Great Walks

Great Walks

Great Walks in Tasmania

Tasmania boasts 60 Great Walks; embracing some of the island’s most beautiful and unique features including: waterfalls, Aboriginal culture, mountains, forests, glacial lakes, beaches, seascapes, history, islands, wildlife and much more.

Whether you are looking for a peaceful stroll featuring majestic scenery or if you want a longer, more advanced walk, Launceston offers both. All the walks feature parking at the beginning of the walks, spacious picnic areas with barbeques (both gas and wooden) and toilet facilities along the way. Make sure you have your sturdy walking shoes/boots, hat, sun block, sunglasses, water and you might want to consider packing your raincoat, extra jumper and some snacks.

Walk 1: Hollybank Forest

The Hollybank Forest offers an easy 15-40 minute return walk, depending on your choice of track. This walk features wide tracks with gentle grades which lead through a mix of native bush and plantation forests of ash and pine trees. The ash trees were primarily planted as a wood supply for cricket bats and tennis racquets. This walk also has a bush cricket pitch for all those avid cricketers. Start: Hollybank Road – 19km from Launceston via the suburb of Rocherlea.

Walk 2: Duck Reach

The Duck Reach walk, as the name suggests, takes you on a journey to the historic Duck Reach power station. This walk suits children, and has a swimming pool and changing facilities, kiosk and drinking water. This walk is moderate as there are some short uphill sections and some steps. This walk can be done one way if cars are arranged. The return walk takes approximately 1.5hours. Start: Basin Road, West Launceston. Follow the path into the Cataract Gorge grounds where you’ll find the Great Short Walks sign.

Walk 3: Tamar Island

The Tamar Island Walk takes you on a 4 hour return walk through wetlands and across a river channel to the seven hectare Tamar Island. Here you will have the company of pelicans, swans, cormorants and numerous other bird species as well as frogs, dragonflies and lizards. The boardwalk to the island is level and will suite some wheelchair users and those with strollers. Tracks on the island have natural surfaces and are generally not suitable for wheelchairs. Start: Watch out for the signs between Riverside and Legana on the West Tamar Highway (A7).

Stay a little longer and get rested pre or post-walk at the gorgeous Penny Royal Hotel and Apartments. We’d go so far as to say the beds and fluffy doonas are among the most comfortable you will ever encounter in all your slumbers….. Click here for more on Penny Royal.