Ten best walks and hikes in Tasmania
With Air New Zealand soon to operate direct air flights from Auckland to Tasmania’s capital Hobart, it is sure to attract Kiwis to explore walking and hiking experiences in Tasmania.
With over 1.5 million hectares of Wilderness World Heritage Area, it doesn’t really matter which direction one heads, there’s wild walking paths to follow.
It’s no surprise that those who own a good pair of boots often step in Tassie’s direction for their premium walk experiences.
The Wukalina Walk is the latest multi-day offering to join the Tasmanian fold. A first of its kind, Wukalina is a Tasmanian Aboriginal-owned and operated walk in the Bay of Fires region on the east coast.
Wukalina Walk
It’s a walk with a story to tell – a story that dates back 40,000 years to a time when Tasmania was still connected to the mainland of Australia. The palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) culture is shared through this four-day guided experience in north-east Tasmania, featuring the idyllic Bay of Fires coastline.
Tucked up in architecturally-designed dome huts followed by the final night in a lighthouse keeper’s cottage, the wukalina walk features everything from a traditional Smoking Ceremony and how to find locally sourced
palawa foods to summit-topping climbs complete with dreamtime stories. If you’ve got 26 km of walking in you across four days, the palawa elders are ready to share their homeland.
Three Capes Track
It was hailed Australia’s premier coastal walk before the track officially opened and has since lived up to its cliff-high hype. This southern Tasmanian four-day experience along the Tasman Peninsula’s drama-filled coast is raw, remote and its seascapes cleansing. The 46 km journey of the Three Capes Track begins with a boat trip and features some of the highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere.
Environmentally-sensitive cabins are home base for each evening, offering comfy sleeping quarters and spacious dining hubs to meet fellow walkers. The Tasmanian
Walking Company also offers a guided experience of this well-crafted track.
Bay of Fires Lodge Walk
Those who dream of long empty beaches in Tasmania’s remote north-east, with barely a soul for kilometres, this is your walk. There’s good reason Lonely Planet named this region one of the world’s hottest destinations.
The signature orange lichen-licked boulders, broad blue skies and white sands are something else.
This season, there’s a brand new fire pit at the Bay of Fires Lodge to settle around. It adds to the ever popular foot baths on the back deck that await weary feet. Coastal walking, Tasmanian fare, lodge spa treatments (complete without outdoor bath) and the kayak experience are hallmarks that hold this walk as a much-loved fave.
Cradle Mountain Hut Walks
If you are thinking of a Tasmanian bushwalk, why not start with the trek that is most hailed - Tasmania’s Overland Track. But there’s no need to rough it. Go with
the Tasmanian Walking Company and stay in private huts along the multi-day experience. There’s no need to pack your tent and prepare your dehydrated food when walking with this crew – instead there’s Tasmanian pinot poured at dusk along with three course meals.
The overland adventure begins at Cradle Mountain, delivering walkers to Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest freshwater lake. The trek meanders through glaciallycarved valleys and alpine meadows with side-walks for the more adventurous. Go it alone or let the guides lead your way, complete with flora and fauna interpretation and huts exclusive to the company.
Freycinet Walking Experience
Position yourself on Tasmania’s east coast and add walking to the mix. With Freycinet Experience Walk day one begins (weather permitting) with a visit to Schouten Island on the southern end. This is the part where dolphins and Tassie’s birdlife are a likely welcome party. It’s not all about walking here, you can even drop a line and bring in a Flathead in Schouten Passage.
The four-day walk features Bryan’s Beach, the all famous Wineglass Bay and pinnacle of Mount Graham. That’s 579 m above sea level and provides a vista well worth your upward climb. The walk offers lower level alternatives including the rock climber’s haven of White Water Wall. Bluestone Bay, Quartzite Ridge, Friendly Beaches are all on the itinerary as you walk in the footsteps of the Oyster Bay Tribe.
The Maria Island Walk
It’s been described as the Noah’s Ark of Tasmania. Today, Maria even features insurance populations of the endangered Tasmanian devil. The four-day Maria Island Walk isn’t just about meadows of wombats and rare wildlife, nor staggering beautiful walking on this island National Park. You’ll even sleep in a former convict station that pre-dates Port Arthur and be introduced to a history that includes bold characters, cement works, silk dreams and more.
Ancient forests give way to candlelit dinners come nightfall, prepared by guides who transform from hikers to cooks to story-tellers of the landscape. Some days you’ll be walking white sands and remote coastlines, others require a dash more exertion like the pinnacle of Bishop and Clerk on day three. Fresh Tassie scallops, kangaroo sausages and wine from local east coast vineyards to the sound of nature’s evening orchestra make for a special island experience.
The Bruny Island Long Weekends
Shouldn’t every weekend be a long weekend? Be whisked from Hobart’s CBD to the doorstep of Bruny Island by boat to begin three days of adventure, walking and produce direct from the source. Day one of The Bruny Island Long Weekend begins with a Cape Queen