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From Coles Bay · 4½ Hours · Daily except Christmas Day
Wineglass Bay Cruise
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' cruise from Coles Bay along the granite coast of Freycinet National Park, below The Hazards and round to Wineglass Bay, with lunch on board. Check in at 61 Jetty Road by 9:30 am.
- 4.8 / 5 587+ Reviews
- 4 hours 30 minutes Duration
- 4½ hours From Coles Bay to Wineglass Bay and back, 9:45 am to 2:30 pm, every day except Christmas Day
- 193 km By road from Hobart to the booking office in Coles Bay, about 2 hours 40 minutes; check in by 9:30 am
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Price Covers
Four and a half hours on an enclosed catamaran, the crew's commentary, and a ploughman's lunch in the Vista Lounge. Getting to Coles Bay is up to you.
Highlights
- Take in the views of Freycinet’s granite cliffs, sea caves, and hidden coves
- Admire the abundance of wildlife, such as penguins, dolphins, seals, and whales
- Marvel at the idyllic Wineglass Bay scenery as you sail on the turquoise water
- Tuck into a delicious Ploughman's style lunch and purchase drinks from the bar
- Learn about the local landmarks, wildlife, and history with onboard commentary
What's Included
- Cruise
- Bento box Ploughman’s lunch
Good to know: The meeting point for this tour is approximately 2.5 to 3-hours drive from Hobart · Seating, fully stocked bars, heating, air-conditioning and toilets are available on both levels · The Sky Lounge is an adults-only area, 18 years of age and older · The local weather is incredibly changeable so be sure to pack warm clothing · Comfortable, flat shoes are recommended · Cruise subject to availability and weather conditions · Concession prices are not offered to students or seniors · Both options are not available on Christmas Day · Not Included: Transfers from Hobart, Lunch is not included for infants, Drinks (available for purchase)
Coles Bay to Wineglass Bay, Step by Step
From check-in on Jetty Road to the boat back at the jetty, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Check In at Coles Bay
At the Wineglass Bay Cruises Booking Office, 61 Jetty Road, Coles Bay, by 9:30 am. There is free parking near the jetty.
South Below The Hazards
The boat leaves at 9:45 am and runs south along the peninsula's sheltered western shore, past Cooks Beach and Bryans Beach, with commentary from the crew.
Round to Wineglass Bay
Through the inner passage by Schouten Island and up the Tasman Sea side into Wineglass Bay; on a rough day, an alternative route around the Schouten Island group.
Lunch, and Back by 2:30 pm
Lunch is served on board if you booked it, and the boat is back at the Coles Bay jetty at 2:30 pm, in time for the lookout walk in the afternoon.
Photo Gallery
Granite, Beaches and Wineglass Bay
The Freycinet coast from the water: The Hazards, the beaches south of them, the passage by Schouten Island and Wineglass Bay.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Pick a date on the calendar. This listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Before You Book
The Wineglass Bay Cruise, One Question per Page
The cruise or the lookout walk, getting to Coles Bay, the two lounges, the route and wildlife, seasickness and weather, and the kayak tour.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Listing prices are per person, in US dollars; the operators' own prices and the park fees are in Australian dollars.
The Cruise, the Sky Lounge, or Walking It
The cruise with lunch, the adults-only Sky Lounge, a guided walk to the beach, and the lookout walk on your own. Time, what you see, the effort and who each suits. Listing prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE The cruise, Vista Lounge with lunch | Sky Lounge, adults only | Guided walk to the beach | The lookout walk on your own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$148 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$228 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$189 per person (checked November 2026) | A parks pass: A$24.55 a person on foot, A$49.15 a vehicle a day (November 2026) |
| Time | About 4½ hours, 9:45 am to 2:30 pm | About 4½ hours, 9:45 am to 2:30 pm | About 5½ hours from Freycinet Lodge | 1 to 1.5 hours, 2.6 km return |
| What You See | Wineglass Bay from the water, and the coast south of The Hazards | The same route, from the top deck | The lookout, Wineglass Bay beach and Hazards Beach | The bay's curve from above, from the lookout |
| Food and Drink | A ploughman's bento-box lunch; drinks from the bar | Morning tea, oysters, lunch, local wine and beer | Morning tea and a picnic lunch | Bring your own |
| Effort | None; the main deck is wheelchair accessible | Stairs to the top deck | Moderate fitness; steps and a long day on foot | A steady climb on steps and gravel (Grade 3) |
| Who It Suits | Families, and anyone who wants the water without a climb | Adults who want the food and drink included | Fit walkers who want the beach with a guide | Anyone who can climb and wants the famous view |
| Check dates | See the Sky Lounge | See the walk |
More Ways to See Freycinet
Kayaks, Walks and Longer Trips
The sea kayak tour from Coles Bay, a guided walk to the beach, a day from Hobart, and the 5-, 7- and 4-day Tasmania circuits, none of which includes the cruise. One card per listing.
SEA KAYAK FROM COLES BAYThe Freycinet Paddle Kayak Tour
Freycinet Adventures' 3-hour guided sea kayak tour from Muirs Beach in Coles Bay, in stable double kayaks with warm jackets supplied and a tea, coffee and biscuit break on a secluded beach. Morning and twilight tours run from September to April, morning tours only from May to August, and paddlers must be 7 or older. It paddles the sheltered water of Coles Bay along the Freycinet coast, on the other side of the peninsula from Wineglass Bay.
GUIDED WALK TO THE BEACHFreycinet Walking Tour
Experiential Tasmania's guided Freycinet Walking Tour, about 5 hours 30 minutes in a group of up to 8 from Freycinet Lodge: up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, down to Wineglass Bay beach for morning tea, across to Hazards Beach for a picnic lunch, then 20 minutes back to the lodge on the Freycinet Aqua Taxi. Rain jackets, a backpack and the food are included; the parks pass is not. It walks to the bay and does not include the Wineglass Bay cruise.
ACTIVE DAY FROM HOBARTHobart: Wineglass Bay & Freycinet National Park Active Tour
Tours Tasmania's active day from Hobart: a group walk of about 45 minutes uphill to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, with the choice of going on down to the beach, then Honeymoon Bay, the Cape Tourville lighthouse walk and the Devil's Corner winery, back in Hobart around 6 pm. Hotel pickup and the park entry fee are included, in groups of up to 20. It does not include the Wineglass Bay cruise.
TASMANIA IN 5 DAYSFrom Hobart: 5-Day Tasmania West & East Coast Tour
Under Down Under Tours' 5-day circuit of Tasmania from Hobart, with 4 nights in motels and cabins, in groups of up to 24: Mount Field, Lake St Clair, Strahan and the west coast, Cradle Mountain, Launceston and the Bay of Fires, then Bicheno and Freycinet National Park on the last day, with the walk up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout (or on down to the beach, or Mount Amos) and Cape Tourville. Park fees are included; meals are self-catered. It does not include the Wineglass Bay cruise.
TASMANIA IN 7 DAYSTasmania: 7-Day West to East Tour
Under Down Under Tours' 7-day circuit of Tasmania from Hobart, with 6 nights in cabins and motels: the 5-day west-to-east route through Strahan, Cradle Mountain and the Bay of Fires, with Freycinet on day 5 (the walk to Wineglass Bay or the climb of Mount Amos, and Cape Tourville), then Bonorong, Richmond, kunanyi / Mount Wellington and Port Arthur. Park fees and the Port Arthur entry are included. It does not include the Wineglass Bay cruise.
TASMANIA IN 4 DAYSHobart: 4-Day Wild Tasmania Tour
Wild Tasmania Tours' 4-day circuit from Hobart in groups of up to 13, with boutique and bush accommodation: Mount Field and the west coast, Cradle Mountain, the Bay of Fires and a Tasmanian devil feeding, a night in Bicheno, then Freycinet National Park on the last day, with a choice of the Wineglass Bay Lookout and beach, the Hazards Circuit or Mount Amos. The park pass, one dinner and one breakfast are included. It does not include the Wineglass Bay cruise.
Coles Bay, the Freycinet Coast, and Four and a Half Hours on the Water
How the Wineglass Bay Cruise Works
Where you check in, what the cruise covers, what it costs, how it compares with the lookout walk, who it suits, and what was disrupted in Freycinet when this page was checked.
The Wineglass Bay cruise is Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ 4½-hour trip from Coles Bay, on the east coast of Tasmania, along the granite coast of Freycinet National Park to Wineglass Bay and back, run under the name Wineglass Bay Cruises. You check in by 9:30 am at the Wineglass Bay Cruises Booking Office, 61 Jetty Road, Coles Bay; the boat leaves at 9:45 am and is back at 2:30 pm, every day except Christmas Day. The cruise with lunch, listed as From Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Cruise with Lunch, is from US$148 a person (checked November 2026), with 587 reviews.
The short answer
Take the cruise if you want Wineglass Bay from the water, the coast south of The Hazards that no road reaches, and a day without a steep climb: the boat is an enclosed catamaran with a bar, lunch is served on board, and the main deck is wheelchair accessible. Walk instead if what you want is the famous view of the bay’s curve from above: that view is only from the Wineglass Bay Lookout, a 2.6 km return walk of 1 to 1.5 hours from the car park, and it costs only the parks pass. With a full day in Coles Bay you can do both: the cruise is back by 2:30 pm, which leaves the afternoon for the walk.
The ways to book it: pick yours
From Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Cruise with Lunch
The Vista Lounge on the Schouten Passage II, with a bento-box ploughman's lunch and the bar open for drinks. All ages; the main deck is wheelchair accessible.
Check dates →Coles Bay: Wineglass Bay Adults-Only Cruise with Lunch
The Sky Lounge on the top deck: morning tea, freshly shucked oysters, a ploughman's lunch, and local wine and beer, with a private viewing deck.
See the Sky Lounge →Wineglass Bay Cruise from Coles Bay
Pennicott's Wineglass Bay cruise on Viator, with three options: the Vista Lounge with lunch, the Vista Lounge without lunch, and the Sky Lounge.
See it on Viator →Hobart: Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Park, and Richmond Tour
A small-group day from Hobart with a guided walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, Honeymoon Bay and Cape Tourville. It does not include the cruise.
See the Hobart day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Where everything is
Freycinet National Park covers a long granite peninsula on Tasmania’s east coast. Coles Bay, a small town at its northern end, faces west over the sheltered water of Great Oyster Bay, with the pink granite peaks of The Hazards rising straight from the shore south of it. Wineglass Bay is on the far side of The Hazards, a curve of white beach facing the open Tasman Sea; no road goes there. Schouten Island lies off the peninsula’s southern tip across a narrow passage. The cruise leaves from the Wineglass Bay Cruises Booking Office at 61 Jetty Road in Coles Bay, where there is free parking near the jetty, and it starts and finishes there. The booking office is 193 km by road from Franklin Wharf in Hobart, about 2 hours 40 minutes, and 176 km from the centre of Launceston; getting to Coles Bay has the routes.
The cruise, step by step
Check in at the booking office by 9:30 am. The boat, the Schouten Passage II, is a 150-seat catamaran built in Tasmania, with two air-conditioned lounges: the Vista Lounge on the main deck, open to all ages, and the adults-only Sky Lounge upstairs. It leaves at 9:45 am, runs south along the Freycinet coast below The Hazards, past Cooks Beach and Bryans Beach, which you can reach otherwise only by boat or a full day’s walk, through the inner passage by Schouten Island, and up the ocean side into Wineglass Bay, then back to Coles Bay by 2:30 pm. The crew give a commentary on the coast, the wildlife and the history on the way; the coast has sea caves, blowholes and waterfalls. What you see goes through the route and the animals.
What it costs, and what the price buys
The cruise with lunch is from US$148 a person on GetYourGuide (checked November 2026), and the adults-only Sky Lounge listing is from US$228. On Viator the cruise is from US$136 (checked November 2026), with 4.7 from 1,029 reviews there: see the cruise on Viator. On its own site Pennicott prices the Vista Lounge with lunch at A$210 an adult and A$130 a child aged 3 to 16, the Vista Lounge without lunch (bring your own food) at A$190 and A$115, and the Sky Lounge at A$325 an adult (November 2026).
The lunch in the Vista Lounge is a ploughman’s-style bento box; the bar and cafe on board sell local drinks, hot drinks and snacks. The Sky Lounge price buys morning tea, oysters, smoked meats, bread, cheese and salad, and local wine and beer, at banquette seats for up to 30. Sky Lounge or Vista Lounge? sets the two side by side.
The cruise or the lookout walk
They show you different things. The Wineglass Bay Lookout walk, which the Parks and Wildlife Service grades 3, climbs from the Wineglass Bay Walking Tracks Car Park to a saddle in The Hazards: 2.6 km return, 1 to 1.5 hours, and the view down onto the bay’s curve is the photograph everyone knows. Going on down to the beach adds about 1,000 stairs from the saddle, 6 km return in all, 2.5 to 3.5 hours. A valid parks pass is needed for the walk: A$24.55 a person on foot or A$49.15 for a vehicle of up to 8 people for a day (Parks and Wildlife Service, November 2026). The cruise shows the bay at sea level, with the coast to the south of it, and asks nothing of your knees. The cruise or the walk has the honest comparison, and the walk is free beyond the pass.
Seasickness, weather and who it suits
The boat is enclosed, so you are out of the wind and rain, though it is worth dressing warmly, and seasickness is uncommon on Pennicott’s boats. When the sea makes Wineglass Bay unsafe, the crew run an alternative route around the Schouten Island group, with a large fur seal haul-out, and you can take a full refund if you would rather not go; in extremely bad weather the cruise is cancelled with a refund or another date. There is no age or height limit in the Vista Lounge, and its downstairs deck is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet. Seasickness and weather has the detail.
What was disrupted, and when to go
When this page was checked on 3 November 2026, the Parks and Wildlife Service listed no closure for Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay, Wineglass Bay, The Hazards or Mount Amos; a seasonal campfire ban has been in force on reserved land since 26 October 2026. Targa Tasmania may close roads around the state from 18 to 22 November 2026; check the route before driving that week. H5 bird flu has been detected in Tasmania since August 2026 (first in a wild brown skua near Rocky Cape), and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment asks everyone not to touch sick or dead birds or animals and to report them on 1800 675 888.
The cruise runs every day except Christmas Day. Humpback and southern right whales pass from September to December and from May to July, and summer is the busy season in Coles Bay, so book ahead for December to February.
Longer trips that pass Wineglass Bay
The three Tasmania circuits carded below all stop for a day at Freycinet, and none of them includes the cruise. On the 5-day circuit from Hobart, the Freycinet day is the walk up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout and on down to the beach, with Mount Amos for the fit, Honeymoon Bay and Cape Tourville. The 7-day circuit gives the same choice of the lookout, the walk down to the beach or the climb of Mount Amos. On the 4-day circuit, the lookout and beach walk is an option on the last day, weather permitting. To add the cruise, you would need a day of your own in Coles Bay, with the boat back at 2:30 pm. For the full comparison of the multi-day tours, portarthurtour.com sets them side by side.
Wineglass Bay from the Water
Four and a half hours from Coles Bay along the Freycinet coast and into Wineglass Bay, with lunch on board. The main deck is open to all ages and wheelchair accessible. Starting from US$148 per person.
See datesMore in Freycinet
Cruises, Kayaks and Freycinet Days with Open Dates
Boat trips from Coles Bay, kayak tours and days from Hobart with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Wineglass Bay Cruise: Questions
Where it leaves from, how long it is, what it costs, the two lounges, the lookout walk, getting there from Hobart, weather, children and the wildlife.
At 61 Jetty Road, Coles Bay TAS 7215, by the jetty in Coles Bay village. It is Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' check-in point for the cruise, 193 km by road from Franklin Wharf in Hobart (about 2 hours 40 minutes), and the cruise starts and finishes there. There is free parking near the jetty. See getting to Coles Bay.
About 4½ hours. Check in by 9:30 am; the boat leaves at 9:45 am and is back at the Coles Bay jetty at 2:30 pm. It runs every day except Christmas Day.
From US$148 a person with lunch (checked November 2026). Pennicott prices the Vista Lounge with lunch at A$210 an adult and A$130 a child aged 3 to 16, the Vista Lounge without lunch at A$190 and A$115, and the adults-only Sky Lounge at A$325 (November 2026). See Sky Lounge or Vista Lounge.
The adults-only top deck, with food and drink included. Up to 30 people at banquette seats, with morning tea, oysters and a ploughman's lunch, local wine and beer, a private viewing deck and access to the bridge. The route is the same as the main deck's.
They show different things. The famous view of the bay's curve is only from the Wineglass Bay Lookout, a 2.6 km return walk of 1 to 1.5 hours that costs only the parks pass. The cruise shows the bay from the water and the coast south of The Hazards, with no climb. With a day in Coles Bay you can do both. See the cruise or the walk.
For the boat itself you buy nothing extra: the Parks and Wildlife Service requires commercial tour operators to cover their guests' park entry. You need your own pass only for the lookout walk or any stop inside Freycinet National Park: a daily pass is A$49.15 for a vehicle with up to 8 people, or A$24.55 a person on foot, by bicycle or bus (Parks and Wildlife Service, November 2026).
Only by getting yourself to Coles Bay. The cruise leaves from Coles Bay, and none of the day tours from Hobart includes it; they walk to the lookout instead. Drive the 193 km, or stay the night before in Coles Bay, Swansea or Bicheno. See getting there from Hobart.
When the sea makes Wineglass Bay unsafe, the boat takes an alternative route around the Schouten Island group, with a large fur seal haul-out. You can take a full refund if you would rather not go, and in extremely bad weather the cruise is cancelled with a refund or another date. This listing also allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. See seasickness and weather.
Yes in the Vista Lounge. It has no age or height limit, children aged 3 to 16 pay the child fare, and the main deck is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet. The Sky Lounge, upstairs, is for adults only.
Dolphins, Australian fur seals, sea eagles and seabirds are the animals to look for; nothing is guaranteed. Albatross, gannets, shearwaters, cormorants and little penguins are about too, and humpback and southern right whales pass from September to December and from May to July. See the route and what you see.
Not into the bay itself. Freycinet Adventures' guided Freycinet Paddle leaves Muirs Beach in Coles Bay and stays on the sheltered western side of the peninsula, below The Hazards: 3 hours, A$155 an adult (November 2026). See the kayak tour or the cruise.
Not the three circuits carded on this site. On their Freycinet day the 5-, 7- and 4-day circuits from Hobart walk to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, with the beach or Mount Amos as options. To add the cruise you need your own day in Coles Bay.
Still have questions? Email us at info@wineglass-bay-cruise.com