5 Day Tarkine & Cradle Mountain Hiking Tour

We depart Launceston at 8am.

Enroute we stop in the coastal village of Penguin to enjoy morning tea and a trip briefing with our guides. By 11am we’ll be on our way to Hellyer Gorge. This is a brilliant short one-hour return walk through the beautiful Tarkine rainforest.

We enjoy lunch here among some of Tasmania’s oldest forest environments. We will then head off and the afternoon walk is a two hour walk through towering myrtle and sassafras to the beautiful Philosophers Falls. We then head off to Corinna Wilderness Lodge – our place of stay for the next two nights.

We enjoy dinner at Corinna’s onsite Tannin Restaurant (drinks at own expense).

Meals: Lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Corinna Wilderness Lodge (cabin style)

9km, 2.5hrs approx. Grade 2

Today sees us departing our place of stay around sunrise as we are taking the boat MV Arcadia down to the mouth of the Pieman River and out onto the wild Tarkine Coast. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of coastline and a scenic paradise.

The historic Huon pine vessel the Arcadia takes approximately one and a half hours to travel the 22km down to the Pieman Heads where you will disembark with your Park Trek guides and explore the wild Pieman Heads.

The track can be muddy and wet in places as it deviates in and out of the coast. There is the opportunity for a lunchtime swim if weather permits.

We spend the whole morning out on the trail. We come across many Aboriginal middens that line the coast and may be lucky enough to spot a Tasmanian Devil in the wild.

We make our way north before turning around to retrace our steps and hop back on board the MV Arcadia for lunch and an early afternoon cruise back to Corinna.

We are back mid-afternoon and there is also the option of a paddling a canoe on the Pieman or Whyte river where you have a good chance of seeing platypus in the wild. Or else you can always relax on the porch of your cabin.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Corinna Wilderness Lodge (cabin style)

12km, 3-4hrs approx. Grade 2

After breakfast and lunch making we pack up and head off to Mount Donaldson. This is a three-hour circular hike to the summit of Mt Donaldson where we enjoy morning tea on top of Mt Donaldson with spectacular views into the heart of the Tarkine – one of the best panoramic vistas in the area.

We then head off to Cradle Mountain and check into our cabins at the Cradle Mountain Discovery Holiday Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Discovery Holiday Park

8km, 3hrs approx. Grade 3

We depart for the day after breakfast and making lunches. Today we partake in a very scenic 10 km walk.

Starting from Ronnie Creek we will take the Lake Lilla Track up to Lake Lilla and then head onto Wombat Pool and Crater Lake.

From here we make our way up to Marion’s Lookout, which includes a very steep climb and Kitchen Hut. We then head back via the Horse Track to meet the vehicle.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Cradle Mountain Discovery Holiday Park

10km, 6hrs approx. Grade 4

After breakfast and lunch making we head off on a stunning two-hour loop walk around Dove Lake.

We will wander through typical Tasmanian rainforest. The Lake is one of the best-known walks in Tasmania, the Dove Lake Circuit is one of the best short walks in the Cradle Mountain region.

At just 6 km, the flat, gravel and duckboard track is very easy going, leaving you to focus entirely on the jagged peak of Cradle Mountain, which looms above the track.

Along the way, there is a great mix of terrain including scrubby button grass, sandy beaches, cascading streams and at the mid-point of the walk, a very special rainforest known as the Ballroom Forest.

If time permits, we can enjoy one of the short walks near the entrance of Cradle Mountain National Park to showcase the rainforest, waterfalls and magnificent Kingbilly pines including the King Billy Walk and Enchanted Walk. Here we will see some different endemic flora of Tasmania.

We then make our way back to Launceston returning approx. 4-4.30pm.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

6km, 2hrs approx. Grade 2