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- On Board Expeditions Named in TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026
Tasmania’s family-run wilderness cruise operator earns global recognition for its new Port Davey Highlights itinerary
A Prestigious Global Honour
On Board Expeditions, Tasmania’s family-owned and operated wilderness cruise company, has been named one of TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2026, joining just 100 extraordinary destinations worldwide selected for the annual list. The recognition, published in March 2026, places this remote Tasmanian experience alongside some of the most celebrated hotels, restaurants, cultural sites, and natural wonders on the planet.
TIME’s World’s Greatest Places list is among the most coveted endorsements in global travel. Each year, TIME solicits nominations from its international network of correspondents and contributors, as well as through an open application process, with a focus on experiences that offer “new, exciting, and relevant” discoveries for travellers. Entries are evaluated on criteria including relevance, impact, innovation, and success, with the final 100 selections appearing across TIME’s print magazine, website, and social media channels — reaching a global audience of 120 million. The 2026 list was divided into two categories: Places to Stay and Places to Visit, spanning every continent.
In the Australia and Oceania region, On Board was singled out as a standout place to visit, a remarkable achievement for a boutique Tasmanian operator competing on a global stage.
About On Board Expeditions
On Board is a Tasmanian-owned, family-operated expedition company that has been running charters and cruises in Tasmanian waters since 1998. The business was founded by Pieter van der Woude, who brings more than 50 years of experience in Tasmanian waters, first as a search-and-rescue diver with the police force, and then as an abalone diver for 25 years, giving On Board an authenticity and depth of local knowledge that few operators can match.
The company operates aboard Odalisque III, a purpose-built 12-passenger expedition vessel custom-designed for wilderness immersion in Tasmania’s most remote reaches. Intimate by design, the vessel functions as a floating boutique hotel, with private suites offering sweeping views of wild rivers and mountain peaks, a Wheelhouse Lounge stocked with Tasmanian wines and whiskies, and a Huon pine dining table handcrafted in Franklin. In 2023, On Board became only the second expedition cruise operator to join the prestigious Luxury Lodges of Australia collection.
The Port Davey Highlights Cruise
TIME’s recognition specifically highlights On Board’s newly launched two-night Port Davey Highlights cruise — a condensed itinerary that opens up one of the planet’s most inaccessible wilderness areas to time-poor travellers.
The experience begins in Hobart with a 40-minute seaplane flight over the jagged Arthur Range and the dramatic spire of Federation Peak, touching down directly beside Odalisque III in Bathurst Harbour. Over three days, an all-Tasmanian crew of expert guides, skipper, host, and chef lead guests through an immersion in Tasmania’s Southwest National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage-listed landscape with no access roads, towns, or hotels, accessible only by air or sea.
Guests on the Port Davey Highlights cruise can expect:
Guided excursions to indigenous rock art sites and sea caves on remote islands
Rugged coastal hikes with the chance of spotting the endangered orange-bellied parrot
Exploration of mirror-still waterways, Huon pine-lined rivers, untouched Southern Ocean beaches, and weather-beaten coastlines
Cultural immersion in the history and stewardship of the Needwonnee and Ninene people, the region’s first custodians
Tasmanian hospitality with freshly baked biscuits, Tassie wines and whiskies, and chef-prepared feasts of freshly sourced local produce
Stargazing under one of the world’s most untouched night skies
Tasmania on the World Stage
On Board’s inclusion in TIME’s 2026 list is a landmark moment not just for the company, but for Tasmanian tourism more broadly. It places the island state firmly on the global travel radar at a time of growing interest in remote, nature-led, and Indigenous-connected experiences.
For On Board, the honour affirms what generations of Tasmanians have always known: that the island’s southwest wilderness is among the most spectacular places on Earth, and that experiencing it with the right guides, aboard the right vessel, is nothing short of extraordinary.
