Trekking Tasmania's Overland Track | Matt Horspool

Soaking in the beauty of the Overland Track | Matt Horspool

Every campsite is secluded on the Overland Track | Matt Horspool

Don't have all the gear? We supply essential trekking gear like backpacks | Brad Atwal

The famous boardwalks on the Overland Track | Matt Horspool

Trekking the legendary Overland Track, Tasmania | Matt Horspool

Cradle Mountain from the Overland Track | Matt Horspool

The Overland Track

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356 reviews

6 Days from

$2690 USD

Trip Code: CMT

View dates to Book Essential Information

Extra trip options & supplements

*Prices listed are per person

Single Tent Supplement

$33 USD

Duration

6 Days

Activities

6 days trekking with a full pack

Accommodation

5 nights camping

Meals

5 Dinners
6 Lunches
5 Breakfasts

Difficulty Grading

5 / 10

Moderate

Overland Track Trip highlights

Complete the internationally famous Overland Track
Discover rich bio-diversity; sublime rainforests, beautiful sub-alpine plateaus and spectacular highland landscapes
End each day at scenic campsites in the remote wilderness
Summit Tasmania’s highest peak, Mt Ossa (weather dependent)
Enjoy close encounters with native animals, birds and stunning endemic plants

Overview

The Overland Track holds legendary status as the finest alpine walk in Australia.

Walking from north to south, the Overland Track covers the highest area of Tasmania, from the base of wulinantikala/Cradle Mountain to the rainforest-clad shores of the deepest natural lake in the Southern Hemisphere, liyawulina/Lake St Clair. The World Heritage listed landscape is truly breathtaking and will leave you enchanted, inspired and feeling completely connected. With each day and every step, the scenery on the trail varies dramatically taking you through ancient Myrtle forest, glaciated dolerite landscapes, past plateaus covered in sparkling tarns and lakes and to Tasmania's highest peak Mt Ossa. You will have up close encounters with the unique and endemic animals that call the Overland Track area home.

The Overland Track trek is suitable for first time bushwalkers who are able to trek with a fully loaded pack. If you don’t have a backpack don’t worry, our trip includes the use of a trek pack that supplies essential equipment suited for the conditions. We’ll keep you well fed along the trail thanks to the inclusion of food drops, which will also help keep your pack as light as possible.

Then there’s your Overland Track guides – the best in the business. Your professional guides will ensure your adventure is immensely memorable and enjoyable, providing support and care, creating delicious meals, and bringing the track to life with their local knowledge and enthusiasm for the Tasmanian wilderness.

Itinerary

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We pick you up early this morning in Launceston, from one of our two pick up locations. Our first pick up point is at 6:45am from the Grand Chancellor and our second pick up point is at 7:00am at the Penny Royal. We then drive 2.5 hours to Waldheim, ‘forest home’, where our Overland Track trek begins. The morning is spent walking up past lakes and tarns to the top of the Cradle Plateau where we are rewarded with views of Dove Lake and an endless horizon of impressive mountain ranges. The views of the iconic Cradle mountain will be uninterrupted for hours as we trek across the plateau before making our way to Waterfall Valley for our first night under the stars. Walking Distance: 10.7km | Walking Time: 6 hours. *You will need to arrive in Launceston the day before your trip, ensuring that you arrive in time to attend the 2:00pm pre-trip briefing.

Meals: L,D

After breakfast at our campsite we continue south to Lake Windermere. A leisurely day that offers time for a side trip to Lake Will – named after a coal prospector in the 1800s. There is opportunity to have a relaxing lunch and swim from the sandy shores of Lake Will. Returning to our packs we head back across the rolling buttongrass plains to our stunning campsite. We spend the afternoon kicking back with a hot drink taking in the fabulous views from camp, and perhaps having another refreshing swim. Walking Distance: 7.8km + side trips | Walking Time: 3 hours + side trips

Meals: B,L,D

Today is a wild day of moorlands and mountain views. We don our packs and walk across Pine Forest Moor with spectacular views across the massive Forth River Valley to the lofty heights of Mt Oakleigh and to today’s destination at its base. We descend around Mount Pelion West to a popular lunch spot at Frog Flats. After lunch we walk up through tall, lush forest onto the great expanse of Pelion Plains. We have the option of a short side trip to Old Pelion Hut to gain a deeper appreciation of the park’s rich history. Walking Distance: 16.8km | Walking Time: 7 hours

Meals: B,L,D

From camp we continue walking south through Myrtle forest, past tufted Pandani trees, then up to the saddle (1113m) between Mount Pelion East and Mount Ossa. This is the perfect place for a well deserved rest. In fine weather climbing Mount Ossa – Tasmania’s highest peak at 1617m – is without a doubt one of the highlights of the Overland Track. With magnificent views in all directions we continue south into Pinestone Valley to our creek-side campsite overlooking the grand spires of Cathedral Mountain. Walking Distance: 8.6km + side trips | Walking Time: 5 hours + side trips

Meals: B,L,D

Today we walk through towering rainforests of Leatherwood and Sassafrass trees, heading towards three of Tasmania’s largest and most spectacular waterfalls. The first we visit is Fergusson Falls, named after a former ranger at Lake St Clair, followed by Dalton Falls. The third of these enchanting falls is the spectacular Hartnett Falls, named after Paddy Hartnett, an eccentric Irish bushman who was rarely seen without his bowler hat. We walk up through Du Cane Gap then descend to our campsite at Bert Nichols. Walking Distance: 9.6km + side trips | Walking Time: 4 hours + side trips

Meals: B,L,D

Today we pack our backpacks for the final day on the track, which takes us through mixed eucalyptus and stands of temperate rainforest to the shore of Lake St Clair, the deepest natural lake in the Southern Hemisphere. As we near Lake St Clair we can gaze up to the peaks of Mt Ida and majestic Mount Olympus. We catch a 30 minute ferry across the lake, providing spectacular views back upon the mountains we’ve walked past, and a wonderful conclusion to our Overland Track trek. After time to explore the visitor centre and a celebratory lunch, we board the bus for our return drive across the Central Plateau to Launceston. We return to Launceston at approximately 5pm, our two drop-off points in Launceston are the Grand Chancellor and the Penny Royal. Walking Distance: 9km | Walking Time: 4 hours

Meals: B,L

Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.

What’s included?

Included

2 professional wilderness guides
5 nights camping in twin share tents
5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners snacks and hot drinks
Trek Pack: inflatable sleeping mat, 70-90L backpack, sleeping bag, inner sheet and gaiters
Food drop provisions along the track
Transport by private minibus between from/to Launceston
Lake St. Clair ferry passage
National Park fees
Overland Track Permit
Emergency communications & group first aid kit

Not included

Travel to and from Launceston
Accommodation before or after the trip
Items of a personal nature - alcoholic beverages, car parking etc
Travel insurance
Face masks and hand sanitiser

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Reviews (356)

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Wilderness Camping

The 5 nights of the tour will be spent camping along the track at designated commercial campsite areas. These areas have timber platforms for our tents to be pitched on and nearby rainwater tanks and composting toilet facilities. The camps have a basic kitchen prep area however there is no other shelter or seating available.

Wilderness Camping

Tasmanian Expeditions provides strong, 2 person, bushwalking tents (twin share), which provide each occupant with a personal access door and vestibule for individual use. Our tents weigh approx 3kg and this weight is shared equally by each occupant. We use a range of high quality 3-4 season tents which have been trialled and tested to withstand all weather conditions that may be encountered on our adventures.

Boardwalk

The boardwalks are synonymous with the Overland Track but note that it does not extend for the entire walk. The start of the walk offers well maintained boardwalks and as you get further into your hike they will be less common. During some sections you'll encounter the original boardwalks, which do not have any extra wire on them to protect against slipping. In some places the boardwalk is quite wide and in others it is a little thinner. Walking poles are recommended.

Tree Roots

Much of the trail is not covered by the famous boardwalk, or it has old boardwalks that are not maintained. You will encounter alot of tree roots, which can be slippery. For this reason we recommend high cut boots, for extra protection against rolling your ankle. Walking poles are strongly recommended as you will need to walk over tree roots in many places along the Overland Track as you ascend and descend hills along the trail.