This trekking journey is Tasmania’s only multi-day rainforest trek within the takayna / Tarkine– Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforest.
Join Tarkine Trails on an immersive trekking experience of a lifetime. To truly experience the Tarkine rainforest, you need to live it, breathe it, drink it – and walk it. Tasmania’s only multi-day rainforest walk enters this vast, tree-lined cathedral – Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforest. Recognised globally for its ecological significance, this forest is a living remnant of the prehistoric woodlands of Gondwana. The moss-covered understorey is open, enabling our group to journey through the amazing forest for days. The Tarkine is one of the few remaining places where you can walk through temperate rainforest, without the visual presence of human development. It is still largely unexplored as a walking region, making this track an incomparable experience of isolation, beauty and wildness. It’s a wee bit special
Itinerary Summary
There is a pre-trip briefing and full gear check the afternoon before Day 1
Day 1 : Pick up Launceston, transfer to Arthur River and walk to Mystery Creek | 7kms
Day 2 : Trek Mystery Creek to Octopus’s garden| 7kms
Day 3 : Tarkine Falls| 8km walk
Day 4 : Tarkine Falls Base Camp – day walk exploring | 10kms
Day 5 : Tarkine Falls to Eastons Creek via Heaven |10kms
Day 6 : Lyons and Arthur River valley return transfer to Launceston | 6kms
What’s included
- 2 professional wilderness guides.
- 5 nights camping.
- 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 5 dinners.
- All snacks while on the trail.
- Transport to and from Launceston.
- Tent and sleeping mat.
- Group camping equipment including all cooking & eating equipment.
- Emergency communications & group first aid kit.
- Maximum 8 people
Notes to consider
Your 6 Day Tarkine Rainforest Expedition is graded as a challenging tour. Please note that the takayna / Tarkine Rainforest is a remote wilderness shaped by local weather conditions. 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. It is very important that you bring the right gear for the conditions. Generally, 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. A comprehensive gear list will be sent to you when you book your tour with us. Quality Backpacks, sleeping bags, rain jackets, and over pants are also available for hire. If you are at all concerned about your ability to do this walk, please feel free to call one of us here at Tarkine Trails for more 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.
Day 1: Depart Launceston and transfer to Arthur River
This morning we collect you from your Launceston accommodation between 7:30am and 8:00am. We then make our way through the countryside to Tasmania’s north west, passing by some of Australia’s most fertile agricultural farm belts. To truly enter the Tarkine we have to cross the Arthur River. The landscape we enter is one of profound age and stillness. The Tarkine is a remnant of the forests that once swathed the vast southern supercontinent of Gondwana before its break up 60 million years ago. The major ascent of the day takes around two and a half hours. This is the toughest uphill climb of the whole trip. The evidence of the modern world disappears amongst the moss-covered myrtle and sassafras trees. Our first camp is set beside the photogenic Mystery Creek.
Walking distance 7km | Walking time 4-6 hrs
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Mystery Creek to the Garden
There is no better place or way to be woken than in the Tarkine with a steaming cup of your favourite. After breakfast we venture on. The forest structure changes and we encounter giant eucalypts. The Tarkine is home to some of the largest flowering trees on the planet – some of them are 80m + tall and so thick that our entire group will be unable to link hands around their base. There is plenty of time today to take in these wonders of the natural world. We complete our ascent to the fertile, volcanic plateau on which the vast rainforest flourishes.
Amazingly, this area has remained almost unknown to the outside world with many unexplored valleys and wild rivers. The day’s highlight is the Octopus’s Garden – an ancient grove of myrtle trees twisted and contorted by the weight of centuries. Two deformed giants stand guard at the entrance to this fairy-tale corner of the forest. Fungi of every colour protrude from the moss. Tonight’s camp is located on the edge of a forest ridge surrounded by myrtle trees, giant tree ferns and a carpet of green mosses and lichens.
Walking distance 7km | Walking time 6 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: takayna Falls
One of the best things about walking in the Tarkine is the water. Mossy, filtered creeks criss-cross the forest floor making filling your water bottle a joy. The Tarkine’s largest myrtle (as far as we know) towers above this part of the forest, drinking deeply from the surrounding streams. Today uncovers three Tarkine secrets. Firstly, we discover and explore a glade of giant tree ferns. These 160 millionyear-old species predates even the ancient myrtles making it a visible and touchable link to our Gondwanan past. We then encounter the Shrine, which is a small waterfall that offers the opportunity for a refreshing drink and a bit of peaceful reflection. The destination for the day is Tarkine Falls. Before we stumbled upon this gem of the region, it had plummeted into its fern-lined trough unseen by white eyes for thousands of years. This is where we make our camp for the next two nights.
Walking distance 8km | Walking time 5hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Explore takayna
Leaving backpacks at camp we take a diversion to our Tarkine Lookout. The path traverses a number of pristine rainforest creeks, before hitting a solid wall of bauera, Banksia and tea tree. This vegetation change marks the edge of a button grass island located in a sea of rainforest. The last ascent is a 30-minute climb to the top of the Tarkine Lookout. What an amazing feeling to emerge from the rainforest after days of immersion deep within it. From the summit of this button grass knoll you start to get an idea of the scale of the Tarkine as it spreads away from you to every horizon. To the north, we view the Arthur and Keith River valleys, to the east stretches the 18 000 hectare
Savage River National Park, and to the south and west lies the largest uninterrupted swath of temperate rainforest in
the Southern Hemisphere. The endangered wedge-tailed eagle and grey goshawk both inhabit the Tarkine and can regularly be seen from the Lookout hunting above the button grass. It’s not a bad spot to have lunch. The rest of the day can be used to continue to explore the
surrounding high points or discover hidden secrets within the forest. Perhaps you’d like to take it easy and soak up the forest energy for the afternoon and read a book, or just lie back and relax, the choice is yours. Your guides will prepare another fabulous meal to be enjoyed amongst the ancients of the forest.
Walking distance approx. 10km | Walking time 5-6hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Tarkine Falls to Eastons Creek via Heaven
Today we follow Easton’s Creek through deep myrtle and tree fern country. It’s a gorgeous, peaceful walk with opportunities to see two of the Tarkine’s most elusive, rare and unusual residents – the platypus and the giant freshwater crayfish. After crossing the river several times, we come across a gorgeous waterhole, suspended between a tumbling waterfall and a gentle cascade. Call it what you like, we call it Heaven. It is one of the most luxuriant rainforest landscapes on the walk. Lunch is served here whilst we relax and soak up the sun and, for the adventurous, you can take a dip in the pristine pool. The afternoons walk takes us up onto our last high ridgeline that looks back across the Easton Creek valley and spectacular Blue Peak. We leave the more remote part of this walk after viewing some of the largest trees in this part of the Tarkine, to make our way down to our last camp alongside the peaceful Eastons Creek.
Walking distance 10km | Walking time 6hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Arthur River, return transfer to Launceston
We need to say our farewells to the Tarkine, for now. We start our day by wandering through an astounding open rainforest. The myrtle trees here have grown so thick and so old that they have blocked almost all light from coming to ground. This makes it difficult for smaller, younger plants to grow. The result is an echoing, open space beneath a vibrant, moving canopy. Nature’s own Sistine Chapel. We have great fun fording the Lyons and Arthur Rivers. The average depth for both crossings in summer is knee high water. Our guides will give clear instructions on how to cross safely. And all of a sudden, amid the splashing of your final crossing, we leave the Tarkine behind. We look back to the rainforest to bid a momentary farewell before returning to everyday life in Launceston.
Walking distance 6km | Walking time 4hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Notes to consider
Your 6 Day Tarkine Rainforest Expedition is graded as a challenging tour. Please note that the takayna / Tarkine Rainforest is a remote wilderness shaped by local weather conditions. 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. It is very important that you bring the right gear for the conditions. Generally, 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. A comprehensive gear list will be sent to you when you book your tour with us. Quality Backpacks, sleeping bags, rain jackets, and over pants are also available for hire. If you are at all concerned about your ability to do this walk, please feel free to call one of us here at Tarkine Trails for more 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.
Tarkine Trail Notes
Grade 4: Bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. No directional signage.
The terrain experienced on this trek is predominantly made up of a natural walking route and requires professional guiding navigation in trackless dense forest wilderness. The route requires river crossings to be undertaken, which may be subject to water rises outside of our control. We emphasise that the Tarkine region and Tasmania’s West Coast can be very unforgiving with all year-round inclement weather conditions possible. Wet equipment and footwear are to be expected during this adventure.
There is no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate gear and a poor attitude. Minimal Impact Trekking Techniques are used in sensitive areas and certain route options are determined by local conditions and hazards.
What you carry
The items you need to carry on your 6-day Tarkine Rainforest Trek are: All your personal equipment in a full trekking backpack that is 70-90 litres in capacity. This includes sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping mat, tent (portion of if sharing), 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, the average pack weight should be to 15 – 20kg for the tour. A comprehensive gear list is available at the end of this itinerary detailing what equipment/clothing is included in the tour cost, what items are available for hire and what you will need to bring with you. This trek will commence with a full gear check by your guides, to ensure the right mix of gear for your adventure.
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Tarkine Trails
Tarkine Trails was established in 2002 by a group of like-minded, passionate individuals, with a focus to provide exposure from the threats to the Tarkine region through tourism. From here the company has evolved to provide multiple unique deep immersion walking experiences, both within the Tarkine’s vast rainforest areas and along its wild coastline.
Tarkine Trails is now proudly part of the Trek Tours Australia family, continuing the legacy of offering truly unique and genuine takayna / Tarkine experiences.
We feel privileged to continue the important work set by the founders and more recently through Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Protecting the takayna/Tarkine for future generations is our core philosophy. This has remained unchanged, to this very day and has been the driving force and bond for those individuals involved with Tarkine Trails from inception.
Tarkine Trails is here to get it right. We are proud to be an ambassador for business, community and the environment. This is what we believe ecotourism should be for anyone with the privilege to operate in an incredible natural environment such as takayna. Tarkine Trails believes that working collaboratively with the north west community and industry will create the strongest outcome for a positive future.
About Takayna/Tarkine
The takayna/Tarkine wilderness region is located in the north-west of Tasmania. The area encompasses approximately 447,000 hectares of wilderness including the southern hemisphere’s largest single tract of temperate rain forest, a wild coastline with an extraordinary wealth of Aboriginal cultural heritage sites, and habitat for over 50 threatened species.
Over 90% of the natural values in takayna / Tarkine are largely intact. A living example of one of the most primitive vegetation formations on Earth. Providing a unique window into our planet’s ancient past, the cool temperate rain-forests in takayna were once widespread across the ancient super continent Gondwana. Some of the best-preserved plant fossil sites in the world, dating back 65 million years. Magnesite karst systems of caves and pinnacles considered internationally rare. There are groves of some the tallest hardwood trees around, numerous wild rivers, and spectacular mountain ranges.
takayna / Tarkine is now gaining international recognition for the its’ outstanding beauty, natural and cultural values and the important position it holds for the future of our planet. Until the early 2000s the forests of Tarkine were inaccessible for walking tours. Tarkine Trails facilitates immersive small group walking experiences in this ancient wilderness. It is our privilege and passion to be part of showcasing this unique place to our visitors.
Why ‘Takayna’?
You may see us refer to the Tarkine as ‘takayna/Tarkine’. ‘takayna’ (tah kye nah) is the palawa kani name for this region. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre says:
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takayna (tah kye nah) is recorded as the name of the people from the Sandy Cape-Pieman River area.
It is an acceptable practice to use the same word for a place as for the people of that place. Other words for a place are the same as the word for ‘the nation at that place’; some examples are nungu and yingina.
So we revive takayna for the Tarkine area, and also for the people of that area.
There are no other names recorded for this place or its people.
The English spelling ‘Tarkine’ has been used since the 1980s as the place name for an area of more than 447,000 hectares between the Arthur and Pieman Rivers. Conservationists chose that word with Aboriginal approval to name the area, based on one spelling variant of the name of the Aboriginal people from the Sandy Cape/Pieman River area – ‘Tarkiner’.
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Out of respect for the original inhabitants of the land, we refer to it by takayna first, and Tarkine second, where possible.
