On Board, a proud member of Luxury Lodges of Australia, has launched a new two-night Port Davey Highlights expedition, giving time-poor travellers rare access to Tasmania’s wild southwest. Aboard Odalisque III — purpose-built in Tasmania for wilderness immersion — this condensed three-day journey captures the essence of the region’s silence, waterways and rugged peaks, previously only available on longer voyages.
Departing Hobart via seaplane, guests soar over the jagged Arthur Range and the spire of Federation Peak before touching down beside Odalisque III in Port Davey. Over two nights and three days, travellers explore mirror-still waterways, Huon pine-lined rivers, untouched Southern Ocean beaches, and weather-beaten coastlines. Each day is guided by On Board’s all-Tasmanian crew, who share decades of knowledge of the southwest’s flora, fauna, geology, and the stewardship of the Needwonnee and Ninene people, the region’s first custodians. Guests can tailor their experience — heart-pumping hikes and sea-cave adventures, or the chance to just be still in a World-Heritage wilderness that grounds you and reminds you who you are.
Evenings offer a gentler pace, with Tasmanian wines and whiskies poured in the Wheelhouse Lounge, and feasts of freshly sourced Tasmanian fare served around a Huon pine table, handcrafted upstream on the Huon River in Franklin. Guests retreat to private suites with sweeping views of wild rivers and peaks, and gaze at the Milky Way and Southern Cross under one of the world’s most untouched night skies.
“Port Davey is the kind of place that makes three days feel like weeks,” says Alice van der Woude, On Board’s Director of Marketing & Experience. “Whether you’re out exploring or simply pausing to take in the vastness and quiet of the harbour, it’s the sort of place that stays with you long after you’ve gone home.”
For travellers with more time, On Board continues to offer its signature 4- and 6-night Port Davey expeditions, providing a deeper encounter with the region and space to linger and immerse fully.
Quick Facts – 2-Night Port Davey Highlights
Expedition duration: 2 nights / 3 days
Starts & ends: Hobart
Destination: Port Davey & Bathurst Harbour, Tasmania’s Southwest National Park & UNESCO Tasmanian World-Heritage Wilderness Area
Access: Return scenic door-to-door seaplane transfers between Hobart waterfront and floating luxury lodge, Odalisque III
Guests: Maximum 12
Vessel: Odalisque III, 24-metre purpose-built expedition catamaran
Fares: From AUD$5,800 per person twin share, all-inclusive
Celebratory Offer
To celebrate the launch of Port Davey Highlights, On Board is offering a $1,000 cabin credit on new bookings made by 12 December 2025, valid for expeditions through 8 May 2027.
For dates, fares and bookings visit onboardexpeditions.com.au
From the On Board Deck: Extra Stories
Go solo in Southwest Tasmania: Single Supplement Waived
On Board welcomes solo travellers on select prime-time expeditions, waiving the single supplement so guests can enjoy a private cabin while paying only the twin-share rate. With intimate groups, solo travellers can swap tall Tasmanian tales with guides and fellow expeditioners over adventures, meals and evening tipples. A limited number of cabins are available each season on a first-come, first-served basis, so early registration is recommended.
For more information, visit onboardexpeditions.com.au/solo-travellers
Tasmanian Adventure on a Plate
On Board’s culinary program is led by Head Chef Toby Cannon—a water-loving local whose creativity and good cheer flow through every dish from Odalisque III’s floating galley. Toby brings more than 25 years of international experience across Europe, Asia, and Oceania, having led fine dining restaurants, banquets, and his own award-winning seafood venture. His menus champion Tasmania’s freshest produce, from briny oysters shucked on deck to locally sourced meats and seasonal vegetables. Signature Monte Carlo biscuits, crafted with ingredients from Tasmania’s generous larder, have become a firm post-expedition favourite. Featuring handmade Tasmanian ceramics by local artists such as Michaye Boulter, every meal keeps food miles low and flavours bold, delivering a genuine taste of Tasmania, from the land to the sea.
Wilderness First: Adventure That Leaves a Light Footprint
On Board looks after Tasmania’s Southwest as carefully as it does its guests. Odalisque III, built in Hobart with Tasmanian materials, is designed to tread lightly—energy-smart windows, a lithium-ion battery bank, and onboard rain and seawater systems make every drop and watt count.
With just 12 guests per expedition, the wilderness stays wild. Everyone undertakes simple biosecurity checks to protect soils, plants, and waterways.
On certain voyages, guests can get hands-on with citizen science—helping track rare or migrating species such as ground parrots and hooded plovers, monitor introduced wildlife, and feed data into Tasmania’s Natural Values Atlas.
Featured in Tourism Tasmania’s Travelling Mindfully series, On Board shows how adventure meets stewardship, proving that exploring this World-Heritage wilderness can be as thrilling as it is responsible.
