After the Hobart Marathon: Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsula
The Route: Hobart → Eaglehawk Neck → Port Arthur → Hobart Airport Logistics: Hire car. South-east from Hobart along the Arthur Highway, two nights on the peninsula, and back past the airport on the way out. Marathon Month: April Duration: 2 nights
Hobart ──(about 90 mins by car, Arthur Highway)──> Eaglehawk Neck ──> Port Arthur
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Hobart Airport (HBA) ◄──(about 75–90 mins by car, Arthur Highway)─────────┘
The Hobart Marathon finishes on Castray Esplanade, a few hundred metres from the sandstone of Salamanca Place. Port Arthur, 90 minutes' drive away, is where Tasmania's convict history is told in full, and two nights there give enough time to see the site properly without asking tired legs to rush it.
April on the Tasman Peninsula: early autumn. Daylight is shorter than in summer, mornings are cool and the weather off the Tasman Sea can change within an hour, so pack a waterproof layer. The Port Arthur Historic Site is open every day of the year apart from Christmas Day, so a Monday or Tuesday visit is no problem. Autumn also means the site is quieter than in the summer school holidays.
A hire car is needed. The drive from Hobart runs east across the Tasman Bridge, past the airport and through Sorell, then south down the Arthur Highway onto the peninsula. Organised coach tours from Hobart cover Port Arthur in a single long day, but that means around three hours on a bus the day after a marathon; two nights on the peninsula is gentler.
Nights One and Two: Port Arthur
Port Arthur was a penal settlement for convicts transported to Van Diemen's Land, and its ruins and restored buildings sit around Mason Cove on the peninsula's southern side. General admission is A$55 (£29) for adults and covers access to more than 30 historic buildings, ruins, houses and gardens, free guide talks of 10 to 15 minutes through the day, and a 20-minute harbour cruise. Opening hours are 09:00 to 17:00. Choose the cruise departure after buying the ticket, and book the cruise early in the day if the legs are sore: it is 20 minutes seated on the water, with the settlement seen from the cove.
The site is spread over a slope running down to the water. Paths are a mix of grass, gravel and sealed surfaces, and the larger ruins sit on the higher ground. Most visitors spend half a day to a full day here. Split it across both days: the waterfront buildings and the cruise on the first, the upper buildings and gardens on the second, with a long sit in between.
On the drive in, Eaglehawk Neck is the narrow isthmus that joins the peninsula to the rest of Tasmania. The rock formations along this stretch of coast, including the Tessellated Pavement and Tasman Arch, are reached by short paths from roadside car parks. Take the flattest of them and skip any lookout that involves stairs.
Where to stay: Stewarts Bay Lodge has cabins on the water at Stewarts Bay, a short drive from the historic site, with air conditioning and log fires for cool April evenings; breakfast hampers can be ordered to the cabin. Port Arthur Motor Inn is the simpler, closer option for runners who want to walk to the site entrance.
Where to eat: On The Bay, the restaurant at Stewarts Bay Lodge, is the peninsula's licensed waterfront restaurant and serves modern Australian food built around Tasmanian seafood and produce. Note the days: breakfast runs 08:00 to 10:00 and dinner from 17:00, Tuesday to Saturday only. A Sunday or Monday night arrival needs a different plan, so book the lodge for Monday and Tuesday nights and eat at On The Bay on the Tuesday.
Getting to Hobart Airport
Hobart Airport (HBA) sits on the Arthur Highway side of the city, near Cambridge, so the drive back from the peninsula reaches the airport before it reaches central Hobart. Allow 75 to 90 minutes from Port Arthur, with extra time for the return of a hire car and for the slower stretches behind traffic on the peninsula roads.