visiting tassie - suggest me a day walk

[dannnnn]

hello friends, i am coming down to tassie for some r n r with the missus in a few weeks and we'd like to go on a day walk of about 12-18km. i was hoping you might be able to recommend something scenic and enjoyable to us please. we will have a car and will be driving from hobart, to derwent bridge, to launceston. we would prefer something on a marked trail. thanks for your help!

- dan

[Scottyk]

Where do I start?
Anything around the Cradle Mountain area, the walk to the top of Cradle Mountain itself from the Dove Lake carp park would be an excellent option in good weather.
Mount Rowland in the North is a good day walk
From Derwant Bridge you could do the Mount Rufus walk from Lake St Clair

[Tortoise]

What Scotty said - there are so many options. And so many variables, very hard to know what you'd enjoy. You mentioned distance, but altitude gain is another biggie - how much ascent/descent can you enjoy in a day? Have you booked at the places you mentioned, or is there some flexibility?

Some of my favourite day walks (in reasonable weather) are:

1. Murchision - a taste of the south-west in a day. Some bits airy with big drop offs, but gorgeous.
2. Pillinger - views of much of the Overland Track, amphitheatre views of Ossa, the Pelions etc

But if you've got a long drive before or after, these probably wouldn't work. Are you planning on Derwent Bridge to Lonnie by the Lakes Hwy? If so, you'd be going past Quamby Bluff, which is a lovely walk, a bit shorter than you're after probably. Track all the way, with cairns up/across a boulder field.

Actually, if driving distance isn't a problem, a day in the Walls of Jerusalem would be great. Mt Jerusalem too far in a day given your parameters. But you could go up the Temple, or Solomon's Throne, through the Walls proper if enough time/oomph. But just going to the Pool of Bethesda (maybe 16+kms return) is lovely. Have you been there before?

So probably +1 for Rufus, as you'll be at Derwent Bridge anyway. ?might be a bit longer than 18km. Be prepared for wind!

[tazrich]

mt wellington is always good to walk up, even better if it's covered in snow

[doogs]

Cradle Mountain, Hartz Mountain (and Mount Snowy), Stacks Bluff, Mt Rufus circuit, King William 1, A Wellington circuit (Collinsvale Peaks or Montagu Thumbs), Mount Field East or West, Schnells Ridge. Or 2 shortish walks in the south west- Pick a combination of 2= The Needles, Clear Hill, Mt Wedge, The Sentinels.

[Tortoise]

mt wellington is always good to walk up, even better if it's covered in snow

Great in snow, but not the same without the closed road. I'd be pretty disappointed to share the summit of my one Tassie walk with cars and lots of people.

[Strider]

mt wellington is always good to walk up, even better if it's covered in snow

Great in snow, but not the same without the closed road. I'd be pretty disappointed to share the summit of my one Tassie walk with cars and lots of people.

Plenty of great walking destinations in Wellington Park. Its not just about the summit.

[dannnnn]

thanks all for your informative responses no, i have not booked any accom yet so besides arriving in hobart and leaving from launceston my itinerary is very flexible. the only "must do's" are a ski trip if the lifts are open, a nice day walk and a trip to mona. i accept the skiing won't be world-beating but the missus is from the alps and is having serious snow withdrawals, so anything will do. i have been to cradle mountain once before and done the hansoms peak walk which was very enjoyable and i would be happy to do it again... but i figured with limited time i could use some good advice!!

as for ascent/descent, well - most of my walks are about 4-700m down and then back up again, generally on well formed tracks and anything from a gentle slope to something to steep you have to scuttle down like a crab. i enjoy hills, but i guess a 16km day in the snow with 1,000m+ elevation gain would test me somewhat.

so to that end, mt rufus, murchsion, pillager or bethesda sound like the go?? i will do some googling thanks for your help all!!

[stepbystep]

Hartz Peak, Adamsons Peak, Cape Hauy, Cape Raoul, Cape Queen Elizabeth, Fluted Cape, Mt Eliza/Anne, Mt Field West, Mt Picton, Mt Sprent, Mt Rufus Circuit, Mt Murchison, Mt Farell, Black Bluff, Cradle, Mt Roland.

They are some of my favourite tracked daywalks. Tassie is so awesome

[Tortoise]

mt wellington is always good to walk up, even better if it's covered in snow

Great in snow, but not the same without the closed road. I'd be pretty disappointed to share the summit of my one Tassie walk with cars and lots of people.

Plenty of great walking destinations in Wellington Park. Its not just about the summit.

*Face palm* oh yeah, I remember now. I really enjoyed Collins Bonnet/Trestle Mtn

[Tortoise]

Hartz Peak, Adamsons Peak, Cape Hauy, Cape Raoul, Cape Queen Elizabeth, Fluted Cape, Mt Eliza/Anne, Mt Field West, Mt Picton, Mt Sprent, Mt Rufus Circuit, Mt Murchison, Mt Farell, Black Bluff, Cradle, Mt Roland.

They are some of my favourite tracked daywalks. Tassie is so awesome

Thanks, SBS - some great ones there. How could I forget Mt Field West is one of my favourites?

[biggbird]

Could spend a day on Maria Island if so inclined, free ferry until end of August.

[doogs]

Could spend a day on Maria Island if so inclined, free ferry until end of August.

I think the free ferry is for Tasmanian residents only...but very worthwhile to pay the $30ish for a ticket anyway
EDIT: I just checked and it's appears to be free for everyone

[Hallu]

First, get the day walk Tasmania book by John Chapman. Plenty of great ideas there. Second, if you're doing a round trip of the island, try to think of ticking off the most types of walks. So a mix of beach, cliff, mountain, plateau and waterfall walks. To follow my collegues' choices, I think that on the Tasman Peninsula Cape Raoul or Hauy is a brilliant choice. The rest of the peninsula has some good lookouts accessible by car. You'll notice that on the East coast, most of us won't say "Freycinet". Because although it's beautiful, it's quite touristy nowadays, and some other parts of the coast are even more enjoyable : Maria Island indeed, and Mt William NP (camp there if you can).

If it were spring or summer, I'd tell you to visit the Walls of Jerusalem, but with snow and 1000 m elevation gain to reach the various summits, it's a bit too much. Mt Murchison is indeed beautiful, again watch out for snow : it'd be dangerous, it's not a beginner's walk, although not that hard. In the North, you can enjoy Stanley and the Nut, beautiful area enven though not that wild, for the wild North, visit Narawntapu : the fauna is amazing. Rocky Cape NP is quite nice too, don't miss Anniversary Point. Don't forget the West coast, with Arthur River (the "end of the world" lookout is breathtaking) and all the coastal areas South from here, take the Western Explorer (if open) and camp at Trial Harbour if you can. I reckon Bruny Island would be good too for the end of winter, and Hartz NP has some nice short walks that could be suitable for winter.

For accommodation, don't forget http://www.stayz.com.au , an Aussie equivalent of AirBnB, but with much more choice. Some brilliant houses for less than 100 $ a night there. I also can't emphasize enough how helpful has been the Hema "Tasmania Atlas & guide" that you can buy here : http://www.exploroz.com/Shop/Hema+Tasma ... Guide.aspx . Plenty of hidden gems with all those waterfalls or lookouts, some great addresses and websites. And with the maps inside, you don't need anything else unless doing some serious walking.