Trek the Cradle Mountain Overland Track
Trek the Cradle Mountain Overland Track
6 Days Starting and ending in Launceston
Visiting: Launceston / Cradle Mountain National Park / Overland Track, Overland Track, Overland Track / Lake St Clair / Launceston
Tour operator:
Tour code:
PTXC
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 10
Age range:
16-99 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Tour Overview
Take on the challenge of Australia’s most famous trek – the Cradle Mountain Overland track – and take in some of Tasmania’s most stunning scenery. With two expert mountain guides at your side, you’ll make your way through temperate rainforest and groves of eucalypts, across alpine moors and through valleys. Skirt the edges of bright blue lakes and take in views of waterfalls and towering peaks in the distance. Camp on the edges of historic huts under star-filled skies, wake up to dramatic landscapes and take the chance to tackle side trips like summitting the island’s highest peak Mt Ossa. This active adventure is one of the best ways to take in this iconic landscape.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Launceston / Cradle Mountain National Park / Overland Track
Location: Launceston / Cradle Mountain National Park / Overland Track
Accommodation: Bush camping (with limited facilities)
Meals Included: lunch, dinner
Welcome to Tasmania! Or Lutruwita in the language of the Palawa people who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which Tasmania is now located. Your adventure begins straight away with a pickup at 7 am in Launceston. Make your way west, through picturesque scenery, to start the Overland Track at Ronny Creek in Cradle Valley. Cross a small grass plain, passing Crater Creek and Crater Lake, making your way up to Marion’s Lookout for sweeping views. See the iconic Cradle Mountain and the curved Dove Lake. The track continues past the historic Kitchen Hut, with its unusual double story design, and the shoulder of Cradle Mountain, surrounded by Tasmanian snow gums. Over 700 million years ago, the ground here was shaped by glaciers grinding through the landscape. Continue to the Cradle Cirque, passing the turnoff to Barn Bluff, and descend into Waterfall Valley, where you’ll set up camp for the night.
Included Activities:
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Day 2: Overland Track
Location: Overland Track
Accommodation: Bush camping (with limited facilities)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
Waterfall Valley is, unsurprisingly, full of beautiful cascades, and you’ll pass them as the track undulates across moorlands scattered with pencil pines, myrtles and snow gums. Look out for Tasmanian Devils, echidnas and wombats – though you may see the latter’s distinctive cube shaped poop more often than the mammals themselves! For lunch, stop by Lake Will where you'll have the opportunity for a swim, before continuing to Lake Windermere in the afternoon. As you crest the moorland, you’ll get a view across Lake Windermere, whose dark colour is caused by nutrients and oils leaking from the surrounding grass into the water. Make your way around the shore of the lake to tonight’s campsite in a scattered forest.
Included Activities:
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Day 3: Overland Track
Location: Overland Track
Accommodation: Bush camping (with limited facilities)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
You’ve worked your way up to the longest hike of the trip. Begin with a walk through lightly timbered forest, across buttongrass moorlands to the lookout at Forth Gorge. In the distance the peaks of mounts Oakleigh, Ossa, Pelion East and West, as well as the Du Cane Range, pepper the horizon. Follow some small ascents and descents into the forest glade of Frog Flats – a wet section of forest crossed by the River Forth, home to some beautifully coloured mosses and fungi. Climb through forest to Pelion Plains, where the Forth Valley Track diverts off to Old Pelion Hut, built by copper miners at the end of the 19th century. For the next 20 years, cattle drovers and trappers plied their trade here, before the area was declared a scenic reserve in 1922. Continue along the shore of Douglas Creek to New Pelion Hut – the largest of the track’s huts, which sits at the junction of the Overland and Arm River tracks. You'll set up camp nearby.
Included Activities:
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Day 4: Overland Track
Location: Overland Track
Accommodation: Bush camping (with limited facilities)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
Begin today with a gradual climb up to Pelion Gap (1126 m). Here, the track hits a crossroads with Mt Pelion to the east and towering Mt Ossa – Tasmania’s highest peak at 1617 m. If the weather’s right, there will be the option to climb either of the peaks today. Both summits boast amazing views of the national park and beyond. From the Pelion Gap crossroads, the track passes through the glaciated Pinestone Valley and on to Kia Ora Hut, which sits on a creek of the same name below the Ducane Range and Cathedral Mountain. Set up camp nearby the hut.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 5: Overland Track
Location: Overland Track
Accommodation: Bush camping (with limited facilities)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
Leave Kia Ora Creek and make your way through myrtle beech rainforest to Du Cane Hut, built in 1910 out of King Billy Pine by a trapper as a base for his trade. Further down the track, you’ll take a side trip to see the falls of D’Alton, Fergusson and Hartnett, which tumble into the Mersey River. Back on the main track, the path climbs steadily to Du Cane Gap (1070 m), where Mt Geryon and the Acropolis (1471 m) of the Du Cane Range are the peaks that dominate the views. From here the track descends through eucalypt forest to Windy Ridge Hut – the newest hut on the track. After setting up camp nearby, it's your spot to share stories on the final night of the trip.
Included Activities:
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Day 6: Overland Track / Lake St Clair / Launceston
Location: Overland Track / Lake St Clair / Launceston
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
Today is the final day of the Overland Track. Leaving Windy Ridge camp, descend the valley of temperate rainforest and eucalypt forest to the Narcissus River. Pass the path, which splits off to take walkers to the base of the Du Cane Range and Pine Valley Hut – the base for access to the Acropolis and the Labyrinth. Follow the track down to a suspension bridge over the Narcissus River and the end is in sight. Give yourself a huge pat on the back and your legs a rest with a ferry ride across the lake to Cynthia Bay. Jump back in the van for the ride back to Launceston, where your trip comes to an end, arriving around 4:30 pm this afternoon.
Included Activities:
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What's Included
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Accommodation
Bush camping (with limited facilities) (5 Nights) -
Overland Track - Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley Trek
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Cradle Mountain National Park - Marion's Lookout
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Overland Track - Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere Trek
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Overland Track - Lake Windermere to New Pelion Hut Trek
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Cradle Mountain National Park - Forth Gorge Lookout
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Overland Track - Pelion Plains to Kia Ora Creek Trek
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Overland Track - Kia Ora Creek to Windy Ridge Trek
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Overland Track - Windy Ridge to Lake St Clair Trek
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Cradle Mountain National Park - Lake St Clair Ferry Ride
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Meals
5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
What's Not Included
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Tipping and Gratuities
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International Travel
Transport
- Walking , Private vehicle , Ferry
Accommodation
- This trip is a bush camping trip. You will be carrying your own tent and will set up camp each night. Solo travellers will share a tent with another solo traveller.
Important Information
- PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING
- A pre-departure meeting will take place at 1:30pm the day BEFORE departure at the Macpac store, 22-26 Kingsway, Launceston. It is important that you bring your gear to this meeting as our team will check the suitability of your gear for the trek. Please note that if your leader deems your gear not suitable you will need to purchase missing items at this meeting. We will not be able to permit any hikers on the track with unsuitable gear.
- PACKING & GEAR HIRE
- It is essential that you read the Packing List in our Essential Trip Information, and that you bring all necessary items. Backpack, rainwear, sleeping bag and sleeping mat – all these items are essential for this trip and can be hired locally (at $60 per item, payable locally) if you do not wish to bring your own. Speak to your travel consultant if you need to hire any gear as items must be requested prior to travel.
- START & END TIME
- Pick-up in the morning of day 1 will be at 7am from at the Macpac store, 22-26 Kingsway, Launceston. The trip will end with an arrival back into Launceston at around 4.30pm on the last day. Make sure you take this into consideration when booking onward travel.
- CAMPING & CARRYING OF GEAR
- This trip is a camping trip. You will be carrying your own tent (which we will provide) and will set up camp each night. Solo travellers may need to share the tent with travellers of the same gender. Facilities are very basic. You will also need to carry your own gear on this trek. Expect the weight of your pack to be up to 15 kg. This includes a portion of the food for the trip, and a share of a tent which will be around 1.4 kg.
- MEALS & DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
- Vegetarian, vegan & gluten free diets can be catered for but no other substitutions or allergies are possible to accommodate due to set menus being used on tour. We need Medical and Dietary requirements as early as possible as food is purchased for the trip up to 4 weeks in advance.
- SINGLE TRAVELLERS
- Solo travellers will share a twin-share tent with another solo traveller. A single tent supplement is bookable if you prefer not to share a tent on this trip, but this must be requested prior to your trip with your booking agent (subject to availability).
Mode of Transport
- Walking , Private vehicle , Ferry
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
This trip is is a wilderness hike, best suited to experienced hikers who are comfortable with the prospect of multiple consecutive days of hiking in all conditions as it involves plenty of walking over varied terrain. Good footwear, clothing for all types of Tasmanian weather, plus perhaps walking poles are recommended. Details on physical activities and a packing list can be found in the trip notes. The total distance covered on this trip is approximately 65 km.
You will need to carry your own gear on this trek. Your pack should weigh up to around 15 kg. This includes a portion of the food for the trip and a share of a tent, which will weigh around 1.4 kg.
This is a camping trip, and you will be required to set up camp each night. Facilities are very basic (bush camping toilets, no showers). -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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Free Date Changes
Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions