onboard before the following day’s more exposed passage.
Day 2: Maatsuyker Islands & Port Davey
SOUTHERN OCEAN | MAATSUYKER ISLANDS | PORT DAVEY
Continue around Tasmania’s southern tip, passing the remote Maatsuyker Island group before turning toward Port Davey. This routing follows the established passage used by private Port Davey yacht expeditions.
Once inside the Port Davey system, the landscape shifts dramatically from exposed ocean to immense protected waterways framed by untouched mountains and wilderness.
Day 3: Bathurst Harbour
REMOTE WATERWAYS | KAYAKING | MOUNTAIN SCENERY
Travel deeper into Bathurst Harbour for a full day of small-boat exploration. Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour are recognised for remote paddling experiences, with tannin-darkened waterways and rugged quartzite landscapes creating an environment unlike Tasmania’s eastern cruising grounds.
Kayak into quiet inlets, explore by tender or join a guided wilderness walk before returning to the yacht for an evening far from roads and urban development.
Day 4: Melaleuca
REMOTE SETTLEMENT | WILDERNESS WALKS | BIRDLIFE
Continue toward Melaleuca, a tiny settlement in Southwest National Park popular with boat-based visitors exploring the Port Davey–Bathurst Harbour area. It also attracts birdwatchers seeking the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.
Go ashore with an experienced guide to explore the surrounding buttongrass country and learn more about the ecology and human history of this remarkably isolated part of Tasmania.
Day 5: Port Davey Exploration
HIDDEN INLETS | TENDER ADVENTURES | FLEXIBLE EXPEDITION
Dedicate an entire day to Port Davey without a fixed destination. Its sheltered bays and inlets are well suited to kayaking, fishing, bushwalking and small-boat exploration, allowing the captain and guide to choose the day’s programme according to conditions.
This flexibility is one of the route’s greatest strengths, giving guests time to explore rather than simply passing through the region.
Day 6: Southwest Coast & Recherche Bay
OCEAN PASSAGE | SOUTHERN COAST | FINAL WILDERNESS NIGHT
When a suitable weather window opens, begin the return passage along Tasmania’s southern coast, again passing the Maatsuyker region before continuing toward Recherche Bay.
Spend the final night in the south in a suitable sheltered location, allowing the captain to position the yacht appropriately for the following day’s return to Hobart.
Day 7: Hobart
FINAL SAIL | RIVER DERWENT | DISEMBARKATION
Cruise north toward Hobart, gradually leaving the remote southwest behind as the yacht re-enters the River Derwent and the city waterfront returns to view.
Disembark after a seven-day journey that has contrasted Tasmania’s capital with one of the country’s most isolated protected marine and wilderness environments.
Activities+Optional extras
Get off-board and discover even more
KAYAKING | WILDERNESS HIKING | TENDER EXPLORATION
Port Davey is especially suited to kayaking, bushwalking, fishing, diving, snorkelling, birdwatching and tender exploration. Existing yacht expeditions in the area include many of these activities and carry professional crew and an onshore guide. Optional premium additions may include a private expedition naturalist, wilderness guide, professional photographer, specialist fishing guide, birding expert or scenic aircraft experience around Melaleuca and the southwest. Melaleuca can be accessed by aircraft as well as by boat, providing flexibility for bespoke expedition arrangements.
Tasmania: 7 Day Southwest Wilderness Voyage Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to charter here?
+December through March is the strongest general period for warmer-weather expedition cruising, although conditions in Tasmania’s southwest can remain highly changeable.
Where do charters depart from?
+Port Davey yacht expeditions commonly depart from Hobart, with Recherche Bay used as a first-night stop before continuing around Tasmania’s south coast.
What can be experienced in this region?
+Guests can experience Recherche Bay, the Maatsuyker Islands, Port Davey, Bathurst Harbour, Melaleuca, wilderness walks, kayaking and remote anchorages within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Who is this destination suited for?
+This route is best suited to adventurous luxury travellers, photographers, nature enthusiasts and experienced charter guests who value remoteness and exploration over frequent towns and restaurants.
What is a typical itinerary like?
+Expect two substantial coastal passage days in each direction, balanced by slower days exploring Port Davey, Bathurst Harbour and Melaleuca by yacht, tender, kayak and on foot.
What should be considered before booking?
+Flexibility is essential. The exposed southern passage, remote environment and changing weather mean that departure times, anchorages and activities must remain under the captain’s discretion. Port Davey’s marine environment is also protected, with specific rules designed to safeguard its unusually sensitive ecosystem.
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