Overland Track Guided Walk

Day 1: Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley – 10km, 5 – 6 hours After a picturesque drive from Launceston, your walk starts at Ronny Creek in Cradle Valley, then crosses a small button grass plain before rising up to the expansive views from Marion’s Lookout. From Marion’s Lookout you’ll get commanding views of the iconic Cradle Mountain (1545m) and Dove Lake. The track passes Kitchen Hut then traverses around the shoulder of Cradle Mountain through magnificent stands of Tasmanian Snow Gums. The rocky ground that you are walking on, over 700 million years ago was shaped by glaciation. The vegetation that you will see here are alpine communities of herb fields, shrubs, scoparia and Deciduous Beech trees. Now, you are walking along what’s known as the Cradle Cirque. You pass the turnoff to Barn Bluff (1559m) 7km to your south before you steadily descend into Waterfall Valley and our 1st nights camp.

Day 2: Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere – 8km, 3 - 4 hours Waterfall Valley sits below the dominant Barn Bluff. The mountains in this area are of fluted dolerite (columns formed by the rock cooling, hardening and shrinking) over millions of years. In the morning we will have the opportunity of climbing Barn Bluff [3 - 4hr return side trip] should conditions be favourable, then we will proceed to Lake Windermere in the afternoon. From Waterfall Valley and its amazing waterfalls the track today gently undulates across moorlands. You’ll see stands of Pencil Pines, Myrtles and Snow Gums. The moorlands are also home to many species of mammals namely wombats (whose cube shaped scats) you will commonly see on the track. You may also sometimes get a glimpse of a wombat, Tasmanian Devils and Echidnas. From the top of the Moorland, Lake Windermere can be viewed. The lakes dark colour, is caused by, oils and nutrients leaching from the button grass as tannin, and staining the water. We soon sidle around Lake Windermere to our camp, which is nestled in a light timbered forest of deciduous beech and tangle foot.

Day 3: Lake Windermere to Pelion Hut – 17km, 6 – 7 hours. In distance, this day is the longest of your walk. Firstly, you’ll walk through some lightly timbered forest then across some buttongrass moorlands to the Forth Gorge Lookout. At the lookout you’ll get views of mounts Oakleigh, Ossa, Pelion East and West and the Du Cane range in the distance. Small ascents and descents then lead you into the forest glade of Frog Flats. Frog Flats is a damp section of forest, home to beautifully coloured mosses and fungi. Climbing up through forest to Pelion Plains there is a short sidetrack to Old Pelion Hut (built in 1895 following the discovery of copper in the area). Cattle drovers and trappers followed the miners until the area was proclaimed a scenic reserve in 1922. From this point New Pelion Hut is soon reached. New Pelion Hut is the largest of the huts and it sits on the junction of the Overland and the Arm River Tracks.

Day 4: Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut – 9km, 4 hour The day starts with a gradual climb up to Pelion Gap (1126m). To the east of the gap rises Mt Pelion East and to our west rises Tasmania’s highest peak, Mt Ossa (1617m). If the weather is kind you’ll have the option of climbing Mt Ossa or Mount Pelion East. Both summits have commanding views of the National Park and beyond and it is well worth the effort. [Allow 3 – 4 extra hours for these side trips] From Pelion Gap the track passes through the glaciated Pinestone Valley then onto Kia Ora Hut (New Zealand Maori word for welcome) nestled below the Du Cane Range and the dominant Cathedral Mountain.

Day 5: Kia Ora to Windy Ridge [Bert Nichols Hut]– 10km, 5 hours. Myrtle – beech rainforest dominates this section as you pass by Du Cane Hut (Windsor Castle). This hut was built by trapper Paddy Hartnett around 1910 as a base for his trapping. The hut is constructed out of King Billy Pine, which you’ll see commonly growing in the area. Not far from Du Cane hut we will take a side trip to D’Alton, Fergusson and Hartnett Falls on the Mersey River. The falls are quite spectacular especially after recent rainfall. From the falls junction the track climbs steadily to Du Cane Gap (1070m). Mount Geryon and The Acropolis (1471m) on the Du Cane Range are the dominant Peaks that can be viewed from here. The track then descends through Eucalypt forest to Windy Ridge Hut (the newest hut) on the Overland Track.

Day 6: Windy Ridge Hut to Lake St Clair – 11km, 3-4 hours. The track descends down the valley to the Narcissus River through Eucalypt forest and stands of temperate rainforest. You will pass by the junction to Pine Valley, which leads walkers up to the base of the Du Cane Range and access to the Acropolis and the Labyrinth. Once you cross the suspension bridge over the Narcissus River you will shortly reach Lake St Claire and the end of your Overland Track walk, congratulations! Ferry transport @ approximately 2:15pm then takes you across Lake St Clair to Cynthia Bay and our transport back to Launceston.