Trekking Tasmania's wild side

GET away from it all by immersing yourself in the fabulous landscapes of these great award-winning Tasmanian walks.

Escape Tasmania

GET away from it all by immersing yourself in the fabulous landscapes of these great award-winning Tasmanian walks.

When it comes to walking holidays, Tasmania punches above its weight.

Australia's smallest state, an area about the size of Scotland, now boasts some of the world's greatest hikes and it has become a firm favourite with intrepid travellers who like to lace up the walking boots and experience a destination on foot.

Last year, five of the island's most acclaimed tourism operators companies that have been guiding travellers through iconic regions including Cradle Mountain and Freycinet Peninsula for years came together to create the Great Walks of Tasmania, which is now a one-stop shop for anyone interested in seeing a secluded piece of the southern state.

These expeditions, which range from four to nine-day itineraries, have guests sleeping in everything from wilderness camps and tents to mountain huts and historical homes.

And while every tour guarantees the most spectacular scenery, they are also gourmet experiences with meals made from the very best Tasmanian produce.The seven walks each one is detailed at greatwalkstasmania.com combine to cover 300km and regularly feature on those lists that rank the world's best hikes.

While some treks explore islands and rugged stretches of coastline, where azure water laps on white beaches or rumbling breakers thrash against jagged rocks, other routes delve into great inland forests where glorious mountain vistas are a constant companion.

Bay of Fires Walk
The rugged wilderness coastline known as the Bay of Fires sits on the edge of the Mt William National Park and this four-day hike visits secluded beaches, windswept coves, marsupial lawns and peppermint forests with hikers staying at Forester Beach Camp and the Bay of Fires Lodge during the 23km to 30km trek that includes an afternoon kayak.

Cradle Mountain Huts Walk
During six days, hikers walk the full length of the Overland Track that's 60km from Cradle Valley to Lake St Clair while sleeping in the comfort of private hut accommodation every night and seeing a good slice of the iconic Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park along the way.

The trip is classed as moderate to difficult, and there are three and four-day itineraries available, as well as tours traversing ancient rainforests and alpine plateaus.

The Freycinet Experience Walk
The Freycinet Experience Walk, a four-day encounter classed as gentle to moderate, but with difficult options, has guests sleeping at the Friendly Beaches Lodge and then exploring the full length of the spectacular peninsula along white beaches, over granite mountains, and through forests with towering white gums. There's also the chance to take a boat to Schouten Island, at the southern end of Freycinet National Park.

The Maria Island Walk
The Maria Island Walk is a four-day journey exploring a patch of land that's been everything from a whaling station and penal colony to farming settlement and national park since the first European explorers arrived.

The walk, which has won the Qantas Australian Tourism Award and four Gourmet Traveller gongs, starts at the isthmus between Shoal Bay and Reidle Bay before going south for an afternoon and then taking three days getting to the northern settlement of Darlington while staying in bush and beach camps and a restored colonial-era home.

The South Coast Track
The longest of the Great Walks of Tasmania at nine days, and considered to be the most challenging as it's done with full packs and sleeping in tents, the South Coast Track takes adventurers into the "wild unspoilt wilderness" that is the South West National Park, visiting remote beaches, rugged mountains, pristine rivers and towering rainforests.

Tarkine Rainforest Track
This six-day tour said to be Australia's "only multi-day temperate rainforest walk" winds through the largest cool temperature rainforest in the southern hemisphere on a custom-built walking track. Those who do the moderate 43km trek sleep in wilderness camps, raft across the Arthur River, and swim in remote waterfalls.

Wall of Jerusalem Experience
Described as an "introductory bushwalk" that explores Tasmania's only true alpine national park, the Walls of Jerusalem Experience is a four-day adventure that visits dolerite peaks, alpine lakes, ancient pencil pine forests and fields of wildflowers deep inside Tasmania's World Heritage Wilderness in an area only accessibly by foot. Walkers stay in comfortable base camps and only carry the day's provisions as they head out to explore.

HAZARD A ROAD TRIP FOR STUNNING VIEWS

Standing on a perch in the Hazards Ranges deep in the Freycinet National Park, with the wildflowers forming a carpet of white blooms around the pink granite boulders at my feet, I'm wondering if this is the best view in Tasmania.

From this spot between the summits of mounts Mayson and Amos, the ground drops away to the isthmus separating Wineglass Bay and Hazards Bay far below. I can see crescents of sand where the clear blue Freycinet water meets the white beaches, with the bush at the southern end of the peninsula taking on an indigo hue.

It's taken less than an hour to climb to this point and I'm about to start down the other side to complete the comfortable 7km walk that will take me to a spot in the bush below where a chef is fixing a four-course lunch that will be served on a dining table set on a headland at the far end of Hazards Bay.

While Tasmania is famous for its multi-day hikes, you don't have to spend a week deep in the bush to enjoy a walk that will reward you with a stunning view.

I'm exploring the Freycinet Peninsula, doing Pure Tasmania's (puretasmania.com.au) Wineglass to Wineglass experience, and this is just one small patch of the Apple Isle that's blessed with a collection of easy walks that can be done in as little as an hour or as long as a day.

A self-drive holiday staying at Innkeepers Tasmania (inn keeper.com.au) properties around the state is a good option for those who want to do a bit of touring, using the comfortable hotels, apartments, lodges, retreats and luxury penthouse suites as a base for day trips that include easy walks.

Innkeepers is the largest accommodation group in Tasmania it has 40 properties in 21 locations, from the Tasman Peninsula to Bicheno and Strahan and the properties are staffed by knowledgeable locals ready to share tips on the best walking locations.

For those keen on a driving holiday, but who don't want to spend their vacation stuck behind a steering wheel, an escorted coach tour might be the go, with APT (aptouring.com.au) the Australian company that's been taking care of travellers for decades offering a dozen itineraries that traverse Tasmania.

See discovertasmania.com.au