The Overland Track
The Overland Track - Tasmania
Distance: 65km one way
Duration: 6 days
The Overland Track is Australia’s premier alpine walk. It’s a 65 km, six-day trek through the heart of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, part of the magnificent Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The stunning scenery and the physical challenge of the Overland Track have assured it a national and international reputation as one of the great wilderness bushwalks.
During the popular walking months, from 1st October to 31st May (inclusive) you must book your walk, pay a fee, and walk from north (Cradle Mountain) to south (Lake St Clair). During winter and early spring, from 1st June to 30th September, you do not need to book or pay, and can walk in either direction.
You can do it in whatever time frame you'd like. Unlike NZ when you book you don't have to book individual huts to stay in. In fact it's compulsory to take a tent as the huts aren't all large enough to accommodate everyone. Because of this you can skip huts or stay extra nights.
If you choose to do the full 6 days it goes as follows.
Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley
Time: 3 - 5 hr
Distance: 10 km
Waterfall Valley to Windermere
Time: 1.5 – 2.5 hr
Distance: 7.75 km
New Pelion to Kia Ora
Time: 3 hr
Distance: 9 km
Kia Ora to Bert Nichols Hut (Windy Ridge)
Time: 3 - 4 hr
Distance: 10 km
Bert Nichols Hut (Windy Ridge) to Narcissus Hut
Time: 3 hours
Distance: 9km
Narcissus to Echo Point
Distance: 6.5 km
Time: 2 hr
Echo Point to Cynthia Bay
Distance: 11 km
Time: 3 – 4 hr
On the first day we started at Waldheim as we summited Cradle Mountain the previous day. When we got to Waterfall Valley we decided we still had enough time to push on through to Lake Windermere on the same day. Not only did this give us an extra day to do some side walks but we got to have a swim as the sun was setting. It was the coldest water I think I've ever being in but increddibly refreshing after a huge day walking.
When we arrived at Windy Ridge it was miserable and early so we pushed on through to Pine Valley to give us an extra day again to do the Acropolis. There were 100kms winds over night, rain and low cloud so there was nothing to be seen.
We decided to head back out of the Labryinth and to skip the boat from Narcissus hut where most people finish the walk and do the remaining 17km around the lake on foot. We spent the last night at Echo Point before finishing the walk on day 6.
Be sure to give yourself time to summit some mountains and do side tracks like Pine Valley. It has to be the best part of the track if you ask me and it's free to stay if you walk from the end in.
If you have no interest in catching a dickey little ferry and time permits I highly advise you to finish the walk on foot. The walk around the Lake is easy compared the the rest of the walk and the rainforest is some of the nicest with some seriously gigantic trees to check out.
The weather is unpredictable but people have done the entire thing in the sun so it's just the luck of the draw. It's something I will definitely do more than once in the future. It's not really as easy as people say but as long as you can carry enough gear for a week you'll be set.
Overall the Overland Track is epic! It really did enlighten me in some sort of spiritual way. Maybe just being out of society and around like minded people for a week put a lot of things in my life into perspective. It caused me to quit my job and make some major changes in many aspects of my life. Huge infact.
I really don't have words to describe it. You really need to do it to understand it.
© DANIEL SALLAI PHOTOGRAPHY