Tasmania offers walking experiences for all levels of fitness and challenge. There are more than 60 short walks that take you into rainforests, along ancient sea cliffs, beside turquoise seas and over jagged mountain peaks. You can walk the coastal beaches of the Bay of Fires or head deep into the southwest wilderness and feel like the only soul on earth.
Want to explore over 300 of the most beautiful kilometres on earth? 'Great Walks of Tasmania' are seven of Tasmania's iconic multi-day guided walks and include The Maria Island Walk, Bay of Fires Walk, The Freycinet Experience Walk, The South Coast Track, The Tarkine Rainforest Track, Walls of Jerusalem Experience and Cradle Mountain Huts.
These rival famous walks elsewhere in the world; in fact for many enthusiasts they are a natural 'add-to-the-list' following NZ, Europe, Asia and the Americas ... best yet, they are appreciated by that worldwide audience for their proximity, their diversity within that relative closeness, and the fact that they are not overrun with walkers.
These and other multi-day walks are available for those who want to challenge themselves but prefer the comfort of a warm cabin, a shower and prepared meals at the end of each day.
For those not wishing to necessarily take to 'the wilds', walking tours also operate in many places in Tasmania. Small groups going to special places, led by a local showing you Tasmania off-the-beaten-track. There are also walks which explore our visual history around the docks, thematic walks recreating convict times, and of course after dark and garden centric tours.
Tasmania has spectacular scenery for walking enthusiasts, moderated by a temperate maritime climate. The island’s most famous walk, The Overland Track, takes you on a six day scenic adventure from Cradle Mountain to Australia’s deepest lake, Lake St Clair. Summer season number limits are imposed on this walk, so plan in advance and liaise with Parks and Wildlife for permits.
There are other multi-day walks for the independent 'do-it-yourself' walker. If you love to take in the space solo or want to challenge yourself then these walks are for you. But trekkking or walking with friends makes the experience even better.
Tasmania has extensive well-maintained tracks, knowledgeable park rangers, top quality guides and, most importantly, no crowds.
Tasmania’s premier bushwalk, The Overland Track, offers everything from majestic dolerite peaks and alpine lakes to rocky gorges and button grass plains. Most walkers head from north to south, and take advantage of side trips along the well-marked track including Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak.
The south west region of Tasmania is acclaimed for its remote wilderness and some of Tasmania’s most grueling walks including the Western Arthurs and Frenchman’s Cap. Fly into Melaleuca and challenge yourself on the South Coast Track or closer to Cradle Mountain, be mesmerised by the wildflowers and mystical beauty of the Walls of Jerusalem.
The Tasmanian Trail covers over 480 kilometres (300 miles) from Bass Strait to the Southern Ocean, beginning in Devonport and finishing in Dover. You can walk, cycle and even ride a horse on this inland journey through forests, towns, farmland and highland moors or join at various points along the way.
The Overland Track begins at Ronny Creek in Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park, with a shuttle bus transporting walkers from the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre to the starting point.
Light planes depart from Hobart International Airport taking walkers into Melaleuca to begin the South Coast Track and private vehicles can be left at the finishing point at Cockle Creek. There are no roads leading to The Walls of Jerusalem National Park, therefore walkers are required to park near Lake Rowallen and walk 30 minutes to the park’s border.
This essential bushwalking guide offers wilderness survival information for walking in Tasmania. It includes safety tips, gear checklists, park entry fees, and tips for wilderness-friendly walking.
Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
Overland Track
Wikipedia Bushwalking List
Tasmanian Bushwalking Forum
John Chapman Bushwalking Site
Glengarry Bush Maze and Tearooms are located at Glengarry in Tasmania’s north.
St Helens Point conservation area features extensive sand dunes, located in north-east Tasmania.
Par Avion provide air based tours from Cambridge Airport, in Tasmania’s south.
Aardvark Adventures Tasmania located in Hobart offer abseiling, caving and white-water rafting tours with qualified instructors.
Connections Safaris runs open-age, small group trips for people to experience the real Tasmania.
Penitentiary Chapel Ghost Tour operates ghost tours of the old Penitentiary Chapel and Criminal Courts, in Hobart.
The tiny west coast settlement of Arthur River is the northern entry to the Western Explorer to Corinna.
Premier Travel Tasmania in Hobart offers refined encounters with nature.
Notley Fern Gorge is a remnant patch of rainforest above the Tamar Valley, northern Tasmania.
Tassie Tag Along Four Wheel Drive Adventure Tours offer guided tours of Tasmania’s wilderness areas.
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