Tasmania has a reputation for serious hiking, and it’s well earned. The island carries more remote, technically demanding wilderness walking than anywhere else in the country. But it also has accessible multi-day routes that are well within reach of walkers building their overnight experience. These five walks cover that full range, from a manageable three-day coastal circuit to one of the most remote tracks in Australia.
Five overnight and multi-day hikes in Tasmania
South Coast Track, Southwest National Park
85km | 6-8 days | Grade 5
The South Coast Track sits in a different category to most walks on this list. The 85-kilometre route runs between Melaleuca and Cockle Creek through the heart of the Southwest National Park, covering more than 600,000 hectares of genuine wilderness. There are no roads to Melaleuca. You fly, sail, or walk in. Most people allow six to eight days depending on how long they spend on the beaches along the way.
The track is rough, often muddy over extended sections, and well removed from any meaningful help if something goes wrong. This is not a walk to attempt without solid experience on other Tasmanian multi-day routes first. If you have that experience and you want one of the most remote walking experiences Tasmania offers, this is it.
Freycinet Peninsula Circuit, Freycinet National Park
30km | 3 days | Grade 3
The Freycinet Peninsula Circuit is one of the more accessible multi-day walks in Tasmania and a good introduction to overnight hiking on the island. The 30-kilometre circuit travels around the Hazard Mountains to Hazards Beach, continues south to Cooks and Bryans Beaches, then crosses a heathland plateau near Mount Freycinet before descending to the white quartz sands of Wineglass Bay. Walk it anti-clockwise: this is the recommended direction to reduce the spread of Phytophthora, a plant pathogen that causes root rot.
There are no huts on the circuit, so a tent is essential. Established camping areas sit at the southern end of Hazards Beach, at Cooks Beach, and at the southern end of Wineglass Bay. Permits are required and numbers are limited, so book early.
The Overland Track, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
65km | 5-6 days | Grade 4
The Overland Track needs little introduction. The 65-kilometre route through Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is Australia’s best-known alpine walk, and part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It earns its reputation. The scenery is genuinely extraordinary and the physical challenge of six days in alpine terrain is real. The track runs from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, and during the peak season (November to April) it must be walked north to south. Bookings and permits are required. Huts are available along the route but carrying a tent is still recommended given Tasmania’s changeable weather.
Three Capes Track, Cape Pillar State Reserve
46km | 4 days | Grade 3
The Three Capes Track runs 46 kilometres along the dramatic sea cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula, with dolerite columns dropping hundreds of metres to the Southern Ocean below. The track visits Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar, and Cape Hauy across four days, with purpose-built huts at each overnight stop. Unlike most multi-day walks in Tasmania, hut accommodation is included in the track booking fee, which makes logistics straightforward. At Grade 3 it’s more accessible than other walks on this list, but the cliff-edge terrain is exposed and the weather can be severe. The remoteness and the scale of the coastline make this one of the more memorable walks in the country.
Frenchmans Cap, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
46km | 3-5 days | Grade 5
The Frenchmans Cap track leads to the summit of a striking white quartzite dome rising to 1,446 metres in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The quartzite here is some of Australia’s oldest exposed rock, Precambrian in age, and the mountain is visible from a long way out across the surrounding wilderness.
The 46-kilometre return route passes buttongrass plains, rainforest with Huon pine and King Billy pine growing side by side, and dramatic glacial valleys. The route finishes at Lake Tahune, positioned directly under the huge cliff face of the summit. Allow three to five days depending on conditions and your pace. This is serious alpine terrain and the weather in this part of Tasmania can deteriorate quickly and without much warning.
