Hike | Tasmania | Australia
Hiking the famous Overland Track in Tasmania
Text | Anninka Kraus
Photography | Tobias Kraus
Australia Tasmania
The Overland Track in Tasmania’s World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park, is hailed as one of Australia’s best multi-day hikes. The alpine track traverses 65km in the northwestern corner of Tasmania, and despite its remoteness is very popular and bookings are essential during the walking season, from the 1st October to the 31st May.
The Overland is $230 per person and you’ll need to arrange transport to the start at Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, and from the finish at Lake St Clair Visitor Centre. How much time you spend on the track however is up to you – we only had four days and not enough time for side trips, but if you do, make the hike at least six days and include Cradle Mountain and Mount Ossa.
jump ahead.
This is a 4-day itinerary, but how much time you spend on the track is up to you. There are several side trips worth taking if you have the time.
Ronny Creek – Waterfall Valley, Distance: 10.6km, Time: 4 hours
Waterfall Valley – New Pelion Hut, Distance: 22.7km, Time: 8:15 hours
New Pelion Hut – Windy Ridge, Distance: 17.9km, Time: 7:20 hours
Part 1 to Narcissus Hut, Distance: 9.8km, Time: 2:30 hours
Part 2 to Lake St Clair, Distance: 16.2km, Time: 5:30 hours
The echidna is Australia's most widespread native mammal. They belong to the montremes, a group of egg-laying mammals.
4 days on the Overland Track map
what to expect.
One of Australia’s best multi-day hikes
Remoteness and “back to the roots” adventure in spectacular wilderness
Rugged alpine landscape and myrtle-beech rainforest in Tasmania’s World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park
Abundant local wildlife, including adorable wombats
location & trail information.
Location: The Overland Track traverses 65km in the northwestern corner of Tasmania. The start is Ronny Creek, 7km south of Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre. The Cradle Shuttle Bus departs regularly from the visitor centre mid-September to mid-May. The track ends at Lake St Clair visitor centre, approx. 170km / 2.5 hours to Launceston and Hobart.
Organizing your hike on the Overland Track: Transport Operators: We used Cradle Mountain Coaches for transport to and from the Overland Track and would use their service again as both drivers were really nice. They also offer luggage storage ($30/bag) and sell gas canisters ($10).
Bookings: Note that huts and campsites cannot be reserved in advance and you’ll need to bring a tent even if you plan to sleep in huts, in case they’re full.
Between 1 June to 30 September (inclusive) you need to pay the Overland Track fee and for a National Parks Pass.
When to hike the Overland Track: As Tasmania doesn’t get as hot as the rest of Australia in summer, the months of December to February are the most favorable but also book out quickly.
In the peak walking season (1 October- 31 May) you can only walk the track from north to south (Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair). Note that most people choose to hike the Overland Track in 5-6 days and include multiple side trips.
Things to know before hiking the Overland Track:
You need to bring a tent even if you plan to sleep in huts, in case they’re full.
Walk the track in however many days you like, as huts and campsites cannot be reserved in advance.
There’s no cell phone reception (we only got spotty reception once, on the ferry pier at Narcissus Hut).
Leave no trace and carry in what you carry out (don’t forget at least 2 rubbish bags).
Bring toilet paper – unlike on the Routeburn Track, none is provided on the Overland.
There are rainwater tanks at the huts for drinking and washing (those near the toilets are for hand washing only).
Bring your swimsuit to cool off in lakes, streams and waterholes along the track but take care not to contaminate the water with sun screen, shampoo or body wash.
Don’t forget insect repellent and watch out for leeches.
Does the Overland Track live up to the hype? The difficulty of the trail is debatable – some think of the Overland Track as a too comfortable walking ‘highway’, whereas Park & Wildlife Services warn of a serious adventure for well-prepared hikers. Both have a point. The Overland is more comfortable than hiking and wild camping in Norway, but still the kind of “back to the roots” adventure that we both love. The lack of amenities and cell phone coverage, only added to our appreciation of this spectacular wilderness.
The first three days on the Overland were my favourite. Until Windy Ridge, the landscape was strikingly beautiful and varied. Gently undulant flatlands peppered with pale grassy tussock, and a ribbon of navy blue lakes formed by glaciation, were unexpectedly interrupted by large jagged outcrops of stone, like Cradle Mountain. These dolerite peaks formed by erosion, stood assertive in prominent seclusion to the backdrop of flat heathlands and dark green rainforest canopy, and bore a slight resemblance to Canyonlands National Park in the States.
Only the last day was somewhat disappointing. From Windy Ridge to Lake St Clair, we stumbled across tangled tree roots in the rainforest for hours. It was a rather monotonous drudgery, that I recommend you cut short by taking the ferry from Narcissus, 9.8km from Windy Ridge, to Lake St Clair.
day 1 on the Overland Track
Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley
We flew into Launceston in the early morning, but were still off to a late start from Ronny Creek, the start of the Overland Track. You’ll be well advised to allow two hours from Launceston Airport to Cradle Mountain Visitors Centre, and another hour to collect your Overland Track Pass from visitor services and the shuttle bus ride to Ronny Creek.
When we finally did set off, we didn’t get far. After walking for three minutes, we spotted the first wombat. This fellow was a little bigger than the baby wombat from the youtube video, but still incredibly adorable and unfazed by the exited oohing and aahing from the elevated duckboard.
A barrel-like furry body, a little brown snub nose, black teddy bear eyes set wide, and chubby cheeks that chewed vigorously. Only the stubby triangular ears defied roundness. Wombats are stout marsupials, native to Tasmania and southeastern Australia, and I was only half-joking when I said ‘Ok, I’m done with the hike now.’
My main reason for hiking the Overland was indeed to see wombats in their natural habitat, and we did see many. The track on day 1, passing by glacial Crater Lake, was mostly boardwalked, but demanded a steady climb before coming to Marions Lookout (1250m). There was one steep, exposed section secured with chains just before the lookout, but the panoramic views over Dove Lake were just compensation for the effort. Once you’re up the next incline, you’ll have tackled the highest altitudes on the entire track, excluding optional side trips.
One such side trip starts at Kitchen Hut emergency shelter, a 2-3 hour return detour up Cradle Mountain. It looked like a great climb, but because of our late start we continued on duckboard across buttongrass moorland, at the foot of Cradle Mountain, towards Waterfall Valley and the impressive cone shaped outcrop of Barn Bluff towering in the southwest.
track details.
Start: Ronny Creek
End: Waterfall Valley
Route: Ronny Creek – Marions Lookout – Kitchen Hut – foot of Cradle Mountain – Waterfall Valley
Distance: 10.6km
Time: 4 hours
Elevation gain: Elevation gain: 553m / loss: 389m (lowest point: 880m / highest point: 1280m)
Gently undulant flatlands unexpectedly interrupted by large jagged outcrops of stone. related | Best things to do in Hobart, Tasmania
day 2 on the Overland Track
Waterfall Valley to New Pelion Hut
The sun was out in full force by the time we set off on raised duckboard, across swampy heathland, towards Lake Windermere. The high plateau we traversed was home to a very rich – and to us exotic – fauna.
By the time we reached Windermere Hut, on the edge of myrtle forest, we had spotted kangaroos, enchinades, and two Bennett’s wallabies. Past Windermere, we were again surrounded by moorland before we crossed Pelion Creek, and on the eastern flanks of Mt Pelion, descended through myrtle-beech rainforest to the Forth River and Flog Flats campgrounds. ‘Campgrounds’ was a somewhat overpromising description of deserted patches of grass, lacking toilets and a water supply from what we could tell. It’s definitely a nice spot to rest though, especially as Frog Flats is the lowest point of the trail and I was dreading the approaching final 250m-ascent to 900m.
When rainforest transitioned into large eucalyptus trees and we passed the turnoff to old Pelion Hut, it was only ten more minutes to New Pelion Hut, set on the edge of Pelion Plains. For a half-hour I sat on my butt, unwilling to take even one more step, and then very slowly helped Tobi pitch the tent.
My legs were sore after eight hours of hiking and we were easily distracted by a variety of wildlife – pademelons, echidna and wallabies – rummaging through the bush in the early evening. When eventually we were done, we wandered over to the helicopter pad (every hut on the track has one) with a cup of cocoa. This spot had the best sunset views across the buttongrass flatland towards Mt Oakleigh to the north.
track details.
Start: Waterfall Valley
End: New Pelion Hut
Route: Waterfall Valley – Windermere Hut – Pelion Creek – Forth River – Flog Flats – New Pelion Hut
Distance: 22.7km
Time: 8:15 hours
Elevation gain: Elevation gain: 518m / loss: 674m (lowest point: 745m / highest point: 1110m)
The large jagged outcrops of stone are dolerite peaks formed by erosion that stand assertive in prominent seclusion to the backdrop of flat heathlands.
day 3 on the Overland Track
New Pelion Hut to Windy Ridge
The third day started off with a steady climb up 300 vertical meters through temperate rainforest to Pelion Gap. The Gap is a beautiful alpine plateau between Mt Ossa (1617m) and Mt Pelion East (1433m).
Plenty of notices however warn of an inhospitable place to be in bad weather, and against summiting either mountain in rain or snow. We had perfect weather, but unfortunately no time for an additional half-day side-trip. In retrospect we really should have climbed Mt Ossa and instead skipped the leg from Narcissus to St Clair. The views from Tasmania’s highest mountain are supposedly spectacular.
In compensation, we admired the imposing cliff face of Cathedral Mountain plummet 700m toward the Mersey River on the next, mostly boardwalked stretch through Pinestone Valley. We rested briefly at Kia Ora Hut, 1:15 hours from the Gap, before we crossed Kia Ora Creek and continued on our way to Windy Ridge. The highland rainforest we passed through shelters of 2000-year-old King Billy Pines.
Apparently; I was too busy stumbling across rocks and gnarled tree roots to notice. 50 minutes from Kia Ora, we emerged from the wilderness into a gentle clearing, arranged as a garden to Du Cane Hut it almost seemed. Once used for animal trapping, the small wooden hut is an emergency shelter today and a lovely lunch spot. After 7:30 hours, we arrived at Windy Ridge and only minutes later were warned against tiger snakes by a worried young lady. She’d just then stumbled across one on the way to her tent platform.
When the ranger welcomed us, I curiously inquired into dangerous animals in the area. ‘Watch out for tiger snakes,’ he advised. ‘Are they poisonous?’ I wanted to know, and then wished I hadn’t asked. ‘They’re deadly but usually not aggressive, just don’t step on one by accident.’ Like anyone would do that on purpose. His reply should have shut me up, but I still asked about spiders. ‘Too many to name,’ was his reply. ‘Deadly ones?’, I have no idea why I kept at it. He just nodded.
When he had ticked our names off his list, he added matter-of-factly, ‘But the most dangerous animals in Tasmania are ants.’
I wasn’t in the least surprised that in Australia even ants are venomous and aggressive, to the point of jumping after you sporting menacing orange mandibles.
By the time we watched dusk set on the Du Cane Range, I’d forgotten all about the undesirable wildlife. It seemed we were on stage at Windy Ridge, facing up at a grand semi-circular gallery, the Range. As daylight was fading, we watched the rock loose its hard-edged, delicate contours, until it may as well have been a wall of LEGO bricks stacked precariously on top of each other.
track details.
Start: New Pelion Hut
End: Windy Ridge
Route: New Pelion Hut – Pelion Gap – foot of Mt Ossa (1617m) and Mt Pelion East (1433m) – Kia Ora Hut – Du Cane Hut – Windy Ridge
Distance: 17.9km
Time: 7:20 hours
Elevation gain: 612m / loss: 582m (lowest point: 875m / highest point: 1135m)
day 4 on the Overland Track
Windy Ridge to Lake St Clair
The first 9.8km stretch to Narcissus Hut was easy downhill walking, and the uneven, natural surface, a welcome change to the duckboard at first.
After Narcissus however, on the 16.2km stretch (5:30 hours) to Lake St Clair, the track was less well maintained, and the magic of thick, temperate rainforest had paled. Trying to maintain my footing on the overgrown path was tiring, as was anxiously watching out for snakes when I realised all other hikers were wearing gaiters, probably for that very reason. We passed two tiger snakes, each about two meters long that slithered into the undergrowth as we approached. All I could think about was the ranger’s warning that they wouldn’t think kindly of me stepping on them by accident.
IDA CLAIR operates a ferry between Narcissus and Cynthia Bay all year around with three daily departures, and my recommendation is that you make use of that offer and skip this last stretch through the woods.
track details.
Part 1
Start: Windy Ridge
End: Narcissus Hut
Route: Windy Ridge – Narcissus Hut
Distance: 9.8km
Time: 2:30 hours
Elevation gain: 80m / loss: 200m (lowest point: 755m / highest point: 895m)
Part 2
Start: Narcissus Hut
End: Lake St Clair (Ferrgy’s Paddock campsite)
Route: Narcissus Hut – Lake St Clair (Ferrgy’s Paddock campsite)
Distance: 16.2km
Time: 5:30 hours
Elevation gain: 255m / loss: 255m (lowest point: 785m / highest point: 745m)
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