Tasmanian Platypus and Tamar Vineyards

Tasmanian Platypus and Tamar Valley Vineyards

Tassie’s Iconic Animals – Cool Climate Wines

Tour Days Program – Private Charter Tour

9.00 am – depart Launceston
10.00 am – meet the Tasmanian Platypus at Platypus House
11.15 am – Moore’s Hill Vineyard
12.00 pm – Marion’s Vineyard – Monday to Wednesday
12.00 pm – Stoney Rise Vineyard – Thursday to Sunday
1.00 pm – Lunch at The Tamar Valley Wine Centre
2.30 pm – Velo Wines wine tasting

Overview – Join Pepper Bush Adventures and meet the Tasmanian platypus in a day of delightful contrasts in northern Tasmania. Departing Launceston, begin your journey at Platypus House, where you’ll meet Tasmania’s quirky monotremes up close—watching platypuses paddle and echidnas waddle in a rare and intimate encounter. After this unique wildlife experience, travel through the picturesque Tamar Valley, where rolling hills cradle award-winning vineyards. Relax with wine tastings at select cellar doors, sampling cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Curious Creatures and Cool-Climate Wines

Tasmanian Platypus at Platypus House – 60-minute tour – Step into the fascinating world of Australia’s most curious creatures at Platypus House. This unique wildlife experience offers an up-close look at the elusive platypus. See them swim, dive, and forage in purpose-built tanks, revealing behaviours rarely seen in the wild. You’ll also meet lively echidnas during a delightful feeding session, where their quirky personalities shine. Guides share fascinating facts and conservation insights throughout the visit.

Moore’s Hill Estate is a boutique, family-operated vineyard in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, renowned for its commitment to sustainability as the state’s first 100% solar-powered winery. Established in 1997, the vineyard produces estate-grown, single-vineyard wines, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Merlot.

Marion’s Vineyard – Monday to Wednesday – Experience the rustic allure of Marion’s Vineyard, a family-run estate nestled on the west bank of Tasmania’s Tamar River. The cellar door, perched midway up the slope, offers panoramic views of the river valley.

Stoney Rise Wine Company – Thursday to Sunday – Stoney Rise Wine Company is a boutique Tamar Valley vineyard celebrated for its small-batch wines, relaxed atmosphere, and stunning river and vineyard views. Known for producing vibrant cool-climate varieties with minimal intervention winemaking, Stoney Rise offers visitors an authentic and welcoming Tasmanian wine experience.

Lunch in the Tamar Valley

Tamar Valley Wine Centre Lunch – Enjoy a relaxed lunch at the Tamar Valley Wine Centre featuring fresh Tasmanian produce, gourmet platters, and locally inspired flavours. The welcoming atmosphere and selection of regional wines. It’s an ideal stop for a leisurely dining experience in the heart of the Tamar Valley wine region.

Velo Wines – Experience the charm of Velo Wines, a boutique vineyard at the gateway to Tasmania’s Tamar Valley. The modern cellar door invites guests to sample estate-grown varietals like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling in a relaxed setting overlooking the vines. With a legacy dating back to 1966, Velo blends traditional winemaking with contemporary flair. It offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a true taste of Tasmania’s cool-climate terroir.

See other Pepper Bush Adventures’ day tours here – Day Tours

Product Review – July 2026

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Duration & Departure	Private Charter Tour 9.00 am from Launceston
Tour Schedule	9.00 am – depart Launceston 10.00 am – meet the Tasmanian Platypus at Platypus House 11.15 am – Marion's Vineyard wine tasting 12.00 pm – Marion's Vineyard or Stoney Rise 1.00 pm – Lunch at The Tamar Valley Wine Centre 2.30 pm – Velo Wines wine tasting
Inclusion & Terms	Pepper Bush Guide/Vehicle Platypus House Tour Wine tasting and lunch Cancellation – 30 days prior to departure date – forfeit 100%

Great personalised tour of Ben Lomond I did a personal tour of Ben Lomond National Park in early November 2022. I enjoyed my experience thoroughly. You need a certain type of vehicle to get into Ben Lomond National Park and I found it fascinating. My guide made plenty of stops along the way, I had lots of photo opportunities and the scenery is just stunning. I highly recommend. It's a great spot off the beaten track that a lot of tourists dont' think to go to. The wildlife is lovely as well as the lookouts and scenery. Very peaceful place. Even received some delicious fresh sandwiches from the award winning scottsdale bakery. Yum :) Thanks for a great half day trip.

Michelle P

25/02/2023

Tassie wildlife We did a 3 night / 2 day tour enjoying both Mt William & Ben Lomond NP our guide was informative and the meals supplied were more than sufficient The best part was watching the playful baby quolls enjoying their evening seach for food, so small, playful and moved so fast

MAW

09/12/2022

Lifelong memories My wife and I had booked the Canopy Capers’ excursion with ‘Pepperbush Adventures’ as part of our road trip in Tasmania. Ben came promptly at 5 pm and we were taken to a nearby irrigation pond to look for platypuses. Whilst there were a few glimpses it was very difficult to see as it was quite windy so the water was quite rippled. We left there and drove to an area of private land where there was a small cabin overlooking a lake. There were some kookaburras, and we saw some pademelons and some possums. Ben prepared a meal for us to eat - there was an appetiser tray of smoked wallaby and smoked chicken, salmon, grapes and strawberries. After that he cooked steaks on the barbecue which we had a with some beans, new potatoes and salad. We finished off with some cheesecake and fruit. There was wine and soft drinks to accompany our meal - pre-arranged with the company. We stayed until it got dark. Although the animal sightings were rather scant, this was offset by the passionate and educational input from Ben. He is the consummate host / guide and we greatly enjoyed learning so much about the flora and fauna of the area. The next day we enjoyed a full day out with Ben on another excursion - aptly named ‘The Quoll Patrol’. Ben arrived just before 11 am as arranged. We had another look for platypuses but again the sightings were fleeting even though it was much less windy. We then had a long drive into Ben Lomond National Park in the extreme north-east of Tasmania. We had periodic stops, whenever there was a wildlife sighting or a point of interest. We had a stop at a lookout where we had lunch - rolls and sandwiches bought from the cottage bakery back in Scottsdale. We drove further up to reach Ben Lomond village - it was only 5 degrees there. We stopped to look at the interesting geological formations - 300 metre tall dolorite columns with huge areas of rocky boulders beneath. Ben dropped us at the village - we did a short trail for about 20 minutes where we met up with him again waiting for us in the car. We drove back down from the National Park and again made a number of stops, smelling and tasting some of the roadside plants. We reached our final destination, a cabin surrounded by pasture. Ben set the fire and we were able to view and feed the kangaroos which lived there - it was an unofficial nature reserve of about 100 acres. The original kangaroos had come from Bonorong and now numbered about 40. It was a very engaging experience watching the kangaroos as we had our first course - a range of appetisers similar to the previous day. Ben then prepared wallaby meatballs with onions and courgettes. We thought this was the main course but later we were given some salmon and salad - my wife couldn’t eat any more as she was full already. The dessert course was chocolate fudge cake served with raspberries and blackberries. During the evening we sat beside the fire, watching the Eastern Quolls appearing, followed by the pademelons and finally the possums. As it got dark there was a long drive back to Scottsdale. We were exhausted at the end of the day but felt utterly thrilled by the experiences we had. As a guide Ben is truly fantastic. His personable nature, coupled with his commitment to the natural world, will remain in our memories. We thoroughly enjoyed his company - such a kind and generous spirited man. PS. We went to the irrigation pond on our last day as we were leaving Scottsdale and guess what - we saw two platypuses at the surface of the water. We managed to bag some quality photos - result! Thanks again, Ben. You’re a top guy. Good luck with your new hobby of crafting in metalwork.

Owen Thesaints

07/12/2022

A fantastic wildlife experience The 2 days we spent with Craig was the highlight for us of a month travelling around Tasmania and a fantastic opportunity to see wildlife, especially the nocturnal creatures you don't usually get to meet. Craig has a wealth of knowledge and experience of living in the bush, so we learned alot about the flora and fauna of the north-east part of Tasmania and saw platypus on several occasions, along with wallabies, echidnas , kangaroos and, padmelons during the day. The Canopy Capers and Quoll Patrol experiences are both amazing. After a great meal in the open air, we watched as the wildlife drew near at dusk - possums, quolls, wombats. It's an incredible, magical experience, I can't recommend enough.

Island Sue

10/04/2020

A great wildlife experience A great day with Bushy seeing visiting Ben Lomond, learning so much about the flora and fauna of Tasmania, topped off by a delicious bush meal, sharing the site with possums, quolls, wombats and more

D H

31/03/2020

A Wonderful Backwoods Experience With Bushy The Ben Lomand and Quoll Patrol adventure was fantastic. We drove up Jacob's ladder at Ben Lomand and Bushy took us into the forest for exploring. Dinner at the cabin and the night adventure with the Kangaroos, Wallabies, Paddymellons and Quolls was a highlight. You can't believe the wildlife here.

Laura R

24/03/2020

Marvellous Some good walks and opportunity for wildlife viewing. The evening barbecue with kangaroos, wallabies and quolls was magical. A very good insight into local life - the farming and cheese making. Fabulous scenery all around.

Sally G

11/03/2020

Amazing We had a 1 day tour with Craig and it was truly amazing. Started with a sighting of a platypus and then an echidna. A great scenic drive up Ben Lomond via Jacob's ladder and then sightings of some iconic wildlife including wombats, quolls, tawny frogmouths and wallaby's and kangaroos. The bush supper with quality wines was a great success. We loved the whole experience.

LondonWelshboyo

07/02/2020

Outstanding bush experience, some of the best wildlife viewing in Tasmania We thought we had already had some amazing wildlife experiences in Tasmania, but Ben's Quoll Patrol with us was truly over the top. Lots of wildlife, including a number of elusive quolls. You have to see it all to believe it! Kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons, bushy-tailed opossums, eastern quolls, short-snouted echidna, come to mind. Meeting his mob of kangaroos is an experience not to be missed. And on top of it all, Ben cooked us an excellent meal out there in the bush. All in all, a very memorable experience.

LafayetteJohn

Outstanding experience in the Tasmanian bush We spent 9 hours with Craig who took us to the Ben Lomond National Park and its surroundings, watching for a wide variety of Tasmanian wildlife. This ended with an excellent and copious dinner he cooked around a fire in the open surrounded by Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats, Pademelon, Possums....and even sighting a platypus and a quoll. We are amazed by the extent of Craig's knowledge of the bush, its flora and fauna and his ability to communicate his passion for them to us. He enabled us to experience at first hand many examples of the plants and animals unique to Tasmania. An amazing and unforgettable experience.

Peter B

26/01/2020