Two week hiking itinerary - thoughts?

[thegreekhiker]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are visiting Tassie during the April holidays.

This is our current plan:

Day 1: Hobart > Fortescue (drive) then Fortescue > Bare Knoll (hike)
Day 2: Bare Knoll > Cape Pillar > Bare Knoll
Day 3: Bare Knoll > Fortescue via Cape Huay (hike) then drive to Deloraine
Day 4: Deloraine > Arm River Track (drive), Arm River > Pelion (hike)
Day 5: Pelion > Ossa > Pelion
Day 6: Pelion > Arm River Track, Drive to Walls of Jerusalem, Carpark > Dixons
Day 7: Walls of Jerusalem exploration
Day 8: Dixons > Carpark (hike), Walls carpark > Cradle Mountain (drive)
Days 9-10: day hikes around Cradle Mountain
Day 11: Cradle Mountain > Hobart
Day 12 onwards: Hobart

Has anyone got any thoughts or feedback on our plan? We're both young and experienced hikers.

Would you change / add / delete anything?

Cheers

[Nuts]

It's been a long time since I walked out on Tasman Penn. the itinerary all seems ok to me, given you are young and experienced, presumably reasonably fit.. I had the thought that CM during the Easter hols would be a rather grim end to a 'wilderness' experience but then expect the rest will also be very busy. Walls has a booking system in place, not sure about the Tasman (?)

[myrtlegirl]

Looks mostly OK, provided all goes well and you have all your food and gas/fuel ready to go.
Day 6 looks long, get a very, very early start.
Be aware many roads in Tas aren't made for speed, allow 1 hr per 80km. And if you've got a hire car, any insurance may not cover you on the dirt roads into Fortescue and Arm River.

Bare Knoll is def the better campsite on the 3 Capes walk.

Not sure if you're aware you need to book for Arm River and Walls?
https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-pa ... gistration

[thegreekhiker]

Thanks so much for the feedback so far.

Yes, the day transitioning from Pelion > Dixons (22km+ of hiking and the drive) will be a super long day.

We've booked ART and WoJ. The Tasman Peninsula doesn't seem to need a booking.

CM is less wilderness, more landscape photography, wildlife spotting (wombats at Ronny Creek hopefully), a shower, a proper meal, etc.

Would you can any of those walks in place of another? We've considered Pine Valley / Labyrinth / Lake Elysia instead of ART and Tasman Peninsula. But two hikes seem better than one...

[myrtlegirl]

The difference between the Capes walk and the other walks will be pretty cool, though the driving between them will be long. The Tasman Peninsula has many great day walks if you want to stay there a bit longer.

PM me if you'd like some lesser known info and gps files for the Capes walk - nothing epic, just off the beaten track.

[Nuts]

Yeah, right, Arm R has a booking system, I guess it takes a visit to Tas Parks site to find.
Wild Dog Creek camp saves a few K's that day?

[Son of a Beach]

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I'd like a stop day or two in there somewhere for two reasons. Firstly, to actually have a rest and enjoy just being there (not everybody likes that but I do), but more importantly, to allow for bad weather. Over that period of time, the chances of having a couple of days of bad weather are fairly high, so having a couple of down-days, allows for some flexibility if the weather is bad enough to prevent one day's plan from proceeding.

Having said that, I'm just lazy and like to spend a day at/near camp sometimes. Just wandering around without a back pack on, or reading a book. But that's not everybody's cup or tea. Oh, yes, and drinking a cup of tea.

[Warin]

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I'd like a stop day or two in there somewhere for two reasons. Firstly, to actually have a rest and enjoy just being there (not everybody likes that but I do), but more importantly, to allow for bad weather.

On the seventh day, God rested.

If it is good enough for God, it is good enough for me.

The 'rest day' is a day for washing, shopping and resting. Plus any unplanned things .. like gear failure, sore foot etc.

[thegreekhiker]

Love these thoughts. Thanks.

Our 'rest day' will look more like a rest evening at Deloraine (with a comfy bed and a pub meal).

We can't move our Cradle Mountain accommodation (at Highlanders), which is why we're cramming everything in beforehand.

We could do the Capes after Cradle Mountain, but we liked the idea of ending with a more chilled time, before hitting up Hobart.

We thought about just hiking to Wild Dog, but all reports suggest Dixons is far better. Also saves setting up / packing down the tent as we'd keep it up for the two nights at Dixons (unless others would suggest otherwise?)

[north-north-west]

Just be aware that well-known places will be chockers through the Easter holidays.

I'd go into the Walls via George Howes and the Golden Gate and camp at *certain unofficial place*, to avoid the hordes, but maybe best not if you don't know the route.

[cjhfield]

I felt exhausted just reading it. Looks insane to me - way too much squeezed into the time available. But then I am a bit older and move at a slower pace. Driving in rural areas of Tas is not quick. Often 60-70km/hr and slower at dusk or night due to the wildlife. I recently had a few days at Lake Myrtle. A bit more out of the way than the main Walls. The view from Rogoona of the Cradle Mountain reserve is spectacular. Now for a nap.

[wildwanderer]

Also recommend a rest day.

Weather!, gear repairs, some one gets sick, you find somewhere cool you want spend another day at, 100 other things.

Its always good to have a day spare on a long itinerary.