Short walks near Hobart

[andrewbish]

My wife and I will be in Hobart next weekend and it would be great do get out for a walk for a few hours.

What 1-4 hour walks can you recommend? (accessible by PT would be handy)

[DonQx]

Mount Wellington? Bus from Hobart GPO.

Springs to Pinnacle & Organ Pipes Circuit ... more details here: http://www.hobartcity.com.au/Recreation/Hobarts_Walks.

Also covered in the 60 Short Walks booklet, copy here: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=6560 (15MB download).

Screenshot from the booklet:

Other Mount Wellington Maps here: http://www.wellingtonpark.org.au/maps/

[pazzar]

If you have time to drive 90 minutes either side, you have Hartz Peak, Mt Field, or Tasman Peninsula on either side of Hobart, and both can be accessed easily. Otherwise as DonQx has said, Wellington has many walks to keep you interested for a few hours.

Cheers,

Jared

[Stibb]

Mt Wellington is great, so many options. My new favorite is from the Springs, up via Ice House track and then South Wellington track over to the Pinnacle and down the Zig Zag back to the Springs. An easier option (for a really lazy day) is to drive to the Pinnacle and walk to South Wellington/Smith Monument and back. You get some great views of Hobart and many of the mountains in the SW and W from up there, and not too many people away from the pinnacle.

EDIT deleted suggestion on Taroona-Kingston coastal/alum cliff walk as apparently some parts are no longer passable

[johnw]

We were in Hobart for 2 weeks after Xmas. Public transport may be a limitation if that's the only option. If you have a car it opens up possibilities.

Plenty on Mt Wellington as already mentioned. One afternoon I parked at The Chalet and walked the Organ Pipes track down to the junction with the Pinnacle track and back. Didn't take long and interesting views in both directions.

Further afield you could drive around to Myrtle Forest near Collinsvale. 4 hour time limit might be pushing it a little but I think you'd fit in Collins Cap in that time. I did Trestle Mountain and Collins Cap in 1/2 a day-ish without rushing, probably about 5 1/2 hours. CC is a nice climb, not difficult and has some great views at the summit. Collins Bonnet is another one I've done there on a previous trip but you may need a little more time (if my memory is correct).

We were staying a short walk from Knocklofty Reserve. I didn't get around to going up there as there was always something else on the agenda but our hosts reckoned it's worth a visit.

[pazzar]

Collins Bonnet is about 5-6 hours return from both Big Bend carpark and Myrtle Forest at Collinsvale. Personally I think that Trestle gives you greater satisfaction, as CB is largely on fire trails. Collins Cap is a great little peak, easy climb, about 4 hours return.

[stepbystep]

If there has been lots of rain the walk to Wellington Falls via Disappearing Tarn and The Potato Fields on the Milles Track is fantastic, without much vertical involved.

[johnw]

Personally I think that Trestle gives you greater satisfaction, as CB is largely on fire trails.

Yes, I'd agree with that although the MF route to CB has minimal FT from my recollection? Trestle is a bit of a "thinking man's climb". You have to keep finding the route markers and it's fairly steep, mild scrambling here and there.

[andrewbish]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.

Johnw - Will take up your recommendation to hire a car...but what the hell is 'FT' and why would I want more of it?

[pazzar]

FT is Fire Trail

[north-north-west]

...but what the hell is 'FT' and why would I want more of it?

FT is either fire trail or Forestry Tasmania. Both reduce the beauty of a walk - though the latter is by far the worst.

[stepbystep]

...but what the hell is 'FT' and why would I want more of it?

FT is either fire trail or Forestry Tasmania. Both reduce the beauty of a walk - though the latter is by far the worst.

Indeed.

Collins Bonnet is a nice walk from Myrtle Forest. If you hire a car head to Hartz or Mt Field, much better than anything on Wello. But then the options become endless......

[johnw]

...but what the hell is 'FT' and why would I want more of it?

FT is either fire trail or Forestry Tasmania. Both reduce the beauty of a walk - though the latter is by far the worst.

Indeed.

Collins Bonnet is a nice walk from Myrtle Forest. If you hire a car head to Hartz or Mt Field, much better than anything on Wello. But then the options become endless......

+1 yep, what they said. Less FT is generally better. In good conditions Hartz Peak should be doable in 4 hours for reasonably fit walkers, and the Huon Valley is a nice drive to get there.

BTW what is the weather/snow conditions likely to be this weekend as that may affect choices/times? BOM indicates possible scattered snow showers above 800m. Webcams showing not much lying on Wellington but a fair bit around Mt Field?

[telopea truncata]

Behind cascade brewery there is a new track it connects to the top of old farm road and then up the Myrtle Gully track to Junction cabin probably looking at a couple of hours return. the track and bridge work on the cascade track is beautiful if you are into that sort of thing.