Take a hike in Tasmania! But first, hit the road with your campervan
The wilds of Tasmania have long attracted those seeking outdoor recreation and adventure, including keen hikers who come to enjoy the flora, fauna and unforgettable landscapes. Both island and state, Tasmania is a sizeable place with a variety of spots for great hiking excursions. We have put together a guide to help our motorhome-loving hikers find the best ones.
Pick up a motorhome rental in Tasmania, and you’ll be on your way to some of the most spectacular hiking trails in the world. From walks of just a few hours to full-day or even multi-day tracks, you can get up close and personal with the island under your own steam.
Cradle Mountain National Park
This national park in the northwest of Tasmania is very scenic, with the killer combo of lakes and mountains forming a backdrop to the trails. It comes highly recommended to motorhome adventurers for its variety of tracks of different lengths and to suit different abilities, many of which are return trips which will bring you back to your vehicle.
The Dove Lake Circuit loops around a pretty lake at the base of Cradle Mountain in just a few hours and is an easy walk with many scenic viewpoints along the way. Climbing Cradle Mountain itself is also a popular hike, but a trickier one, steep with a lot of scrambling and some minor climbing. It takes six to eight hours return, but the views from the top are well worth it! A motorhome rental from Launceston will place you close to Cradle Mountain.
Tasman Peninsula
Image: By Felix Andrews (Floybix), GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
Easily accessible with a campervan rental from Hobart, the Tasman Peninsula is not only home to Port Arthur - one of our top destinations for history buffs - but also fantastic walking tracks. Stay at the campsite at Fortescue Bay and stroll along the beach to the Cape Hauy trailhead to begin the four to six-hour return trek to the cape. It involves stairs and slopes but offers amazing views and some incredible cliff formations at the end. The four-hour return Bivouac Bay Trail also leaves from Fortescue Bay and hugs the coast, passing some great swimming coves.
The multi-day, relatively new and well maintained Three Capes Track is popular for intrepid hikers, but you’ll need to plan and pack for it. For a short, sweet and scenic stroll, you can’t go wrong with the one-hour return track from the Tasman Arch car park to Waterfall Bay.
Freycinet National Park
Just a two to three-hour drive with a motorhome hire from Hobart, the stunning Freycinet National Park (one of our top picks of Aussie national parks) is famous for Wineglass Bay, an iconic image of Tasmania. The two-hour return walk to the beach is a stunner, and you’ll want to plan some time on the sand there to enjoy this gorgeous location. Include the short detour to the Wineglass Bay lookout, and come prepared for a relatively easy hike with some steep slopes.
The trek to Wineglass Bay is undoubtedly the most popular, but far from the only trail in the national park. For something a little more challenging, try the Hazards Beach - Wineglass Bay circuit which takes four to five hours return, starting and finishing in the Wineglass Bay carpark. It includes the famous bay as well as beautiful Hazards Beach, and will acquaint you well with the area! The hike to the top of Mt Amos takes several hours and a lot of leg power but offers the best views in the region. Make sure you bring a camera.
Mount William National Park
Image: By Eli Duke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This little-known park is tucked away in the northeast of Tasmania, easy to get to with a campervan hire from Devonport or from Launceston. It doesn’t feature in many travel brochures but has some great walks to do and a landscape of granite boulders, long sandy beaches and heathlands, plus an array of wildlife. Mount William is not a particularly tall mountain, and the five-hour return track to the summit from the coastal Stumpy’s Bay No. 4 campsite (a great place to base yourself) is a gentle climb, leaving plenty of energy for admiring the view. Keep an eye out for Forester Kangaroos here, as they are a common sight! You can also make it a quick hour round trip to the summit if you begin at a parking lot on the mountain’s lower slopes.
To take in the striking coastline, set out on the two-hour Cobler Rocks Walk. It’s a loop track that also starts from the No. 4 campsite, and showcases the red-tinged boulders that characterise this part of the coast, similar to those of the Bay of Fires just to the south.
These and many other great walks will help you to fall in love with the amazing wilderness and stunning landscapes of Tasmania. Many of them can be included in our classic Hobart to Hobart round trip itinerary - or book your campervan rental and make your own way by road and by trail.
Outside Tasmania are equally great options. Experience more of Australia when you book a motorhome rental in Darwin or Alice Springs in NT, Brisbane or Gold Coast in QLD, and nationwide.
