TAS
Ben Lomond National Park
Located 50km south-east of Launceston, Ben Lomond National Park is reached by back roads via White Hills or Evandale onto the Blessington Road (C401). The magnificent mountain of Ben Lomond with its imposing and precipitous cliffs is visible over much of the northern midlands of Tasmania. The plateau is roughly 14 kilometres in length, 6 kilometres wide and is in excess of 1300 metres in height. A summit on the plateau named Legges Tor is the second highest point in Tasmania (1572 metres). Ben Lomond is the main focus of downhill skiing in Tasmania. The ski field on Ben Lomond is Tasmania's only downhill skiing area which offers some of the facilities expected of a contemporary ski field. The Ben Lomond National Park is invaluable for the conservation of the flora communities and species diversity of Tasmania's alpine areas. The area consists of an outstanding variety of glacial and periglacial features which are considered of national significance.
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Cradle Mountain forms the northern end of the wild Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park, itself a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The jagged contours of Cradle Mountain epitomize the feel of a wild landscape, while ancient rainforest and alpine heathlands, buttongrass and stands of colourful deciduous beech provide a range of environments to explore. Icy streams cascading out of rugged mountains, stands of ancient pines mirrored in the still waters of glacial lakes and a wealth of wildlife ensure there is always something to captivate you. The area is one of the most popular natural areas in Tasmania. A visit will reveal why. Cradle Mountain is the starting point for the world-famous Overland Track, a magnificent 6 day walk that will take you through the heart of some of the finest mountain terrain. The Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park shares a "Twin Parks" agreement with the World Heritage listed Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve in the People's Republic of China. Lake St Clair was carved out by ice during several glaciations over the last two million years, this is the deepest lake in Australia and the headwaters of the Derwent River. The area around Lake St Clair offers a wealth of walks, ranging from leisurely strolls to overnight bushwalks, as well as beautiful forests to explore.
Douglas-Apsley National Park
From its deep river gorges and waterfalls to its dolerite capped plateau; from dry eucalypt forest and colourful heathlands to pockets of rainforest, Douglas-Apsley National Park is a place of surprising contrasts. This park is one of the few that conserve the diverse wealth of dry sclerophyll forest plants found on the east coast of Tasmania. The crystal clear waters that run through the park are a welcome sight on a hot summer's day. Whether you want a quick picnic by a tranquil stream, a rugged walk through forest and gorge, or a place to study rare plants and animals, Douglas-Apsley can provide it for you.
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
From Hobart, travel west for 2 1/2 hours via the Lyell Highway, or south a similar distance from Launceston via Longford and Poatina on the Lakes Highway (A5). King William Saddle marks the boundary of the park, and indeed a dramatic change in the geology and vegetation of western Tasmania. Nelson Falls marks the western boundary of the park. The Lyell Highway may occasionally be closed by snow in winter. The park can also be accessed via the lower Gordon River on one of the daily cruise boats that operate out of the west coast village of Strahan. The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is a region of dramatic mountain peaks, beautiful rainforest, deep river valleys and spectacular gorges. The park is famous for the wild and pristine rivers that twist their way through the wilderness. The Franklin River itself has become synonymous with Australia's largest conservation battle - the battle to save the Franklin from a proposed hydro-electric power scheme which would have flooded the river. The Lyell Highway winds for 56 kilometres through the heart of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Take your time to enjoy the drive through the park. Along the Lyell Highway there are several short walks and picnic stops along the way that will allow you to discover the grandeur and beauty of the Wild Rivers region.
Freycinet National Park
Jutting out into the sea on Tasmania's east coast is the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Peninsula. Freycinet National Park consists of knuckles of granite mountains all but surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. The dramatic peaks of The Hazards welcome you as you enter the park. Freycinet National Park offers a wide variety of activities. Take a walk to the pass overlooking the perfectly shaped Wineglass Bay or try less strenuous activities like beach strolls, swimming or wildlife spotting.
Hartz Mountains National Park
Hartz Mountains National Park is 84 km south-west of Hobart. It is a window into the south-west wilderness, offering views of remote mountain ranges as far as the southern coast. As well as spectacular views of a landscape which has been shaped by glaciers during past ice ages, the park offers a variety of unique features. Waterfalls tumble off the dolerite range that runs through the centre of the park and small glacial lakes dot the plateau. The park contains a wide variety of vegetation from wet eucalypt forest and rainforest through to alpine heath on the exposed mountain tops. The park was included in Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1989, in recognition of its spectacular natural and cultural values. Take your time and enjoy short strolls out to the glacial lakes in the area, or try the more challenging walks up to the range top. Its highest point, Hartz Peak (1255 m), provides panoramic views into the heart of the southwest
Maria Island National Park
Maria Island is a special place with something for everyone - historic ruins, sweeping bays, rugged cliffs and mountains, and remarkable wildlife. Set just off the warm east coast, the island is easily accessed by ferry. Once on the island you will discover a place where there are no motor vehicles, no shops and no worries. Whether you're here for hours or days you can choose the kind of stay that suits you and let Maria work its spell on you.
Mole Creek Karst National Park
Mole Creek Karst National Park is situated in the central north of Tasmania, about 40 minutes drive west of Deloraine. The Mole Creek Karst National Park was declared in 1996 to provide protection for some of the finest and most visited cave systems in the State, including Marakoopa and King Solomons Cave. Both caves are open to the public, and provide the opportunity to take a deeper look into the fascinating world of 'karst' landscapes. The Mole Creek area is renowned for its caves. Marakoopa and King Solomons Caves are but two caves in an area that contains over 300 known caves and sinkholes. Other typical karst features in this area include gorges and large underground streams and springs. Both caves are home to a range of fascinating animals which have evolved features which allow them to adapt to their lightless environments. The glow-worm display in Marakoopa Cave is the largest you'll see in any public access cave anywhere in Australia. For the visitor, the Mole Creek Karst National Park offers a range of activities. Although guided tours of the caves will be high on your agenda, don't miss the opportunity to take a short walk through the beautiful forests in which these caves occur.
Mt Field National Park
Mt Field National Park is just over one hour's drive from Hobart via New Norfolk. It is one of Tasmania's most loved national parks. The park has a wide variety of scenic features and wildlife and offers a great range of facilities for day visitors. Few other national parks in Australia offer such a diversity in vegetation, ranging from tall swamp gum forests and massive tree ferns at the base of the mountain, through rainforest along the Lake Dobson Road, to alpine vegetation at the higher elevations. The park essentially has two visitor sections. The first, near the park entrance, includes picnic facilities and the famous Russell Falls. Stunning walks through enormous fern forests and some of the tallest trees in the world are available in this area.
Mt William National Park
Located 130km north-east of Launceston, Mt William National Park is reached by back roads from Gladstone. From its long, lonely beaches to its teeming wildlife; from its unique history to its abundant plant life, Mt William National Park is a place of constant fascination. Nestled in the far north-east corner of the State, the park is an important area for the conservation of Tasmania's coastal heathlands and dry sclerophyll plants. Mt William National Park is one of the best places to spot wildlife, including the rare Tasmanian Forester (or eastern grey) kangaroo (Maria Island and Narawntapu National Park are two other places to see them in the wild). Pack a torch/flashlight and take a stroll at dawn or dusk you will probably see Bennetts wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, wombats, Forester kangaroos and maybe a timid Tasmanian devil or two. In the summer months, you may also spot echidnas foraging for ants. Whether you fish or swim; watch birds or wander by the sea, there's always something more to see in this beautiful national park.
Narawntapu National Park
Located 85km north of Launceston, it encloses a 20km strip of coast with long sandy beaches, dunes and freshwater lagoons, dissected by a sandstone range rising 392 metres at its highest peak. Narawntapu has been the site of Aboriginal shellfish collection and tool production for over 30 000 years. Wildlife is highly visible with Forester kangaroos, Bennett’s wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, Tasmanian devils and wombats. Springlawn, Bakers Point and Badger Head are well set up for picnics, there is excellent fishing offshore or in the estuary, and a section of Springlawn Beach is reserved for water-skiers from November to April. Bakers and Badger beaches offer safe swimming.
Rocky Cape National Park
Rocky Cape National Park is situated on the north-west coast of Tasmania about two hours drive west of Launceston. The main attraction is the Rocky Cape lighthouse with its sweeping views, but there is much more to see including Aboriginal heritage, ship wrecks, rock formations turned sideways, beautiful hills running down to the sea and an incredible variety of flowering plants. Rocky Cape is a great place to go swimming, fishing, boating or diving. You can explore rock pools, catch a fish and enjoy some great walks.
Savage River National Park
Savage River National Park is a wilderness region in the north west of Tasmania. The park protects the largest contiguous area of cool temperate rainforest surviving in Australia and acts as a refuge for a rich primitive flora, undisturbed river catchments, high quality wilderness, old growth forests, geodiversity and natural landscape values. The western portion of the park includes the most extensive basalt plateau in Tasmania that still retains a wholly intact forest ecosystem. The upper Savage River, which lends the park its name, runs through a pristine, rainforested river gorge system. The park contains habitat for a diverse rainforest fauna and is a stronghold for a number of vertebrate species which have suffered population declines elsewhere in Tasmania and mainland Australia. The parks remoteness from human settlement and mechanised access, its undisturbed hinterland rivers and extensive rainforest, pristine blanket bog peat soils and isolated, elevated buttongrass moorlands ensure the wilderness character of the park. Like the vast World Heritage listed Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to its south, the area is one of the few remaining temperate wilderness areas left on Earth. Unlike other national parks, Savage River National Park remains inaccessible. In keeping with its wilderness character, there are no facilities and no roads or mechanised access to the park. However, the park is surrounded by the Savage River Regional Reserve, in which a number of rough 4WD tracks provide limited access. To the north of the reserve, a number of State Forest Reserves can be accessed by standard vehicles. They offer an insight into the magnificent rainforest ecosystem that lies to the southeast within the Savage River National Park.
South Bruny National Park
South Bruny National Park lies at the southern tip of Bruny Island off the southeast coast of Tasmania. The park encompasses all of the coastline and some of the hinterland between Fluted Cape and the southern part of Great Taylors Bay. South Bruny National Park was gazetted in 1997 mainly for its wonderful coastal scenery. Much of the coast is comprised of towering cliffs, muttonbird rookeries, gardens of kelp seaweed and long sandy beaches. In some areas the park extends several kilometres back from the coastline, where lush rainforest may be found containing several endemic plant species (plants unique to Tasmania). The popularity of South Bruny National Park as a tourist destination is enhanced by its abundant birdlife, coastal heathland and its prominent place in the history of Tasmania. The park offers plenty of opportunities for walking, from the short stroll to the remains of an old whaling station at Grass Point, to the more demanding Labillardiere Peninsula circuit. Adventure Bay and Jetty Beach provide safe, sheltered areas for swimming, while Cloudy Bay is a popular spot for experienced surfers. A vehicular ferry departs from Kettering. Departures are at regular intervals throughout the day, and the trip takes about 15 minutes. The ferry takes you to Roberts Point, on north Bruny Island. From Roberts Point you travel by road (sealed & unsealed) to the southern part of the island.
Southwest National Park
The magnificent Southwest National Park encompasses over six hundred thousand hectares of wild, inspiring country and forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The park, the largest in Tasmania, epitomises the grandeur and spirit of wilderness in its truest sense. Much of the park is remote and far removed from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. For many, just the fact that such a place still exists brings solace. For others, the region offers the challenge to explore areas that retain the same wildness that once characterised new frontiers. For yet others, the area offers the chance to view magnificent scenery from the comfort of their car. The Gordon River and Scotts Peak roads wind through forest, scrub and moorland, sometimes opening out onto breathtaking views of rugged mountains like the Saw Back, Anne, Western Arthur and Frankland ranges. This is wilderness at its best, and it is equally accessible to those who enjoy the comfort of driving as it is to those who wish to walk in some of the most spectacular country in Australia. In the southeast, the park is accessible from Cockle Creek - the most southerly point able to be reached by road in Australia. From Cockle Creek, the magnificent south coast is able to be reached along a walking track. From the coast, the South Coast Track continues to Melaleuca, a 7 day walk along some of the wildest coastline in Australia.
Strzelecki National Park
Strzelecki National Park covers 4216 hectares in the south-western corner of Flinders Island. Flinders is the main island in the Furneaux Group, a group of 54 islands in Bass Strait off the north-east coast of mainland Tasmania. The national park protects rich and varied ecosystems as well as spectacular coastal and granite mountain landscapes. Strzelecki forms an area where plant and animal species found on mainland Australia and Tasmania overlap, making the park of important biogeographic significance. The park is also home to a high number of endemic species, rare flora and fauna and significant vegetation communities. The park was proclaimed in 1967 and given the official name of Strzelecki National Park in 1972, in honour of the Polish scientist and explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki, who climbed a number of the mountain peaks on Flinders Island in 1842. Flinders Island can be reached by either plane or by sea. There is no public transport on the island. Vehicles and bicycles are available for rent.
Tasman National Park
The Tasman National Park is located on the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas in south-eastern Tasmania. It protects diverse forest and spectacular coastline from Cape Surville to Waterfall Bay and Fortescue Bay; and from Cape Hauy to Cape Pillar and Cape Raoul. The park incorporates several off-shore islands, including Fossil Island, Hippolyte Rocks and Tasman Island. It is an area of great beauty and natural diversity, including some of the most stunning coastal scenery anywhere in Australia. The park offers some of the best coastal walks in the country. Many interesting rock formations can be found along the coastline, while the southern end of the park has some of the highest and most spectacular sea cliffs in Australia. The park is also home to a wide range of land and marine animals, and several species of rare plant.
Walls of Jerusalem National Park
The Walls of Jerusalem National Park is not accessible via road. Bushwalkers must walk up into the park from the car park located off the gravel Mersey Forest Road near Lake Rowallen. The car park is reached by following the Mersey Forest Road to Lake Rowallen, and then taking the gravel road on the left just after the Fish River. The park boundary is reached by following the walking track up through forest for about 1/2 hour. It is a further two hours to Herods Gate, which marks the start of the high exposed plateau. The track is often wet and muddy. The Walls of Jerusalem National Park forms a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. As the park is remote and not accessible via road, the Walls retains its wilderness character. There are no facilities for casual visitors, while bushwalkers are required to be well-equipped and experienced in the often harsh Tasmanian conditions. As with all natural areas, it is important that bushwalkers follow minimal impact guidelines. The region is an alpine wilderness dominated by dolerite peaks and alpine vegetation. The Walls of Jerusalem National Park is very exposed to the extremes of Tasmania's changeable weather.
