Walks

South Cape Bay

This is one of Tasmania's iconic day walks and starts from the end of Australia's most southerly road and is the eastern end of the popular 7 day South Coast Track to Port Davey. It's a great place, so take your lunch and make a good day of it. Australia's most southern coastline is also the country's most unspoilt. No roads lead to this beautiful, untouched and often wild region. This track will allow you to experience this region the way it has been since long before the impacts that Europeans wrought upon so many parts of Australia.
Moderate grade, 4 hours return. (National Park entry fees apply)

Access: Road C636 from Lune River township to Cockle Creek. The car park is signposted shortly after crossing the Cockle Creek bridge.

Fishers Point

A popular easy walk from the Whale Sculpture at Cockle Creek meandering along the foreshore with views over Storm Bay to South Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula as well as inland towards the Southern Ranges. Visit the remains of the pilot station constructed in 1843 at Fishers Point.

Easy grade, 2 hours return. (National Park entry fees apply)
Access: Road C636 from Lune River township to Cockle Creek. Follow signs to Whale Sculpture.

Duckhole Lake

This is an easy stroll to an idyllic lake. Duckhole Lake is a flooded sinkhole that is part of the surrounding cave and karst landscape. Easy grade, 1 hour return.

Access from the north: Turn into Old Hastings Road/Darcy Link 3.1 km south of the Esperance river bridge in the township of Strathblane. Follow signs.

Alternative route from the south: Take Tuganah Road off Hastings Caves Road, turn right into Creekton Road to the Coal Hill Road turn off. Take a right turn over the bridge to the Duchhole Lake car park (this route may be temporarily unavailable)

South Coast Track

6 to 9 days walk from Cockle Creek to Melaleuca or vice versa over 85 kms. Difficult walk for the dedicated mudlovers rewarding with spectacular coastal views, stunning seashore creatures and beautiful forests. An essential experience for the serious walkers.
Hard grade, 6 to 9 days one way. (National Park entry fees apply)

Access: Flight from Cambridge to or from Melaleuca with Par Avion.

Adamsons Falls

An interesting walk through wet forest with a rainforest understorey to a spectacular waterfall (after rain). Often Lyrebirds can be seen on this walk. Sections of this track can be slippery and muddy. Medium to hard grade, 3 hours return.

Access: Follow A6 south from Dover through Strathblane. Approx. 3.1 km south of the Esperance River Bridge in Strathblane turn right into Old Hastings Road and then right into Darcy Link. Follw Darcy Link (and signs towards Duckhole Lake Walk). Turn left into Creekton Road. Follow Creekton Road, take Coal Hill Road and then turn right into Chestermans Road for a short drive to the car park of Adamsons Falls. (this route may be temporarily unavailable)

Alternative route from the south: Take Tuganah Road off Hastings Caves Road, turn right into Creekton Road, turn lef into Coal Hill Road (keep taking a left turn as this road splits into Coal Hill Road Link), turn right into Chestermans Road, a short drive to the car park of Adamsons Falls.

Only take Chestermans Road to/from Hastings Caves Road if you are travelling in a 4WD. It is narrow and slippery.

Southport Bluff Beach

The Ida Bay Railway is no longer operational (2023) so visitors must walk the old Ida Bay road to Elliot Beach before the true Southport Bluff Track begins. An alternative way to begin the walk is to paddle in kayaks from Southport Narrows to Elliott Beach (Deep Hole).

The walking track begins from the “train station” at Deep Hole. A profusion of flowering native plants may be seen in November and December.

Easy grade, 2 hours return to Southport Lagoon and 2 to 3 hours return to Southport Bluff from Deep Hole.
If walking from Ida Bay, this track is over 20 km return and will take 4 to 5 hours return.

Adamsons Peak

A long climb to the top of Adamsons Peak rewards with spectacular views in fine weather of the Southern Ranges. A great hike for the more serious walker through tall forest and alpine moors reaching 1226 m at the summit.
Hard grade, 8 to 10 hours return (this walk should only be attempted in fine weather and walkers need to be experienced. The walk to the peak from the plateau is badly marked)

Access: South of Dover, changes to road arrangements to reach beginning of track do occur, please contact Parks and Wildlife Services or Forestry Tasmania.

Hartz Peak

In fine weather this relatively accessible peak gives views of the South West wilderness including Federation Peak. It is a 400 m climb from the car park to reach the summit (1254m). Walkers are warned that blizzard weather conditions can occur with little warning in any month. Suitable clothing required.
Medium/hard grade, 3 to 5 hours return. (National Park entry fees apply)

Access: from Geeveston take road C632 for 21 km to the national park. Continue 13 km until the road ends. Road is unsealed and can be covered with snow.

Lake Esperance

A fascinating walk through woodland and snowgums, up to the high country where cushion plants and ancient King Billy pines encircle the lake. This is the first part of Hartz Peak walk.
Easy grade, 1.5 - 2 hours return. (National Park entry fees apply)

Access: from Geeveston take road C632 for 21 km to the national park. Continue 13 km until the road ends. Road is unsealed and can be covered with snow.

Waratah Lookout

A great introduction to the Hartz National Park, giving you a look out over the forests and the Huon Valley. Old myrtle forest grows immediately below the lookout.
Easy grade, 5 minutes return. (National Park entry fees apply)

Access: from Geeveston take road C632 for 21 km to the national park. Road is unsealed and can be covered with snow.

Arve Falls

A leisurely walk follows the path of the Arve River through alpine herb field and snowgum woodland to the edge of the plateau where the Arve Falls tumble into the valley below. Easy grade, 20 minutes return. (National Park entry fees apply) Access: from Geeveston take road C632 for 21 km to the national park. This walk starts about 1 km past the Waratah Picnic Shelter. Road is unsealed and can be covered with snow.

Lake Osbourne

If you want to experience the many varieties of forest and moorland then this walk is an ideal start. A gentle uphill climb through forest takes you across the Hartz Plateau to this picturesque glacial lake. Easy grade, 40 minutes return. (National Park entry fees apply) Access: from Geeveston take road C632 for 21 km to the national park. Continue 13 km until the road ends. Road is unsealed and can be covered with snow.

Garrett's Bight

Prominent rocky outcrops, bull kelp, large pebble beaches and steep graded vegetated hillside to waters edge – all feature at the end of this easy walk.

Easy grade, 90 to 120 minutes return.

Access: Follow Narrows Road via Strathblane until just past the Tassal Salmon Farm. Park vehicle and continue on foot along 4WD track until end. Steep climb down onto rocky shoreline. Visit “The Pines” along the way (forks left half way – short walk to clearing along shoreline).

Pigsty Bridge

This easy grade walk begins from the southern end of the Leprena Track, where it joins the current road to Cockle Creek. The walk begins along a road (which also provides vehicle access for an oyster lease, for approximately 1 kilometre), before becoming more of a walking track, with a bush-canopy over-arching the path. The old rock base of this original road to Cockle is evident underfoot as you walk almost a straight North-South line. As the shade increases, more mosses and ferns grow. There are early views of the waterways, being the northern end of Recherche Bay and you will pass some short side access tracks to the right, where people have camped.

A small wooden bridge remains across a creek and you will pass some old cypress trees, indicating where early European homesteads were, as part of the Leprena township, principally based around the mining of low-grade coal. Other remnant exotic plants can be seen along the track, such as fox-glove and holly.

The walk itself takes about 30 - 45 minutes to reach the D'Entrecasteaux River, with little remaining of the old Pigsty bridge(timber-ramparts on each side).

Mt La Perouse

Moonlight Ridge Track to Mt La Perouse. A 3 days walk from Lune River over Moonlight Ridge to Mount La Perouse offering fantastic views over South East Tasmania including Federation Peak, Precipitous Bluff, Hartz Mountains and South Cape.

Hard grade, 3 days return to Mt La Perouse. (National Park entry fees apply).

Access: from Lune River turn right into South Lune Road, after 4kms turn left at Junction.