The Overland Track is Australia’s most iconic wilderness trekking journey. Trek Tasmania offers an opportunity to experience this classic Tasmanian bushwalking adventure, showcasing everything that this Tasmanian wilderness world heritage area has to offer.
First blazed in 1931, the Overland Track’s popularity grew from early ecotourism ventures in the region, particularly in the Cradle Mountain Valley itself. The now moderately graded track winds its way across some of the most heavily glaciated landscapes in Australia. Here, the tallest Tasmanian peaks guard some of Australia’s deepest valleys and gorges, including Mount Ossa (1,617m). Walking in this country is often considered life shaping. We believe the trail has its own folklore embedded into the unique cultural history of the Tasmanian highlands. Each day offers something new, from experiencing soaring Wedgetail eagles over Gondwanan forests, to some of the earths largest exposed dolerite rock forms. The Overland Track is one of the most varied walking experiences Tasmania has to offer; this unique diversity has underpinned its popularity.
We spend 6 days walking the track, staying at purpose built group camping sites each night; add to this the company and expertise of some of the very best wilderness guides and you are guaranteed a trek of a lifetime.
Itinerary Summary
There is a pre-trip briefing and a full gear check the afternoon before Day 1
Day 1 : Depart Launceston, Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley | 10.7kms (+2km Cradle Mountain)
Day 2 : Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere | 8kms (+3km Lake Will)
Day 3 : Lake Windermere to Pelion Plains | 17kms (+1km Old Pelion)
Day 4 : Pelion Plains to Kia Ora | 8.5kms (+5km Mt Ossa)
Day 5 : Kia Ora to Windy Ridge | 9.5kms (+2.5km waterfalls)
Day 6 : Windy Ridge to Narcissus, return to Launceston | 9kms
What’s included
- 2 professional wilderness guides.
- 5 nights camping.
- 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 5 dinners.
- All delicious snacks on the trail.
- Return transport from Launceston.
- National Park fees.
- Twin share tent and sleeping mat.
- Group camping equipment including all cooking and eating equipment.
- Emergency communications and group first aid kit.
- Maximum 10 people.
Notes to consider
Our 6 day Overland Track walking adventure is a demanding walk, we advise you to do as much training as you can before your tour. The more you train for the walk the easier you will handle the terrain and the more you will enjoy this wonderful part of the world. It’s also important to come along with an open mind ready for an awesome experience whatever the weather, whoever the group. It is very important that you bring the right gear for the conditions. The Tasmanian weather can be unpredictable, storms can arise very quickly and heavy rain and even snow can fall at any time of the year. Quality backpacks, sleeping bags, rain jackets, and over pants are also available for hire. If you are at all concerned about your ability to complete this walk, please contact us for more information/advice.
Trail notes
The terrain experienced on this trek is a mix of hardened, well- maintained trackwork and natural walking trails. The Overland Track is a clear trail in good conditions. However, we stress that the Tasmanian highland country can be very unforgiving with all year-round inclement weather conditions possible on the trail. Trekkers will be challenged on the Overland Track and its popularity should not distract from the fact that route finding is extremely hard in local weather conditions and their associated risks.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change with any change in community regulations as well as governmental changes and natural circumstances beyond our control.
What you carry
The things you need to carry are: all your personal equipment in a full trekking backpack that is 70-90 litres in capacity. This includes sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping mat, and a proportion of the shared tent, a proportion of the group’s food and all personal items as specified in our gear list. Depending on the quality and quantity of personal gear and toiletries, your pack may weigh up to 15kg.
A comprehensive gear list is available at the end of the itinerary detailing what equipment is included in the tour cost, what items are available for hire and what you will need to bring with you.
A pre-trip briefing and a full gear check with your guides the afternoon before your Overland Track trek departs will ensure you have the right mix of gear for your adventure. Please make your way to the Aspire Adventure Equipment, 136 York Street, Launceston at 3PM the day before your trip, bringing your pack and what you intend to bring on your trek.
Day 1: Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley
Pick up f rom your Launceston accommodation between 7:00am and 7:30am. Transfer for 2 hours via minibus to the Cradle Valley and the official start of the Overland Track. The first day is exhilarating as we make our way up onto the exposed Cradle plateau (1,200m), via some
enchanted pockets of cool temperate rainforest, tumbling waterfalls and tannin stained glacial waters. A lunch stop on the plateau and then weather pending, we may have the opportunity to summit Cradle Mountain (1,545m). The elevation gained today has been significant as we sidle
around the western edge of Cradle and trek towards the slightly higher sibling, Barn Bluff (1,559m). The track edges its way along a large glacial cirque, before descending into the aptly named Waterfall Valley, tucked in underneath the Bluff itself. We overnight in an amazing location surrounded by wildlife and sub alpine forest
10.7km (2km side trip for Cradle Mountain) | 6-8hrs
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere
Today is a shorter day and offers the group a relative sleep in. This offers us more time to take in our surrounds before setting off to traverse along button grass moorland and across a still exposed section of the plateau, at just over 1,000m in elevation. This landscape has been gouged
heavily by glaciation events, leaving evidence everywhere for us to explore. In good conditions a popular side trip is Lake Will. We drop and secure our packs against the local birdlife, before heading off for lunch on one of the serene lake side beaches. Returning to our packs, we continue past shallow sub alpine tarns, listening out for endemic froglets and enjoying the expansive views to the west and south. A high point along the track offers spectacular views across to the central mountains and down towards our camp for the night, Lake Windermere. We spend the afternoon relaxing by / in the lake and enjoy another spectacular culinary experience under the stars
8kms (3km return side trip to Lake Will) | 3-5hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Lake Windermere to Pelion Plains
Day 3 we embark on an undulating trek to the Pelion Plains. The track takes us through alpine moorland, past mysterious rock formations and deep into ancient forests, with Mount Oakleigh (1,270m) a constant reference point for the day. There is a magnificent diversity of flora on display today. Lunch on the banks of one of the most pristine crystal clear creeks falling off Mount Pelion West (1,560m) is idyllic, before a sidling section of the track offers us a beautiful descent through magnificent myrtle beech rainforest to Frog Flats. The flats present a good rest spot as we cross the mighty Forth River before making our ascent through a more open eucalypt forest, towards camp. We have an optional side trip to explore one of the tracks oldest original standing huts in the national park, Old Pelion Hut, before settling in for the evening.
17kms (1km return side trip to Old Pelion) | 6-8hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Pelion Plains to Kia Ora
We are in the central mountain country of the track now. Our morning is spent ascending through stunning mixed forest types and walking past bubbling brooks coming off the roof of Tasmania. The track ascends 300m in elevation to a track junction where we regroup before embarking on the side trip up Mount Ossa (1,617m), Tasmania’s highest mountain. Only officially surveyed as the highest peak in the late 1940s, Mount Ossa doubles the time of our walking day and adds another 500m of elevation to be gained for the day. The reward however is unparalleled – you can see a third of Tasmania from the top on a good day. The fine details of the climb are just as rewarding, from shy, high altitude echidnas to a mosaic of micro climate adapted flora, the effort is well worth it. Lunch is enjoyed en route and after summiting, we descend back to our packs and continue south on a very well maintained and recently
upgraded section of the track to Kia Ora. Following a refreshing swim, we overnight here in the mighty presence of Cathedral Mountain – this is a truly unique camp spot and a favourite for our guides
8.5kms (5km return side trip to Mount Ossa) | 4-8hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Kia Ora to Windy Ridge
The track walking is rich with the history of highland trappers, bush characters and early conservational figures that were instrumental in shaping the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park and ultimately the Overland Track itself. After leaving our camp at Kia Ora, we pop out into a beautiful opening under the gaze of imposing Falling Mountain and have a break to check out Du Cane Hut. The track continues through some of the most silent and beautiful rainforest before we regroup at the first of our waterfall turnoff points. A side trip takes us down to D’Alton and Fergusson Falls, which both funnel the mighty Mersey River, as it falls off the plateau in the adjoining Walls of Jerusalem National Park. After returning from the falls we continue our descent to Hartnett Falls, which offers a unique swimming opportunity, before ascending to Du Cane Gap and our camp for the night, Windy Ridge. Spectacular evening entrees are enjoyed cradled amongst the imposing jagged peaks of the Du Cane Range.
9.5kms (2.5km return with waterfall side trips) | 4-6hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Windy Ridge to Narcissus
Our final day enables us to unwind with some easy walking, descending for the entire morning through a mixture of open eucalypt and myrtle beech forests. There is evidence of the first Tasmanian’s influence on the landscape within this amazing glacial valley, tucked in between the Mountains of Jupiter and the mighty Acropolis. A unique ferry transfer across Australia’s
deepest freshwater lake takes us to Cynthia Bay. The local indigenous custodians named this body of water Leeawlena – sleeping water. After an opportunity to enjoy the fantastic interpretation centre of the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, a 2.5 hour transfer takes us across the wilds of the central plateau, past the Great Lake and down into the northern midlands. Arriving Launceston accommodation at approximately 4:30/5pm.
9kms | 4-6hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
IMPORTANT NOTES
Our 6 day Overland Track walking adventure is a demanding walk, we advise you to do as much training as you can before your tour with us. The more you train for the walk the easier you will handle the terrain and the more you will enjoy this wonderful part of the world. It’s also important to come along with an open mind ready for an awesome experience whatever the weather, whoever the group. It is very important that you bring the right gear for the conditions. The Tasmanian weather can be unpredictable, storms can arise very quickly and heavy rain and even snow can fall at any time of the year. Quality backpacks, sleeping bags, rain jackets, and over pants are also available for hire.
If you are at all concerned about your ability to complete this walk, please contact us for more information/advice.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change with any change in community regulations as well as governmental changes and natural circumstances beyond our control.
Grade 4: Bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. Directional signage may be limited.
The terrain experienced on this trek is a mix of hardened, well- maintained trackwork and natural walking trails. The Overland Track is a clear trail in good conditions. However, we stress that the Tasmanian highland country can be very unforgiving with all year-round inclement weather conditions possible on the trail. Trekkers will be challenged on the Overland Track and its popularity should not distract from the fact that route finding is extremely hard in local weather conditions and their associated risks.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change with any change in community regulations as well as governmental changes and natural circumstances beyond our control.
Gear List Overland Track Hiking Tour
Detailed Gear List for the 6 Day Overland Track Hiking Tour
Download (pdf, 220.2 KB)
Adventure Curated App
Want to document your trip with Trek Tours Australia and get organised for your trekking adventure, check out this awesome app by our friends at Adventure Curated!
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PRE DEPARTURE BRIEFING
A pre-trip briefing and a full gear check with your guides the afternoon before your Overland Track trek departs will ensure you have the right mix of gear for your adventure. Please make your way to the Aspire Adventure Equipment gear store 136 York Street, Launceston at 3pm the day before your trip, bringing your pack and what you intend to bring on your trek.
