Tasmania’s best day walks: tour diary & photos
Tasmania’s best day walks: tour diary & photos
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Our first walking tour of Tasmania was pretty incredible and we’re really looking forward to our next one in February (click here for details). Tasmania is such a great place for walking with stunningly beautiful natural areas; a rich variety of landscapes, from mountains to the coast; and, of course, delicious wine and produce to top off a day’s hard work.
Our ten day tour with eight very different day walks is a fab way to see a lot of what Tasmania has to offer, rather than just concentrating on one area like other Tasmanian tours do. We think it’s a perfect tasting plate for people who have never been to Tasmania as well as people who have. Read on to find out what our November tour was like:
Tasmania Day 1: Hobart to Mt Field National Park
The weather in Hobart had been glorious in the day’s leading up to the tour and may have led us into a false sense of security as we headed out to Mt Field National Park on our first morning. It wasn’t long though befor
e the clouds rolled in and we wondered how long we’d stay dry for. Not long was the answer.
We managed to stay dry on the short and easy walk out to Russell Falls. Surrounded by towering swamp gums and massive tree ferns was like being in a wonderland. In fact, we often felt a kind of magic as we walked though various parts of Tasmania.
From Russell Falls we drove up to Lake Dobson where the weather had started to set in. A sheltered hut for morning tea and wardrobe adjustments was welcome before we headed up for our walk to the Tarn Shelf. We walked beside Lake Dobson, past beautiful pandani and snowgums and headed up up up to the shelf.
Soon it started raining and the icy wind picked up, making us feel a little like arctic explorers. Occasionally the sky would clear to show the beautiful tarns (mountain lakes/pools) and the surrounding mountainous scenery. Once on the tarn shelf itself the Rodway Hut was perfect for a sheltered lunch before walking about an hour along the shelf beside the tarns. As we turned a corner and saw a hail storm coming our way we all agreed it was a great time to turn back!
Despite the weather the Tarn Shelf still had a surreal quality that I found so enchanting. In the moments we weren’t being buffeted by wind the landscape just seemed to be so perfectly constructed. The lichen covered boulders and the crinkle cut leaves of the deciduous beech held plenty of interest in times when the weather enclosed us in mist.
We were all extremely grateful for a hot and delicious cup of coffee at the visitor centre cafe when we came down from our adventure. A shopping spree for “practical souvenirs” like gloves, beanies and warm socks ensued before we headed to our accommodation in Maydena where hot showers, warm fires and a hearty home cooked meal were met with pleasure.
Tasmania Day 2: Eliza Peak
The weather forecast wasn’t the best – cold with more rain. But no one opted for the book in bed option and we all headed out to Lake Pedder and Mt Eliza with high spirits. It’s a pretty tough walk up Mt Eliza as it’s mostly quite steep but the views over Lake Pedder and surrounds (when the clouds clear!) are sensational. I think it’s safe to say that everyone found the walk challenging but we all made it to the High Camp Hut – a cute hiking shelter built by the Hobart Walking Club in the 1970’s – where we had some of the best sandwiches of our lives (a common theme on walking holidays).
The boots were lined up beside the fire again tonight while we enjoyed a roast and the world’s biggest pavlova for dinner.
Tasmania Day 3: Lake St Clair
Finally this morning a platypus made a public appearance in one of the ponds on the property where we were staying. It was very exciting for a few of us to see our first ever platypus put on a show. What strange creatures they are!
We piled into the minibus and were at Lake St Clair by morning tea time. The wind was bitingly cold but the sky, for the first time this trip, showed some blue. We caught a ferry from the main settlement at Lake St Clair out to Echo Point where we enjoyed a walk back through the enchanted cool temperate rainforest. This is the last section of the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain. It’s a flat walk but the serpentine tree roots weaving around each other along most of the trail ensure that it’s certainly not a boring walk. We even saw an echidna!
Tasmania Day 4: Mt Rufus or Shadow Lake Circuit
We had two options today. For the extreme adventurers there was the Mt Rufus circuit, a beautiful but challenging walk going up and over Mt Rufus, taking in a huge variety of vegetation communities and terrain. For the remaining three of us there was the Shadow Lake Circuit, which follows the Rufus Circuit for a while but then cuts off most of the vertical ascent while still taking in an array of remarkable scenery.
The Shadow Lake Ladies had a wonderful day. The walk was shorter so we took our time looking at flowers, searching for wombats and taking lots of photos. The weather was surprisingly good to us as we were protected from the wind and the rain was mostly that gentle misty stuff. I was still freezing though and wondered at the fortitude of some of the people we saw wearing singlets and shorts (I had on about four layers for most of the day).
Team Rufus experienced a very different walk – totally immersing themselves in the elements as they got above the tree line. They were a fit and capable group and took on the challenge of walking in cold and very windy conditions admirably. It was a walk that no one will forget and definitely pushed most people outside of their comfort zone. There wasn’t much to see from the summit and not much interest in hanging around but here’s a photo of the triumphant team at the summit cairn.
Tasmania Day 5: A travel/rest day
It’s only about 60 km in a straight line from Lake St Clair to Cradle Mountain but nothing is straight in Tasmania and we took most of the day to drive there. We stopped off first at The Wall. It’s a beautiful sculptural piece carved as a series of 100 panels – each 1 metre wide and 3 metres tall. It’s a work in progress that depicts the history of those that shaped the central highlands. It’s pretty impressive and I recommend a visit if you’re ever in Derwent Bridge.
We had a power walk up to Donaghys Lookout to remind our legs that we still need them, and we were in a cosy Queenstown cafe by lunchtime. Queenstown is a funny little town – most remarkable for the barren hills that surround it on all sides. When the copper mine was in full swing the trees were logged to feed the furnaces, then the sulphurous fumes killed the rest of the vegetation. High rainfall did the rest, causing the top soil to erode away.
By mid afternoon we were at Cradle Mountain, buying up big in the visitor centre shop – one of our favourite past-times! The weather for the next few day’s wasn’t looking promising so we decided to take a drive down to Dove Lake to see if we could get a glimpse of Cradle Mountain itself. We did get a glimpse of the mountain, which is often shrouded in cloud, and felt very lucky. But the best thing we saw were wombats on our way back to our accommodation. Oh my goodness those guys are cute! We all piled out of the van like good tourists and took some snaps. The wombats took no notice of us. They just kept on feeding those beautiful rotund bodies of theirs.
Tasmania Day 6: Cradle Mountain walks
We were completely ready for whatever the weather threw at us today – with new gaiters, plastic over-pants, washing up gloves, umbrellas and some pretty stylish beanies we headed out for a day of walking some of the many tracks at Cradle Mountain – rain, hail or, um, more rain. Snow wasn’t forecast until tomorrow (I’m not kidding) but we were ready for anything.
The beauty of Cradle Mountain is that there’s so much to do, no matter what your capabilities are or what conditions you find yourself in. We started off from Waldheim Chalet and made our way along the duck-boards to Crater F
alls and up past Crater Lake. When we got to the turn off to Marions Lookout we met a guy coming down who said it was absolutely freezing up there, with strong winds and the view was completely whited out. We decided not to make the climb up there and turned down instead toward Dove Lake. It was quite nice and sheltered for most of the way and the atmosphere was thick and heavy, making the scenes around us seem very dramatic.
A very convenient hut at Dove Lake served as our wind-free lunch spot and afterwards we headed out again to circle Dove Lake. We were so lucky with the weather, with the sky clearing just at the right times for us to get some magnificent views over the lake to the twin peaks of Cradle Mountain beyond. The 6km walk was easy and the track was a joy to walk on as it was incredibly well made and maintained. For a walk around a lake it took in such a variety of vegetation communities. It was really magic walking through patches of wet, dense forest that completely enveloped the trail and then popping out to open views across the water or up into the mountains.
By the time we’d finished the Dove Lake circuit we were all pretty happy to call it a day and we headed back to our accommodation via the Tasmanian Devil centre. Because it was such an overcast day the devils were very active and they were a treat to watch as they chased each other around their enclosures. The promise of heaters and showers pulled us away from the Devil centre though and we snuck away for a relaxing afternoon followed by drinks and dinner at the tavern.
Tasmania Day 7: Travel Day
We woke up to see snow falling outside our cabins, coating everything in a layer of white. For someone from Western Australia it was pretty cool. Instead of heading straight off as planned, we decided that we had to go down to Dove Lake one more time to see what Cradle Mountain looked like with snow on it. It was a wonderful sight!
We didn’t linger too long in the freezing snow. Our next stop was Sheffield for morning tea and then sunny (at last!) Campbell Town for lunch. A winery visit and some tastings on the way to Swansea topped off a nice relaxing day.
Tasmania Day 8: Wineglass Bay circuit walk
A very different walk was in store today as we walked the Wineglass Bay circuit. We couldn’t have had it better – look at the colours in the photo (note the blue sky)! The colour of the water was magnificent. With the red boulders at one end of the end of the beach and a mountain looming over the other end it was the perfect place for lunch. Anne and Adam braved the chilly water for about 20 seconds while others took a stroll along the gently curving bay or just sat and took in the beauty.
A decent climb up from the beach saw us united with about a million tourists at the Wineglass Bay lookout. It really made us appreciate the relative solitude we had enjoyed on our other walks.
After our walk, Cath, our token Tasmanian guest, showed us around her beautiful home town of Bicheno before we headed back to our lovely accommodation by the water in Swansea.
Tasmania Day 9: Maria Island, Bishop and Clerk
We chartered an earlier ferry over to Maria Island in the morning so we’d have plenty of time to climb Bishop and Clerk. It’s an easy walk to start with but once you start going up, you keep going up. It gets quite rocky and bouldery toward the end which is great for those who love a good rock-hop and quite challenging for those who may be out of practice. Everyone made it to the almost top with some deciding not to do the last little bit of a climb up to the summit which requires a bit of calisthenics to get to. The views out across Maria Island and over to the mainland of Tasmania are really wonderful. We had another great lunch spot on a jumble of boulders before we showed our knees who’s boss on the way down.
There’s nowhere good to stay in Triabunna where the ferry goes to Maria Island so after a full day’s adventure we piled on the bus, stocked up with snacks and headed for Port Arthur for our final night.
Tasmania Day 10: Cape Hauy, Tasman Peninsular
Our accommodation was right next door to the Port Arthur historic site so we enjoyed our breakfast in the restaurant overlooking the grounds. We had keys to the gates of Port Arthur and had some free time this 
morning to take a wander through the site. With a gentle misty rain and no one else around it was a bit eerie walking through what is left of the penal station buildings.
Our last walk of the trip was the Cape Hauy walk on the Tasman Peninsular. As usual, it was hilly, with lots of ups and downs, but the views out over the cape and to the dolerite columns and cliffs were wonderful! And in the bits where there were no views, there were a multitude of wildflowers, and we saw echidnas. It was a great walk to end on.
Thanks to the eight adventurous souls who joined us for our first of many Tasmanian walking tours. We had a really great time with you and look forward to seeing you all again. And thanks Adam for all of your hard work helping us make this tour live up to our motto of ‘recreation beyond expectation’.
