TASTE OF KING ISLAND GROUP PACKAGE TOUR

Discover King Island

King lsland is a feast for the senses. It’s an island off an island, famous for award-winning gourmet produce that is sought out by fancy chefs the world over.

Here, in the middle of Bass Strait, halfway between Melbourne and Tasmania’s far northwest tip, life travels to a different beat. The air is pure and fresh, the pace is relaxed, and a calm energy flows from the steady heartbeat of the ocean.

King Island delivers all the right ingredients for a spell-binding visit. This secluded haven is wildly beautiful by nature, with an even wilder history, accompanied by lashings of fine local food and drink served up with warm hospitality.

Hardly bigger than a thousand square kilometres, this jewel of an island is full of riches. A rugged coastline, long empty beaches, lush green pastures, lapped by a powerful ocean that’s brimming with sea life – contrasts and curiosities abound.

King Island is home to the smallest suspended lake in the world, the tallest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere, and Australia’s most tragic shipwreck. And then there’s the abundance of wonderful world-famous cheese, beef, lamb, crayfish, abalone and oysters – all produced by local hands, and flavoured by mother nature.

If you have a merry gang of eight or more hungry, thirsty, curious adventurers keen to revel in the island’s bounty, a four-day Taste of King Island Group Package Tour lets you experience it all. The tour parcels up all the island’s many highlights and slowly reveals them all to you in one leisurely trip that’s sure to stimulate your senses.

Everything’s taken care of, so all you’ll need to do is relax, unwind and lap it all up.

Days one and two

Day one of your island sea-change experience begins with a welcoming morning tea, before heading off to the King Island Arts and Cultural Centre, in the main town of Currie. Here you’ll often encounter artists at work, and discover the island’s thriving creative community, inspired by idyllic surrounds.

Settle into island life and the rhythm of the tides. Your itinerary is highly flexible, tailored to suit your needs and interests. But you won’t want to miss a visit to Penny’s lagoon, a rare, suspended freshwater lake filled solely by rain. This calm oasis is one of only three perched lakes in the world, and rich in native birdlife.

The Cape Wickham Lighthouse is also a beacon for visitors. Made from locally quarried stone, it is Australia’s tallest lighthouse, built in 1861 to guide mariners through the treacherous reefs, after a relentless series of shipwrecks littered the island’s lonely shores. During its construction, many skeletons were uncovered – thought to belong to some of the 225 convict women and children who perished when their ship, the Neva, came to grief on the rocky coast.

All the fresh sea air will fuel your appetite for authentic island flavours. King Island’s mineral-rich soils produce lush, green pastures, and the lucky cows that graze on its salt-kissed grasses yield rich, sweet milk that is turned into amazing cheeses at King Island Dairy. Sampling one of their famous cheese platters is definitely on the menu.Other possible foodie highlights include a seven-course long lunch, conversations over sunset drinks and supper at the home of a local resident, a three-course dinner and penguin tour in the sleepy village of Grassy, and a nightcap at Grassy Boat Club.As you’ll soon discover, the celebrated food on King Island delivers an authentic ocean to table, paddock to plate experience.

Days three and four

By days three and four you’ll be used to waking up to a rolling soundtrack of surf, and the eager anticipation of more adventures ahead.

Visit another of King Island’s curious and unique local attractions – a 7000-year-old Calcified Forest. By a strange twist of nature, an ancient forest was turned to limestone, and today, hundreds of pale, eroded tree trunks poke up out of the wind-blown sands like a series of gnarled fingers, or jagged sculptures in a bizarre coastal garden. The easy 1.3-kilometre return walk to a platform overlooking the calcified forest is one of Tasmania’s 60 Great Short Walks.

Wallabies, echidnas, sea birds, kelp harvesters and fisherfolk are just some of the locals you might encounter on your forays around the island.

At the Cataraqui Shipwreck Memorial, pause and reflect on the tragic tales of all those who never even made it here. Scattered along King Island’s 145-kilometre rugged coastline lie nearly 60 shipwrecks – solemn reminders of a staggering loss of life. The worst occurred in 1845. Four hundred souls were lost when raging seas and a terrible tempest blew the Cataraqui off course, dashing the ship to bits just a hundred metres offshore. Many of the passengers were British and Irish families – men, women and children – who were looking to make a new life for themselves on the other side of the world.

When you’ve filled up on the history, wildness and natural beauty of this enchanting island, more fabulous feasting awaits, including a dinner in Currie with local chefs and producers. Hear their tales, gain unique local insights, then sit back and reminisce over your own King Island adventures.

King Island really is the perfect place to cast yourself away and create your own story.

Accessibility

King Island lies 80 kilometres off the north-west tip of the Tasmanian mainland. Your journey to King Island starts in the air!

Flights are available to King Island from Burnie’s Wynyard Airport, Launceston, Hobart and both the Essendon and Moorabbin airports in Melbourne. A short flight from any of these locations will have you landing on the island ready to start your adventure.

There is no public transport on the island, but that won’t be a problem for you. On a multi-day Taste of King Island Group Package Tour, all your transport and transfers are included, and so are all your meals and accommodation. Dog guides are welcome, and tour staff are happy to offer extra assistance should you need it.

Tour packages are created by the Discover King Island company, and can be tailored to suit your interests. Prices vary depending on group size, with eight people being the minimum number for each tour. Please contact the operator directly to discuss your requirements.