Tasmania’s real reputation among bushwalkers rests on its multi-day tracks: routes that push through alpine plateaus, wild river valleys and roadless coastline over several days, usually with a hut or tent platform waiting at the end of each one. These aren’t casual outings — most require bookings, permits, proper wet-weather gear and genuine fitness — but they’re the walks people travel from interstate and overseas to do.
At the southern end of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park sits Australia’s deepest lake, carved out by glaciers and fringed by ancient pine forest — the kind of place where the water is often stone-still and the mountains around it feel a bit larger than life. It’s where the six-day Overland Track finishes, but you don’t need six days or a tent full of gear to see the best of it: a cluster of short, well-formed tracks fan out from the visitor centre at Cynthia Bay, ranging from a flat 45-minute stroll to a solid half-day circuit. It’s an easy add-on if you’re driving the Lyell Highway between Hobart and the west coast, and a good base for a night or two under canvas.
The Overland Track, one of Australia’s best and most challenging Alpine Walks of some 65-kilometres in length and taking 5-7 days to complete.