tasmanian wilderness hiker
 world heritage mountains, lakes & forests

Guided group tour 9 day itinerary

highlights

• Hike the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair World Heritage Area

• Explore the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers area, learning of its significance in Australia's environmental movement

• Walk a section of the famous long distance Overland Track

• Cruise on Lake St Clair through the World Heritage Area

• Visit Lake Pedder - where the Australian Conservation Movement began

Take a walk on the wild side! Boasting large tracts of World Heritage Area, Tasmania is the world's last great temperate wilderness. Approximately 20% of the entire state is World Heritage Area. Some of the oldest trees in the world grow here, such as huon pines, which can live for more than 2000 years. There are isolated rainforests, alpine meadows studded with a sparkling mosaic of crystal-clear lakes, wild rivers and rugged mountains. Unspoiled beauty abounds in all directions!

Cradle Mountain reflected in a serene lake

Mt Field National Park boasts what is probably the most photographed waterfall in the whole of Tasmania, Russell Falls. Leaving the tourists behind you’ll hike the breathtakingly beautiful Tarn Shelf circuit, a stunning, lake-studded shelf that was carved out by the force of glaciers from the previous Ice Age.

Next stop is the Gordon River and Lake Pedder, right in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park, the largest in Tasmania, epitomises the grandeur and spirit of wilderness in its truest sense. Lake Pedder was at the forefront in establishing the green movement in Australia and those Aussies old enough to remember have always held a soft spot in their hearts for this special place.

Stunning view from Crater Peak

Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest lake, lies at the southern end of the Overland Track. You’ll hike through myrtle beech forest and cruise the lake, enjoying stunning panoramas of Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the Greek gods, and of the Traveller Range and Mounts Rufus and Hugel. A second hike here includes delightful alpine tarns that dot the pristine landscape.

A scenic drive along the “Wild Way” takes us to the pristine Franklin River and beautiful Nelson Falls for short walks.

The grand finale is a couple of days hiking in the Cradle Mountain region. You’ll hike the northern section of the Overland Track as it winds its way through alpine heathlands brimming with wildflowers, past cascading waterfalls and ancient glacial lakes to the foot of mighty Cradle Mountain.  The traverse of this elevated alpine area epitomises the special qualities of Tasmanian wilderness.

Note that we also offer another trip on the east coast - Tasmanian Coastal Hiker. These two trips can be joined together to form a longer holiday.

One of many delightful alpine tarns
 (photo courtesy of Gareth Gorman)

location
Tasmania is a small island state off the south coast of the Australian mainland.  This holiday starts in Hobart and finishes in Launceston.  Both are accessible by plane from the mainland.

grading
Overall, this is the harder of the two Tasmanian itineraries as a lot of the walking is in alpine areas and there are some steep sections and challenging terrain.

Mt Field offers moderate walking with a couple of short sections of steep uphill. One of the Lake St Clair hikes is nearly flat; the other is moderate with some rough sections of track. The hike in the Lake Pedder area is moderately challenging. Cradle Mountain offers walks that range from moderate to challenging. Due to restrictions placed upon tour operators by the National Parks Service, we can’t offer a choice of walks each day – the group must stay together with both guides.

Tasmanian waratah (photo courtesty of Gareth Gorman)

accommodation
Accommodation on this holiday is in a wilderness chalet, comfortable cottages and an eco lodge. They all have character, excellent bedding and are in quiet locations.

food & wine highlights
Tasmania has an enviable reputation for its quality apples, berries, cheeses & smoked salmon.  There are also lots of local beer and cider brewers, as well as several boutique Tassie wineries. Shellfish lovers will enjoy the prawns and oysters on our menu.

Cradle Mountain in the distance

what's included
Guiding, all transport from Hobart on day 1 to Launceston on day 9, 8 nights accommodation, 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners, cruise on Lake St Clair, National Park fees, information booklets, insulated lunch bag, map case, maps.

not included
Alcohol, additional meals.

departure dates
Please see our Departure Dates section of the website
Note that we offer the Tasmanian Coastal Hiker immediately prior to this trip so they can easily be joined into a longer holiday.

This Auswalk tour operates with a slightly smaller group than usual – we can only take a maximum of 12 people due to restrictions placed on us by the National Parks service, so if you are interested, please book early to avoid disappointment.

prices
Please see our Prices section of the website

Narcissus River - at the end of Lake St Clair

itinerary guide - 9 days
(includes 8 nights accommodation)

Day 1: This holiday commences in Hobart at 1.00pm.  Travel through the picturesque Derwent Valley to Mt Field National Park. An afternoon walk exploring Russell Falls, one of Tasmania's best-known scenic attractions.  Green, graceful ferns line the track edges while the world's tallest flowering plants, the magnificent swamp gums, tower overhead. On to Maydena, which will be home for three nights. Accommodation: Maydena, cottages set beside a lake where there’s an excellent chance of seeing a platypus in the wild.

Russell Falls

Day 2: Today we’ll explore the nearby Mt Field National Park. The route passes a delightful series of small glacial lakes before reaching spectacular Tarn Shelf, a stunning, lake-ridden shelf that was carved out by the force of glaciers from the previous Ice Age. The rustic Twilight Tarn hut is a relic from days gone by and contains skiing memorabilia from earlier decades. Mt Field is unusual in that plant diversity increases with altitude, showcasing huge pandani groves and other bizarre alpine species. With patience, and a little luck, you may even see a platypus in one of the lakes. Accommodation: Maydena

One of the dozens of lakes that dot Tarn Shelf -
 one of our all-time favourite hikes!

Day 3: A day of scenic drives and a wilderness hike. The magnificent Southwest National Park encompasses over six hundred thousand hectares of wild, inspiring country and forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park, the largest in Tasmania, epitomises the grandeur and spirit of wilderness in its truest sense. Today we’ll travel along the Gordon River Road to Strathgordon – one of the most spectacular drives anywhere offering breathtaking views of the wild rugged mountains, rolling button grass plains and lush green rainforests. Along the way we’ll hike to a suspension bridge crossing the remote Anne River. We'll also visit the Gordon Dam, a marvellous engineering feat. You can walk across the dam wall for a unique experience! Accommodation: Maydena

Lake Pedder, right in the heart of the World Heritage Area

Day 4: After a visit to Junee Cave, we'll travel northwards to Lake St Clair at the southern end of the world famous Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.  This is also part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. We'll enjoy a cruise on Lake St Clair.  Carved out by ice during several glaciations over the last two million years, this is the deepest lake in Australia and the headwaters of the Derwent River, upon which the capital city of Tasmania is located.  There are stunning panoramas of Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the Greek gods, and of the Traveller Range and Mounts Rufus and Hugel. Lake St Clair is also the end point of the famous Overland Track, a long-distance walk which runs from Cradle Mountain in the north to Cynthia Bay on the southern shore of Lake St Clair. An afternoon walk to the junction of the Cuvier and Hugel Rivers passes through fern glades, moor lands, rainforest and towering eucalypts. There's a good chance of spotting a platypus in the lake or one of the pristine rivers. Accommodation: Lake St Clair, cottages – 2 nights

Day 5: Today we'll do a full day circuit hike to remote Shadow Lake. The surrounding mountains reflect into the crystal clear waters of this alpine tarn. The route continues via the Rufus Range and back down to Cynthia Bay. Tonight we'll enjoy a BBQ for dinner and hopefully spot some night life. Accommodation: Lake St Clair

Boardwalk through myrtle beech forest

Day 6: We'll start the day with an easy stroll along the shores of the Franklin River. We'll travel along the “Wild Way” – through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, a park that lies in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and is famous for the wild and pristine rivers that twist their way through the wilderness. Learn how the Franklin River has become synonymous with Australia's largest conservation battle – the battle to save the Franklin from a proposed hydro-electric power scheme that would have flooded the river. Another short walk leads to a stunning wilderness view over Frenchman's Cap. We'll also cross the Franklin River via a high suspension bridge and then walk to picturesque Nelson Falls. Today is a day of contrasts! And there's more - we'll arrive in Queenstown mid afternoon and there will be an opportunity to ride the West Coast Wilderness Railway to Strahan (extra cost). Accommodation: Queenstown, motel

Day 7: Travel to Cradle Mountain at the northern end of the wild Cradle Mt Lake St Clair National Park. The first view across Dove Lake to Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania's natural highlights. The mountain itself is a jagged, dolerite peak that dominates the area. Its name, supposedly, is derived from the mountain's resemblance to a miner's cradle. This dramatic vista can be seen on an easy walk as we circumnavigate pristine Dove Lake). An additional walk will be offered to visit Waldheim. Nestled among the myrtles and King Billy pines at Cradle Valley, Waldheim Chalet takes you back to the time when the Weindorfers first offered their renowned hospitality to their guests. Having fallen in love with what is now Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park, Gustav and Kate Weindorfer built the rustic home and guest chalet in 1912. The chalet was named Waldheim, meaning "forest home". Accommodation: Cradle Mountain, eco lodge for 2 nights

It's a bit of a scramble to get up
 Hansons Peak

Day 8: For many, today will be the highlight of the holiday. The hike starts with an ascent of stunning Hansons Peak. There are some airy sections and steep gradients so we'll take it slowly. From here we'll continue along the face of Cradle Mountain and return via the Overland Track. Join backpackers and expeditioners on a section of the famous Overland Track as it winds its way through alpine heathlands brimming with wildflowers, past cascading waterfalls and ancient glacial lakes to the foot of mighty Cradle Mountain. The traverse of this elevated alpine area epitomises the special qualities of Tasmanian wilderness. The jagged contours of Cradle Mountain epitomise the feel of a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest, alpine heathlands and button grass plains ensure there is always something to captivate you. Accommodation: Cradle Mountain.

Overlooking the alpine lakes at Cradle Mountain

Day 9: Travel back to Launceston stopping for tastings at a local cheese factory on route.  Arrive in Launceston at around 1.00pm.

fact sheet
Would you like more detailed information about this trip?

Download our Tasmanian Wilderness Hiker Group Guided Walking Holiday Fact Sheet. It contains a detailed itinerary with walking times and distances and more information on accommodations including photos of places you will stay at.

Note: If you are having trouble opening this Fact Sheet, please click on the link to download the latest version of Adobe Reader.

prices
See the prices section

how to book
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