Hikes and Trails on the Tasman Peninsula

Back Track Buggys is a guided / hire forest drive experience at Murdunna on the Forestier Peninsular. The 4x4 Can-am buggys are very easy to operate and negotiate the unkept tracks with ease. The tour takes approximately 2 – 2.5 hours with a halfway walk out to a breathtaking sea-cliff lookout. Tours depart daily at 9am and 1pm with a maximum of 2 drivers and 4 passengers per trip.

 

This is a four-hour, 9.4km return and boasts outrageously beautiful views of the south-east coast. If you love an incredible sunrise, then put Cape Hauy at the very start of your day. It is most well-known for its rock formations: the Totem Pole and the Candlestick and for being the most scenically beautiful workout for your thighs and calves.

 

Cape Pillar is best achieved as an overnight walk (23 km) camping at the designated camp sites at Wughalee Falls and Bare Knoll (toilets provided; carry own food and water).

The departure point is from the entry road into Fortescue Bay, just before the campground. Half of this journey is along the Old Cape Pillar track which connects with the Three Capes Track.

It’s a special hike because it takes you through so many different, and pristine, ecological habitats and to the very tip of South Eastern Tasmania. It’s also the closest you can get to Tasman Island and its historic lighthouse.

For walkers wanting to incorporate Mount Fortescue, Cape Hauy and the coastline, this section can only be walked in a south to north direction. This walk is a 34km circuit and recommended to walk over 3 days.

 

A five-hour, 14km return walk with stunning coastal views, seascapes and towering dolerite cliffs, Cape Raoul is one of the most loved and easily accessed of the three capes. Located next to the world-famous surf spot, Shipstern Bluff, it’s surrounded by huge pounding waves, swirling seas and an abundance of sea life. The walk starts off Stormlea Road at Highcroft.

 

 

 

Port Arthur is not the only historic convict site on the Tasman Peninsula. Escape the crowds and head to Coal Mines Historic Site on the quieter western part of the peninsula. It was Tasmania’s first coal mine and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can walk amongst ruins of houses, barracks, and prisons from the penal colony. Be sure to walk into the solitary confinement cells – they’re extra creepy. There’s a short walking track around the site and entry is free.

 

A four-hour, 7.5 km return, this relatively easy walk goes through the Tasman National Park and takes you to one of the most loved beaches on the Peninsula. Located close to Safety Cove and Remarkable Cave, this walk includes the marvellous Maingon Blowhole, a beautiful rocky shoreline, and massive sand dunes at Crescent Bay. It’s worth spending a whole day so pack a lunch and get ready to drink in some of the cleanest air in the world.

 

Don’t expect to find any food in this kitchen! Named because of the churning waters that crash upon the rocks below, the Devil’s Kitchen is a deep trench cut into the sea cliffs.

 

Experience the power and might of the Southern Ocean here, and notice the map of Tasmania that is formed at the seaward entrance to the cave. You’ll find this geological oddity just down the road from Port Arthur. It’s aptly named – it really is remarkable! This sea cave is actually more of a tunnel. In fact, it’s really two tunnels through the sea cliffs that join together. Visit at low tide for the best views. Climb down the steep stairs to have a look.

 

Massive waves pound the beach at Shipstern Bluff depending on the weather conditions.

 

On a big wave day, this four-hour return walk gives you all that you could hope from a Red Bull “Cape Fear” surfing experience while on calmer days it presents you with beautiful rock platforms, sea caves and gorgeous naturally formed sea tunnels. For a shorter 1.5 hour return walk, you can go as far as the lookout.

 

Tasman Arch is definitely one of the most spectacular sights to see on the Tasman Peninsula. The Arch has been carved out of the cliffs by the sea over thousands of years. It is possible to walk all the way across the Arch, but the best view is right there from the carpark.

 

This is a rock structure of a different kind. There are no towering cliffs but instead an unusually symmetrical pattern of erosion. Not only is it interesting to look at, this is one of the few places in the world you can see this type of thing. The pavement consists of areas of raised pillow-like rocks and irregularly shaped rectangles. The rocks seem so well organised and lined up that you wouldn’t think it is possible that they are naturally formed. This fascinating site is easy to access and leads onto the lovely Pirates Bay beach which is a striking geological feature in the area. A relatively uniform slab of rock lapping into the sea is criss-crossed with cuts. The Tessellated Pavement is a great place to stop and have a wander around on a sunny day. The Tessellated Pavement is arguably the most famous. The flat rocks here have a naturally formed criss-cross pattern from fractures in the rock, and the tide often leaves pools of water sitting in the rectangles to create a reflective surface, making it popular with photographers.

 

The Award-Winning Three Capes Track is one of the newest of Tasmania’s long distance walks. The four-day, 48 km walk starts with a boat cruise from Port Arthur across the bay to Denmans Cove. Each night you will stay in an eco-friendly cabin with excellent facilities. There are no muddy boots on this walk as the entire walk is across boardwalks and crushed gravel trails. The walk will take you to the edge, traversing the Blade to the end of Cape Pillar, increase your step count and stair count on the way to Cape Hauy and enjoy spectacular views of Cape Raoul across the bay from your first night’s lodgings. Once you arrive at Fortescue Bay a charter bus whisks you back to Port Arthur.

 

If a long-hike isn’t your thing, but you still want to experience the best of the Peninsula, take a short 1.5-hour, 3.4 km return walk from the Devil’s Kitchen car park along the eastern coast. This track will take you to the edge of Tasmanian and leads you to spectacular towering cliff faces and swirling ocean waters. In the spring or after a heavy rain, waterfalls appear as if by magic and tumble hundreds of meters into the sea.