Tasmania Walking Trails & Bonorong

Description

Tasmania is undoubtedly one of Australia's best destinations for a walking holiday and here we have designed a classic itinerary around 3 great walks. Obviously if you are not such an avid walker then for your own holiday we can mix and match any of these with other walks or more general touring throughout Tasmania.

The Tarkine Rainforest Track in the west of Tasmania is a multi-day walk lasting 6 days. It is perhaps a good way to start this holiday as it is a camping trip and you will then lighten your load and move from hut to hut on the famous Overland Track from Cradle Mountain through the centre of the island. Finally on the more arid east coast walk the delightful beaches on the Maria Island Walk from comfortable fixed camps.

The Tarkine Rainforest Track is a complete immersion into the southern hemisphere's large tract of temperate rainforest, a real experience, it can be graded as mid-grade walking, never difficult and you are unlikely to see anyone else. Gear can be hired for the duration of the trip and you should expect to help with some chores around camp although meals are cooked by the guides from good Tasmanian produce complimented by fine wines.

You meet your Tarkine wilderness guides in Launceston before travelling along the north coast and heading inland to the Tarkine. The walking starts this afternoon and you cross a river and head into the forest to the first nights camp. Two days of walking through ever changing forest types bring you to camp at Tarkine Falls. A gentle day with a light sac follows and perhaps you will climb above the rainforest for tremendous views; those inclined can relax in camp instead. A final day of walking, perhaps interspersed with swimming in a river pool, brings you to a last camp. The next day you travel out of the forest and return to Launceston.
Daily distances are less than 10km, the emphasis being on gaining an appreciation for this special forest.

The Overland Track is one of the great Australian walks, something like 8,000 people attempt it each year but that does not mean it is overcrowded. This guided walk through some prime wilderness and spectacular mountains is designed to take the weight off your shoulders and give you a comfortable experience staying in private huts with hot showers and twin-share rooms; again with great food and Tasmanian wine served each night.

Tasmania's classic walk starts with a day in the alpine magic around Cradle Mountain, then passes by moorland lakes to descend into rainforest. There is the opportunity to climb Mt. Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain before discovering the Mersey Valley and its lovely waterfalls. Finally on day 6 you walk out to Lake St. Clair for a boat ride to the roadhead to complete a truly memorable experience.
Daily distances are not more than 12km and usually less than 10km, again the emphasis is on exploring nature and the wilderness along the track.

With 2 terrific walks completed and after a night back in Launceston you now move on to Hobart. This evening we have included a night tour of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is involved in the Tarkine Devil Project which you will have experienced on the Tarkine Rainforest Walk where camera traps have been set to determine Tasmanian Devil activity in the hope of gaining further information that will help save the endangered Tasmania Devil, Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial.

Your final guided walk of the 3 on this holiday is the Maria Island Walk. Maria Island is a national park lying just off the east coast of Tasmania. It is characterised by eucalypt forest and incredible white sandy beaches and also has an important Aboriginal and convict history. As a short 4 day walk it makes a fitting end to the trip and there is plenty of time to relax and perhaps swim from the beaches. Wildlife abounds and the island is home to wombats, Tasmanian pademelons, Bennett's wallabies, Forester Kangaroos and the endangered forty-spotted pardolote which is now really only found in a couple of places in Tasmania, Maria Island being a key breeding site.

The first day is a very short walk from a beach landing to camp at the end of the isthmus. The second day is spent mostly exploring the beaches covering a distance of around 13km. On the third day there is the chance to climb to the island's highest point, Mt. Maria for incredible views (17km); or walk the 6km to Darlington where if you wish you may embark on an afternoon climb to the rocky pinnacles of Bishop & Clerk which look out towards the Freycinet Peninsula. A final mornings walk to Fossil Cliffs or exploration of Darlington's convict history rounds out an incredible walk through some of the very best of Tasmania.

Maria Island Walk has won numerous awards and in line with Tarkine Trails and Cradle Huts is a fully serviced walk with terrific, knowledgeable and amenable guides who are all enthusiastic about Tasmania, its wilderness and ecology. With no more than 10 persons on any departure and with the walking at a relaxed pace, you really are assured some incredible experiences if you undertake this complete itinerary. We hope you will!

Inspired? To read more about this itinerary, or for us to design your own unique holiday contact us …