3-Day Self-Guided Tour: Maria Island Pack-Free Walk
What your day looks like
Maria Island is a captivating blend of natural beauty and historical significance, featuring stunning landscapes, abundant wildlife, and a rich convict past. As a World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Site and a unique wildlife sanctuary, the island offers an ideal escape where you can connect with nature, explore history, and enjoy diverse outdoor activities. The island serves as a conservation haven, home to Tasmanian Devils, a thriving population of wombats, and rare bird species, both land and sea. As you traverse the island’s network of trails, roads, and scenic viewpoints, you’ll encounter a variety of landscapes, from dramatic coastal cliffs to serene beaches and secluded coves. This 3-day self-guided Pack Free Walk provides the opportunity to explore Maria Island at your own pace, with a thoughtfully planned itinerary that highlights the island’s most iconic natural features. Visit the fascinating Fossil Cliffs, where ancient sea life is embedded in the rock, and marvel at the stunning colors and patterns of the Painted Cliffs, sculpted by nature into a masterpiece of swirling sandstone. Experience the challenge and reward of summiting the island’s highest peaks. Stand atop Bishop and Clerk Mountain, with its dramatic rocky outcrops offering panoramic views over the coastline, and conquer Mt Maria, the island’s tallest peak, for a truly unforgettable hiking experience. Each summit provides breathtaking vistas that capture the island’s rugged beauty and the vastness of the surrounding sea. To add a unique twist to your adventure, embark on a cycling journey to the remote southern parts of the island. Explore pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and the untamed wilderness, creating a perfect combination of walking and cycling that showcases the diverse attractions of this extraordinary island. The Pack Free approach ensures a hassle-free experience, allowing you to explore without the burden of carrying heavy packs. Enjoy handpicked accommodations on the island, offering comfort and convenience after each day of adventure. With all logistics taken care of, including transfers and accommodations, you can focus on immersing yourself in the island’s magic. Ideal for nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and adventure seekers, this 3-day self-guided walk offers an intimate connection with Maria Island’s landscapes, wildlife, and convict heritage. Wander through its unique environments, encounter fascinating wildlife, and explore the historical remnants that tell stories of the past.
The experience, in brief
- PackFree Adventure
- Fascinating Wildlife
- Diverse Landscapes
- Historical Significance
- Iconic Natural Features
- Summit Challenging Peaks
- Cycling Adventure
- Comfortable Accommodations
- Seamless Experience
- Ideal for Nature Lovers and History Enthusiasts
Your day, step by step
Launceston
Boating at Maria Island. Welcome to Australia! Meet your driver in Launceston, they will have your pack prepared for you with sleeping bag, gourmet meals and eating utensils. From here we enjoy a scenic drive winding through farmland and forests to the east coast town of Triabunna where you embark on the Maria Island Ferry, for a pleasant cruise across the Mercury Passage to the island.
Launceston
Eco Tour at Maria Island. Bishop and Clerk Mountain: Once on the island, you check-in at the Commissariat building close to the wharf then proceeds to your Penitentiary accommodation at Darlington settlement. Simply drop your bags, grab your lunch and water and head off on your first walking adventure to the spectacular summit of Bishop and Clerk Mountain. Have lunch on the way, atop the cliffs overlooking Fossil Bay where if you are lucky, you may see whales resting in the clear blue waters below. After climbing the mountain and enjoying the views, return to your accommodation in the historic surrounds of Darlington. Wombats graze the lawns outside your accommodation and keep an eye out at dusk for Tasmanian Devils emerging for a night of scavenging.
Launceston
Lunch. Dinner.
Launceston
Accommodation.
Launceston
Eco Tour at Maria Island. Mt Maria: After a hearty breakfast, today you head off to climb the highest peak on Maria Island – the 711m high Mt Maria, a dolerite outcrop with sweeping views across the island and south towards the Tasman Peninsula. This is undoubtedly a full-day trek. It leads through a variety of the island’s ecosystems from coastal woodland and tall, wet forest to mountain top heath. It’s a great challenge. For those wanting a shorter and less strenuous walk today, the alternative option is a relaxing walk, exploring Maria Island’s history and its most famous natural and geological wonders – Fossil Cliffs and Painted Cliffs. Enjoy strolling along open grassy hillsides, along stunning coast and through open woodlands. There is even time for a refreshing dip at either Darlington or Hopground Beach.
Launceston
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
Launceston
Accommodation.
Launceston
Cycling at Maria Island. Cycle Tour Painted Cliffs & Encampment Cove: Maria Island is a cyclist’s paradise with gently undulating and well-formed roads with virtually no traffic to worry about. This cycling circuit takes in the island’s rich and beautiful forests, its more remote historic locations, at the southern end of the island, as well as its stunning coastline of hidden coves and scenic headlands. It is a fabulous and easy way to reach some gorgeous scenery and take in everything this magnificent island has to offer. There is an optional walk available for those that prefer not to cycle.
Launceston
Breakfast. Lunch
Launceston
Boating. Afterwards, collect your luggage and enjoy the final ferry ride back to mainland Tasmania. Here you’ll meet your driver for the transfer back to Launceston, the end of a remarkable adventure. ARRIVAL TIME: We arrive back in Launceston at approximately 7:30pm. Thanks for travelling with us!
What to know before booking
Included
A walking APP with GPS coordinates on your walk Detailed maps and trail notes, hard copy and on the App Transfers to and from Maria Island from Launceston Accommodation at the fabulous Penitentiary in the World Heritage-listed convict precinct at Darlington Settlement Equipment gear required – overnight pack, sleeping bag, eating utensils, bowls Bicycle hire for one day National Park Pass
Not Included
Tips and gratuities
What to Bring
Hiking shoes Comfortable clothes
Meeting & Pickup
SUGGESTED PRE NIGHT-ACCOMMODATION: Grand Chancellor Launceston
Languages Offered
[object Object]
Optional Add-ons
PRE-WALK NIGHT PACKAGE for 2 persons - 450.00 Group
Planning Notes
Hotel pickup offered: No Confirmation: Manual By Business