Drive across the North West Coast on the Sheffield road and Mount Roland is the mountain that stops conversation — a long basalt wall rearing 1,233 metres straight out of farmland, often compared to Cradle Mountain’s Cradle itself for sheer drama. The Kentish municipality around it, centred on the mural town of Sheffield and the tiny village of Gowrie Park, is a low-key base for short walks: forest nature trails, a couple of genuinely tough summit pushes, and a scenic waterfall detour nearby at Wilmot, all within twenty minutes of each other and a long way from the tourist crowds of the east coast.
None of this is national park — Mount Roland sits inside a regional reserve, and the surrounding walks are on state reserve or council land — so the rules (and the fees) are a bit more relaxed than in places like Cradle Mountain or Freycinet. It’s also proper mountain terrain once you leave the picnic areas, so don’t let the short driving distances from Devonport or Launceston fool you into under-preparing.
1. O’Neill’s Creek Nature Trail — Gowrie Park
A gentle warm-up (or wind-down) loop through wet forest along O’Neill’s Creek, with interpretive boards on the myrtle, sassafras and blackwood along the way and a fair chance of spotting platypus or yabbies in the creek if you’re quiet. It links the Gowrie Park picnic reserve to the trailhead for the Mount Roland tracks, so it’s easy to tack onto a bigger walk or do on its own with kids.
Distance: ~1.4km return — Time: 15–20 minutes — Difficulty: Easy — Dogs: Permitted on lead (reserve land, not national park; check the trailhead sign)
Nearest campground: O’Neill’s Creek / Gowrie Park camping area, right at the trailhead — campingtasmania.com
2. Mount Roland Summit via O’Neill’s Track — Gowrie Park
The “easier” of the two summit routes, though don’t let that fool you — it’s still a full day out. The track climbs steadily through forest before breaking onto the open, rocky shoulder of the mountain, with the final push to the summit trig steep and exposed in a few spots. The payoff is one of the best views in the North West: Cradle Mountain to the south, the coast and Bass Strait to the north, and farmland patchworked in between.
Distance: ~16km return — Time: 5–6 hours return — Difficulty: Hard — Dogs: Permitted on lead and under effective control, but a long, exposed day for a dog — consider leaving them at camp
Nearest campground: O’Neill’s Creek / Gowrie Park camping area, at the trailhead — campingtasmania.com
3. Mount Roland via the Face Track — Claude Road
The direct line up Mount Roland’s western face from Claude Road village, and considerably steeper and more exposed than the O’Neill’s Track route — parks and local walking groups generally steer people towards O’Neill’s Track instead unless you’re an experienced scrambler comfortable on loose rock. Worth knowing about as an option for a car-shuffle loop with O’Neill’s Track if you’ve got two vehicles and a full day.
Distance: ~7km return — Time: 3–5 hours return — Difficulty: Hard (steep, loose underfoot, exposed sections) — Dogs: Not recommended — the scrambling sections aren’t dog-friendly
Nearest campground: O’Neill’s Creek / Gowrie Park camping area — campingtasmania.com
4. Mount Vandyke Loop — Gowrie Park
Mount Roland’s quieter neighbour, and a good alternative if the main summit track is busy or the weather’s closing in on Roland itself. The route shares the first stretch of the O’Neill’s Track before branching off through eucalypt forest and button grass moorland, with some rock scrambling near the top and sweeping views back across to Roland’s face.
Distance: ~12km loop — Time: 4–5 hours — Difficulty: Hard (technical scrambling in sections) — Dogs: Permitted on lead, but the scrambling sections are tough going for most dogs
Nearest campground: O’Neill’s Creek / Gowrie Park camping area — campingtasmania.com
5. Forth Falls Walk — Wilmot
A short but properly steep detour down into the Forth River gorge to a series of cascading falls and cold, clear plunge pools, about fifteen minutes from Sheffield. The track drops quickly on the way in, which means a solid climb back out, and it can get slippery on the rocks near the falls after rain, but it’s a nice contrast to the mountain walks — shady, cool and over in a couple of hours.
Distance: ~4km return — Time: 1.5–2 hours — Difficulty: Moderate (steep descent/climb, slippery near the falls) — Dogs: Permitted on lead
Nearest campground: Paloona camping area, on the Wilmot River a short drive away — campingtasmania.com
6. Lake Barrington Foreshore Walk — Kentish Park
An easy, flat wander around part of the Lake Barrington foreshore near the rowing course and Kentish Park, good for a relaxed afternoon or an easy leg-stretch if you’ve done one of the harder walks the day before. The lake is a popular spot for kayaking and picnics as well, with toilets and barbecues at Weeks Reach and Kentish Park.
Distance: ~3–5km depending on how far around you go — Time: 1–1.5 hours — Difficulty: Easy — Dogs: Permitted on lead
Nearest campground: Lake Barrington camping area, at the northern end of Kentish Park — campingtasmania.com
Planning Your Trip
Mount Roland Regional Reserve isn’t a national park, so there’s no parks pass needed for any of the walks in this list — a rare bit of relief for the wallet compared with most of the rest of the state. Dogs on a lead are generally tolerated across the reserve and the surrounding state reserves, but the mountain routes (Face Track and Vandyke especially) involve enough scrambling that it’s worth thinking twice about bringing one along, and always check trailhead signage since local rules can change. On safety: Mount Roland’s summit tracks are genuinely alpine in character once the weather turns, with wind, low cloud and sudden temperature drops possible even in summer, so carry warm layers, plenty of water and a map even for what looks like a straightforward day walk, and let someone know your plans if you’re heading up alone.
- September 16, 2026
An easy, flat loop walk around the foreshore of Lake Barrington, Tasmania's international rowing lake, with picnic grounds and open…
- September 16, 2026
A steep spur off the Mount Roland track to the quieter, boulder-topped alpine summit of Mount Vandyke, with a short…
- September 15, 2026
A steep, scrambling route up Mount Roland"s northern face from Claude Road, a demanding alternative to the gentler O'Neills Track,…
- September 14, 2026
The preferred, more gradually graded route to the 1,233m summit of Mount Roland, starting at Gowrie Park with sweeping views…
- September 13, 2026
An easy, family-friendly nature trail beside O"Neill"s Creek at Gowrie Park, with interpretive signage and good chances of spotting platypus,…
- September 9, 2026
A moderate loop walk on the Badger Range above Sheffield, taking in a seasonal waterfall and two lookouts with sweeping…
- September 2, 2026
An easy, flat farmland and forest walk near Sheffield to the seasonal Redwater Creek Falls, with views of Mount Roland…
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