Killiecrankie to Stackys Bight Walk (7.5km)

The hike from Killiecrankie to Stackys Bight is a 7.5 km journey through the rugged and fascinating landscape of the Killiecrankie Nature Recreation Area in Tasmania. Taking around three hours to complete, this grade 3 walk offers a mix of coastal scenery, geological wonders, and the opportunity to explore an area rich in natural history.

Starting at Killiecrankie, the route follows the shoreline towards Stackys Bight, which sits beneath Old Man’s Head—a striking granite tor on the western slopes of Mount Killiecrankie. Along the way, Killiecrankie Creek winds through the landscape, draining from the elevated granite outcrops of Mount Tanner and Mount Boyes. These formations, shaped over millions of years, overlay an ancient Tertiary drainage system, with deposits—including a basalt lava flow dating back 20 million years—hidden beneath the sands and dunes.

The shoreline of Killiecrankie Beach is scattered with boulders, primarily composed of flat, disc-like fragments of Pleistocene calcarenite, with occasional pieces of granite and basalt. These remnants, eroded and reshaped as sea levels rose after the last ice age, were deposited by powerful storm surges. Behind the beach, an extensive foredune system stretches inland for over a kilometre, with sand dunes rising up to 40 metres high. These dunes, formed from windblown sands, have been gradually shaped by shifting sea levels and relentless coastal winds over the past 120,000 years.

Continuing north, the trail follows a rocky shoreline for 700 metres, avoiding private property, before reaching the designated fossicking area at Diamond Gully. Here, a small creek washing down from the granite slopes carries alluvial gravels that provide prospectors with a chance to uncover Killiecrankie’s famous topaz.

The next section of the walk showcases the striking granite formations that define this coastline. Two distinct sets of joints in the rock are visible—the steeply angled fractures formed as the granite cooled nearly 390 million years ago, and the flat-lying joints that developed over the past 94 million years as the landscape was uplifted and eroded. These fractures have played a key role in shaping the dramatic cliffs and boulders that now characterise the area.

Following the rocky coast for another 100 metres, cairns mark the inland track leading towards Stackys Bight. Here, a prominent headland rises above the bay, composed of Pleistocene calcarenite deposited as windblown sand between 2.5 million and 100,000 years ago. The layers of cross-bedded calcarenite, visible along the cliffs, each represent individual sand dunes that were compacted and cemented over time. The shifting angles of these layers, along with the forces of erosion, have sculpted striking coastal features, including a large rock arch. Debris from a recent collapse can be seen in a smaller arch nearby—a glimpse into the ongoing process of coastal change.

At the high-water mark, chemical weathering has created intricate honeycomb and karren textures in the rock, where salt spray and wind have carved delicate patterns into the surface. These formations, constantly shaped by the elements, add to the dramatic beauty of Stackys Bight.

After taking in the scenery and exploring the geological features of the area, return along the same route, retracing the coastline back to Killiecrankie.